Letter on Corpulence, 1869

Anathama

Hi All, this might have been posted before, but I find this amazing.

After reading the intro to Good Calories, Bad Calories I was amazed to discover that this kind of diet had been in place since the middle of the 1800's!

Here is a link to William Banting's article, Letter on Corpulence, published in 1869.

The meat of the document is only 22 pages, and only takes 20-30 minutes to read in its entirety.

I think this is great ammo against all those who think we are doing some new "fad" diet or something.

http://www.lowcarb.ca/corpulence/index.html

_persephone_

There was (some time ago now) a TV show in the UK which compared the effectiveness of different weight loss diet methods from history (complete with period clothing ), and this one resulted in the greatest amount of weight loss and health improvements, if I recall correctly.

mensasu

Just came across the same info today and am also surprised that primal/paleo is considered a Fad when it was known (albeit under a different name) in the 1800's.

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS aka “the Rogue Nutritionist”™ uses it in his weight loss plan. HIs video although long does a good job at explaining the underlying principles and mechanisms. What I like about Bowden is not just the diet plan which is low-carb paleo/primal etc, but his understanding about impulse control. I think his techniques to help keep impulse under control are great but he has missed the fact that, at least for me and my husband, by going primal for life we find the urges to eat bad food have disappeared quite easily. I received an email with an article by him which explains the "5 little demons" that pack on belly fat, which I am including for interest. (I've removed the links to his site where the video is because its a "buy my plan" site. If you want to get there, just google him.)

Article:

Nobody smokes cigarettes because they didn’t get the memo about lung cancer.

And nobody over-eats junk food because they didn’t get the memo about sugar.

No, we continue to eat foods that pack on the belly fat not because we don’t know how bad those foods are, but because we can’t resist them – and that’s by design.

You see, there are powerful forces that are seemingly outside of our control that conspire to not just make us fat, but also to make us sick, tired and even depressed.

I call these forces the “little demons” and they wreak havoc on our ability to control our cravings, combat urges and avoid temptation and result in expanded waistlines, failed diets and drained energy.

But there is a series of simple steps you can take to send these little demons scurrying, take back control of your life and your waistline.

Let me explain.


Little Demon #1: Addictive Food

Big Food has learned how to layer their products with just the right, scientifically determined amounts of salt, fat and sugar to produce what they call “super-palatable” food – or what you and I would simple call “addictive”.

Brain studies have shown that these foods are just as addictive as drugs, alcohol and gambling are. It’s no accident that “you can’t eat just one”.

For example, your brain remembers the sensation of eating a CinnaBon; next time you smell one, your neurons secrete a brain chemical called dopamine which virtually insures that you won’t stop till you eat one.

So next time you feel yourself being magnetically pulled to eat a particular food, just know that there is some mad food scientist smiling somewhere, eager to line his pockets at your expense, so turn the other way and don’t give him the satisfaction!


Little Demon #2: Food Labeling Tricks

Manufacturers have to list ingredients used in greatest amounts listed first.

So when manufacturers don’t want you to know that the main ingredient is sugar, they deceive you by using a dozen different forms of sugar so they can list each one further down. Sneaky huh?

For example, all of the following are sugar in disguise: agave nectar, barley malt syrup, dehydrated cane juice, dextrose, corn syrup, brown rice syrup, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, sucrose, maltodextrin.

You can avoid succumbing to food labeling tricks by, well, avoiding foods that have labels in the first place!

Shop around the perimeter of your grocery story and eat fresh, whole, real foods focusing on leafy green vegetables and grass-fed, pasture-raised or organic meats.


Little Demon #3: The Troll in your Brain

The reward pathways in our brains are powerful motivators, and they will trick your conscious mind every single time.

Whenever you hear yourself saying, “Aw, just one won’t kill me”, “I just don’t have time to cook” or “I can start my diet tomorrow”, you can be sure that’s the big fat ugly “troll” in your brain, doing the bidding of your dopamine reward system.

These voices can sabotage your willpower, but there is a way to turn the table: next time you hear this voice, think of it as coming from someone – or something else, like a troll.

By externalizing this voice, you’ll then realize something “else” is trying to manipulate you and you can train yourself to ignore these voices.


Little Demon #4: Chronic Stress

Chronic stress may begin in your brain—but it ends up packing on packing on fat, especially around your belly.

When you’re stressed, one way body responds is by churning out a big dose of cortisol.
Cortisol “instructs” the body to preserve fat around the middle, stimulates insulin – the primary hormone responsible for storing the food you eat as fat – and it also breaks down muscle, slowing your metabolic rate and making fat storage certain.

And cortisol sends a signal to the brain to “refuel” for an emergency, usually with foods highest in fat, salt and sugar. The result? You walk around stressed and starving and you’ll eat anything in sight, particularly the stuff that makes you fat and sick.

Because it’s so hard to resist temptation when you are stressed, the #1 way to combat the effects of stress you can do is to take an inventory of your life, and figure out how to minimize stress as much as possible. Also consider doing some form of active relaxation, whether meditation, yoga, deep breathing or something similar.


Little Demon #5: Cheap Food Available 24x7

The previous 4 little demons wouldn’t make much of a difference if the food that makes us fat and sick weren’t available.

But it is. Everywhere. And that’s little demon #5.

Hunting and gathering? Fooey. Just go to the nearest drive through or pick up the phone.

The easiest way to combat this toxic food environment is to remove temptation from your immediate environment so it’s NOT convenient.

For example, at home, get rid of all the sugary junk food that will tempt you when your defenses are
down. If an urge comes, you’ll have created a practical barrier that’s large enough to give you enough time for that urge to pass.


What to Do Next…

These 5 little demons conspire to make us sick and fat – but that does NOT mean we are all doomed.

Simply by reading this article and becoming aware of these little demons that silently influence you to get fat, you’ve taken the first step toward building a mental defense to withstand their assault.


Yours truly,

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS aka “the Rogue Nutritionist”™


PS – If you just try to rely on willpower alone to withstand these little demons, 99% of you will be doomed to fail as it’s simply impossible to withstand their daily assault.

mantisladyx

Hi All, this might have been posted before, but I find this amazing.

After reading the intro to Good Calories, Bad Calories I was amazed to discover that this kind of diet had been in place since the middle of the 1800's!

Here is a link to William Banting's article, Letter on Corpulence, published in 1869.

The meat of the document is only 22 pages, and only takes 20-30 minutes to read in its entirety.

I think this is great ammo against all those who think we are doing some new "fad" diet or something.

http://www.lowcarb.ca/corpulence/index.html

Thanks for posting this, I really enjoyed reading it.
I will regard my fat as parasite from now on ....it sure made me smile, but I'm so glad to know that we are on the right track, it proves with just another affirmation

MikeFlyMike

I personally love the fad diet comments. Paleo, the only fad diet that has been around for 4+million years.