Dieting Like It's 1953

Growing out of my clothes has been quite upsetting. I used to have no problem finding vintage clothes that would fit, but as I've gotten older, things have shifted and spread. It also used to be very easy to drop a few pounds. Now, though, it takes me a week to drop even one pound, and only a couple days to put it back on. I know I need to make permanent changes. I find this difficult for a couple reasons. One, by the time I get home, I'm pretty tired, and really don't like cooking, or cleaning up afterward. Two, I have one major food sensitivity, which makes it hard to add a variety of tastes onto my plate. 

I started thinking about how people ate 60 years ago. I'm sure the portions were a lot smaller than they are now. Matter of fact, one thing I learned trying to count my calories over the last few weeks is how small a serving size is. We tend to eat two or three servings sizes per item. Looking back through my old magazines, I found several articles on how to loose weight. Many reduce a day's calorie intake to 1200 for women. This is actually what My Fitness Pal told me I should be taking in if I want to loose a pound a week. Now, I assume that since I walk about three miles a day, that I could have a bit of wiggle room - but not much.

I also noticed that there weren't any snacks in these plans. Some of the meals were pretty large, though. So, maybe that keeps one full longer. I thought I'd give it a try. I took pieces from three different meal plans, changing things that I either couldn't eat (gluten), or don't like (liver, lamb, etc.). I created an eight day meal plan all just under 1200 calories - that way I have a bit of room if something comes up. I am curious to see how I fair under this plan.

Another thing I have often chuckled at, is the exercise that these magazines promote. Often, they are silly things like massaging facial muscles, or doing crazy stretches, not actual exercises. I wondered if people didn't need to exercise, or they just didn't know how to. Compared to today's intense workouts, these older work outs seem tame. But, again, as I was looking through these magazines, some of the exercises they promote don't seem that different than the ones today. I thought it can't hurt to try, right? So, starting Monday (gives me time to go grocery shopping), I am going to follow a vintage style meal plan, and do these exercises every night. I am hoping to see some improvement in the fit of my clothes. If all goes well, and I can stick to this plan, I will let you all know how it went.

The best gluten free beer ... ever!

Those who are gluten intolerant know that even though great advances have been made in the choices available, foods typically don't taste the same as their gluten filled counterparts. This is especially the case with beer. Most gluten free beers are made with a grain called sorghum. Of course, when the ingredients in an item are changed, the taste typically changes dramatically. But, Omission beer has set out to change the taste of gluten free beer. 

Tonight I had the privilege to attend an event given by Omission to help get the word out about their beer. They are located in Oregon, where they have been brewing this type of beer for six months. In the last three months, they've been distributing it to other states. I stumbled upon it just a couple months ago. It was so good that I thought the waiter had made a mistake telling me it was gluten free.

I got to meet many of the staff, including the mind behind Omission, who has Celiac. They were very friendly and were humbled by the reception their beer has gotten. They brew their beer with barley - those of you who are gluten intolerant are probably having the same reaction I had when I first found this beer. Today, it was explained how they removed gluten, which I thought would be impossible. There is an enzyme that many brewers use to rid beer of its cloudiness. That enzyme also removes the gluten protein. Use more enzymes, and the protein is gone. They test each batch through an outside source to make sure that the beer is gluten free. The result is a very real tasting beer without the effects of gluten. 

If you are gluten intolerant, or have Celiac, please do yourself a favor and pick up a six pack of Omission beer if it is available in your area. The website has a finder that shows bars, restaurants, and stores that carry the beer. Cheers!

Omission Lager

Omission Pale Ale

Underweight, Overweight, Healthy - A Rant

I am so sick of seeing the internet media jump on vintage ads about gaining weight. Their argument is that women 50, 60, 70 years ago didn't have an unhealthy view toward weight. This may be true to a certain extent, but I think that these ads are taken out of context. After all, this was a time period where stewardess (flight attendants) were carefully monitored for weight.

I have looked through 100s of vintage magazines ranging from the 1920s to the 1960s. I have yet to see (at least that I can remember) one of the ads that have been circulating about how to gain weight in an actual vintage magazine. I have seen ads about losing weight in almost every magazine, though not as prevalent as it is in current magazines.

To really look behind what is being said in the ads, we have to look at the times. This was a time when moral censorship was in full swing in the television and the film industry. Many will remember seeing movies and tv shows where a husband and wife slept in separate beds. We have all heard how much it was a big deal to use the word pregnant on the I Love Lucy show.  With that in mind, I doubt  that it would have been acceptable for an ad to claim to enhance one's assets using words that would have ruffled feathers at that time. So, they would have had to skirt around the issue by saying gain weight, or like the above add curves. This is what I think these advertisements are selling, not a healthy view toward weight.  

Another thing I look at is that these outlets never mention what type of magazine these ads came from. Like I stated above, I have yet to see an ad like this in any Better Homes and Gardens, McCalls, Ladies Home Journal, or Life magazine. If the ads were geared toward just gaining weight and being healthy, I would assume that I would see them in the every day housewife magazines.

 With that being said, though, we do have an unhealthy view toward weight these days. With media at every corner, the "perfect" body is constantly thrown in our face. Ads are airbrushed to death to give us an unrealistic view of what healthy is. But, we are getting bigger. Women in general were much smaller 60 years ago. Those of us who wear vintage clothing know that it isn't uncommon to find a dress with a 24 inch or smaller waist.  From a quick search online, we have gone from an average size (including middle aged women) of 37-27-39 in the 1950s  to a modern 38-34-40.

According to Livestrong.com, in the 1950s 33% of adults were overweight and 9.7% were clinically obese with a bmi over 30 . Now, that number has jumped to 30.5% of adults are clinically obese. That is quite a jump. Why? One issue is that we have a more sedentary lifestyle. Most women during that time stayed at home. Keeping the house clean and food on the table means they moved - a lot. Dishwashers and automatic washing machines were not as common in the 40s and early 50s as they are today. Now it is just the opposite. Rarely do you find a woman who has the ability to be a stay at home mom or housewife. This is either because they have to work outside the home, or they want to. Either way working away from home generally means sitting in front of the computer - all day. But, this isn't new information.   And neither is the fact that our food has gotten increasingly more package and full of preservatives and modified substances.

What can we do about? I don't think looking back in time with rose colored glasses on is going to help. Times are different. As much as we wish we had a time machine, we have to do what we can to live a healthy lifestyle with today's circumstances.

Tell me what you think. If you have an argument for or against, please (kindly) leave me a comment below.

The Fastidious and Well-Mannered Woman

A Practical Beauty Routine

A women is well-groomed when she looks fresh, neat, clean, and well-pressed.  This means a daily shower or bath, fresh underwear and stockings daily, competent home or professional hairdressing at least once a week, well-manicured hands, no chipped nail polish, runless, wrinkleless stockings, and shined shoes at all times, even for housework.

Beauty care must be on a regular schedule, not just when social activities are planned.  Excess hair must be kept invisible by one method or another at all times.  Feet, pedicured and with toenails painted or not, must be kept soft and attractive, knees and elbows must receive their regular attention with emollients, and eyebrows be kept neat, though not obviously plucked.  A good deodorant must be used daily.

Hair must be brushed morning and night with a clean, firm brush and combed with a  good comb that, like the brush, is frequently cleaned in cold water and ammonia, then warm suds.  A dirty comb or brush is as repellent as a bath towel used beyond its initial freshness.

durhamskywriter

A well-groomed woman is carefully girdled, if necessary, from the time she gets up until she undresses for the night.  If she has heavy work to do she protects her hands with rubber gloves or work gloves and uses hand cream.  For dusty work she covers her hair with a clean kerchief and she wears clean aprons or smocks to protect her clothes.  Her handkerchief is always clean and when not in use, safely on her - not left on chairs or tables around the house or office.

john.curtin

The fastidious woman understands how much the appearance of her hair has to do with that of her whole person.  If her hair is fine and hard to manage she arranges it many times a day, if necessary, to preserve the required neat look.  She has it styled in the way that stays neat and attractive longest, and she never combs her hair or does her nails in public.

christianmontone

Fitting into vintage clothes again

Another reason why I don't dress vintage every day is because I have gained some weight. Sadly, a lot of my vintage clothes don't fit. Some I know I will never get into, and have sold them. But, the rest are put away for that day I can fit them again. I do not have the desire to buy a new vintage wardrobe. I have lots of pieces that I can't part with. So, it's time to do something about it.

Getting motivation has been the hardest part for me. By the time I get home from work, I am quite tired. Especially since I walk home. Living in San Francisco and walking everywhere, you'd think that I wouldn't have this problem. The first two years that I lived here, I was thin. Then as I approached my 30th birthday, things started changing. I know I will never have the waist I had when I was 25, but I'd like it to be smaller than it is now.

Starting in January, my insurance will offer discounts for gym memberships. My plan is to sign up as soon as it becomes available. I am going to try to force myself to do this by thinking about all the clothes that I could be wearing. But, I also need to be held accountable. So, I ask you all to check with me once in a while to make sure that I am living up to my promise.

May 1, 1953

Tomorrow is my first day at my new job. It will be nice to get back on my feet. I have decided that I am going to change certain things in my life. The first step was the job. I will have a little more financial security from now on. I'm not going to rely on other people to pay my way. I want to start getting in shape as well. I am determine to start exercising daily. I need to take care of my health. I've read all about these reducing diets, and I think that they will help me achieve the shape I want.

One book I picked up is Family Circle's Reducing Diet Guide. It has different menu plans from 1000 calories to 3000 calories. I don't know which one  I am going to do yet, though. The food choices aren't bad. For breakfast the book suggests eating 1/2 grapefruit, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 melba toast, and a beverage. For lunch it suggests a sandwich with 4 oz of chicken breast, 2 thin slices of bread, lettuce and tomato, and skim milk. A dinner suggestion is 6 oz roast beef, 1/2 potato, 1 cup beets, lettuce and tomato salad, a tangerine, and a beverage. I think I can do that! It even has some recipes to follow in the back. But, I'll have to get a place with a kitchen first. And, I can't do that until I start making money.