Do not attempt this diet unless you have strength of character and the will to get thin. Pride and self-denial are likewise essential. You have to curb your appetite, and get up from the table while still hungry. This method requires no mathematics to speak of, no self-denial as regards choice of food but simply the practice of that greatest of virtues temperance.
On sitting down to your meal sip one glass of water while your table companions are committing that unpardonable dietetic sin, the preliminary eating of bread and butter. A few puffs of a cigarette often satisfies that initial hunger which leads to gormandizing. Take one olive or one stalk of celery instead of two.
Now for the simple though vital rule for weight reducing which entirely ignores specific caloric feeding: Eat everything, but half your usual quantity.
This is perhaps the best method of all providing your habitual choice of foods gives you the essential food elements. Overeating is the greatest crime we commit against our stomachs, hence the fractional method of dieting not only reduces weight but benefits digestion and improves elimination.
Don’t be ashamed to leave food on your plate. Impoliteness will not shorten your life but gluttony and obesity will. Modern dietetic esthetics overlook much and your hostess will understand. If food is passed to you “en famille” your problem is an easy one for you simply have to take a half meat portion or one tablespoonful of vegetables instead of the accustomed two.
Let your conscience be your guide in following this method and your weight problem will be solved. Don’t be impatient for results. But it will not take as long to reduce your weight as it did to accumulate it.