Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-03
FAT LADY SQUAD DROPS
80 POUNDS IN 5 DAYS
"More Work, and Less TO Eat is
Motto of Reducing
Class.

Chicago, May Health Commissioner
John Dill Robertson and his class of
twenty-four over-upholstered wofnen
are fixing public attention on the terrors
of obesity. The Health Commissioner
took charge of these volunteers for reduc-
ton To impress upon the great fleshy school
that will power applied to exercise and
food would bring them back to normal IN
weight and health.
The women range from twenty-iour
60 fifty years of age and from l6f TO I'D
pounds. There are four stenographcrs,
thirteen housewives. three nurses, two
clerks and two buyers. They had all
heard more or less how LILLIAN Russell
and Amelia Summerville had kicked of
surplus fat. but without direction and
regular exercises they admitted fmlure
Now after five DAYS of tremllng.
and dieting they have lost n total OF
eighty pounds No reward offered The
total weight when the class began Trying
the fat" was 1881. Tonight it is 4,75I
pounds. Mrs. Nellie Leonard carried oil
the honors of the class by bringing her.
weight down from 323 pounds to SD
The least progress was made by Miss
Mary Begglund, who dropped only
single pound during the week.
Some of the women are getting dis
couraged and are sending excuses Tor
absence.
There will be outdoor work, plenty
Of it." DIR. Robertson said. As bend
ing and stopping are necessary. there
will be work over the wash tub and
other similar household devices. All
manner of exercise will be ordered. The
exercise will be adapted TO the particular
case. Many of these women have done
and are doing vigo rOus work now Others
are employed in offices. Where outdoor
exercise would benefit the latter class.
il would not help the others.
The dieting will be severe, at least
to those who like sweets and rich foods.
Here again the individual case will be
treated "Some people get thin on candy,
others get fat, the doctor said Potatoes
righ gravies and fatty meats work the
same way.
Starchv foods. breads, cereals, butter,
cream. potatoes and so forth are on the
"Verboten' list Salads. spinach. cabbage,
brussels sprouts, fish and lean meats are
the type of foods the doctor has recon-
menked.
DIR. Robertson, who is a fat man, had
this further to add:
"As a people. we are too obese, he
declared 1--WE are stall-fed. If we had
lived like the Indians, had each day
taken all manner of violent exercise,
We would have no stout persons except,
perhaps. those whom sickness or old
age prevented from active life
Here is a part of the diary of Florence
Peters:
Breakfast. One baked apple sno
,reaml. one boiled egg, one slice gluten
bread toast (without butter), one cup Of
,offee with saccharine and skim milk.
Not 50 bad. That will last me till 1870,
when | take my half . cup OF boulllon
and one cracker. This is the life.
Il worked up quite an appetite Tor
luncheon. which consisted of cold roast
poef. rye bread for a change, lettuce and
two teaspoonsful of cottage cheese.
"I have lost six pounds somehow. |
weighed myself on the butcher s sseales
and everybody gathered around to watch
nc. Only 2O6 now, and still going down.
Time for tea with lemon and one cracker.
Not very nourishing, but 1T helps fill the
vacuum.
For dinner, boiled Goldfish with lemon,
caulifower. lettuce salad and an orange.
No chance of gaining weight on that.
I'm not so hungry now as | was the first
dav out | suppose one could get used even
to starvation Half cup OF hot skim milk
anu ~ btt.
In his talk yesterday DIR. Robertson
said:
Remember that you can get fat on
anvtbing-even cranberries and pickles,
If YOU eat enough of them. II isn't what
YOU eat so much as the quantity that
counts IL your menu calls for bran buns,
that doesn't mean fifty of them.
If you're hungry, YOU can fill up
or soap. Another way of fooling your
stomach is chew mouthful Of whole
wheat Don't swallow it; Just chew IT as
if it were gum. That satisfies the craving.
Ii YOU fast properly for four days, you
wont tie hungry on the fifth.
mo. we'll de bead, interrupted one
young woman
One plump little woman said that
instead Of rolling on the floor she had been
turning somersaults-she just rolled that
way naturally ooh, it's awful TO see
steaks and cakes on the table and every
one eating but you. That's hades punish
ment," moaned the steak struck woman.
The fad has been taken up by Other
reducers Now a class of male monsters
is trvsng TO reduce under the tutorship of
lady fat fighter. One thing In her favor is
that she Is thin.