The Acupressure Slimming Book
By
Dr Frank Bakr
Contents:
Book Cover (Front) (Back)
Scan / Edit Notes
1 - Overweight - Not Only A Question Of Looks
2 - What Is Acupressure?
3 - And Now: The Diet
4 - The 800-Calorie Diet: Recipes
5 - The Weight Control Diet: Recipes
6 - Acupressure - As The Patients See It
7 - Exercise, Exercise, Exercise!
Versions available and duly posted:
One of the many diet fad books that appear to continually come and go. Somewhat better than the general run of the mill diet-fad books (some which I believe are dangerous; ... not to mention idiotic) this book is at least not dangerous, has some positive points though it could do with more on the Acupressure side.
The version numbers are a bit lower due to the fact that this book was extremely hard to scan (markings, yellow pages and pictures in the wrong places -in the book-).
Format: v0.5 (Text)
Format: v0.5 (PDB - open format)
Format: v1.0 (HTML)
Genera: Alternative Health (Acupressure)
Extra's: Pictures Included
Copyright: 1979
Scanned: August 23 2003
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1. The Html, Text and Pdb versions are bundled together in one rar file. (a.b.e)
2. The Ubook version is in zip (html) format (instead of rar). (a.b.e.p)
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-Salmun
Dr Frank Bahr, one of Europe's leading medically qualified acupressure experts, sets out a safe and simple way to conquer the urge to overeat - the heart of any diet problem. Every year thousands of people lose weight through dieting but are disappointed because they quickly put on weight again.
Dr Bahr has discovered the pressure points on the body that control appetite, the significance of which was not appreciated by the ancient Chinese who practised acupressure (a form of gentle massage of selected points on the body - acupuncture without needles).
The Acupressure Slimming Book shows you how to do daily acupressure exercises, which are easy to perform and can be done at home or at work. These 10 second exercises curb the urge to overeat - and so enable you both to lose weight successfully and, once you have lost weight, not to put it back on.
Also provided are diets used and tested in Dr Bahr's own health clinic (since if you eat less, what you eat becomes extremely important), with menus that are tasty and varied enough to make sure you don't suffer from lack of protein or vitamins. In addition, he gives useful hints on how to keep fit, puts forward some intriguing theories as to why people overeat and explains in detail exactly how the acu-diet method works. In Dr Bahr's own words 'diet combined with acupressure unfailingly leads to lasting success'.
It does not exactly further the prestige of a doctor engaged in scientific research to write a book that can be understood by everyone and is meant for everyone -in a word, a popular book about a medical subject. I do this because overweight has become the risk factor for the health of the individual, and this fact simply has to be driven home.
What matters is that all concerned realise the peril inherent in their excessive, unhealthy poundage, and the need for getting rid of it healthily and lastingly. That is why I have not written in scientific jargon for a restricted circle of readers, but in such a way that everyone can understand the book and - equally important - can read it without getting bored. I hope that this is what the book will accomplish.
Dr Frank Bahr
1 - Overweight - Not Only A Question Of Looks
This excerpt from a female patient's letter tells a common story: '... I would like to lose my fat, and I would be grateful if that could be accomplished soon because I am going on holiday in June and would like to look more attractive by then ...'
This is a typical attitude; most fat people are bothered mainly by their appearance, and very understandably so, since the current ideal of beauty, at least in the Western world, calls for a slim, trim figure. This ideal is a most sensible one from a medical point of view. Regrettably, excess pounds damage more than a person's looks.
Fat People Live Dangerously
Those overweight by 10 per cent or more face five dangers:
Danger 1: Their heart is overburdened. To sustain the excess bulk, it has to pump up to forty more quarts of blood per hour. This blood, moreover, is often too fatty, with too high a cholesterol and triglyceride level. The result for the overweight, compared with people of. normal weight, is twice the danger of suffering a heart attack.
Danger 2: Fat and carbohydrate metabolism in the overweight is often impaired. The chance of falling prey to metabolic disorders is four times as great for an overweight person as for a normal individual. We are not dealing here with mild or harmless disorders. Diabetes is one example of the kind of condition which as a rule hits the obese harder and earlier in life than it does people who are normal weight.
Danger 3: The obese suffer three times as often as normal people from high blood pressure. This in turn, as we all know by now, can have many disagreeable consequences such as an inclination to headaches, a decrease in work capacity, and disturbance of sleep, as well as painful heart cramps (angina pectoris), heart attacks and strokes.
Danger 4: In conjunction with metabolic disorders, three times as many overweight individuals suffer from gallstones, an affliction which certainly cannot be taken lightly; not only are gall bladder cramps among the most disagreeable of pains but they also carry with them the risk of an operation.
Danger 5: Since a sizeable share of the excess poundage is often due to a generous consumption of beer, wine and spirits, the obese are also in the front ranks of the liver-damaged. This damage begins with a fatty liver, a condition that is still curable, and ends with an atrophied liver (cirrhosis), which causes no pain, but kills.
Taken all together, this means a drastic reduction of life expectancy for the overweight. Admittedly, it seldom happens that someone literally eats himself to death, as was the case recently with a young Bavarian who had reached the weight of 684 pounds by the time heart failure carried him off at the age of twenty.
We could assume that rock idol Elvis Presley also died because of his overweight, of a heart attack at the age of forty-two. According to the coroner the autopsy revealed the presence of eight different drugs in Mr. Presley's body, but they had nothing to do with his death. For years, Elvis Presley had been suffering from heart disease, his blood pressure had been too high, and he had been enormously overweight.
In less extreme situations, in what might be called 'routine overweight', life is shortened significantly. A fairly reliable estimate is that every two pounds of excess weight shortens the average life expectancy by four months. The by no means rare thirty pounds of excess fat costs, therefore, roughly five years of one's life.
You would think these horrifying statistics would be familiar to most people, since newspapers and popular magazines regularly point to the dangers of obesity and recommend low-calorie recipes.
But, strangely enough, this does not help. The National Center for Health Statistics recently reported that American men and women in most age and height groups weigh more than they did fifteen years ago. They reported that 41.9 per cent of women surveyed thought they were at the ideal weight; 48.9 per cent thought they were overweight; 6.2 per cent thought they were underweight; 3.1 per cent had no opinion. 51 per cent of men thought they were at the ideal weight; 30.5 per cent thought they were overweight; 9.6 per cent thought they were underweight; 8.9 per cent had no opinion.
It is not an exaggeration, therefore, to say that overweight, or obesity, is a problem of epidemic proportions. It truly is a plague that cries for relief.
Ideal Weight, Overweight
A person's ideal weight is the weight at which he or she lives longest. This weight was determined a few years ago by a group of major life insurance companies. They ran hundreds of thousands of their insurance cases through a computer, discarded all those involving accidental deaths and deaths resulting from other external causes, and thus found out which of those covered lived longest. They were those who weighed 10 per cent less than their so-called normal weight. Since then, a body weight of about 10 per cent less than normal has been designated as ideal weight. Thus, the ideal weight of a man five feet nine inches tall with a medium frame would be a little under 150 pounds.
But calculating the desirable weight only on the basis of height is too crude a .method because human bones may vary considerably in thickness and weight. Moreover, one person has broader shoulders than the next, or a much narrower pelvis; ribs can be flat and short or very curved and correspondingly longer. At equal height, differences in bone structure can account for a weight difference of up to 20 pounds, especially in very tall people.
These factors are taken into account in the table below. If you do not know whether your bone structure is light, medium, or heavy (appearances can be deceptive), ask your doctor. Since constitutionally determined differences occur within these three groups, variations are allowed for in the table. A man with heavy bone structure, six feet one inch tall, weighing 168 pounds, actually does not need to read any further because he is at his ideal weight. But such cases are rare. Only between 10 per cent and, at most, 15 per cent of all people are at their ideal weight.
Note: Prepared by Metropolitan Life' Insurance Company. Derived primarily from data of the Build and Blood Pressure Study, 1959, Society of Actuaries.
We Eat Much Too Much - Why?
The cause of widespread and health-endangering overweight is simple: those who hit the scales at too many pounds eat too much - and probably the wrong food as well - and/or drink too much alcohol.
That's all there is to it.
Why, then, do so many people inflict this damage upon themselves and others (every fourth child is overfed)? There are many and intricate reasons for this; some lie in the remotest past, others in the more recent past, and quite a few in the present.
From our primeval past stems our ability to store energy reserves in the form of fat in our own bodies, an ability which we have in common with almost all animal species, be they mammals, birds, or fish.
For our earliest ancestors this capacity was essential; they were hunters who stalked huge animals such as the mammoth or the bison, and when they had brought one down they stored the nutritional value in their own bodies, for the refrigerator had not yet been invented. So they ate for days and rejoiced in their body fat. They certainly needed it; it could be a long time between mammoths.
In those days, our double system of utilising nutrition made eminently good sense: man can take from outside his body the energy which he constantly needs to maintain the correct body temperature, to keep up his various bodily functions, to move and to work - by eating. But, when there is no energy available from outside, he can nourish himself from within by breaking down stored fats, and in extreme cases even muscles and connective tissue. Before a man starves to death, he first consumes a part of himself.
Although the atavistic, programmed storage economy of our organism, which causes it to hoard even the slightest excess energy as fat, is a nuisance today, it nevertheless has its advantages. Without the capacity for internal nourishment, it would be even harder than it already is to get rid of overweight.
But something else has been passed on to us from our ancestors: the lust for food. For early man seldom had enough to eat and every meal must have been a mighty feast, since nature has coupled all the important functions that preserve the species and the individual with pleasure feelings - and the more essential the function, the more intense the pleasure. Reproduction and eating are the most important of these functions and therefore are also the strongest drives.
The Man At The Control Panel Still Eats As His Great-Grandfather Ate
A good part of our eating habits are an inheritance from a far less distant past. In this context, the word 'inheritance' should not be taken too literally, since habits cannot, strictly speaking, be inherited. But frequently they are passed from generation to generation with about the same consistency as true hereditary material. If you ask a young woman today how she cooks, the answer in ninety cases out of a hundred will be 'like my mother'.
Today's woman relies on canned or frozen foods, whereas her mother made her own sauces and baked homemade pies. But these differences in quality do not affect the quantity of food consumed. Those habits have remained unchanged so that the eating programme is still essentially the same.
Until a few generations ago most people spent their lives in physical labour. Masons, for example, lugged stones and cement up scaffolding on their backs; there were no cranes to do it for them. Miners hacked coal from the coalface with picks. Cattle sheds were mucked out by pitchfork, not conveyor belt, and the farmer did not sit in the comfortable cab of a 150-horsepower tractor, but walked behind the plough, and although this was pulled by a team of horses or oxen he had to press it into the furrow with considerable effort and force it to move in a straight line.
All this hard labour called for appropriate nourishment - indeed, for a lot of food and fat. At such a high energy-consumption level, this did no harm. On the contrary, under these circumstances high energy foods such as fatty bacon were welcome. But times have changed. Today, the number of those who have to perform heavy labour has fallen to a minimum. The great-grandchildren of those former toilers now stand in white coats before control panels or even sit in front of them. But the eating habits, the heavy, energy-rich diet, remain unchanged.
Here are a few figures to illustrate. The average energy requirements for a man today is about 2,500 calories, for a woman about 2,200 calories. But men usually eat the equivalent of about 3,100 calories, women about 2,610. Since these average figures include those who eat sensibly or even less, the average daily consumption of the overweight members of the population must be more like 3,600 calories for men and 3,000 calories for women, or almost 40 per cent too high. Small wonder that heavy rolls of fat decorate so many hips.
The average consumption of fat also lies far above the necessary level: men, on average, eat five and a half ounces of fat per day and women four ounces. Under a normal work load, two and a half or three ounces would be quite sufficient for both men and women. Two ounces of fat per day too many adds up to almost four pounds of overweight a month.
Stress Awakens The Appetite
To the prehistoric factors that predispose so many of us to overeating must be added a few contemporary ones, starting practically at birth. The baby cries. Perhaps it is hungry. Perhaps it just wants comforting or attention, but it gets a bottle every time (relatively few babies are breast-fed nowadays, compared with more ancient times). Look at that baby - it drinks and is contented. Truly? Can milk or a bottle be a substitute for love?
Hardly! But the baby gets used to it and demands food when it is in need of love. Substitute gratification is the name for this. And this tendency remains with the baby when it has long ceased to be one and has become an adult. Anger, tension and frustration drive him or her straight to the biscuit tin, sweet jar or beer can. This is what is commonly called 'nervous eating'. The result is a sort of 'grievance fat'.
On top of all this, there is the stress of modern life that besets the pupil as well as the teacher, the workman on the assembly line as much as the manager harassed by telephones and deadlines, the patient in the overcrowded waiting room as well as the doctor next door.
But What Is Stress?
The ability to react unerringly to stress was a dire necessity for a Stone Age man, forced to escape from a wild beast that suddenly came upon him. It is also a stress reaction when you avoid an oncoming car with a leap that you could not ordinarily accomplish.
Stress reaction within the body's warning system is programmed for maximum effort. This works along the following lines. The brain receives threatening information via the sense organs and nerve pathways, and orders the adrenal glands to pour adrenalin into the bloodstream, thus raising blood pressure and rate of heartbeat with lightning speed so as to ensure the increased oxygen supply to the muscles needed to produce energy for a fight-or flight reaction. Digestion, on the other hand, is switched off, since it would only waste energy in a moment of danger. In split seconds enormous energy resources are freed, enabling a man to make maximum efforts that he would not be capable of under normal conditions, but that save his life in danger, in battle, or during a fire.
It is a pity that today these stress reactions are triggered by all sorts of much less threatening situations, such as trouble at the office, a row with one's spouse, a pneumatic drill outside the door, or a minor traffic accident. Even a delayed train may release a stress reaction out of all proportion to the situation.
The trouble is that the organism gets into a state of alarm and tension that cannot be reduced in the manner we are provided with by nature. After all, would you hoist your desk in the air after a reprimand from your boss, or run full speed ten times round the block after a clash with your mother-in-law? It would be beneficial, it would work off the tension, but it is rarely feasible. That leaves those who are plagued by stress to work it off in other ways. And very many people do so by seeking refuge in eating.
It is entirely possible that this compulsive eating after stress is still part of the stress reaction. The organism believes - erroneously - that it has to replace the energy when, in fact, it has not used it up. Stress is certainly the reason why many people eat more than is good for them.
An Ill-Advised Custom: The Party
The habit of celebrating anything and everything -birthday, promotion, anniversary - with a party also contributes to the intake of too many calories. Food and drink are urged on guests and parties most often take place in the evening. This is a time when the body, because it will soon rest for a prolonged period, uses hardly any energy and transforms the ingested calories into stored fat at an especially high rate. After a rich evening meal gentle exercise such as dancing hardly makes any difference.
There are more than enough reasons for overeating. But are they really so compelling that half of the population cannot resist them? Or are there still other contributing factors?
The Control Mechanism Fails -Eating Becomes An Addiction
Actually it is hard to understand. The human organism is a miraculous piece of engineering including the finest and most perfect regulatory mechanisms. It can accurately maintain its ideal operating temperature to a tenth of a degree in cold and hot weather; it adjusts respiratory rate and heart rhythm precisely to requirements; it can safely govern the most complicated sequences of motion; and the speed of its reflexes lies in the supersonic range - to give just a few examples. What happens in the more minute hormonal and nerve regions is far more intricate and complicated, but always calibrated to a degree that no computer in the world could match.
With all these regulating mechanisms working to perfection, surely there should also be one to govern the intake of calories? Well, we do have a suitable control mechanism. It is located in the midbrain, deep inside the skull. This particular region of the brain is, on the one hand, the gateway to consciousness. All sensory perceptions pass through here, are processed and tagged with sensations of pleasure or pain, and are then passed on to the corresponding area of the cerebral hemispheres. On the other hand, its lower part (hypothalamus) is also the most important control centre for all autonomous processes like breathing, heartbeat, temperature regulation, and sleep and waking rhythm. To put it another way, hypothalamus is the control room for the whole autonomic nervous system.
Our attitude towards eating, the feeling of hunger or satiety, is controlled in this region. True hunger - as opposed to appetite - cannot be brought about voluntarily; one is hungry or isn't, depending on what is being signaled from the hypothalamus. In animal experiments, it is possible to pinpoint precisely where in the hypothalamus the feeding centres are located. If one stimulates a certain spot (by electricity or injections), the test animals start to eat without restraint and get fatter as you watch. Stimulation of another specific point causes the animals to refuse all food and, without counter-measures, they would simply starve to death.
A fully functioning control mechanism does, indeed, exist, but in many people it obviously does not work as it should. The right control would mean that hunger and appetite would lead to food intake only when the first signs of deficiency, lowering of the blood-sugar level, for instance, made this seem advisable; and, furthermore, that all additional food intake would be prevented by a feeling of satiety or disgust.
But it does not happen that way - the control mechanism fails. To be more precise, it seems to fail. It would be more precise to say that the control of our eating habits is not geared to present-day conditions. The parts of our brain that are in charge of this control are amongst the oldest in our evolutionary history; there are many indications that they are programmed to function in a situation of constant scarcity - just those circumstances in which early man, living in a hunting society, always found himself.
This brings us to what we call appetite: the desire to eat when one is not actually hungry. The appetite is triggered not by real hunger, but by the mere sight of something edible. Even an illustration in one of the many richly coloured magazines on the art of cooking can cause one's mouth to water; the gastric juices flow and the body immediately prepares itself for food intake.
This is fatal in a situation where food is continuously and plentifully available. Its effect can be clearly seen in domestic animals, who are programmed with that same 'eat-when-you-can-so-you-won't-want-later' pattern. As long as animals live in the wild and have to hunt their own food, this works perfectly; no wild animal will ever get fat unless it is getting ready for hibernation. But as soon as a dog or a cat becomes domesticated and has a continuous food supply, it eats - if permitted to do so -without restraint, and immediately becomes fat, with the same dire consequences as in humans, including heart attacks.
But what does this failure of the controls mean? It means that overeating can become compulsive. The ,feeding centre' of the brain under these changed conditions has become a 'food-addiction centre', and the habit of overeating has turned into addiction.
This does not mean that all people are affected in the same way. The lucky ones who always stay at their normal or ideal weight have retained in their feeding centre a regulator which functions well, with food intake governed by hunger and not by appetite. Normally, this feeding centre in the brain works perfectly in children who have not been forced by their mothers always to clean their plates; as soon as the feeling of hunger is gone, the child stops eating. Such children are not overweight. The fault lies, therefore, mostly with the kind of mother who with the best of intentions does precisely the wrong thing for the child.
This book is for those who want to fight their overweight, those who - often despairingly - struggle against their urge to eat, without ever achieving more than a temporary result. They are true addicts, and only if they are treated as such and see themselves as such, can they be helped.
It Can't Be Done Without A Diet, But Dieting Alone Wont Do It
It is obvious to anyone that a person who has put on excess weight can only lose it again by means of a low-calorie diet. It may also be possible to work off the pounds by strenuous exercise, but this would require such a great effort even in the case of comparatively minor overweight (see table on- page 4) that reducing by this method alone is not practicable.
After all, there are sensible diets. The relevant literature would fill whole libraries; diet suggestions and methods number in the hundreds. In many instances they even carry guarantees. This is a typical example:
Of all the patients who stayed with the diet programme and the instructions connected with it, as suggested by Dr X, 80 per cent had maintained the aimed-for weight after one year.
Such statements require careful scrutiny. 'Of all ... those who stayed with the programme ...' How many were they? What percentage of those who started one or the other of the diet regimens have stuck with it in the long run? The diet books won't tell, and with good reason. The number is disturbingly small.
It is very gratifying to lose weight through constant dieting but when after a while the indicator on the scales begins to show a gradual increase and finally reaches the old position the dieter can feel very depressed. According to a recent study of 20,000 cases, this is the sad truth in 95 per cent of all cases were overweight people have at first successfully reduced by means of a diet.
The number of overweight people does not go down, but up. That can only mean that hundreds of thousands have had the depressing experience of having been able to reduce, but unable to maintain a healthy weight. The resulting disappointment, the feeling of being inferior because of lack of willpower, drives many to start filling their plates with a vengeance.
Not everyone accepts the situation as calmly and cheerfully as one of my patients, who summed up his experiences as follows: 'If I add up all the pounds I have lost in the last few years, there really isn't anything left of me.' What was left, though, was excess weight, living proof that by dieting one can, indeed, lose many pounds, but not the addiction. That remains, and causes the pounds to accumulate again.
That is why dieting alone cannot do the job. Only if you break down the fat with a balanced diet and at the same time treat the urge to overeat as an addiction and attack it as such can lasting success be expected.
The Problem Is, The Habit Can't Be Broken
Compulsive eating differs in one very important respect from other addictions - the habit can't be broken. Even a heavy smoker can give up smoking if he makes up his mind, really stops, and has enough willpower to stick it out. The first weeks may be rough, the following ones not much better, but eventually, little by little, the addiction becomes weaker - dries up, so to speak - until at last it disappears and the smoker is a smoker no longer. An alcoholic can also get rid of his habit. It doesn't happen very often, as the high relapse percentage shows. But, at least, it is possible. If an alcoholic is deprived of all drink for a sufficiently long time, he can be cured. The same holds true for narcotics addicts, at least in theory. After a long abstinence, lasting perhaps several years (if that can be achieved), their addiction, too, will fade away. These habits can be broken, if the object of craving is strictly withheld from the addict.
Compulsive eating cannot be stopped that way. No one needs to smoke, tipple, or shoot heroin, but everyone has to eat. It isn't possible to separate the compulsive eater from the object of his craving. He would starve. For this reason compulsive eating can be treated only by attacking it head on at its starting point in the mid-brain, where the impulses to eat originate. These impulses must be blocked. Once they have been stopped, the excessive appetite is gone - and with it goes the addiction.
The one method by which anyone can achieve this is acupressure. My own method for sustained and permanent weight reduction is to combine acupressure with diet.
To begin with, 'acupressure' is a somewhat misleading word. It is a variation of the better known practice of acupuncture - the name, of Latin origin, for the ancient Chinese art of healing by needle pricks. In Latin acus means 'needle', punctum 'point' or 'prick' and pressus means 'pressure'; 'acupressure', translated literally, means 'needle pressure'. But needles are not actually involved. It would therefore be more appropriate to call it 'point pressure', 'point pressing' or 'point massage', terms which describe the technique perfectly.
Yet, the name 'acupressure' has become accepted, perhaps to stress the connection with acupuncture, since both procedures use the same points.
'Acupressure' is the name, then, for a method of soothing and healing pain and sickness through massage of certain indicated points on the body. This method is even older than acupuncture, which had its beginnings, as legend has it, under the reign of the Chinese emperor Huang Ti about 5,000 years ago. The body surface was pierced at points where it had long been known -probably through chance discovery - that the application of pressure would cause definite reactions inside the body.
The first written records of acupressure are much more recent. They can be found in a medical treatise from the time of the Chin Dynasty around the year 300 BC. Certain stone utensils for massaging and tapping body points are described there; the Chinese name for them, zehn-shi, can. be roughly translated as 'stone needles'. They were probably made of easily split stone, ground into pencil-shaped objects with rounded ends. At the time those records were made, acupuncture in China had already developed into an extensive system with hundreds of precisely defined points, along so-called body meridians, which were pierced with golden or silver needles, depending on the result desired.
Western medicine long regarded Chinese acupuncture, of which it had not become aware until the seventeenth century, as hocus-pocus. This absolute rejection ended only recently, after it was discovered that the meridians apparently correspond to functional connections in the cerebral cortex. It has now been realised that the Yin-Yang principle of complementary poles corresponds to the two aspects of the autonomic nervous system. The similarity lies in the fact that a balance between Yin (the dark, weak, feminine) and Yang (light, strong, masculine) or sympathetic (excitatory, stimulating) and parasympathetic (calming, restoring) is necessary for healthy functioning of the organism as a whole.
A short time ago it even became possible to identify the acupuncture points objectively and scientifically: the skin gives off an electrical current at these points and they are usually perceptibly more sensitive to pressure than the adjacent skin.
Once the points had been established with certainty, it was possible to prove the effects of acupuncture in animal tests. This method disproved the initial objections that acupuncture works only as long as one believes in it, or through autosuggestion. An animal cannot imagine that it feels no pain just because a vet sticks a few needles into its hide. Caesarean sections have been performed on beef cattle using acupuncture anaesthesia by a veterinary surgeon in Austria. In the United States there are now several acupuncture veterinary hospitals, used primarily for the treatment of valuable racehorses.
Acupuncture is being used more and more in private medical practice and at teaching hospitals. The practitioner must, of course, be thoroughly trained in the method. In Germany, some 3,000 major operations have been performed successfully under acupuncture anaesthesia, mainly on patients who were unable to undergo traditional anesthetics.
How acupuncture works has been explained to a large extent through the cooperation of researchers in various scientific fields in the United States, Canada, China, Germany and Austria. To summarise briefly, free nerve ends are located under the skin at the acupuncture points. Stimulation of these points by needle pricks releases impulses that travel via the respective nerve pathways and the spine into the brain stem and on to the mid-brain. There, in a net-like structure and in the nonspecific nuclei of the midbrain, the impulses are processed and release corresponding effects through neurophysiological reflexes and neurochemical substances that serve as transmitters of information.
Acupressure's effects and mode of action are in principle the same as in acupuncture. The only, and for us essential, difference is that the results achieved with needles are very strong, at times dramatic. For this reason, only a fully trained physician should be entrusted with the acupuncture needle. It is not enough, for example, simply to free a man with severe disc trouble from excruciating pain by means of acupuncture if his vertebrae are already deformed. Such a patient has to be thoroughly apprised of the fact that he cannot kick up his heels now as if his spine were completely intact. Were he to do so, he would risk a slipped disc and, with it, agonizing nerve pressure. In extreme cases even paraplegia could develop. Similarly, no responsible doctor would try to eliminate pains in the abdominal region with acupuncture without having fully reassured himself that he is not dealing with an inflamed appendix or Fallopian tube, when an operation would be the only appropriate therapy.
These two examples, to which any number of others could be added, make it clear that the acupuncture needle is not an instrument that can be handed to anyone to play around with indiscriminately.
The situation is different in the case of acupressure. The fingertip pressure only massages a point on the body, and could never injure internal organs. Self-administration for certain purposes is, therefore, harmless and acupressure is especially beneficial as a means of curbing compulsive eating. One can, of course, shackle the urge to eat very effectively with acupuncture, but this is necessary only in extreme and exceptional cases.
The Ten-Second Method, Or, Have You Met Pavlov's Dogs?
'Pavlov, Iran Patriotic, Russian medical scientist ... 1904 Nobel Prize for Medicine ... died 1936 ... discovered the conditioned reflexes and how to train them ...'
On the cover of this book it says: 'Easy to perform 10 second exercises'. The bold announcement that ten seconds of acupressure massage can effectively restrain the compulsive eating centre has a lot to do with Pavlov. Let us recall exactly what Pavlov discovered. He fed dogs - and very well, too. The dogs started to salivate at the mere sight of their tasty meal. At the same time, Pavlov rang a bell. Eventually, Professor Pavlov had only to ring the bell and his dogs would begin to salivate without any food in sight. Proof of the conditioned reflex, of the capacity to habituate responses, had been established. Conditioning takes time, but it always works.
Pavlov's Experiment Turned Round: Conditioning Against Compulsive Eating
Acupressure for the overeater involves conditioning and reinforcement, so that eventually the amount of acupressure can be reduced. In other words, the overweight person who begins to curb his urge to eat by point massage - instructions on how to do this appear in the next chapter - will at first need quite some time to curb the hyperactivity of his compulsive-eating centre before he notices any effect and starts to feel his appetite disappear. It may take longer than the indicated ten seconds at first; in extreme cases it could take considerably longer.
As acupressure becomes associated with the reduction of appetite, a strong conditioned reflex is established and in time a small amount of acupressure is enough for the brain to suppress appetite. The effect of the acupressure, not very noticeable during the first days of treatment, will increase dramatically. After one week, only half the time required at the beginning will be necessary; after another week, the time needed is halved again, and so on. Progressive conditioning leads to a point where ten seconds of acupressure is enough to kill the appetite completely.
It is essential, though, to use acupressure every day, otherwise the reflex paths will not become conditioned in the manner described above.
Locating The Right Acupressure Points
When you practise acupressure, it is of the utmost importance to locate the points accurately. The more exact you are in massaging precisely the right point, the stronger will be the effect. The drawings show where these are located. For the best possible results, please always use all three of the following methods simultaneously for locating a point.
Method 1: Look very carefully at the drawings and find the point or points on your own body (visual identification).
Method 2: Read, word for word, the related text in which the manner of locating the point is described and, following the instructions in the text, find the corresponding acupressure point (combined visual and manual identification).
Method 3: To be absolutely sure of finding the right acupressure point make use of the fact that the spot to be located is more sensitive to pressure than its surrounding area. Determined pressure with a finger will be felt more strongly at the acupressure point than in its vicinity (pressure-sensitive identification).
Direction Of Massage
Once you have found the point, you have to massage it in the direction indicated, not just rub back and forth on the skin. The Chinese, with their thousands of years of experience with acupressure, warn that acupressure in the wrong direction is useless. The explanation for this is obvious. The acupressure points are situated along the lines of energy flow, or meridians. The direction of stroke should follow that of the energy flow. The drawings and text indicate the correct direction clearly.
Pressure
Keep in mind that you want to establish a reflex; to achieve this, the free nerve ends in the skin have to be stimulated. This means the pressure definitely has to be felt, but you do not want to injure your skin or massage yourself black and blue. Sufficient pressure is important, especially during the first days of acupressure treatment. Later on you may progressively reduce the pressure, making sure it remains perceptible, since the effect of conditioning, once the reflex paths have become habituated, reinforces the effect of the massage.
Are You A Compulsive Eater?
Most fat people are. One patient told me before her treatment that she once experienced such an irresistible craving that she begged a total stranger in a restaurant for a bite of his roast pork because she did not have enough money with her for a meal, having gone into the restaurant only for a quick cup of coffee.
How can you tell that you are a compulsive eater? Check your answers to the following questions:
[Yes] [No] Are you unable to pass a shop window full of tempting goodies? Or are you driven to go in and buy something, although what drives you is not hunger, just appetite?
[Yes] [No] Do you ask yourself after a substantial lunch or dinner 'What else would taste good now, perhaps an ice cream or a bar 'of chocolate?'
[Yes] [No] Do you feel propelled towards the refrigerator, although you are not the least 'bit hungry, when you are watching someone on TV happily stuffing himself?
[Yes] [No] Does the mere sight of a colour photo of a gourmet dish make you ravenously hungry?
If you have answered 'yes' to any of the questions, overeater's acupressure will help you.
Overeater's Acupressure
You will see in the drawing (p. 23) that the acupressure point is located about midway between your nose and upper lip - but this point is not on the outside of the upper lip, it is on the inside. As seen from the interior of the mouth, it is about one four-hundredth of an inch below the mucous membrance of the upper lip (see drawing p. 23).
The point is very well hidden. That is why the Chinese never discovered it and did not include it in their acupuncture charts. I found this point only by chance, while systematically investigating the whole mouth area of one of my patients. This point becomes amazingly effective only after the reflex pathways to the brain have become conditioned by acupressure for two or three days.
Pincer Acupressure
Use this pincer acupressure routine every morning after washing your hands and cleaning your teeth.
Since the acupressure point on the upper lip is hidden on the inside, you could, of course, pull the lip slightly forward with the left hand and then massage the point on the inside with the index finger of the right hand. An alternative to this is to use the pincer acupressure technique.
This technique uses the thumb and index finger in a vice-like fashion: the thumb is inside the lip and the index finger is outside. Massage so that the thumb moves downwards (about 1/4 inch) while the index finger is moving upwards (see drawing). The point is actually massaged on the inside of the lip from top to bottom. At the same time the outside of the lip is massaged from bottom to top. The compulsion point is located between the thumb and the index finger, which together form a vice. The method only becomes effective, however, after two or three days, by which time the reflex reaction has become established. After that it is incredibly effective.
Acupressure Using The Nail Of The Index Finger
If you don't have time before going to work or your hands are dirty when you have time later in the day, use the following method. With the nail of your index finger press, on the outside, slightly below the midpoint between nose and upper lip. You may dimly remember that you were told in school, during physics, that pressure equals counter pressure. That is correct. When you now slowly exert pressure, you feel the counter pressure on the inside of the lip where it rests on the upper jaw.
When you move the whole upper lip with the nail of your index finger upward by about an eighth of an inch, without changing the main point on which the nail of your index finger rests, but exerting pressure, you will feel how the acupressure point on the inside of the lip is being beautifully massaged by the counter pressure of the upper jaw.
With your index finger carry out this small, fast, upward shifting of the lip (about thirty movements or more) for ten seconds, or perhaps a little longer at first. The point itself, on the inside of the lip, will then be massaged downwards, almost as effectively as it was massaged by the thumb in the pincer acupressure. This is much less complicated than it sounds; why not give it a try now, and see how easy it is? This kind of acupressure can also come in handy if you are suddenly confronted by temptation. For example, if you are passing a sweet shop or a snack bar and you suddenly feel the urge to go in and buy something 'to keep you going' don't give in, simply massage your upper lip using your fingernail.
It is not even essential to use a finger. If you are at work or in the kitchen and your hands are dirty when the urge to eat hits you, you need an alternative method.
Nothing is easier. Take a pencil or ballpoint pen and, using the rounded end, press on the outside, slightly below the midpoint between nose and upper lip. Again, be careful not to let it slip on the outside of the lip while moving, with pressure, the whole Up upwards by about an eighth of an inch, the acupressure point on the inside will be massaged splendidly by counter pressure from the upper jaw.
Using the rounded end of a pencil as a substitute for your fingertip, make thirty or more upward motions in about ten seconds. At the beginning, and until the reflexes are well conditioned, if need be, acupress a little longer. The movement is not unlike the pecking of a bird, but the direction is not straight at the teeth, but obliquely upwards.
As you can see, you can practise the overeater's acupressure inconspicuously in your office or at any kind of work. Who doesn't once in a while play distractedly with a pencil? Once you have reached your ideal weight, however, be fair, and share our method with other people. Be sure, though, to point out that acupressure only curbs compulsive eating; a low-calorie diet is the other, equally important factor in slimming.
Does Acupressure Suppress All Oral Reflexes?
No. The pleasure of kissing, for example, remains intact. The control point for that is nowhere near, but is located in the centre of the valley between lower lip and chin, right in the centre. If you want a little more excitement on that score, this is the spot to massage with an upward motion. Nor does anti-overeating acupressure impair any other sexual functions. Far from it. When the fat goes, a deterrent goes with it.
Overeater's Acupressure Stickers
I am sure, my patients are sure, and soon you too will be sure that the ideal method for slimming is without a doubt overeater's acupressure'.
Of course, you'll have to devote to it the few seconds necessary. To turn the intention into the deed, put a sticker with the message 'Eat less, acupress' in the following places, straight away:
a) on the refrigerator door, as reliable help against weakening resolve;
b) on the kitchen door;
c) on or next to a full-length mirror where you can see yourself from head to toe;
d) on your desk drawer at your place of work, for instance, where you keep sweets and biscuits.
The slogan on the sticker should remind you to carry out the overeater's acupressure before every meal and whenever your resolve weakens.
While You Are Fasting, Do You Often Have A Strange Hollow Feeling In Your Stomach?
Small nerve ends in the stomach walls tell the brain how full the stomach is. They are called 'stretch receptors'. They are also subject to conditioning. In the obese they are practically always overstretched, which means that a glutton keeps on eating cheerfully although the stomach nerves have long ago begun signaling 'enough'.
A 28-year-old patient of mine, five feet eight inches tall, weighing 177 pounds, said to me recently: 'I can put away incredible quantities of food and gain up to nine pounds over a weekend. But I never get stomach ache'. There must have been quite extraordinary elasticity in her nerve receptors. She was able to keep on eating merrily long after other people would have started to feel sick.
But the human organism is a wonderfully adaptable machine. If you begin to eat less, the stomach receptors will become adjusted and only during the transition period will you sometimes experience that hollow feeling.
To alleviate this condition, you can use a very simple acupressure point. You know where your navel is; now touch your breastbone at its lower end (this is easy to find even with a lot of fat covering your bones). The acupressure point itself lies exactly half-way between your navel and the lower end of your breastbone (see drawing). It has to be massaged upwards. About thirty movements in ten seconds are normally enough. Massage the skin with the thumbnail in small, approximately inch-long stokes.
Pressure should be such that the skin is reddened after thirty massage strokes but the skin surface is not injured. This acupressure is to be employed after the overeater's acupressure on the upper lip, depending on need, three times a day or more.
Do You Eat To Compensate For Depression?
More and more people are seized by dejection and despondency. It is estimated that 30 per cent of all illness is due to depression. Regrettably, it is difficult to recognize the onset of depression since most of us feel discouraged and in low spirits at one time or another, and such spells usually go away by themselves. The disturbing aspect is that depression often hides behind other symptoms and becomes masked by an exaggerated urge to eat.
There are two main types of depression: inherited, so-called endogenous depression (in this case little can be expected from acupressure) and self-induced (exogenous) depression. Disturbances in the chemical balance of the brain have been found in a great many people suffering from depression and so these are now generally considered to be the main cause.
Check the following:
[Yes] [No] I frequently cry
[Yes] [No] I am often discouraged
[Yes] [No] I feel lonely
[Yes] [No] I am often dejected
[Yes] [No] My life makes no sense
[Yes] [No] I have sometimes considered taking my own life
If you have said 'yes' to any of these you may be suffering from depression and should see your doctor. Your doctor will most likely prescribe anti-depressant drugs. To counteract any possible side effects you should use acupressure and take up some safe form of therapy such as yoga which helps to restore your equilibrium and the energy lost through chronic fatigue, thus helping to reduce your dependence on drugs.
The following form of acupressure is used after the overeater's acupressure massage on the upper lip. As a general rule, massage the points on both the left and right sides of your body. The main pressure point used is the one that stimulates heart and psyche - called in Chinese shao-chong ('turbulence centre of a wave'). It is situated close to the root of the nail, on the ring-finger side of the little finger; massage it across the finger towards the outside. The second point is the tung-li ('connection with the inner life'), one and a half to two finger widths above the wrist. Acupress it in the direction of the inside of the little finger.
The next point is known by the Chinese name shao-hai ('small dewy sea of energy'). It also goes under the beautiful and appropriate name 'point of vivaciousness'. This 'type of acupressure enables you to regain your vivaciousness after you have lost your first few pounds using the acu-diet method.
The 'point of vivaciousness' is found at the inner end of the elbow fold, which is formed when your elbow is completely bent. The point must be acupressed in the direction of the hand. This point is especially useful when you are completely devoid of energy; for this reason athletes secretly use it in order to achieve optimum performance. The point has the added advantage of being an appetite depressant.
During periods characterised by a severe lack of vitality, the main point of energy ch'i-hai is recommended. It lies two to three finger widths below the navel. Massage it upwards.
In the case of restlessness during depression, make use of the point tsu-san-li ('Oriental tranquility', or 'heavenly equanimity'), and massage it downwards. The point is located directly under the tip of your ring finger when you place the inside of your hand across your kneecap.
Do not get discouraged if the acupressure recommended for your depressed mood does not succeed overnight, but keep on massaging each point for ten seconds (about thirty massage strokes per point) in the morning and evening and, if need be, at noon. Do not omit on your own any of the antidepressants prescribed by your physician, but slowly reduce your drug intake only after consultation with your doctor.
Do You Eat Mainly After Stress?
Which of these apply to you?
[Yes] [No] I wish I were more thick-skinned
[Yes] [No] I cannot go to work without taking a tranquillizer
[Yes] [No] I feel the after-effects of conspicuous stress for several days
[Yes] [No] People at work sometimes tell me I need a holiday
[Yes] [No] I am nervous on holiday, too
If any of the statements apply to you, your handling of stress is out of proportion to the cause, so you should see your doctor and, after consulting him, use the following form of acupressure. Start with the shao-chong acupressure point, always on both your left and right sides, to help bring your nervous system into equilibrium.
The next Chinese main point is the ho-ku, two finger widths below the knuckle at the base of the index finger and half a finger width towards the thumb. Massage it in the direction of the elbow, especially when you are exhausted through over-exertion. The leih-ch-ueh ('past the straits') serves as the main point against all feelings of feebleness; it is located on the underside of the arm, two finger widths from the hand, at the spot where a doctor usually checks the pulse. Acupress it in the direction of the thumb.
Sometimes we get exhausted because, as a result of nervousness and lack of time, we take on too many things at once instead of 'everything in its own good time'. In such a situation, the point tsu-san-li helps you along. It can be found by placing the palm of your hand across your kneecap, with the tip of the middle finger stretched towards the shinbone; the point is then exactly under the tip of the ring finger, and should be massaged in a downward motion.
Get enough sleep; abstain, especially when under stress, from alcohol and nicotine; and try to relax, at least at the weekend and during holidays, preferably away from your usual surroundings.
Massage each point one to three times daily, as necessary, for about ten seconds (about thirty or more strokes per point). The anti-stress acupressure is used after the overeater's acupressure point (on the inside of the lower lip).
Do You Overeat For Other Reasons?
The overeater's acupressure on the point at the inside of the upper lip is necessary no matter what is the reason for your having become a compulsive eater, but it is important to recognise the cause. The cause may lie in the past and may have been removed, yet the aftereffects, in the form of overeating, linger on. Such was the case of Rose lawler, a 22-year-old patient, who had been jilted by her boyfriend. She began to overeat to overcome her disappointment. Later on, when she had another boyfriend with whom she got along splendidly, she retained her unhealthy eating habits. It is easy to see that, in her case, overeater's acupressure alone was enough, because the original cause of overeating had been removed.
The case of Henry Morris (31 years old) is representative of many other patients. He is an engineer, and he told me in his businesslike manner: 'The debit level of my satiety feeling has shifted upward.' At fault was his mother, who had always put too much food on his plate, telling herself 'I want my child to be better off than I was.' Henry's mother had, indeed, suffered genuine hardship in her youth; she had known real hunger, and had seldom been able to afford meat. Now, she wanted to make up for this with her son and always insisted that Henry eat every morsel on his plate.
The result: Henry, five feet ten inches tall, had acquired unnatural eating habits and weighed 202 pounds. In his case, too, the overeater's acupressure was sufficient, since Henry realised the cause. Henry practised the overeater's acupressure and was able to change his eating habits. He has now reached what is for him the ideal weight of 162 pounds.
What can we learn from Rose Lawler and Henry Morris? In addition to the overeater's acupressure, it is essential to know the cause of your excessive eating and the resulting overweight. This cause then has to be eliminated. If you have a boss whose constant faultfinding drives you to compensate by overeating, consider changing your job. Or if, for example, your regular golf or tennis friends drink too much, change your club or look for new partners.
Do You Get Aggressive When Eating Less?
Deep inside most of us there is a suppressed spark of aggressiveness, often the counterpart of a secret fear of failure or defeat. Nowadays we get comparatively few opportunities to let off steam through physical exertion -so, as a substitute, we tend to seek comfort in eating or drinking.
Very often people don't realise they are becoming over-aggressive until one day their wife or husband or someone at work suddenly says 'You're so irritable, I hardly dare talk to you.' When you are slimming, it is important that you should enjoy an 'inner calm', so it is a good idea to include massage of the point which controls aggressiveness as part of your daily acupressure programme. This should only be done after the over-eater's acupressure. The aggression control point is situated on the lobe of the ear (see drawing) and has to be massaged downwards.
If you are right-handed, massage the right ear; if you are left handed, massage the left. If you are ambidextrous then both ears can be massaged. For the best effect use the vice-like pincer grip described earlier in the book,. placing your thumb behind the ear lobe and massaging downwards.
Acupressure: The Method For Everyone
I am frequently asked whether everyone can use the overeater's acupressure with expectations of success. The answer is yes - anyone who is overweight and is willing to use his brain. Everybody has, in fact, a feeding centre in the brain that reacts to 'reflexes. When an overweight person sees a tempting dish, for instance, a stimulus immediately reaches his mindbrain and his appetite is aroused. If that person now applies the overeater's acupressure, the rule that the last stimulus erases the preceding one will hold true. The appetite is restrained, and this works for everyone who applies acupressure correctly.
The degree of restraint may vary. In one person the feeding centre may be lastingly over stimulated to such an extent that the patient notices nothing on the first day of acupressure; the restraining effect is still too weak. If, in such an extreme case, the patient applies acupressure more frequently and longer than three times a day for ten seconds, and if the pressure is not too weak, the reflexes will become conditioned amazingly fast and appetite will decrease. In severe cases of overeating, until the acupressure begins to have an effect, this transition phase may last several days. That is normal. After a while, daily acupressure will have habituated the reflex pathways and you will be able to ease up on the pressure, shorten the time, and cut down on the number of daily massages.
If you follow the procedures suggested in this book, including the various diets, you will notice that the time required for acupressure decreases steadily. In fact, I know several patients who now successfully curb their appetite with only three to five seconds of acupressure before each meal. Such a patient should not apply acupressure longer than necessary. Just as the normal regulatory feeding centre is turned into a compulsive-eating centre by too much stimulation, the compulsive-eating centre can be turned back into a correctly functioning regulatory feeding centre by the restraining influence of acupressure. This regulatory centre will now tell us promptly when we should stop eating. This is what I want my method to accomplish for overweight readers: to restore the compulsive-eating centre to a correctly functioning regulatory centre.
Is Acupressure At All Dangerous?
The use of acupressure is not ordinarily accompanied by any dangers. However, a patient in whom a physician has diagnosed neurotic behaviour should not use my method. Medical science has found that in neurotics overeating can change into its opposite, a complete lack of appetite (anorexia nervosa). I would not want my method to be misused by inappropriate application by, for example, someone continuing with .the massage after the compulsive-eating centre has already become a correctly functioning feeding regulator. If that were done for any length of time, the continuous curbing of the reflexes could lead to a complete rejection of food. That too is an illness, and a physician, therefore, has to ascertain in advance whether a tendency to neurosis exists.
As a rule, all excesses are harmful. I consider it senseless if a girl twenty or thirty pounds overweight starves herself into a skeleton to compete with the most emaciated fashion model. Such a radical change is, of course, damaging to health. The human body is a nearly perfect machine. Yet it needs time to readjust. If you want to lose a lot of weight, don't do it all at once. Reduce at first, under medical supervision, by ten to twenty pounds at the most. Remain on this plateau for about two or three months; just take care not to regain weight during that period. Only when your doctor tells you that your body has become adjusted should you lose another ten pounds. Then once more allow yourself a period for adjustment, and so on.
As we have seen diet alone does not help; it removes the pounds but not the craving for food. Conversely, acupressure eliminates the craving but not the pounds, especially not the excess pounds present already. (Later on, of course, it prevents the accumulation of new overweight.) To reduce - made easy by acupressure - you need a 'healthy' diet. And it is particularly important that a slimming diet - with a reduced calorie intake - should be a correctly balanced one. But which?
To begin with, I assume that many of my readers have tried once or several times to bring their weight down by dieting. If they were successful in shedding the desired number of pounds without complications and harmful side effects, then no matter what the diet they did the right thing. It is not their fault that the unchanged, overactive feeding centre later spoiled the effect.
If you have experience with dieting, combine a diet that you are familiar with and tolerate well with acupressure and you will be successful. Only it will be much easier now: the self-control and self-denial that have always been necessary to stick to a reducing diet are no longer required, thanks to acupressure.
If you follow your own diet and do not want to use the regimens suggested by me (pp. 50-51, 250-300-calorie diet; pp. 59-82, 800-calorie diet; pp. 86-110, 1,300-calorie diet) you still have to keep in mind certain ground rules:
1) The Overeater's Acupressure
Before every meal apply the overeater's acupressure for ten seconds (for a little longer during the first few days if necessary).
2) Before Every Meal Have Something To Drink
A glass of mineral water or low-calorie vegetable juice sipped slowly before a meal is filling and will further cut the appetite. During the meal, do not use the drink to wash down half-chewed mouthfuls.
3) Create A Feeling Of Fullness
Start every meal with a filler of low-calorie uncooked food, like a green salad, radishes, tomatoes, green peppers, carrots. Stuffing your stomach with non-calorie roughage will add to the effect of the overeater's acupressure in curbing the overactive feeding centre.
4) Eat Slowly
Devote plenty of time to the introductory salad bowl. It takes a while for the body to react to food intake; hunger only recedes about twenty minutes after the start of a meal. Those who wolf down a giant serving of pot roast and boiled potatoes in ten minutes will still be hungry and will clamour for more. But the person who in a leisurely way consumes a large, tasty helping of cucumber salad, and takes his own good time doing it, will have stopped being hungry before he can eat more.
5) Keep Small Between-Meals Snacks Ready
Place a bowl of low-fat cottage cheese, together with a spoon, in the refrigerator; or, if you prefer, a plate of tomato salad or some cleaned radishes or celery. The chances are that you will reach for these snacks instead of taking a calorie bomb.
6) Take Smaller Helpings
It is recommended that your meals be served in suitably small portions and no temptingly steaming serving bowls be placed on the dining table, especially after you have reached your desired weight through acupressure plus diet. You don't have to go so far as to eat exclusively from desert plates, with teaspoons and dessert forks, as has been quite seriously suggested in some diet books. On the other hand, it isn't necessary to create additional temptations for yourself.
7) Don't Go To The Supermarket Hungry
Experience has shown that, while hungry, we reach for those foods that we like best; we don't consume them on the spot, but at home they will be a constant temptation once the food is within easy reach in the refrigerator.
8) Shop Wisely
The decision whether you will eat too much, or buy the wrong food, is already being made while you are shopping. There is an enormous difference between a lean liver sausage and a German salami. A copy of A Complete Guide to Dieting (distributed by Slimming Magazine and obtainable at your newsagent) will help you to select those packaged foods lowest in carbohydrate calorie units and will tell you which foods to leave well alone. Some packaged goods are now labeled showing the carbohydrate, protein and calorie content. These labels will enable you to choose products low in calories and rich in protein.
A great number of high-quality foods with few calories (often designated as diabetic foods) can be bought not only in health food stores but at most supermarkets. The low-calorie foods range from bread to sugar-free fruit juices and diet beer. These useful special foods are somewhat more expensive than the standard ones, but since one eats significantly less the extra expense will hardly affect your budget.
9) Avoid The Misguided Attitude 'No Leftovers'
For many overweight people, eating out presents a real problem. Works or office canteens hardly ever offer suitable diet menus, and restaurants seldom do. And then there are those who have to endure business lunches or wine and dine their customers or colleagues. They march their usually already-too-impressive girths, in a companionable spirit, to the best restaurant in town and order whatever is good and expensive.
The importance of finishing every last morsel is urged on us everywhere, in cafeterias, restaurants, and at home. Even children are familiar with the saying 'Waste no, want not'. In someone fighting against overweight, such self-destructive avarice borders on idiocy.
In practice, you should eat only as much as you need, and leave the rest on your plate without feeling embarrassed. Leftovers always mean calories not consumed. Tender souls affected by the sad face of the cook can still let the culinary artist know how wonderfully tasty was the little they ate.
At a party in a private home one naturally hesitates to disappoint or offend the hostess, especially when the food offered has been prepared with great care and effort by her own hands. In such cases you have to say 'My doctor does not permit me to eat this'; or you have to invent, if necessary, an upset stomach. These excuses are always accepted, be it at a business lunch or at a family gathering in honour of a favourite uncle. No one expects you to eat something that might do you harm. And you are saved, by acupressure, from having to cast covetous glances at the other guests' plates.
Crash Diets Are Not Necessary
There is a great temptation to combine acupressure with a fast-working, frenzied crash diet, but I disapprove of this.
Fasting is probably the most extreme method of weight loss. However, I do not consider this a sensible approach. The end result is the same as with other diets, which means that the relapse quota is also usually about 85 per cent. In addition, the complete cessation of any calorie intake often leads to disagreeable complications. These are so serious that a medical journal headed its summary of some lectures on fasting delivered at the 1977 Congress of German Internists with the impressive title 'Mortal Dangers Accompany Fasting'. Recently a French slimming clinic which used fasting extensively had to close down because of several deaths.
Fasting is not advised for people suffering from liver disease or kidney disease, or from arteriosclerosis, and is not to be used in such cases. Obese people, especially older ones, often have problems with their liver, kidneys, or arteries. Moreover, fasting inevitably leads to muscle-tissue breakdown, since the body, deprived of all outside nourishment, resorts to 'feeding itself from within'. It consumes not only its own fat reserves but also its muscle tissue, even the heart muscle, which is clearly extremely dangerous.
All of this makes it doubtful whether fasting justifies all the effort and the expense of a hospital bed and medical supervision. To recommend fasting at home, something regrettably still being done, is totally irresponsible. A combination of acupressure and fasting is, therefore, out of the question.
Everything Slims You Down!
Among extreme diets I also count 'one-sided programmes'. While unquestionably effective, they are anything but commendable. The confusion that surrounds this subject is correctly and entertainingly described in a satirical piece that appeared on 8 October 1977, in the Suddeutsche Zeitung. I reproduce it here in its entirety with permission of the author, Helmut Seitz:
The other day, I was shopping at our butcher's. Two slices of pork loin, half a pound of cold cuts, and a bottle of red wine. (Lately, our butcher also carried frozen vegetables, canned fish, and even alcoholic beverages.) Mr. Throwbones beat the meat slices, weighed the cold cuts, wrapped the wine, and handed me everything across the counter, together with a copy of Cutlet, that great periodical for the customers of the butcher's trade. For my entertainment, said Mr. Throwbones, and as a reminder to come again.
The contents of this sheet were not what I would call exciting: a short story, a crossword puzzle, an installment of a serial, and a handful of tips for the housewife. Ah, but wait! There was something very interesting on page two. A highly scientific essay with the promising title 'Get Slim While Eating, to Your Heart's Content'. This article stated plainly and simply that there is only one way to become slim without starvation diets. One only has to eat meat and sausages, the more the better. Meat products for breakfast, meat for lunch, meat for dinner, and meat in between. For meat satisfies, meat is slimming, meat contains vital protein, meat gives strength, and meat always tastes good!
The other day, I shopped at our baker's. Six seeded rolls, a whole meal loaf, and a reference work on special offer. (Lately our baker carried, in addition to eggs, butter, and coffee, books as well.) Mrs. Doughtwist handed me, free of charge, a copy of Our Daily Bread, the great publication for the customers of the baker's trade. To entertain me, and to make me come again. This paper, too, contained the usual: a short story, an installment of the unavoidable novel, a crossword puzzle, and traditional recipes for the housewife. Ah, but wait! There, on page three, something interesting: a highly scientific essay with the promising title, 'Slim without fasting'. This article proved that you have to eat bread, bread, and more bread, for bread satisfies but is not fattening. Moreover, bread contains vital bodybuilding ingredients, and any number of vitamins. Bread is also healthy. Therefore, you should cut thicker slices and go easy on the calorie-rich spreads! In addition, bread always tastes good and offers so much variety.
The other day, I shopped at our greengrocer's: a head of lettuce, oranges, and a tube of toothpaste. The store lately carries cosmetics in addition to newspapers, cigarettes, and bottled beer. Mr. Coleslaw also presented me with a magazine for customers, and there I found, next to a short story, the obligatory recipes, and the serial, an interesting article with the intriguing title, 'Stay healthy, slim down, yet want for nothing!' Now I know that all one has to do is eat fruit and vegetables, as much fresh fruit and vegetables as possible. For fruit and vegetables are healthy, fruit and vegetables are living food, fruit and vegetables always taste good and do not overload the body with unnecessary ballast. Fruit and vegetables! Vegetables and fruit!
From other sources I also learned that fish does not make you fat. And milk, butter, and cheese even less - not to speak of nourishing and easily digested eggs. If you want to stay slim, slim and healthy, all you have to do is eat plenty of meat, sausages, eggs, fish, cheese, bread, fruit, vegetables, and butter. Of course, also lots of rice and potatoes and don't stint on pasta and desserts. Because, as you have been told, nothing makes you fat, everything is slimming, if only you eat enough of it. Since most people follow this advice anyway, where do all those extra pounds come from? 'Most definitely not from eating,' is the claim of all the trade papers and the solemn oath of every fat person.
Strange as it may sound, taken singly, all these claims are correct. If you eat meat, meat, and nothing but meat, you will eventually lose weight. You will get so tired of steak, cutlets, and grilled chops that you will not want to eat much, and will, in effect, consume considerably fewer calories.
The same holds true for only eggs, eggs, eggs; or only rolls, rolls, rolls! or only potatoes, potatoes, potatoes. The only trouble is that none of these methods is healthy. Another recent variation, the egg-and-whisky diet, no doubt attractive for the heavy drinker, cannot possibly claim to be healthy either.
The method of cutting down on calories by skipping meals has just as little to recommend it. When too much time passes between meals, your blood-sugar level, as well as your blood pressure, falls below normal. Dizziness, cold sweat, heart palpitation, even fainting can be the result, and your longer reaction time can become dangerous in traffic. These consequences are even more likely if you skip breakfast. Such methods may be quick, but they make you ill.
Acupressure, on the other hand, frees you from compulsion, but it must not be combined with extreme or fad diets. Most of these diets aim for a very quick weight loss, mainly to shorten the time of painful renunciation. But if you phase out your craving for food through acupressure, eating less than before does not make you suffer. For this reason, it is not necessary to brutally force your body to give up its excess pounds.
In combination with acupressure, you should adopt a well balanced, gentle diet that causes the body, without overtaxing it, to break down its fat. Too quick a weight loss also causes aesthetic problems. The skin cannot contract fast enough to keep up with shrinking flesh; the connective tissue under the skin loses its fat, and the skin becomes slack. This is not attractive, especially on your face.
What Does The Body Need? What Can It Do Without?
1) Indispensable: Protein
Protein is the basis of all living substances and it occurs in prodigious variety. Each individual cell - the human body consists of about 6 trillion cells - contains protein. During every single second of our lifetime billions of cells become useless, die, are cast off or eliminated and have to be replaced by new ones. The body, therefore, needs constant replacement of protein, the building material for its cells. Hormones and enzymes also consist of highly complex molecules that the body builds out of simple protein components. The minimum daily requirement of protein is one or two grams per two pounds (or one kilo) of body weight (variable according to sex and age), and the body should not be deprived of it under any circumstances; an average supply of two and a half to three ounces daily is, therefore, needed by the average person.
Because each species of plant and animal possesses its own unique set of proteins, man cannot utilise directly the proteins he consumes in animal or plant foods. Instead, his body must transform the food into suitable proteins. Man's protein needs are best served by food that consists of half animal protein, half plant protein.
High-grade animal protein is available from milk, especially fat-free milk, buttermilk, curdled milk, yoghurt (be sure to get unsweetened yoghurt without fruit), cottage cheese and other cheeses; also fish, meat, and eggs. Plant protein is contained in practically every vegetarian food, especially in grain products, potatoes, greens and other vegetables - particularly in Soya-beans.
2) Temporarily Dispensable: Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates is the chemical catch-all term for starch and sugar. They are the main suppliers of energy for the organism. With their help the whole complicated machinery is kept running. Excess carbohydrates, stored as reserves, are transformed into fat, since large amounts of energy are best stored, over any length of time, in the form of fat. (When the body needs to call on its reserve of energy it changes the fat either directly into energy or back into carbohydrates.) For this reason, it is not only feasible but essential for weight reduction to restrict the carbohydrate intake as much as possible. This causes the body to live on its own stored fat and so breaks down those unsightly bulges.
Carbohydrates are plentiful in bread, including whole-grain and rye bread; in all cereal products such as rice, semolina and oatmeal; in fruit (fruit sugar!); vegetables; potatoes; and, of course, in sugar, honey and sweets of all kinds. A veritable super carbohydrate is alcohol, an energy carrier whose role in overweight is often underestimated by those affected.
3) Almost Wholly Dispensable: Fat
The body needs a substantial supply of fat only when required to perform heavy labour. A lumberjack using an axe can tolerate a good chunk of bacon for his second breakfast, since during high energy expenditure fat is scarcely stored at all but is immediately converted into energy. On the other hand, a man who already has too much stored fat on his body and is unable to use it up by physical exertion needs hardly any additional fat.
But fat does not only serve the energy supply, it also acts as a solvent for some important vitamins. For this reason, a certain amount of fat must be part of what you eat, to channel vitamins into the body's household, instead of eliminating them, unused, through the digestive system. The body also needs, in small quantities, certain fatty acids - linoleic acid, for instance.
The total amount of fat needed is very small-only a fraction of an ounce per day - and is in any case contained (as so-called 'hidden fats') in foods that do not appear to be fatty at all. One egg, for instance, contains about two-tenths of an ounce of fat; a pint of milk, half an ounce; a small, three-and-a-half ounce, lean cutlet, prepared without cooking fat, half an ounce.
4) Indispensable: Vitamins And Minerals
Without an adequate supply of vitamins, which have various protecting, regulating, and stimulating functions, one inevitably gets sick. A sufficient supply of minerals is also indispensable. Calcium, for instance, is necessary for healthy bones; potassium to prevent irregularities of the heart rhythm.
Vitamins and minerals are usually adequately represented in normal food intake, but during a diet may decrease below a critical margin. To compensate, one should take multivitamin tablets enriched with minerals, since fruit, because of its fruit-sugar content (carbohydrate!), is not permitted in a strict diet.
5) Indispensable With A Scanty Diet: Fillers
Diets, no matter which, cause a conspicuous reduction in the quantity of food eaten, especially when the aim is fast weight reduction. When the body is given only the necessary minimum, little bulk is left; and this is a serious drawback because stomach and intestines are underemployed. In practice, this means constipation; nothing moves along. Yet, a functioning digestion is absolutely indispensable. This can be achieved with the help of a whole range of quite well liked foods, though they hardly deserve that name, since they have practically no nutritional value. They do have bulk, though, which is almost totally indigestible, but which leads the digestive system to make an effort and, therefore, to keep going.
These nearly calorie-free fillers, ballast, or fibre materials include cucumbers, radishes, cauliflower, celery, turnips, peppers, lettuce, endives, watercress, carrots, broccoli, courgettes, tomatoes, and spinach. An important beneficial side effect is that nearly all these fillers, so important for the diet, also contain essential minerals and vitamins.
Which Diet With Acupressure?
If - apart from being overweight - you are in good health, you should (under medical supervision) start with a protein and raw vegetable diet of between 250 and 300 calories, but only for one week or at the most two.
It is preferable not to start the diet when you are carrying a maximum work load or are otherwise overextended. Although acupressure will save you from feeling starved, the changeover from external to internal energy-supply (breaking down of fat) should not be aggravated by additional burdens. The body, after all, will have to release daily between 1,500 and 2,000 calories from its store of fat. This is also the reason why the starter diet which follows is so low in calories. It is important to get your body to readjust quickly - and so you need to get off to a flying start.
This starter diet is out of the question for people suffering from diabetes or gout, or for people with a propensity for kidney stones. Also, the same holds true for this diet as for any other - all dieting requires readjustment of the body and so needs medical supervision.
The ideal starting combination is ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure and a 250 to 300 calorie protein and raw vegetable diet.
The Starter Diet
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 boiled egg, or a protein concentrate, or a plain, unsweetened low-fat yoghurt. Two or three cups of tea or coffee, without milk or sugar; if you like, use an artificial sweetener. (If you have a craving for bread, first use anti-compulsive-eating acupressure, then put a piece of bread in your mouth, chew it only a little, then spit it out.)
Midmorning
2 glasses of tomato juice or vegetable juice.
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 cups of unsweetened tea or 2 glasses of mineral water. A very large bowl of cucumber salad, or a lettuce salad, or coleslaw, made with a few spoons of low-fat yoghurt and chives, or prepared with lemon juice and only a few drops of oil.
Afternoon
2 glasses of tomato juice, vegetable juice, or sauerkraut juice; or 1 cup of consommé or bouillon.
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2-3 glasses of mineral water.
5oz (150gm) low-fat cottage cheese mixed with chives, tomatoes, green peppers, or radishes; or a protein concentrate; or 2 skim-milk yoghurts (unsweetened, without fruit). You must have: some raw vegetables, like cucumber, radishes, tomatoes, celery, or peppers.
Note: Exclude all fruit, and take multivitamin-plus mineral tablets (to avoid fruit sugar) instead.
Your daily totals are:
2-3 quarts or litres of liquid
3-5oz (80-120gm) of protein
14-25oz (400-700gm) of raw vegetables
Hardly any fat or carbohydrates
To keep the cholesterol level low, you should avoid egg yolks as far as possible. One yolk contains 6 grams of fat and 70 calories, while the white contains almost no fat and only 15 calories. When frying or scrambling two or three eggs, use the yolk of only one of them.
Why Is The Combination Of Protein And Raw Vegetables So Important?
The American Food and Drug Administration plans to permit the sale of protein concentrates only if they carry a label with the warning that use of these preparations as sole nourishment could lead to 'serious illness or death'. If this warning does not seem to be sufficiently effective, the FDA, according to its director Donald Kennedy, is considering making protein concentrates available on prescription only.
These steps have been taken in response to the death of several dozen people who had been reducing without medical supervision for a long time, and had eaten nothing but protein concentrates. They died of heart failure. Most likely, potassium deficiency was at fault, since potassium is a mineral absolutely essential for a steady heart rhythm. The FDA, according to press reports, believes that some of the protein concentrates may contain too little potassium. All this has confirmed my opinion that using protein or protein concentrates as sole nourishment, no matter how convenient that may seem, is definitely not advisable. On the contrary, raw vegetables have to be added, since they are very rich in potassium and generally are rich in minerals and vitamins too.
In the combination I have suggested, protein concentrates are certainly very useful because the normal foods in a 250-300-calorie diet are unlikely to provide the necessary proteins. When your diet lacks protein, the body immediately falls back upon its own reserves, foremost among them muscle protein, and that too is harmful. Herein lies one of the serious dangers of fasting, which of necessity leads to protein deficiency. You can use protein concentrates for a supplement, but not - and I repeat not - under any circumstances as sole nourishment.
Keeping Your Bowels Functioning
I strongly advise against restricting your diet solely to proteins out of a bottle, not only because of the danger of potassium deficiency but because of the near certainty of trouble with the almost completely unemployed digestive system. The intestines have to be kept busy, which is also a reason why I recommend the protein and raw vegetables combination. The raw vegetables consist to a large extent of ballast materials which keep the bowels functioning well.
Why Multivitamin Tablets Instead Of Fruit During The Starter Diet?
The indicated 250-300-calorie daily ration cannot contain all the vitamins in sufficient quantities, since fruits have to be avoided because of their high fruit-sugar (carbohydrate) content. Therefore, you have to take a supplementary multivitamin tablet, preferably one enriched with minerals. To ensure that your body can absorb fat-soluble vitamins, our diet is not totally, but only almost, fat-free; the eggs and cottage cheese and the few drops of oil in your salad contain the necessary small quantity of fat.
It is obvious that the starter diet cannot allow for great variety. Of course, it doesn't have to be cucumber salad every day; lettuce or endive is just as good. If you don't like the yoghurt dressing, use vinegar or lemon. With this, you can use a few drops of oil (but literally only a few drops). If you don't feel like an egg for breakfast, have a container of unsweetened low-fat yoghurt (without fruit) instead.
The addition of half a small chopped onion, or radishes, chives, or paprika to improve the taste of salads and of cottage cheese is gladly permitted. Some people like their cottage cheese sweet; for them there are liquid artificial sweeteners.
It is important to drink as much as possible, even more than the indicated quantities. Drinking two or three quarts of liquid a day is by no means excessive. However, it isn't all that easy to get such large quantities down. It is advisable, therefore, always to have a glass of mineral water, tomato juice, or vegetable juice (no fruit juice) within easy reach during this time. This will prompt you to take a drink. There may be a few exceptions as far as the fruit juices are concerned. A grapefruit juice with little sugar content has been put on the market lately. There are also tasty diet lemonades with fewer than twenty calories per glass. Tomato juice is particularly helpful except for people prone to develop kidney stones, since tomato juice is rich in calcium). Tomato juice has few calories and the body has to use up a certain amount of energy to digest the juice, which means that calories are being spent. If you deduct these calories from the ones in the tomato juice, not much is left.
Necessary: Blood-Pressure Checks
Before you start your diet, ask your doctor to check your blood pressure. Normally, blood pressure decreases during the diet - which in many cases is desirable, since most overweight people's blood pressure is too high. Blood pressure has to be checked during the diet, as it must not be permitted to fall so low as to cause dizziness or fainting. Plenty of liquids and salt (for instance, salt your tomato juice or cucumber salad, etc.) are usually sufficient to keep the blood pressure stable. If you have been taking medicines for high blood pressure, your doctor may now want to reduce the dosage. But if you already have low blood pressure, you may need treatment to improve your circulation, in addition to plenty of liquids and salt. In each case, blood-pressure checks by a doctor are essential.
Yes! You've Made It! You Are Rid Of The First Few Pounds!
Now you are on your way. If you began the acupressure diet combination with the skimpy protein and raw vegetable diet, you weigh quite a bit less by now. Depending on your initial weight and how long you stayed with the starter diet, you should have lost between five and thirteen pounds.
If for health reasons you were unable to begin with the 250-300-calorie diet, or chose not to do so - for the reason, perhaps, that you had only a little weight to lose - then start with the following diet. It is calculated to provide about 800 calories per day and guarantees you a steady, effective weight loss.
The diet has been calculated for you, which means you do not have to calculate. It takes all the fun out of eating, I think, if you have to keep a calorie table and a slide rule or pocket calculator next to your plate. That should not be necessary and, anyway, who would use them consistently and correctly? Furthermore, since the usual procedure is to eat first and then count the calories, you could end up eating too many. To compensate you would have to skip an entire meal and that is unhealthy, because the interval between meals is too long. I prefer to offer you daily menus that you know contain the desired 800 calories, sensibly distributed over the day. Please turn to the daily menus starting on page 59 to see what I mean.
You do not have to adhere slavishly to the daily selection. If you particularly like two or three of the breakfast suggestions, there is no reason why you should not stay with them. Many people eat the same breakfast, day in and day out; this may be boring but does no harm so long as breakfast consists of the right foods. The morning meals suggested here have about 250 calories each.
The low-calorie between-meals suggestions may present problems for some people. Regrettably, it has become the custom to have only three meals a day. Even under normal conditions this isn't good; during the long interval between meals, the blood-sugar level and often the blood pressure sink, and productivity decreases. It decreases once more after a meal which, if it-is one of only three, will have to be fairly substantial. The body concentrates on digesting the food; more blood goes to the stomach and intestines, proportionally less to the head; brain activity slows (this causes the sleepy feeling that regularly comes over us after a large meal).
What is not good under normal circumstances is even less desirable during a reducing diet. Therefore, grant your body the in-between meals. While you are dieting, you want to - and should - remain fully productive. You should not eat less than those scant 800 calories; it is just the right amount to assure you of trouble-free wellbeing and simultaneous breakdown of fat, over a period of time.
How much fat does the body break down during an 800-calorie diet? You can easily calculate that: in three and a half ounces of body fat, as it collects for instance on the hips, energy corresponding to 930 calories is stored. If you reduce the daily food intake of about 2,600 calories (a moderate estimate for overweight people) to 800, about 1,800 calories are missing; these must be replaced from stored fat. To do this, the body has to break down seven ounces of fat, which means that you will lose almost half a pound per day with this diet; almost two pounds in four days; thirteen pounds in one month. If you are very overweight when you start, you will even lose a bit more.
Drinking
During this stage you should also drink as much as possible. Don't choose fruit juices containing a lot of sugar, but drink the low-calorie thirst-quenchers already mentioned instead.
Alcohol is out! You must realise that alcohol cancels out the effects of any diet. The reason is obvious. Alcohol is an outstanding storer of energy and, at the same time, is closely related to fat chemically Fats are formed by combining alcohol with fatty acids, and the body is highly skilled in this technique. After making a nuisance of itself in the liver, alcohol is promptly converted into pure fat - and lots of it, since alcohol is incredibly rich in energy. For this reason the volume of fat formed from alcohol is correspondingly large. If you seriously want to get rid of your surplus weight, you must avoid alcohol in any form. Many overweight people largely owe the excess that they would and should shed to habitual social drinking.
If you find 'it too difficult to stick to the alcohol prohibition, drink at the most one bottle of low-calorie diet beer. One glass of a very dry white wine with your dinner won't tip the energy balance. Another tip. A dash of light red wine in a glass of mineral water makes the latter look friendlier and taste better, and hardly adds any calories.
Tea and coffee are permissible, with milk if you wish, but without sugar. Use an artificial sweetener instead. This applies to any mention of tea or coffee in the following menus.
4 - The 800-Calorie Diet: Recipes
As you start the 800-calorie diet you must understand that the few foods that are expected to keep you fully productive have to be of the best quality. For instance, fruit and vegetables have to be fresh and, as far as possible, uncooked; olive oil should be from the first pressing; instead of white bread, choose whole-wheat bread. Just as important as the quality is the right preparation. Instead of roasting and frying, you should boil, steam, grill or cook in aluminium foil.
As you contemplate the small size of the model meals you may have the bright idea of simply throwing in an all-fruit day instead. Be warned. Don't underrate the high calorie count of fruit sugar: one pound of fruit has an average of 250 calories. It certainly won't do you any harm to slip in, here and there, a day of eating only raw vegetables. That is not the same as a day of nothing but fruit. However, I cannot stress strongly enough how important a factor variety is - especially during reduced food intake - to avoid deficiency diseases that would be added to the damage already done by undesirable eating habits.
To live with this reducing diet, you will be supported by anti-compulsive-eating acupressure, but also by a certain artistry. The food has to be appetising without giving you an appetite! It must be prepared with particular love and care. Don't feel that you have to suffer or lead a less than enjoyable life. The 800 calories do not give you much scope, but there is no need for the kind of monotony experienced with a liquid-protein diet, which is seen as self-punishment by many overweight people and for that reason as unacceptable.
Also, the daily 800 calories sometimes cannot accommodate all the proteins and vitamins that you may need. Depending on personal needs, supplementary protein concentrates and multivitamins enriched with minerals can be taken, preferably in the evening, during this reducing phase.
And now let us start out on a few weeks of our 800-calorie diet, which is low in fats and carbohydrates. Each and every day you should lose about half a pound. For this diet, as for any other, medical supervision is indispensable, since all diets require readjustment of body functions. Medical control is especially necessary in the case of patients suffering from liver or kidney trouble, or from heart or circulatory diseases. Neither should this diet be used during pregnancy; only some time after your child is born can any excess weight be reduced.
If a restaurant visit or an unavoidable party at a friend's house causes you to eat more than the allotted 800 calories a day, you can make up for this with a day from our 250-300-calorie starter diet.
Day 1 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 slice of granary or whole-wheat toast
1 egg, boiled or poached
1 tomato
Tea or coffee, with milk, if you prefer, but without sugar (sweeten to taste with artificial sweetener)
In-Between Meal
1 pear or 7 oz (200 gm) of strawberries or raspberries (no sugar)
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Veal Chop Or Chicken And Green Salad
4-5 oz (125 gm) veal chop or chicken
Salt, paprika, pepper
1 small onion
1 scant teaspoon oil, a little vinegar, spices
2 small potatoes
Green salad
Season the meat or chicken with salt and paprika, and sauté it in a coated pan, without fat. Trim the salad greens, wash them, and make a dressing of vinegar, oil, onion, salt, pepper, and spices. Serve with the two small boiled potatoes.
In-Between Meal
1 glass tomato or vegetable juice
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 glass skimmed or buttermilk (8 oz or 1/4 1) or fresh milk (4 oz or 1/8 1)
1 oz (30 gm) soft low-fat cheese
1 thin piece of whole-wheat or granary bread
Green salad
Day 2 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 glass freshly squeezed or unsweetened orange juice
2 thin slices of whole-wheat or granary toast
1 grilled rasher of back bacon
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 apple
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Fillet Steak With Cauliflower
4 oz (100 gm) fillet steak
7 oz (200 gm) cauliflower
1/2 tsp butter
1 tsp oil
Mashed potatoes, 2 oz (50 gm) fresh or 1/4 oz (15 gm) instant (made with 1 tbsp milk, 1 tbsb water) Salt, nutmeg, pepper
Rub steak with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté in hot pan. Boil the cauliflower in salted water until barely tender; season with nutmeg. Season potatoes to taste with salt and nutmeg.
In-Between Meal
1 glass grapefruit juice (without sugar)
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2 pieces of rye crispbread
2 oz (50 gm) smoked or lean ham
1 tomato
Day 3 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 slice of granary or whole-wheat toast
4 oz (100 gm) of low-fat cottage cheese
1 tomato
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 large peach or pear
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Poached Trout Or Mackerel And Green Salad
1 trout or mackerel (8 oz or 250 gm)
2 small potatoes
Green salad (5 oz or 150 gm)
3 tbsp plain low-fat yoghurt
Vinegar or lemon juice, salt, dill, parsley
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) butter
Wash the trout, dry it, sprinkle it with lemon juice or vinegar, leave it to stand for a half hour, dry it again, salt it inside and out. Place it in a pan with 3 pints of boiling salted water; turn heat down immediately and simmer for about 20 minutes. Brown the butter, add chopped parsley and pour the mixture over the fish and the boiled potatoes. For the salad use a dressing of 3 tbsp low-fat yoghurt, salt, pepper, and dill.
In-Between Meal
1 apple or pear
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 scrambled egg with chives
1 slice of toast
Radishes
Day 4 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 slice of granary or whole-wheat toast
2 grilled back bacon rashers
1 glass tomato juice
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 small carton (5 oz or 150 gm) of plain low-fat yoghurt
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Mushrooms With Mashed Potatoes
8 oz (250 gm) mushrooms (fresh or canned)
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) butter
Mashed potatoes, 2 oz (50 gm) fresh or 1/2 oz (15gm) instant
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp water
1 small onion
parsley
salt
pepper
nutmeg
Drain the mushrooms. Heat the butter in a coated pan, sauté onion until transparent, add the mushrooms, and heat. Season with salt, pepper, and minced fresh parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes (see Day 2).
In-Between Meal
1 glass of buttermilk or skimmed milk
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 slice whole-wheat bread
1/2 oz (20 gm) lean liver pate or salami
1 tomato
Day 5 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1/2 grapefruit (without sugar)
1 slice of toast
2 grilled back bacon rashes
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 cup clear broth or stock cube dissolved in boiling water
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Spinach And Fried Egg
8 oz (250 gm) spinach
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) butter or margarine
1 small onion, salt
1 egg
2 small potatoes
Melt butter or margarine in a frying pan, sauté the chopped onion until transparent, add spinach, sauté briefly, run the mixture through the blender and season with salt and nutmeg. Serve with one egg, fried without fat, and the boiled potatoes.
In-Between Meal
1 cup clear broth or stock cube dissolved in water
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Prawn Or Shrimp Cocktail
1 piece of rye crispbread
Mix 3 oz (80 gm) of shrimps or prawns with a few cubes of pineapple
1/2 a boiled egg
1 tsp diet mayonnaise.
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Liver With Mushrooms, Tomato Salad, And Rice
5 oz (150 gm) calf's or lamb's liver
2 small onions, salt, curry powder, pepper
1 oz (50 gm) mushrooms
2 tomatoes
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) margarine
2 tbsp evaporated milk
Cut liver into strips and sauté together with one chopped onion in the margarine for 6-8 minutes. Don't salt liver before cooking - this hardens it. Add sliced mushrooms, then the evaporated milk, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and a little pepper and curry powder. Slice tomatoes and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 1 minced onion. Serve with 2 tbsp cooked rice.
In-Between Meal
1 small carton plain low-fat yoghurt
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Prawn Or Shrimp Salad
8 oz (200 gm) boiled prawns or shrimps
1 grated apple
2 tbsp cooked rice Chopped onion, lemon juice
1 piece of rye crispbread
Day 7 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 glass freshly squeezed orange juice
1 slice of toast (whole-wheat or granary)
1 grilled rasher of back bacon
1 tomato Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 glass of buttermilk or skimmed milk
1 orange
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Potatoes Boiled in their jackets, cottage cheese, and salad
2 small potatoes
4 oz (125 gm) low-fat cottage cheese
1 small onion, chives, salt
4 oz (100 gm) endives or lettuce
3 tbsp skimmed milk
Season the cottage cheese with the chopped onion, salt, and chives; cream it with the skimmed milk. Cut up the endives or lettuce, wash, drain and season with a dressing of 1 scant tbsp oil, vinegar, the remaining half onion, salt, pepper, and spices.
In-Between Meal
1 cup yeast or meat extract in hot water
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 thin slice of wholewheat bread or pumpernickel
2 slices smoked or lean ham
Carrot-celery-apple salad
Finely grate or chop 2 oz (50 gm) carrots, 2 oz (50 gm) celery, 1 apple. Mix with 1/2 tsp oil, lemon juice, and artificial sweetener.
Day 8 - 800 calories
Breakfast (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 orange or 2 tangerines
1 slice wholewheat bread or toast with 1 oz (30 gm) soft cheese
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
9 oz (250 gm) of melon or 1 grapefruit
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Rump Steak And Beans, With Green Salad
4 oz (100 gm) rump steak
4 oz (125 gm) fresh green beans
Garlic, salt, pepper Green salad
Salt the steak, sprinkle it with pepper, and grill it without fat. Boil the beans in 2 pints (1 litre) salted water or steam them (the latter method is better, because more vitamins are preserved). Drain the beans and season them with garlic and salt. For salad, see Day 1.
In-Between Meal
1 cup clear broth or stock cube dissolved in water
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 slice wholewheat bread or toast
2 scrambled eggs with chives
2 tomatoes
Day 9 - 800 calories
Breakfast (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 small carton plain low-fat yoghurt
1 grilled chipolata sausage
2 pieces of rye crispbread
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
2 apricots or 4 oz (100 gm) plums
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Pork Chop With Turnip Or Kohlrabi And Cucumber Salad
4 oz (100 gm) pork chop
Salt, pepper, paprika, dill, parsley
1 small cucumber
1 turnip or kohlrabi
3 tbsp low-fat yoghurt
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) butter or margarine
Season chop with salt, pepper, and paprika and fry or grill it without fat. Pare and slice the turnip or kohlrabi, boil in salted water and drain. Melt butter or margarine in a frying pan; add the turnip or kohlrabi; season with salt, pepper, and spices. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley over it. For cucumber salad, prepare a dressing of low-fat yoghurt, dill, salt, and pepper.
In-Between Meal
1 glass tomato juice
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
4 oz (100 gm) low-fat cottage cheese, mixed with tomato, gherkin, herbs, and spices
1 slice wholewheat or granary bread
Radishes
Day 10 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 grapefruit (without sugar)
2 slices of toast (wholewheat or granary)
1 egg, boiled or poached
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 glass of buttermilk or skimmed milk
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Braised Kidneys Or Chicken, With Salad
5 oz (150 gm) kidneys or 4 oz (125 gm) chicken
1 small onion
A few drops of oil
1/2 carton plain low-fat yoghurt
4 oz (100 gm) potatoes
4 oz (125 gm) lettuce
Fry kidneys or chicken lightly in oil together with chopped onion and seasoning; add 1 1/2 oz (50 gm) yoghurt to make a sauce. Serve with potatoes and salad. Prepare dressing of 2 tbsp yoghurt, pepper, salt, and dill.
In-Between Meal
2 tangerines or 1 orange
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
2 oz (50 gm) steak tartare or grilled beef burger
1 thin slice of granary bread or pumpernickel
Radishes
Day 11 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Home-made muesli (1 oz or 30 gm raw oats, 1 small banana, 1 tsp honey, with 2 oz or 50 gm skimmed milk)
2 pieces of crispbread with jam or honey (1 tsp)
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 glass tomato juice
1 raw carrot or stick of celery
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Steamed Cod, Mashed Potatoes, And Salad
10 oz (300 gm) steamed cod
Mashed potatoes (fresh or instant), as for Day 2
Prepare salad with dressing of lemon juice, a little chopped onion, various spices, and a few drops of oil.
In-Between Meal
1 peach or apple
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Roast Breast Of Chicken With French Beans Or Asparagus
7 oz (200 gm) French beans or asparagus (hot or cold)
4 oz (100 gm) roast breast of chicken
1 piece of rye crispbread
Day 12 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 grapefruit (no sugar)
4 oz (100 gm) baked beans
1 slice of toast (wholewheat or granary)
2 tomatoes
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 pear or 3 oz (80 gm) grapes
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Ragout Of Roast Chicken, With Apple Salad And Rice
5 oz (150 gm) of cold roast chicken cubed in a sauce of lemon juice, mustard, artificial sweetener, sautéed chopped onion, and mushrooms. Serve with 2 tbsp rice. For the salad, cube the apple and mix with a lot of lemon juice, a few orange segments and some artificial sweetener.
In-Between Meal
2 tangerines or 1 orange
1 cream cracker
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 thin slice of wholewheat bread or pumpernickel
1 oz (20 gm) lean calf's liver pate or salami, radishes, and cucumber
Day 13 - 800 calories
Breakfast (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 small carton plain yoghurt
2 slices of crispbread
1 small banana
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 cup clear broth or stock cube dissolved in water
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Ham And Asparagus Or Beans, With Tomato Salad
14 oz (400 gm) asparagus or green beans
1 small onion
2 oz (50 gm) boiled ham (remove all fat)
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) butter
2 small potatoes
3 tomatoes
Trim the asparagus or beans and boil in salted water. Drain and place on a heated platter. Add melted butter and serve with the ham and the potatoes, boiled in their jackets. Slice the tomatoes and season with chopped onion, salt, and pepper.
In-Between Meal
1 cup consommé or clear broth.
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Mixed salad of lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and radishes with a dressing of plain low-fat yoghurt, a few drops of oil, parsley, dill, and chives
1 thin slice of wholewheat or granary bread
Day 14 - 800 calories
Breakfast (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 slice of toast
1 grilled rasher of back bacon
1 grilled chipolata sausage
1 tomato
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 banana or 4 oz (100 gm) plums
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Haddock In Mustard Sauce, With Potatoes And Green Salad
7 oz (200 gm) haddock
2 small potatoes
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) butter or margarine
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) flour
1 tsp each prepared mustard, salt, vinegar
1 cup water or instant broth
4 oz (100 gm) lettuce
Steam haddock. For the sauce, melt the fat over a hot flame and add the flour, stirring constantly; when flour is light brown add the liquid slowly, beating it with an egg-beater to avoid lumps; bring to a boil, then let simmer over a low flame and season with mustard, vinegar, and salt. Serve with the boiled potatoes and the salad, prepared with dressing of low-fat yoghurt and chives.
In-Between Meal
1 glass tomato juice
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
2 oz (50 gm) low-fat cottage cheese, with chives
1 slice wholewheat or granary bread
2 tomatoes
Day 15 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 glass of fresh or unsweetened orange juice
2 slices of toast (wholewheat or granary)
2 slices of lean ham or grilled back bacon
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 cup plain low-fat yoghurt
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Chicken Or Meat With Rice, Vegetables, And Salad
5 oz (150 gm) veal or chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 green pepper, diced
2 oz (50 gm) peas, fresh or frozen
2 tbsp rice, uncooked
Water to cover, salt, pepper, curry powder, parsley, sautéed chopped onions
Sauté the chopped onions, add the veal or chicken and brown, add green pepper and rice, water to cover and seasonings. Simmer for thirty minutes. Add the peas and simmer for another five minutes. Serve with a green salad.
In-Between Meal
1 cup clear broth or yeast or meat extract
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
4 oz (100 gm) cottage cheese, mixed with a small quantity of milk, pickles, and cubed tomatoes
2 thin slices of crispbread or pumpernickel
Radishes
Day 16 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
2 slices of wholewheat toast
2 oz (50 gm) chipolata sausage or lean ham
2 tomatoes
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
6-8 oz (200 gm) of melon (without sugar) or 1 grapefruit
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Grilled Chicken
1 chicken quarter 1 tsp oil
1 lemon, salt, paprika, pepper, mustard
2 oz (50 gm) green salad 1/2 small onion
Rub the chicken with salt and paprika, brush it with oil, and grill it. Prepare dressing for salad with lemon juice, salt, pepper, mustard, and chopped onion.
In-Between Meal
1 cup consommé or meat extract
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Carrot salad, made of grated carrots mixed with evaporated milk, artificial sweetener, and plenty of lemon juice
1 thin slice of wholewheat or granary bread
Day 17 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 glass unsweetened grapefruit juice
1 slice of wholewheat toast
2 oz (50 gm) of low-fat cottage cheese or baked beans
1 tomato
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
2 raw carrots or sticks of celery
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Potato Pancakes And Apple Sauce
2 ready-mix potato pancakes or 2 oz (50 gm) pancake batter
3 tbsp sugarless apple sauce (if not sweet enough, use artificial sweetener)
1 tsp oil for frying the pancakes
In-Between Meal
1 oz (200 gm) strawberries without sugar or 4 oz (100 gm) plums
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 bowl of cucumber/tomato salad with a little oil, vinegar, onion, salt, and pepper
1 slice of crispbread or pumpernickel
1 oz (30 gm) low-fat soft cheese
Day 18 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 cup yoghurt
1 slice of toast
1 tbsp sugar-free jam
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 apple or pear
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Fish, With Salad And Potatoes
9 oz (250 gm) plaice or other white fish
1 tsp butter
3 small potatoes
Lettuce or endives
Lemon juice, salt, pepper, 1/2 small onion, parsley, dill
Rub fish with lemon juice and salt. Grill, or bake it in aluminium foil. Chop the herbs; mix them with the butter and spread them over the fish. Prepare dressing for the lettuce or endives of 3 tbsp low-fat yoghurt, onion, salt, and pepper.
In-Between Meal
1 glass buttermilk or skimmed milk
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
2 slices of wholewheat bread
4 thin slices of lean ham.
Radishes, green, peppers or celery
Day 19 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1/2 grapefruit (no sugar)
2 slices of wholewheat toast
1 grilled chipolata sausage
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 glass freshly squeezed orange juice
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Pork Chop With Brussels Sprouts
4 oz (100 gm) pork chop
4 oz (125 gm) Brussels sprouts
2 small potatoes Salt, pepper, paprika
Season chop with salt and paprika and grill it on both sides without fat. Boil sprouts in salted water. Season to taste with salt and nutmeg. Serve with potatoes.
In-Between Meal
1 glass tomato or vegetable juice
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 small carton plain yoghurt, with a few fresh strawberries or other fruit
1 cream cracker or rusk
Mix low-fat yoghurt with unsweetened fruit; if you prefer, add artificial sweetener.
Day 20 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 slice wholewheat toast
1 grilled rasher of back bacon
1 chipolata sausage
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 apple or pear
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Scrambled Eggs With Mushrooms, On Toast
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) margarine
1 slice of toast
2 tomatoes
2 oz (50 gm) mushrooms (fresh or canned)
Salt, pepper, 1 small onion, parsley
Sauté mushrooms in margarine, together with finely chopped onion; season with salt and pepper. Beat the eggs with the evaporated milk; add this to the mushrooms. When the mushrooms are done, place them on warm toast and garnish with parsley. Serve with sliced tomatoes.
In-Between Meal
1 cup consommé or meat or vegetable extract
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Breast Of Chicken With Chicory Or Celery Salad
4 oz (100 gm) breast of chicken
3 oz (100 gm) chicory or celery
2 oz (50 gm) orange
2 oz (50 gm) apple
l 1/2 oz (50 gm) yoghurt
1 thin slice of crispbread or pumpernickel
Roast or grill chicken. Prepare salad from chicory or celery mixed with the fruit. Make the dressing with low-fat yoghurt.
Day 21 - 800 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
1 glass fresh or unsweetened orange juice
1 oz (30 gm) cornflakes
5 oz (125 gm) skimmed milk
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 cup clear broth or stock cube dissolved in water
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the over-eater's acupressure)
Veal Chop, With Leaf Spinach
4 oz (100 gm) veal chop
Salt, paprika, nutmeg, garlic salt
4 oz (150 gm) spinach
1/2 small onion
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) butter
2 small potatoes
Season chop on both sides with salt and pepper; cook it in a coated pan, or grill, without fat. Pour boiling water over spinach and drain. Sauté finely chopped onion in hot butter; add the spinach and sauté about 5 minutes. Season with pepper, nutmeg, and a. little garlic salt. Serve with two small boiled potatoes.
In-Between Meal
7 oz (200 gm) raspberries or strawberries without sugar or 3 oz (80 gm) grapes
Dinner - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
4 oz (100 gm) cottage cheese, mixed with radishes and 2 tomatoes
2 slices of crispbread or pimpernickel
Reduced Enough? Desired Weight Achieved?
After the 250-300 calorie starter diet, and the subsequent 800-calorie reducing diet, you should now be pretty close to your ideal weight. If you are not - which may be the case if you were burdened with a great deal of excess weight - then you should continue, under medical supervision, with the 800-calorie, which you have become used to by now. Do so until you are within about 5 per cent of your desirable weight (see table on page 4).
you will reach this goal comfortably with the help of acupressure, just as thousands of others have reached it (even without acupressure and decidedly less comfortably). For instance, in Munich, where I practise, a local newspaper offers year after year a hugely successful 'Spring Diet' with slogans like 'twenty pounds of fat have to go', along with suitable diet suggestions. Even restaurants follow suit by presenting low-calorie menus recommended for the 'Spring Diet' and I am sure that in and around Munich during those few spring weeks many tons of surplus fat are made to disappear.
The trouble is, it's always the same people who year after year enthusiastically reduce, because in the interval they have regained their original weight. As their 'Spring Diet' draws to a close, they are already feverishly anticipating the day when they can at last indulge again. And that is the whole point. Enough willpower can be mustered to reduce. The motives - beauty and health -are strong. But once the goal is reached all this is forgotten; there is no more reason not to rush back to the old joyous pursuit of food and drink. As I have said, through dieting one can shed the pounds, but not the compulsion.
This is, if you will, the second moment of truth for acupressure. It helps pacify the compulsive-eating centre, even when you are basking in the pleasure of being at your ideal weight. What really counts is maintaining this weight - not going up and down, up and down like a yo-yo, as so many people do. This is the nub of my acupressure-diet combination; to curb the compulsion to such an extent that even after reduction of weight to a healthy level there remains no impulse to reacquire what was lost only recently.
To achieve this, as well as acupressure you again need a diet; a weight control diet. Its aim is to prevent the return of those lost pounds. It is, therefore, rather narrowly calculated, leaving a safety margin for restaurant visits, celebration parties, and the occasional piece of self-indulgence. This suggested weight control diet is slightly below the physiological limit, which is about 12 calories per pound of body weight for a person of nearly ideal weight; this adds up to about 1,800 calories for a man weighing 150 pounds and 1,400 calories for a woman weighing 120 pounds. The diet that you will find on the following pages has about 1,300 calories per day, is low in fat, low in carbohydrates, rich in proteins, and rich in vitamins; it is a diet by which you can live well. If you stay with this 1,300 calorie regimen and feel well, you have made it.
If you should continue to lose weight because you are not taking advantage of the small safety margin for minor sins that has been worked into the diet, then begin to increase the helpings a little when you have reached your ideal weight; steaks one size larger, fish helpings a little bigger, and beverages also somewhat more generous. As long as the scales show no increase in weight, you can continue with this more liberal pattern. You will have succeeded, with acupressure, in establishing a healthy weight, and you will also be able to maintain that weight. It may even happen that after a while you won't need acupressure any longer to curb your urge to eat.
But all this is for the future. For the present, go on your 1,300-calorie weight control diet. As a rule, you will now need no more protein and vitamin supplements. Medical checkups can become less frequent.
Beverages
As a general rule, even with the 1,300-calorie diet, only drinks very low in calories are allowed; tea or coffee (maximum three cups), with milk, if you wish, but without sugar; mineral water (possibly with a splash of red wine); special low-calorie soft drinks (please watch for listed calorie content); instant broth. Now and then you may have a maximum of one bottle of diet beer or one glass of very dry white wine.
5 - The Weight Control Diet: Recipes
The following recipes are in the nature of general recommendations. They can, of course, be modified according to individual tastes. If you have an aversion for dairy products, switch to other protein-rich foods; if you do not like one kind of meat, choose another one equally low in fat, or eat fish. Many readers will moan because they believe that in the long run they cannot get along on so few calories. They have not yet experienced how acupressure helps. Other readers will consider the diet recommendations not rigorous enough. They might prefer more stress on natural foods, or a complete nutritional changeover. In their opinion, perhaps, only whole-grain products should be used, or a vegetarian diet should be advocated - or perhaps the opposite, more meat, fish, and eggs, in order to eliminate even more carbohydrates and fat, for a faster weight loss. Please keep in mind, though, that for thousands of years mankind has subsisted on the main components of protein, carbohydrates and fat. In the long run, every one-sided diet is potentially dangerous. Only fat can be almost totally omitted without any risk.
Therefore, I am repeating once more what I Said at the outset. With this book I want to present a practical and risk-free diet method for reducing which the large army of the 'pleasingly plump' can adhere to because it does not require any radical readjustment; because it is not harmful to health, as so many other, one-sided forms of dieting are; and because this diet, combined with acupressure, unfailingly leads to lasting success. What is the use of an ingeniously devised diet if you can't stick to it?
If you have followed the plan of nutrition suggested in this book over a period of time, you will notice as a welcome side effect that you have become more health-conscious, that your taste in foods has slowly changed -and you will make the happy discovery that high-quality nutrition and enjoyment are not mutually exclusive. And with the loss of these excess 'fat pillows', your interest in healthy eating will increase. In fact, you will soon develop a new way of eating which is balanced, varied and quality and quantity-conscious - and is adapted to your own tastes and life-style. And once you have lost those excess pounds, you will actually be and feel healthier.
Day 1 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2 slices of wholewheat toast
3 oz (80 gm) baked beans
2 grilled back bacon rashers
Tea or coffee, with milk, if you prefer (sweeten to taste with artificial sweetener)
In-Between Meal
1 glass vegetable or tomato juice
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Stuffed Pepper With Tomato Salad
1 large green pepper
3-4 oz (100gm) minced beef
1 onion
Salt, pepper, paprika
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) margarine
Stock
2 oz (60 gm) cooked rice (3 tbsp)
1 egg
6-8 oz (200 gm) tomato salad
Radishes
Mix the chopped meat and rice with the finely chopped onion and spices; fill the green pepper with the mixture. Melt the margarine, flavour with pepper and add stock; cook until done.
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's 'acupressure)
Fish Salad
Mix 3-4oz (100gm) cooked filleted haddock with pineapple cubes
finely chopped celery
yoghurt-herb dressing
onion
Lettuce salad
1 slice wholewheat or granary bread
Day 2 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Swiss Muesli
1 oz (30 gm) raw oats
1 unpeeled apple
1 orange (4 oz or 100 gm)
2/3 of a small carton of plain low-fat yoghurt
1 tsp chopped nuts
Lemon juice, liquid artificial sweetener
Peel the orange, wash the apple, and cut both in small slices. Lightly mix all ingredients and season with lemon juice and sweetener. Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 glass tomato or vegetable juice
Lunch - (preceded by ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Boiled Trout Or Mackerel, Parsley Potatoes, Salad
8-9 oz (250 gm) trout or mackerel
Salt, lemon juice, 1 bay leaf
3-4 oz (100gm) potato, parsley
3-4 oz (100gm) Green salad, a few drops of vegetable oil
Lemon Juice, chives, dill
Boil water with the lemon juice, the salt, and the bay leaf; place the trout or mackerel in the boiling liquid, turn the heat down, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with melted butter and a lemon slice. For the salad prepare a dressing of oil, lemon juice, salt, chives, and parsley.
In-Between Meal
2 rusks or cream crackers
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2 slices of rye or granary bread
3 oz (80 gm) smoked or lean ham
Day 3 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2 slices of wholewheat toast
1 grilled chipolata sausage
4 oz (100 gm) baked beans 1 tomato
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 glass vegetable broth or consommé
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Beef Casserole
4 oz (125 gm) lean beef
1 tsp margarine
Salt, pepper, paprika, 1 onion
Stock or water
2 oz (50 gm) each turnips, carrots, cabbage, green beans and potatoes
Parsley
Cube the beef, melt the margarine, fry the meat on all sides. Add the chopped onion and sauté. Season the meat. Add the broth and cook the meat until half done. Place the meat, vegetables, and potato into an ovenproof casserole with a lid. Close it tightly and finish cooking the food in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
In-Between Meal
3 small tangerines or 1 large orange
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
3-4 oz (100 gm) cold roast veal or chicken
1 slice of wholewheat bread
1 cream cracker
1 oz (30 gm) low-fat soft cheese
Radishes
Day 4 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 slice wholewheat toast
1 rye crispbread
1 small carton of plain low-fat yoghurt
1 tomato
1 tsp honey
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1/2 grapefruit (no sugar)
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Ham Omelet With Asparagus Or Celery, Boiled Potato, Salad
2 eggs
7 oz (200 gm) asparagus or celery
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) butter
2 slices boiled ham (3 oz or 80 gm)
Salt, parsley, chives, yoghurt
Green salad
Beat the eggs with salt and a few drops of water; cook the omelet in a hot pan, place on a plate, cover with the boiled asparagus or celery, ham, and melted butter and fold over. Prepare a dressing of yoghurt, lemons and chives for the salad.
In-Between Meal
1 glass vegetable or tomato juice
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 oz (60 gm) low-fat soft cheese
2 slices rye or wholewheat bread
Radishes and tomatoes
Day 5 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
3 oz (80 gm) kipper fillets
2 slices of wholewheat toast
1 apple Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 small carton plain low-fat yoghurt
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Hamburger, Brussels Sprouts, And Potatoes
3-4 oz (100 gm) minced beef
1/2 egg, salt, pepper, paprika, 1 small onion
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) margarine
Stock
7 oz (200 gm) Brussels sprouts, salt, nutmeg
2 small potatoes
Mix the minced meat with the half egg, small chopped onion, and seasoning; form a flat patty and fry it on both sides in a coated pan; add a little stock and finish cooking the meat. Boil the Brussels sprouts in salted water and season with nutmeg.
In-Between Meal
1 cup vegetable or beef broth (fat removed)
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 tomato stuffed with cottage cheese and horseradish
1 slice wholewheat bread
1 slice of rye crispbread
2 oz (40 gm) rollmop herring, or 1 oz (30 gm) lean ham or tongue, or 4 slices (2 oz or 60 gm) smoked ham
Day 6 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 glass freshly squeezed or unsweetened orange juice
2 slices toast
2 slices lean ham or 2 rashers grilled back bacon
1 tbsp honey
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 glass carrot or tomato juice
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Chicken Leg, Cauliflower, And Potatoes
7 oz (200 gm) chicken leg (weighed with the bone)
salt
paprika
7 oz (200 gm) cauliflower
Salt, a little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) butter
2 small potatoes
Chopped parsley
Wash, dry, and season the chicken leg with salt and paprika. Place the meat in foil and cook in the oven. Pour the juices in the foil over the meat. Cook the cauliflower in boiling salted water; serve with melted butter and a little nutmeg.
In-Between Meal
Fruit salad: 1/2 orange, 1/2 apple, lemon juice, artificial sweetener and 1 tsp rum-flavoured extract
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Prawn Or Shrimp Salad
10 oz (300 gm) shrimps or prawns
Lemon
1 chopped onion
1 grated apple
2 tbsp cooked rice
2 slices of rye crispbread
Day 7 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 glass milk (8 oz or 1/4 1)
1 roll
1 tbsp low-calorie jam or 1 tsp ordinary jam or marmalade
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 glass tomato juice
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Kebab With Tomato Salad, And Rice
5-6 oz (150 gm) lean steak
Tomatoes, pickles
2 small onions
A few drops of vegetable oil
2 oz or 60 gm cooked rice (3 tbsp)
Cube the meat, tomatoes, and pickles; slice the onions. Alternating the ingredients, thread the pieces on a skewer; brush with oil. Place the. skewer under a preheated grill and brown on all sides for about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Slice the tomatoes and sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and finely chopped onion.
In-Between Meal
1 small carton (5 oz or 150 gm) of plain low-fat yoghurt
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 frankfurters (4 oz or 125 gm)
Salad of green peppers and tomatoes, prepared with chopped onion and herb vinegar
1 slice of whole meal bread Mustard
Day 8 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2 slices of wholewheat toast
1 grilled chipolata sausage
2 oz (60 gm) baked beans
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
5 oz (150 gm) grapes or 1 banana
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Grilled Liver, Spinach, And Potatoes
4 oz (125 gm) calf's or lamb's liver
7 oz (200 gm) spinach (fresh or frozen)
A few drops of oil
1 small onion
2 small potatoes
Salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic
Brush the liver on both sides with oil and cook under a preheated grill. After liver is done, season with salt and pepper. Let the spinach thaw slowly over a low heat; add chopped onion, salt, nutmeg, and garlic salt to taste.
In-Between Meal
2 tangerines or 1 apple
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
3-4 oz (100gm) steak tartare or hamburger
2 slices of rye crispbread
1 gherkin
Day 9 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 slice brown bread
2 rashers back bacon
1 poached egg
2 tomatoes (raw or grilled)
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 peach or large orange
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Stuffed Beef Roll, Bean Salad, Potatoes
4 oz (125 gm) thinly sliced beef
5 oz (150 gm) green beans
Salt, pepper, paprika, mustard
1 small onion
1 small pickle
1 tomato
A dab of margarine Stock
2 small potatoes
1/2 tbsp oil
Season the beef with salt and pepper and spread it with mustard. Sprinkle the chopped onion, pickle, and tomato over the meat. Roll the meat and tie with thread. Fry the roll on all sides in a coated pan; cover with stock and cook over a low heat until done. Marinate the cooked beans in oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and chopped onion.
In-Between Meal
Vegetable or tomato juice
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 scrambled eggs
2 tomatoes
1 slice of toast
Day 10 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2 slices of toast
1 grilled sausage
2oz (60 gm) baked beans
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 apple or pear
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Pork Fillet, Tomato Salad, And Mushroom Rice
5 oz (150 gm) pork fillet
Salt, pepper, onion
3 small tomatoes
Radishes
Fry the fillet without fat and season with salt and pepper. Sauté 2 tbsp rice (uncooked) in 1/2 tsp oil with 1/2 onion for about 12 minutes; add mushrooms and parsley and cook until done.
In-Between Meal
1 carton plain low-fat yoghurt
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Mixed salad of lettuce, orange slices, cucumber, tomato, mushrooms, a little cooked, cubed chicken, with a dressing of low-fat yoghurt, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Garnish with a little watercress
1 slice rye or brown bread
Day 11 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 apricots or a good-sized apple
1 slice toast
2 grilled chipolata sausages
1 tomato
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
4 oz (100 gm) fresh plums or an orange
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Steamed Cod On A Bed Of Leeks, With Rice
8-9 oz (250 gm) cod fillet
10-11 oz (300 gm) leeks
Salt, pepper, parsley, lemon juice
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) margarine
2 tbsp cooked rice
Wash the leeks and cut in pieces. Melt the margarine in a casserole and sauté the vegetables in it, until only half done. Cut the fish into cubes, sprinkle with lemon juice, and place on top of the vegetables. Salt and cook until done. Garnish with chopped parsley.
In-Between Meal
8 oz (1/4 1) defatted chicken broth or stock cube in water
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
3-4 oz (100 gm) tongue cut in cubes and seasoned with chopped gherkin, tomato sauce, and lemon
1 slice wholewheat or granary bread
Day 12 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 slice of rye crispbread
3-4 oz (100 gm) low-fat cottage cheese
1 tomato
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
9 oz (250 gm) melon without sugar or 1 banana
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Hungarian Goulash, Tomato Salad, And Potatoes
5 oz (150 gm) beef
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) margarine
2 small onions Stock
Salt, pepper, paprika 2 small boiled potatoes
Fry the cubed beef on all sides in hot margarine; add chopped onions, and cover with hot stock. Cook at medium heat. Season tomato salad with salt, pepper, and chopped onion.
In-Between Meal
1 grapefruit (11 oz or 300 gm)
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 triangle low-fat soft cheese (a little over 2 oz or 60 gm)
3/4 oz (20 gm) lean liver sausage or pate
2 slices whole meal or granary bread
Radishes
Day 13 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 slice of bread or one roll
1 tbsp low-calorie or 1 tsp ordinary jam or marmalade
1 slice rye crispbread
1 slice lean ham or 1 grilled bacon rasher
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 small carton low-fat yoghurt
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Scrambled Eggs With Mushrooms And Salad
2 eggs
7 oz (200 gm) mushrooms
1 small onion
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) margarine Salt, pepper, parsley
2 small boiled potatoes
Sauté mushrooms in margarine, together with finely chopped onion. Add the eggs and scramble. Season with salt and pepper; garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with potatoes and salad.
In-Between Meal
1 cup chicken broth (defatted) or stock cube dissolved in water
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Mixed Cold-Cuts Platter
2 oz (50 gm) smoked salmon or lean ham
1 oz (30 gm) cold roast chicken or turkey
1 oz (30 gm) liver sausage, salami or pate
1 slice rye bread or 2 slices crispbread
Radishes and tomatoes
Day 14 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Swiss Muesli
1 oz (30 gm) raw oats
1 unpeeled apple
1 orange (3-4 oz or 100 gm)
2/3 of a small carton of low-fat yoghurt
1 tsp chopped nuts
Lemon juice, liquid artificial sweetener
Tea or coffee
Preparation: see Day 2 of 1,300-calorie diet.
In-Between Meal
1 slice rye crispbread with 1/2 oz (10 gm) lean liver sausage
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Chicken Casserole
7 oz (200 gm) chicken breast
3-4 oz (100gm) carrots
2 oz (50 gm) mushrooms
3-4 oz (100 gm) cauliflower
2 oz (50 gm) green peas
Chicken stock
2 tbsp cooked rice
Parsley
Place all ingredients in the casserole together with stock and spices; cook until done.
In-Between Meal
1 pear or apple
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Cheese Platter
2 cream crackers or slices of crispbread
2 oz (60 gm) low-fat Camembert, Brie or Edam
3 tbsp low-fat cottage cheese with herbs
1 tomato
Day 15 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2 slices of toast
2 grilled bacon rashers
2 oz (60 gm) baked beans
1 tomato (raw or grilled)
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 orange or 2 tangerines
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Frankfurters, Coleslaw, And Boiled Potatoes
7 oz (200 gm) white cabbage
3-4 oz (100 gm) grated apple
2 frankfurters (4 oz or 125 gm)
2 small potatoes
Mix the shredded cabbage with grated apple. Heat frankfurters for 2-3 minutes in boiling water. Serve with mustard.
In-Between Meal
1 carton plain low-fat yoghurt
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Florida Toast
1 slice toast
2 oz (50 gm) pineapple
2 oz (40 gm) lean ham
1 oz (30 gm) low-fat cheese
1 tomato
Toast the bread and cover with ham, pineapple and cheese; place under grill.
Day 16 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 slice of toast or 2 of crispbread
3-4 oz or 100 gm low-fat cottage cheese (spiced with pickle and tomato, if you like)
1 tsp honey
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
Half a small melon or grapefruit
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Veal Or Chicken Fricassee
7 oz (200 gm) veal or chicken
4 oz (100 gm) green beans or braised celery
2 tbsp sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp flour
1 egg yoke
Lemon
1 pat of butter
Blend the stock from the boiled meat 'and vegetables with the flour and egg yolk; spice with lemon juice, and enrich with butter. Place the meat, cubed, into the sauce. Serve with 3 tbsp cooked rice and the beans or celery.
In-Between Meal
1 glass unsweetened orange juice
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Haddock In A Bonnet
Place 7 oz (200 gm) boiled haddock in a buttered, portion-sized fireproof dish; cover with sautéed onion cubes, mustard, parsley, and lemon juice; leave for 5 minutes in a hot oven. Cover with stiffly beaten egg white into which the lightly beaten yolk has been carefully folded, and salt and lemon juice added. Return to oven for another 15 minutes. Serve with 1 potato or 3 tbsp cooked rice, and cucumber salad.
Day 17 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2 slices of toast
1 grilled chipolata sausage
1 poached egg
1 tomato
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 orange or 2 tangerines
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Fillet Steak With Mushrooms, Tomato Salad, And Potatoes
7 oz (200 gm) fillet steak
3-4 oz (100 gm) mushrooms
A little (1/3 oz or 10 gm) margarine
2 small potatoes (about 4 oz or 100 gm)
1 small onion
Salt, pepper
1 tsp oil
Brush steak on both sides with oil; season and grill on both sides. Sauté chopped onion until glazed; add the mushrooms; season, and place on the grilled steak. Quarter tomato and season with onion, salt, and pepper.
In-Between Meal
1 banana or 10 oz (300 gm) melon
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 triangle low-fat processed cheese (about 2 oz or 60 gm)
1 slice wholewheat bread
1 small bunch radishes (4-7 oz or 100-200gm)
Day 18 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 slices of toast
1 tbsp sugar-free jam or 1 tsp ordinary jam or marmalade
2 oz (60 gm) low-fat cottage cheese
1 tomato
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 apple or pear
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Sliced Kidney, Green Salad, Potatoes In Their Jackets
5 oz (150 gm) calf, lamb or pork kidney
1 tsp oil, salt, pepper, mustard
1 tsp flour
1 medium potato
2 tbsp buttermilk or skimmed milk
1 small lettuce
Lemon juice, celery salt, herbs
Free the kidney of tendons, skin, and fat; soak it in .water; slice, and fry in oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour. Add a little water to make a sauce; add milk and mustard to taste. Serve with the potatoes and salad, with a dressing of lemon juice, celery salt, and fresh herbs.
In-Between Meal
1 cup tea or yeast or meat extract
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure) .
Chicken salad: 7 oz (200 gm) cold chicken leg. Remove the bone, cube, and mix with 3-4 oz (100 gm) cooked asparagus or green beans,
1/2 tangerine, 1 tbsp mayonnaise, a little sharp mustard, 2 tbsp low-fat yoghurt, 1 tbsp cooked peas, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
1 slice rye crispbread.
Day 19 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2 slices toast or crispbread
2 slices smoked ham or 1 grilled bacon rasher
1 tsp honey
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 carton plain low-fat yoghurt
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Chicken Or Veal Croquettes, With Peaches
Mix 4-5 oz (125 gm) of minced chicken or veal, 1 tbsp evaporated milk, 1 egg, 1 chopped, sautéed onion, parsley, salt, nutmeg, breadcrumbs, and shape into small balls; cook them in stock and place into three warmed peach halves. Serve with 3 tbsp cooked saffron rice.
In-Between Meal
Small fruit salad, made of 1 banana, 1/2 orange, 3-4 oz )100gm) apple, juice of 1 lemon, and artificial sweetener
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Scrambled Eggs With Tomatoes
3 tomatoes
2 eggs
4 tbsp water
Salt, pepper
1 slice crispbread
Thinly slice the tomatoes, place them in a coated pan and fry briefly. Add the eggs, water and seasoning beaten together, then scramble.
Day 20 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
1 egg, boiled or poached
2 slices of bread
1 grilled bacon rasher
1 tomato Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
3-4 oz (100gm) cherries or plums, or 1 apple
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Salmon Baked In Foil, Green Salad, And Potatoes
7 oz (200 gm) fresh or frozen salmon (or use other non-fatty fish)
Salt, lemon juice, herbs
1 small onion
3 small potatoes
1 tsp butter
Sprinkle the fish with lemon juice and place it on a piece of aluminium foil; cover with herbs and chopped onion. Close the foil tightly and cook the fish in a preheated oven for 20 minutes. Prepare a mixed green salad with a dressing of 1 teaspoon oil, vinegar, onion, salt, and pepper.
In-Between Meal
1 carton low-fat yoghurt with a few unsweetened raspberries or strawberries, or other fruit
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
3 slices of roast beef (3-4 oz or 100 gm)
1 slice of bread
3-4 oz (100 gm) asparagus or green beans
Day 21 - 1,300 calories
Breakfast - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
2 thin slices of toast
1 carton low-fat yoghurt mixed with 3-4 oz (100gm) strawberries or other fresh fruit
2 oz (50 gm) lean ham or 1 grilled chipolata
Tea or coffee
In-Between Meal
1 glass tomato juice
Lunch - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
Leg Of Chicken, With Apple Salad
Roast a 7 oz (200 gm) leg of chicken; serve with 5 tbsp mashed potatoes. For roasting the chicken, use a dab of margarine. To prepare the apple salad, mix 3-4 oz (100 gm) of cubed apple with plenty of lemon juice and a little artificial sweetener.
In-Between Meal
8 oz (1/4 1) skimmed milk or 4 oz (1/8 1) ordinary milk
Dinner - (preceded by five to ten seconds of the overeater's acupressure)
7 oz (200 gm) of tongue, cubed and mixed with tomato sauce, sliced gherkin, and lemon juice. Serve with 3 tbsp rice cooked in stock.
6 - Acupressure - As The Patients See It
Patient Anthony Smith
(All names have been changed.)
He was 44 years old, five feet seven inches tall, and weighed 216 pounds. He had a supervisory desk job with a telephone company. His main problem was that he could hardly look at anything edible without immediately wanting it. He characterised himself as 'a habitual glutton.'
Mr. Smith tried several reducing methods to rid himself of the unhealthy ballast which, he felt, he carried around because of his professional advancement. As he tells it: 'I started out laying cables with a construction crew that renewed cables, sometimes underground, sometimes on telephone poles. That was strenuous labour, and when I was 20 years old I could eat as much meat and drink as many glasses of beer as I pleased, and there wasn't an ounce of fat on my body.'
After a time, when he did not plant telephone poles any longer, but controlled switches from an office, the fat began to accumulate. And in spite of his exaggerated urge to eat, he submitted to an egg diet: in the morning three hard-boiled eggs, at noon three hard-boiled eggs and a salad, in the evening three hard-boiled eggs. Or ten hard-boiled eggs distributed over the day, and a juicy steak at noon.
Such methods are usually recommended as weekend shockers, but Mr. Smith was more thorough; he ate only eggs until he couldn't look at them any longer, and lost a lot of pounds. However, after the cure, pasta and sizzling steaks had by no means lost their attraction for Mr. Smith. Shortly after the egg orgy, his old weight problem reared its head once again.
Autumn arrived, and Mr. Smith tried grape juice - for a whole week, three pints of freshly pressed grape juice every day, with nothing else. That also was quite effective, but, like the eggs, it cannot be kept up for any length of time.
Other attempts followed, always with the same result; ten, fourteen, sometimes even eighteen pounds were lost and then, either quickly or more slowly, the old weight was regained. This went on until a few months ago I recommended the acupressure-diet combination to him. Now Mr. Smith is lighter by thirty pounds; he lives trouble-free on a 1,300-calorie diet that allows him a continuing gradual weight loss. Mr. Smith comments: '1 decided to get back to a normal weight because I did not want to be excluded any longer from the joys of life. Thanks to acupressure, there are no indications whatsoever that I might relapse into compulsive eating.'
Patient Eve Hansen
Looking at her today, you wouldn't guess how fat she was only a short time ago. The 36 year old, dark-haired, pretty woman, who is only five feet tall, weighed 174 pounds. She had started to put on weight by overeating at about thirty - not because of some unhappiness, but for just the opposite reason. Her husband's business, where she holds an executive position, flourished, the number of invitations of a business and social nature increased, and with them grew Mrs. Hansen's girth.
Mrs. Hansen commented: 'One of the problems in our society is the fact that an invitation to a meal is looked upon as a sort of reward. In addition it is a social obligation. It is easy to put on weight when one doesn't feel like saying "no" to a host or hostess.'
In her own judgment, she is a typical 'appetite eater'; hunger doesn't enter the picture. So, as time went by, she acquired a barrel shape that her husband, understandably enough, didn't consider particularly attractive; it also became a burden to her in another way - she became short of breath and less mobile.
As she was an 'appetite eater', she logically tried to curb her rush to the heaped platter by an appetite depressant. The drug had a negative effect on her and, just in time, symptoms of excessive pressure building up in her lungs were detected. (The appetite depressant with this life-endangering side effect was soon afterward withdrawn from the market.)
Of course, not all appetite depressants are dangerous; but as with most medications meant to replace natural behaviour here too the effectiveness is quickly reduced with habitual use, ever larger doses are needed (as in the case of sleeping pills), and above a certain dose drugs harmless when taken in moderation may cause damaging and unpredictable side effects.
Since Mrs. Hansen has learned to use acupressure, she can suppress her appetite. She eats now only when she is really hungry and is losing weight steadily. At present, she weighs only 124 pounds, she wears clothes two sizes smaller, her breathing and mobility are restored, and there is no doubt that Mrs. Hansen will reach her goal -110 pounds - and later will be able to maintain this healthy weight.
Patient Ann Hunter
Miss Hunter was one of the first patients on whom the acupressure-diet combination was tried. She is 29 years old; as head of a civil service department, she is subject to considerable strain at her job. In spite of this, until she was twenty-seven years old, her weight was a healthy 110 pounds at a height of five feet two inches. Then, after simultaneous emotional and physical crises - a longstanding relationship broke up and because of side effects her contraceptive pills had to be discontinued - Miss Hunter gained 22 pounds within a year.
During that time, especially in the evenings and at weekends, she suffered frequently from depression, which she tried to combat by eating; by her own admission, she was able to eat as much as she wanted to, without ever feeling sick - and she liked to eat everything.
For a year, Miss Hunter tried to get down to her previous weight through a variety of starvation diets, but without lasting success. Characteristically she placed great hope in one of the startling and famous fad diets, which let her eat unlimited quantities of fats and proteins while eliminating all carbohydrates. She lost weight, but nevertheless soon stopped; somehow the diet did not seem wholesome. And not without reason! Like all one-sided diets, this wonder diet has its pitfalls; you simply cannot live on fat for any length of time with impunity. The fat content of the blood is dangerously raised and increases the risk of hardening of the arteries and heart disease. Another damaging effect of that diet is ketosis, which can dangerously upset the acidity of the body, in extreme cases causing effects as severe as coma.
Miss Hunter stopped the diet, despite the little effort it required, and tried others. She even lost some weight, but neither lastingly nor in the right places; to her annoyance, the weight loss was apparent above her waistline but not on her hips and thighs, where the disfiguring fat had mainly settled.
Miss Hunter then learned how to use acupressure. It proved possible to relieve her depression by eliminating some other problems in consultation with her doctor. Result: Miss Hunter has got back to her former weight of 110 pounds, her figure has regained its proper shape and she does not go in for weekend eating any more.
Her comment: 'It was great to lose weight with the help of acupressure, but I found out that in addition to the physical change a new psychological attitude is necessary. A friend of mine, as I became slimmer, suddenly lost all interest in me - perhaps she was afraid that I had again become interesting to men. Yes, I even had problems with men friends who became envious and suspicious.'
Patient Frank Stanton
This case is a little out of the ordinary because of the youth of the patient, 19 year old Frank Stanton. He is very tall - six feet four inches. But even for that height, 220 pounds, is definitely too much, especially for a man of Mr. Stanton's fine-boned frame. Thirty pounds less would be about right, and that was Mr. Stanton's weight when he was sixteen years old and already just as tall.
Strangely enough, the sport that he took up at that time actually caused him gradually to gain weight. Frank Stanton went in for sailing, not just for pleasure, but competitively. Anyone familiar with regatta sailing knows how much stress is involved, not only because of the rough conditions but because of the competitiveness of this sport. The stress of racing noticeably increased Mr. Stanton's appetite. He just ate and ate, without giving it a thought, as young people sometimes do. What 19 year old would worry about his weight - especially one so tall? And many a sailor not only loves water under his keel, but also a drink in his glass. So Frank raised the elbow together with his sailing partners, and raised it again, and all this drinking contributed to turning the tall, slender youth into a 220-pound man. Once he had reached the 220-pound mark, he began to realise that this was simply too much. He started to take appetite depressants, but achieved only a minor weight reduction that did not last. For the next step, he had a so-called computer diet set up for himself. He reports: 'What I was supposed to eat, I did not like - it was really awful stuff. But I thought, perhaps that's how it has to be, and stuck to the diet. Only, after I ate the stuff, I was still ravenously hungry, and I just can't take being hungry all the time.' So he ate other things in addition, and did not lose weight.
From a friend, he heard of the acupressure-diet combination. It brought quick results and Frank reached his goal, a thirty-pound loss, in a surprisingly short time.
Patient Grace Tasker
Grace Tasker is an exceptionally good-looking and well-groomed 35 year old woman. At five feet six inches she weighed 150 pounds. That was not really a serious overweight problem, but she wanted to lose at least fifteen pounds, for professional reasons. She is a cosmetician, has to travel, and has to display a perfect figure; and this perfect appearance, as she well knows, requires in her case a weight of around 130 pounds.
She kept that weight, and her good figure, until she changed jobs. The new one brought with it some aggravations and altered the rhythm of her life in a way that left her with more free time on her hands - and more time for eating. Sometimes she ate out of sheer boredom. Attempts to lose weight, first with a potato diet, then with appetite depressants, and finally through self-hypnosis, were unsuccessful.
Miss Tasker described the, for her crucial, effect of acupressure: 'It's strange how I can restrain myself now, something I was not capable of before. I now really eat only what I need. To be slim is a status symbol today. The jet-setters and the rich are all slim (in contrast to the past, when they were fat) and for this reason everyone tries to emulate them.' She is now only four pounds away from her ideal weight and her former good figure.
Patient Matilda Emory
Matilda Emory, a 57 year old married woman with one son, works full-time as a computer programmer. At five feet five inches, she weighed 184 pounds and was much too fat. This did not bother her. The excess pounds had slowly accumulated over the years; she had become accustomed to them and had no incentive whatsoever to reduce.
The incentive was provided by her family physician. She suffered from very painful arthritis in both knee joints and constantly requested pain-killing medication from her doctor. He finally refused to prescribe painkillers for her, explaining that the -ailing knees would have to be relieved of the excess burden they constantly had to support. Her doctor suggested a zero-diet in a hospital. A recent operation had meant a stay of several weeks in hospital, where - through the enforced bed rest - she had developed thrombosis in both legs. This extremely disagreeable experience caused her to reject any hospital stay not absolutely necessary, and she categorically refused. But she did realise that she had to reduce radically.
She tried, tenaciously, four different diets; a potato diet, the Hollywood diet, a banana diet, an egg diet. Mrs. Emory sums up her experience in the concise language of her profession: 'I more or less weighed more or less.' She was only too willing to give acupressure a try. The outcome proved her right. Mrs. Emory is now twenty pounds lighter - not nearly enough - but the arthritis pain in her now much less burdened knee joints has eased to the point where most of the time it is tolerable without medication. Mrs. Emory is in the process of slowly losing another twenty pounds; she assures me that this will be 'not at all difficult'.
7 - Exercise, Exercise, Exercise!
Apart from the urge to overeat, lack of exercise is one of the main causes of the common tendency to become obese. Most modern men and women walk only from their bed to the bathroom, then to the breakfast table, where they sit, then to the garage or to the bus, only a few steps away; there they sit again, and after another few steps to their place of work they sit once more. This is true not only of those who are office workers, but also of the crane operator in his cab, the lorry driver, and the man who directs the red-hot steel sheets through the rolling-mill - they all earn their living sitting down. After working hours, and a few intermediary movements, they conclude their day by sitting in front of the television set.
This increasing lack of exercise - the fat person finds it difficult to move, becomes sluggish, moves even less, gets fatter still - has to be counteracted, and not only for the purpose of burning calories. Man is not built for a sedentary, inactive life; he has to move if he wants to stay healthy. Muscles that are not exercised become slack and finally waste away; unused joints gradually stiffen.
How much the human structure is geared to movement can be seen in the main supply system of this nearly perfect machine - the circulatory system - the workings of which also depend on movement. Although fresh blood is sent through the arteries to its destination by means of a pressure pump, the heart, the return of the blood through the veins is partly effected by a squeezing of the veins caused by the tensing and relaxing of the surrounding muscles. There are valves at short intervals in the veins, which allow only a one-way flow of the blood - towards the heart. When the veins are squeezed together by the muscular system, the blood is pushed towards the heart; it cannot flow backwards. With lack of exercise, the veins become lax, the valves do not close properly any longer, and the veins quickly become diseased - varicose veins, for instance, are an affliction which is particularly common among fat or physically lazy people.
The Idle Wheel Rusts
Sufficient exercise is a must, and especially during an acupressure-diet cure. Exercise means increased energy expenditure: that is, reduction of the body's fat reserves. It is, no doubt, discouraging to learn that twenty-five hours of walking are necessary to lose one single pound. Under these circumstances it seems rather ridiculous to advise overweight executives to leave their cars two blocks from their destination and walk that short distance; that doesn't amount to very much. It would be a different proposition if the overweight captain of industry were asked to climb the stairs up to the twelfth-floor executive suite instead of taking the lift. Hoisting 175 pounds up 120 feet is no mean task; if done regularly and at a good pace, this would reduce the weight by half a pound per week.
Nevertheless, I would not recommend rapid and extensive stair-climbing to an untrained overweight person, at least not to begin with. The energy expenditure is so high and the sudden overload on heart and circulation so violent that complications can easily arise. Even someone climbing in a very leisurely way to the twelfth floor will arrive there with wobbly knees, muscle pains, and an accelerated pulse, out of breath and with perspiration on his forehead.
Nevertheless, people with offices on high floors should definitely use the stairs as a training ground, but without overdoing it. As a beginning, walk up only about three flights, slowly, and travel the rest of the way by lift; gradually the speed can be increased until the three flights can be rushed up two steps at a time, without a disagreeable rise in breathing rate and pulse rate. Once this is achieved, two more flights can be added, climbing them slowly at first, then faster, and so on.
Don't be too ambitious. Don't overexert yourself. Since the fashion for fitness started, people who have overdone it have crowded into doctors' surgeries. With bones, tendons, ligaments, and joints that have hardly been used for years, you cannot run and jump like a 17 year old. If you attempt it something will break, tear, or strain, especially when, in addition, the old bones carry much more weight than they should. The heart, frequently already clogged by fat, suddenly has to perform extra-heavy labour. Many who strenuously work at regaining a youthful shape succumb to a heart attack along the jogging trail or at the exercise machine.
The first question, then, before beginning to use up extra energy and break down fat through vigorous exercise, is 'What are your limits?'
What Are My Limits?
First of all, if you want to start an effective energy-expenditure training programme, you should have a thorough medical check-up and tell your doctor what you are planning to do.
Then, there is a useful rule of thumb for gauging the advisable limit of exertion: the pulse rate, during exertion, should not exceed 180 minus your age per minute; that is about 130 beats for a man of fifty.
If the effort is not great - causing little rise in pulse rate - there is not much conditioning effect on the muscles, including the heart muscle. On the other hand, exceeding the correct pulse rate can only lead to early exhaustion and over-burdening of the heart. To pace yourself according to the optimum pulse rate, check your pulse (at the wrist) once in a while during training for a period of fifteen seconds, then multiply the number by four. To do this you will of course need to carry a watch when you exercise. After a while you will know your optimal rate, even without constant checking. Observe this rule: when your breath gets short and the pulse beat becomes disagreeably noticeable, it is time for a rest - so, continue slowly until pulse and breathing have quietened down (pulse down to 100), then increase your effort once more. Don't stop before you are perspiring lightly. This holds true for all types of exercise that involve considerable energy expenditure.
1) Walking, Running
These forms of exercise are among the best for reconditioning the body. Very heavy people should not start right away with lively jogging, which the tendons, ligaments and joints may resent, but should begin with steady walks at about three and a half miles per hour. This does not greatly affect the energy balance (up to 350 calories per hour), but does loosen up the body.
Running, both long-distance running and jogging, uses up more calories (up to 500 per hour). Be sure to wear suitable footwear. If at all possible, avoid running on asphalt or other hard surfaces; a solid grassy surface or a woodland path is better. Jog at an even pace, not in spurts, and take rests when necessary. It's best to run over a level stretch, not uphill (certainly not at the beginning), or the strain might become too great.
2) Swimming
Swimming is also very beneficial, since heart, lungs, and all the muscles are equally involved. It is particularly suitable for very heavy people since tendons, ligaments, and joints are not burdened. The energy expenditure, depending on the speed of the swimmer, is rather higher than with running (up to 600 calories per hour). Of course, you need to do more than paddle gently along, in the way one often sees people in pools endlessly swimming back and forth at a snail's pace, marveling at their own achievement.
Certainly, that too is good and healthy, but the energy expenditure is not much greater than during a leisurely stroll (about 110 calories an hour). If you swim to speed up your reducing, you will have to do a little more -swim as fast as you possibly can. If you find you are already out of breath after the first length, then take a rest before starting the next. In any case, the body needs to become adjusted to the unfamiliar exertion. If you continue to swim regularly, after a few weeks you will be able to do several lengths at a good speed without stopping to rest; this will help you lose weight and - a special advantage of swimming - will also improve your figure.
3) Cycling
This allows you to spend quite a bit of energy in a comparatively pleasant fashion (up to about 400 or 500 calories per hour). At the outset don't pedal uphill, wheezing and puffing (the exertion is too great). Cycling is as well suited as swimming to the severely overweight. Pace yourself carefully, as with running, and increase the effort gradually.
4) Dancing
This is not a recommendation to go dancing every night - that would inevitably lead to taking forbidden drinks. But one can also dance at home, and lively dances like the rhumba, samba, waltz, and twist generate a lot of movement; the energy expenditure matches that of running.
5) Exercises
Some people may lack the time, others the opportunity, for cycling, running, or swimming. But everybody has the room and the ten minutes before breakfast to do some exercises.
a) Running on the spot. Run barefoot, on a carpeted floor. Lift the knees as high as possible, almost up to your chest. Your running programme should be like the one done outdoors; this means you should stay within, the prescribed pulse range during exertion.
b) Skipping. Not suitable for very heavy people (it overtaxes the joints), but good for the moderately overweight. It gives the body a good shaking-up.
c) Jumping jack. Stand erect, feet together, arms hanging down loosely. Jump up, and come down with slightly spread legs while at the same time swinging your stretched arms upward until your hands meet above your head. Immediately return to starting position and repeat the jumps in quick succession, in imitation of a jumping jack.
d) Knee bends. If you are greatly overweight, do not do knee bends too quickly or too many times. Rise and bend rhythmically with arms stretched out at shoulder level.
All the above exercises use up considerable energy; if you spend ten minutes in the morning doing them, and afterwards, slightly perspiring, take your bath, you will have done a lot towards keeping yourself nimble and reducing your weight. The ounces of fat you lose during morning exercises may not add up to a lot; the total effect, though, in combination with diet and acupressure, will be much greater.
Our principle: the exercise you prefer for burning off calories is the best for you; otherwise you may not go beyond good intentions! Most overweight people prefer to combine the burning of calories with sports like tennis, squash, football or similar sweat-inducing exercises. It is important, though, to quench your resulting thirst with low-calorie drinks only.
Exercises Aimed At Critical Points - Exercises That You Will Enjoy!
'I exercise for beauty,' says film star Farrah Fawcett Majors, who starts her day with seven minutes of exercise. Imitate her; don't invent a new excuse each day for postponing the self-imposed exercise programme. Pay special attention to your weak points, and don't mind sweating a little - there is nothing wrong with sweating!
1) Get That Tummy Down!
Sit erect on the floor with legs stretched out in front of you, knees straight. Arms are extended sideways at shoulder level. Now raise your legs slightly. Don't brace yourself with your hands - the arms must stay stretched out sideways during the entire exercise. Then alternately shift one leg over the other. For a variation, whip the legs up and down. Now, repeat the process in a livelier tempo.
2) Happily Hipless!
Lying relaxed on your back, stretch the arms sideways at shoulder level, with your palms on the floor. Be sure to keep your shoulders on the floor throughout this exercise. Keeping the stretched legs together, raise them to form a right angle with your trunk. From this position, slowly lower the legs sideways to the floor towards the outstretched left arm, return legs to centre position, and slowly lower them towards the right arm.
3) Firming Up The Buttocks
Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front, knees straight, arms slightly back with palms on floor, fingertips pointing forward. Raise the stretched left leg to form a right angle with your body and swing it to the left onto the floor. Raise the leg again to a right angle and swing across the body toward the floor on the right. Follow through with the hip all the way, and you will have swung the left leg over the right one. Repeat with the other leg. Don't shift your hands, and don't rest comfortably on your elbows; they should only be bent slightly along with the body's motion.
4) A Waistline Fit To Be Shown Off
For this exercise stand erect, legs slightly apart, arms stretched sideways at shoulder level. Now reach with your right hand for your left toes, while your left arm points backwards. Your head is turned towards your raised left arm and hand.
Return to your starting position and carry out the same exercise, but with your left hand reaching towards the right toes. The knees should not be bent. Perform this exercise at a smart pace.
5) The Road To Shapely Thighs
For this exercise, bend your knees slightly, with your arms stretched sideways at chest level. Now take a small jump, swinging the left leg back and stretching it. The right leg stays in the slightly bent position.
Now reverse the position of the legs with another jump: bring the left leg back to the bent posture, and swing the right leg back into the stretched position. The exercise is similar to a lunge in fencing. Bend the knees more and more as you become used to the exercise.
6) For Beautiful, Firm Breasts
Sit erect on a stool, palms pressed together, fingertips pointing toward the breast; elbows are raised to shoulder level. Now increase the pressure of the hands against each other while curving breast and breastbone upwards. After five seconds, relax the pressure and take a brief rest before repeating the exercise several more times. Another good exercise for keeping breasts in shape is breast-stroke swimming.
7) Defence Against The Double Chin
Stand erect, hands folded behind your head. As you bend the head backwards, exert counter pressure with your hands. Hold this position for a few seconds, relax briefly, and repeat the exercise.
Now, continue the exercise in the opposite direction. Place your hands flat on your forehead or make fists. While lowering your head until your chin touches your chest, exert a definite counter pressure on your forehead with your hands. Remain in this position for a few seconds, relax briefly, and repeat a few times.
8) To Conclude: Ending Exercises
Always finish your programme with an easy relaxation exercise. Standing upright with your legs together and your arms raised, inhale deeply. Then exhale, allowing the upper part of your body to fall forwards while relaxing your shoulders and arms. Bend your knees slightly and swing your arms back and forth until they are totally relaxed.
You are not after records with your exercises; you should simply work up some sweat. Perhaps you can find a way to perform your exercises together with your children or friends; such a group effort often improves your performance and makes it easier to exercise regularly. You may want to turn on the radio or play your favourite records to help get you into the swing.
Don't lose heart if an exercise doesn't succeed at the first attempt; your aim is not to present a pretty picture, but to carry out the exercise effectively. If you perform the indicated exercises regularly - you may vary them according to inclination and mood - you will soon feel their effect. In a short time, you will notice that your skin and muscles have gained tone and elasticity. You can improve the condition of your skin and body tissues further by hot and cold showers, and by massage with a back-brush or loofah.
Too Lazy For A Few Seconds Of Acupressure?
How Would You Like To Try Wire, Knife Or Electricity?
I am firmly convinced that my combination of acupressure plus diet backed up by suitable exercise is, in fact, the only effective. lasting method to overcome compulsive eating and obesity, both for the individual and for the public in general, since we are faced here with an extremely costly threat to public health. I am further convinced that acupressure makes reducing as easy and painless as is possible.
Yet I don't doubt that there are certain individuals who consider even that too much, who want to make it still easier for themselves. For these people I list a few other possibilities that still remain.
1) Sew Up The Mouth
In Adelaide, Australia, one dental surgeon uses the following method to fight obesity. In the area of the upper and lower canines he attaches loops, which he then wires together in such a way that the mouth can only be opened to a narrow slit just wide enough to admit liquid food, but nothing else. The patients are fed an 800-calorie mixture of milk, tomato juice, and fruit juice, supplemented by multivitamins. They do, indeed, lose weight fast. They also lose the capacity to laugh since they now cannot open the mouth wide enough.
2) Out With The Intestines
One can attack the problem of excessive fat accumulation also from the other end; not less food, but less digestion. This is accomplished by shortening the digestive tract -that is, the intestines - by a surgical procedure that puts a longish section of healthy small intestine out of commission. It is a procedure for the fearless who are willing to undergo major surgery, with all its attendant risks, for the sake of reducing the effects of their gluttony!
3) Get Slim In Your Sleep
This is tops for the really lazy. You lie in bed or lounge in a chair watching television, with a few 'muscle stimulators' attached to the unwanted fatty deposits, with an 'electric stimulator' within easy reach - and all that for no more than a few hundred pounds. If you press a button, the muscles are supposedly stimulated, and the fat disappears as if by magic. Wouldn't that be marvellous!
The only problem is that the muscles don't have the slightest intention of working off the fat thanks to a weak electrical charge. They do so only when they have to expend energy. So electro-reducing is merely a beautiful dream from which the dreamer wakes up just as fat as before.
4) Simply Cut It Off
This is surely the most straightforward approach. Why try to get at the fat via involved methods like diet, shortening of the intestines, or wiring up the jaws, when one can attack it directly? Simply cut off the bothersome bulges - that's it! Although you may find it hard to believe, this is feasible and is being done. The skin over the pillow' of fat is cut open and folded out, the fat is removed, the skin it turned back - usually somewhat cropped, because by now it is too wide - and stitched together again. Finished. Once, with luck, the wound has healed, the patient's compulsion to eat is by no means gone, and the body takes its revenge for the rude interference. It rebuilds fatty tissue on the very spot it was removed from.
The Scientific Basis Of Acupressure
For many readers all that matters is that acupressure works. Why it works does not interest them. They want to lose weight, and do not want to be bored by graphs of neurotransmitters and their effects. On the other hand, there are readers interested in science, and also people in the medical profession who might like to know about the scientific basis of acupressure. To satisfy both these groups, I present some important scientific fundamentals of acupressure in this Appendix.
Change In Neurotransmitters
Two million operations were performed in the People's Republic of China (up to the end of 1976) under acupuncture anaesthesia, and not a single death was reported. This created a world-wide stir, since under traditional chemical anesthetics the same number of operations could have been expected to result in 100 fatalities. By now, about 3,000 operations under acupuncture anaesthesia have been performed in Germany, and there too this procedure has proved beneficial because it is devoid of danger for the patient. Less well known is the fact that operations have also been successfully performed in China under acupressure anaesthesia, including operations in the region of the abdomen and of the head, and gynecological surgery.
For several years now scientists have been investigating the successful release of reflexes, through acupuncture and acupressure, for the suppression of pain or compulsion. First it was proved, in numerous animal experiments, that acupuncture and acupressure have nothing to do with hypnosis or autosuggestion. As I noted earlier, several Caesarean sections have been performed on cattle by veterinary surgeons using acupuncture anaesthesia.
Also, several acupuncture animal hospitals have now been established in the United States, where acupressure and acupuncture are used mainly in the treatment of valuable racehorses.
One of the main research centres for scientific animal experiments in acupuncture and acupressure in China is the medical school in Peking. During my trips to China in 1974 and 1975, I was able to observe Dr Han Chi-sheng demonstrate on rabbits the possibility of releasing reflexes in the brain by means of acupressure, and the subsequent changes in the neurotransmitters These substances not only influence pain sensitivity, but also especially influence eating compulsion.
Dr Sebastian P. Grossman, of the University of Chicago, recently reported on pertinent studies. By targeted interference with a certain neurotransmitter (serotonin) in the brain, hyperphagia (overeating) could be experimentally induced in animals. It is exactly this neurotransmitter that is being influenced by acupressure.
What particular effect is to be achieved, whether it is suppression of pain or of eating compulsion, depends solely on the choice of the point to be stimulated. This means that the overeater's acupressure influences only compulsive eating, not the pain threshold; other acupressure points influence only the sensitivity to pain. By analogy in both cases the same thing must be happening in the brain, but in different brain centres. The working of the neurotransmitters is being altered.
This is proved by experiments involving the pain-suppressing points. At the medical school in Peking we were shown (Illustration 1) how the pain threshold rises by 128 per cent after acupuncture of the point tsu-san-li (shown by curve with triangles); and further, how the pain threshold rises in similar fashion - namely by 133 per cent (shown by curve with solid circles) - after acupressure of the point quenlun with a massage frequency of two movements per second. As in all scientific experiments, a control group was included (shown by curve with small hollow circles) to measure the difference in pain threshold. Each animal group comprised ten rabbits. The method and measuring arrangements were the following: a strong heat-beam was aimed at the sensitive nostrils of a blindfolded rabbit. The scientist clocked the time it took for the animal to give a clear sign of pain by turning its head sideways, away from the hot beam.
Even more impressive was another experiment by Dr Han (Illustration 2), where a group of sixteen rabbits was used. Dr Han took cerebrospinal fluid from one rabbit (the donor rabbit) that had undergone acupressure with subsequent rise in the pain threshold, and transferred the fluid into a brain ventricle of a second rabbit (the recipient) that had not undergone acupressure. This second rabbit also showed the very definite rise in pain threshold of 82 per cent, while this effect was missing in the control group, which had not undergone acupressure. This was positive proof that correctly applied acupressure changes neutransmitter in the brain. The internationally recognised Viennese professor, Dr Birkmayer, chief of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Neurochemistry, also investigated human neurotransmitters after acupuncture and his findings confirmed those of the Chinese scientists. Related research is at present being done at the University of Munich. Dr Han further reported on the scientific research being carried out at the Peking medical school. Electrophysiological investigation of experimental animals has shown that strong pressure on muscles and tendons clearly impedes the neural discharge in the non-specific nuclei of the thalamus in rats and rabbits, as well as in the reticular system (a netlike tissue) of the brain stem in guinea pigs.
It would go beyond the scope of this book to cite the other scientific experiments with animals under acupressure. The interested reader may turn to the Chinese publication Scientia sinica (English edition), Vol. 17, No. 1, February 1974, which can be ordered from Guozi Shudian, China Publications Centre, P.O. Box 399, Peking, People's Republic of China.
For a discussion of the compulsive eating centre, see Dr Sebastian P. Grossman, 'The Neuroanatomy of Eating and Drinking Behaviour', published in Hospital Practice, May 1977.