HOW TO BE THIN, AND HAPPY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 335, 23 October 1908, Page 3

HOW TO BE THIN, AND HAPPY.

People are seldom satisfied with their lot in life—there is always the .crumpled rose leaf somewhere or other to be found in apparently the happiest of lives. We have all met women who would give their earthly possessions to bo plump and round, and others who would do anything—starve themselves to death nearly if that would accomplish their end—to become slim. To dispose of superfluous tissue by starvation is unnatural, foolish, and dangerous, but diet should be carefully chosen, and certain foods must be avoided. Speaking generally, starches, sugars, fats, and alcohol should not be taken, for tlicy are inimical to slendcrness. Ordinary bread must not b'e oaten at all, even in the foim of toast; delicious, crispy bread and biscuits can be bought which arri starchless, and not unlike the petits pains of Paris; their value as flesh-producers is well known, and it is of the first importance that no other kind of bread or' biscuit should be eaten. Pastry and cake are, of course, taboo. A glass of either hot or cold water, with a few drops of lemon juice, must be sipped while dressing, and on going to bed. For breakfast, a small cup of China tea should be taken with lemon juice, but neither milk nor sugar. Boiled fish is excellent, and a baked apple or a perfectly sound tomato can

bo eaten with the "spccial" bread, but no butter. The principal meal must bo taken _at luncheon, and should consist of whito fish, herrings and cols excepted;. lean meat, with spinach, celery, or cauliflower, and fruit, but no root vegetable. Tea or hot water with lemon juico can be drunk at 5 o'clock, with a "spccial" biscuit,; and a small quantity of chicken, or fish, with salad, may bo eaten not later than 8 p.m. A good table water is valuable as a beverage; the mineralisation is usually very light, and the sparkle and pleasant taste give a zest to the appetite. . . ) Exercise is necessary for the oxidation of food, and muscular exercise destroys fatty tissue in tho only natural way, ,for the process which disposes of tho fat also strengthens the underlying muscles. -Whatever form of exorcise is practised, the beginner must not employ violent measures, such as the use of heavy dumbbels, or powerful exercisers; neither should long, exhausting walks bo taken. A brisk walk of an bout's duration taken twico a day is far more beneficial than a prolonged and forced effort. Stand perfectly erect, and brace up the chest, thus withdrawing tho abdominal wall; repeat this twelve times, night and morning, afterwards inhaling a few. deep breaths, so that a good proportion of tho vesicles of the lungs may bo distended, tho breath being then exhaled thoroughly. If proper exercises were regularly taken, not one person in a hundred would suffer from obesity, and any ordinary case can be cured if the above suggestions as to fg6d and exercise are carefully and regularly followed. Measurements and weight should bo noted before beginning the treatment, and again at the end of three weeks, when a comparison of the entries will show that ihe "cure" has made satisfactory progress, and. the end of each succeeding week will see a further reduction registered. In a more drastic treatment for the reduction of flesh, tho patient is restricted to a nitrogenous diet of meat and fish, two quarts of hot water being taken at intervals during the day.