One of the most hated four letter words in the middle and upper-class world is not a swear word. It is the lifestyle word – DIET. People curse when they are told that they have to go on a diet, especially by their doctors, since they know that they will probably be miserable if they do; and, if they don’t there is danger to their health.

Most such people feel that going on a diet for any length of time, would not only require tremendous willpower, but also require them to make sacrifices on a day-to-day basis. They feel that they would have to give up their favourite foods, earn the wrath of the hostesses at parties they attend, and almost always have a gnawing feeling in their stomachs.

However, this is not really true since dieting can be a comparatively pleasant and satisfying experience, provided it is done in the proper manner, and one approaches it in the right frame of mind.

Dieting as a way of life, probably started sometime in the early sixteenth century, when ladies discovered that no matter what they actually looked like, they could, by and large, attain the much-admired and hence much-desired figure shaped like the number eight. This shape, called 36-24-36 (before the advent of the metric system of measurement), was an ideal shape, as far as men were concerned. So, in order to modify an awkwardly shaped body into a perfectly configured one, an undergarment called a corset was invented.

However, there were many healthy ladies who had attained such ample proportions that no amount of corseting could help them. It was for such massive maidens that dieting was first designated as a way of life.

Serious and widespread dieting, however, only took off in the latter half of the twentieth century when doctors, nutritionists and health specialists managed to scientifically prove the dangers of being overweight.

Their studies and trials conclusively showed that being obese not only shortened life by several years, but was also the cause of a host of illnesses, from heart attacks to knee problems. It was then that the dieting industry really came into its own.

Over the years since then, innumerable diet systems have been popularized and followed by millions. Some of these diets have been fairly bizarre, such as one in which the dieter had to consume only fat; no proteins or carbohydrates were allowed.

People claimed that such diets actually helped them lose weight. What side effects they had on their metabolism, however, have generally not been catalogued.

Whatever anyone else may believe, I can maintain with a fair amount of conviction that fad diets generally do not work. This assertion is based on my personal observation of literally hundreds of diets, under taken by my relatives, friends and colleagues, over the past several decades. Most of them lost weight initially, but almost no one was able to maintain their reduced mass on a long-term basis; not even for five years.

Recently, a new diet has been making waves. According to this plan, those undertaking the diet have to cut out consumption of carbohydrates completely. This diet has proved to be extremely popular, particularly in the USA, where it is being under taken by millions of followers. Now, I am not a doctor, a dietician or nutritionist, but common sense tells me that totally eliminating any of the three major food groups (fats, proteins, carbohydrates), is almost bound to create an imbalance in your metabolism, and hence could have adverse effects on your health and well-being; unless, of course, it is undertaken due to an allergy or a specific disease. A prime example of the latter is Lyme’s disease where those infected have to refrain from consuming proteins.

Controlling Quantities

Those who are overweight and are thinking of going on diet should understand one basic fact of life. That is that the only sure-shot and guaranteed method of reducing weight, apart from the surgical removal of body mass, is to ensure that your total calorific intake is less than your calorific outgo. To psychologically make this more palatable, those who are serious about losing weight should as a start, stop using the word diet, since the term has disagreeable connotations.

They should label their efforts as a weight-loss programme. My subsequent advice to such people is based on the means I have adopted to maintain my weight at a fairly constant figure for a really long time. I am 174 cm tall and my weight has remained between 69kg and 71 kg, for more than 30 years, as of today. I eat everything I like, but in controlled quantities. Most important of all, I ensure that I balance out my calorific intake over a three-day period. Hence, if I attend a party where the food is exceptionally good, or the hostess very insistent, I hog away to glory. Then, for the next day or two, I restrict myself to a couple of glasses of milk, an apple or an orange, and a banana.

I thereby have no regrets about missing good food, and ladies consider me to be an admirable guest.

My biggest satisfaction, however, comes when those who have seen me wolf down delicious dishes, wonder loudly about the secret of my not getting fat. Of course, I also do a reasonable amount of exercise to keep fit, but nothing strenuous.

Hence, my final bit of advice to would-be weight reducers is this. Enjoy your food. Don’t cut out anything, but control the quantities consumed. Take a long-term view of weight adjustment and please, please use a little will-power to say no to second helpings.