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A more conventional approach is advocated by Dr. Morton Glenn of New York City. Glenn, who feels that weight control is as important as reduction, puts his patients on a diet that is high in protein, low in fat and contains moderate amounts of carbohydrates. He also teaches them how to alter their eating habits so that weight that comes off stays off. "People," he says, "should not have to diet for the rest of their lives. But they must watch their diets."
Even with regimens like Glenn's, some people still fail to lose weight. Their failures are frustrating, and many people justifiably wonder why medical science can prevent polio or transplant vital organs but have so little success in coping with overweight. In fact, the field of nutrition is terra incognita for the average doctor. Courses are not widely taught in medical schools, and even among specialists there are substantive disagreements.
At least a hazy line exists between the chronically and seriously obese—those 20% or more above the norm for their physique—and the larger group that is mildly to moderately overweight. The obese are more likely to have had weight problems since childhood, or even infancy. One recent hypothesis has it that infants fed too much fat may manufacture excess fat cells that remain in the body tissue. Heredity probably plays a part as well.
The moderately overweight will generally shed pounds as long as they consume fewer calories than they burn up in activity. That they fail to maintain a favorable balance can often be attributed to a lack of selfdiscipline, knowledge or both. Many people overeat for psychological reasons—nervousness, insecurity, or boredom.
Way of Life. Where willpower is the key element, all sizes can benefit from organizations like Weight Watchers. It has more than 100 franchise operations across the country, which offer flexible, common-sense diets, plus exercise and morale-boosting meetings.
At a session of a New York City chapter recently, members nibbled celery and sipped low-calorie soft drinks as they listened to the lecturer, Sylvia Cataldo, 33, an employee of a Manhattan art gallery. She worked up the audience with evangelical fervor as she preached against poundage and spoke sympathetically about the loneliness of the long-distance dieter. "You're doing it yourself," she replied to a member who credited her with helping him lose 54 lbs. "You are alone with yourself most of the time."
But not at meetings, where Weight Watchers must shout out the number of pounds they have lost since the last gathering. Members who attend 16 consecutive weekly meetings and lose at least ten pounds are rewarded with tie clasps or pins. Some really deserve their decorations. A 23-year-old student who weighed 236 lbs. when she joined last January watched her weight so closely that she brought it down to 161 lbs. Said she: "It has become a way of life."
The simple fact is that Americans eat too much. A century ago, the average American consumed about 3,000 calories a day. He also burned most of them up. Work hours were long, household conveniences and servants a luxury of the rich. The average American today consumes between 2,500 and 3,000 calories a day but is physically idle compared with his ancestors.