Vintage Diets: Girls With Skinny Figures

Well, it's better than the tapeworms from last week!

:-)

Brian

Just goes to show that whatever is rare, is valuable. At that time history, getting enough to eat to gain weight was a challenge. So because most average folks were thin, or skinny, having a fuller figure was considered desirable.

i could see that i guess. nicole richie should probably look into this one; but i've been trying to lose 5 lbs for the past 15lbs... dont they have a special kelp suppliment that can do the opposite?!

staci said:
dont they have a special kelp suppliment that can do the opposite?!

Actually, iodine will increase your metabolism, seeing as how it powers the thyroid. This should help with both weight loss and healthy (muscular) weight gain.

And whole foods from the sea, including sea vegetables, fish and invertebrates, are the best source for iodine as they are in a food form. Just as the ad states :)

Even a few years ago, lots of people had trouble gaining weight. Now it's rare. people i knew who struggled to get UP to 110 pounds are in the 130's and 140's today because food is so much more fattening and there is social pressure to eat all day long and we have appetite stimulants in our food.

Kailash said:
Actually, iodine will increase your metabolism, seeing as how it powers the thyroid. This should help with both weight loss and healthy (muscular) weight gain.[...]

Yeah, that is arguable. It may do that, or do just the opposite.

When you can get a super size value meal for only .50 cents extra ~ I can see why this ad isn't around today.

Jan said:
Yeah, that is arguable. It may do that, or do just the opposite.

But it depends on whether your diet is set to support weight loss or weight gain.

I'm a big fan of Ironized Yeast (they used to sponsor the Lights Out radio program).

There's an old ad for it here:

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/qf/c/PopularScience/3-1939/xlg_skinny_sex_appeal.jpg

"No skinny man has an ounce of sex appeal!"

The only difference I can see between the "skinny" girl and the "healthy" girl is that the skinny girl has no boobs. Heck, if there's a pill out there that gives you boobs, sign me up. Some of these gimmicks are so ridiculous.

My husband tried a "weight gain" program in college...a 32 ounce cup full of tuna fish every day. It only made him sick :P Now that he's older and has a sedentary job, he's had no real problem putting on 20 lbs. Probably not the exact type of weight he wanted to gain though.

Spectra said:
The only difference I can see between the "skinny" girl and the "healthy" girl is that the skinny girl has no boobs.

I think it's the same girl with a different posture. She put her shoulders back and the tits popped out.

Kailash said:
But it depends on whether your diet is set to support weight loss or weight gain.[...]

No, I meant that people with any sort of autoimmune problem, even if not a thyroid problem, tend to find that more iodine slows down thyroid function, not the other way around. Although autoimmune disorders are not in the majority of the population, they are not exactly rare either, that is why I said it depends.

My mom was really skinny in the pre-Twiggy era, and she remembers what we now know as Slim Fast being used as a weight gain supplement when taken with meals. I wonder how many other products we use for weight loss was once for gain?

oddblot said:
My mom was really skinny in the pre-Twiggy era, and she remembers what we now know as Slim Fast being used as a weight gain supplement when taken with meals. I wonder how many other products we use for weight loss was once for gain?[...]

This strikes me as funny because a woman I work with went of Slim Fast for a few weeks. She was under the belief that she was to eat her hamburger and french fries or her sausage, eggs, and homefries, AND drink the Slim Fast shake and she'd loose weight. She didn't believe us until she'd gained ten pounds, thinking that the little bit of a shake would make the calories from her food disappear.

Yah Brian, much better than the tape worms! :)

Also, it's nice to see that our "ideal woman" wasn't always skin and bones. Here's hoping we go back to this ideal in the future.

Gal

kdill said:Just goes to show that whatever is rare, is valuable. At that time history, getting enough to eat to gain weight was a challenge. So because most average folks were thin, or skinny, having a fuller figure was considered desirable.

The stress of the Great Depression wore people out, but it also got the average person eating a diet closer to what is commonly recommended now...

PS: If you want to mine your own data, here's the data set from 1909-2004. For dorks like me, this is great stuff! For example, here's how our diet at three points: beginning of the 1900s, when these ads were put out, and roughly now:

1909: 3,500 calories; 502 g carbs, 101 g protein, 122 g fat (52 sat, 47 monounsat, 14 polyunsat), 450 mg cholesterol, 29 g dietary fiber.
1939: 3,300 calories; 448 g carbs, 91 g protein, 134 g fat (56/52/16), 460 mg cholesterol, 26 g dietary fiber.
2004: 3,900 calories; 481 g carbs, 113 grams protein, 179 g fat (56/79/37), 430 mg cholesterol, 25 g dietary fiber.

We hit a low of sat fat consumption in the mid-90s (46-48 g); monounsat and polyunsat hve been going up, but accelerated in the late 90s. Fiber hit a low - 18 g - in the apparently constipated 60s. And carbs were at their highest in 1909, fell through the Great Depression and WW II, and took off under Earl Butz's reign as Secretary of Agriculture. He's the guy who started the movement to cheap and plentiful corn, and all the side effects: dropping Omega-3/Omega-6 ratio, feedlots, increased immigration from Mexico as we've put corn growers out of the market, and so on... Anyway, grain went from 20% to 24% from the mid-70s to now; second only to the growth of fats and oils in terms of contribution - from 18% to 24%. All other categories stayed the same or dropped in terms of percent contribution.

As long as it's fine with the doctors, it's ok to me. It's even better if you try to think about it. Gaining 5 lbs. in one week wouldn't be hard, but without the extra budget for the extra food it's a lot easier that way.

"Having a fuller figure was considered desirable"

The woman on the right has a "full figure"? Give me a break. Ignoring the retouching, she's just a skinny woman with bigger breasts. Five pounds of solid flesh bigger.

I see more fullness in arms, thighs, collar area and what you can see of the face.

obviosly these people have never done a market reaseasrch plan !

The Faddist said:
I'm a big fan of Ironized Yeast [...]

Both ads make one thing pretty clear -- no matter what size you are, slouching and sulking will definitely make you look frumpy :-P

It would be great if they bring this back. The skinny figure isn't what everybody wants and it wiould be good that there is something that will give you 5 lbs in just one week.

everyone has a buetiful body, if you are comfy in your own skin.Healhy is the ideal shape,not the sterotypes plastered all over every magazine.i was very thin and now not so much .Live on fl'a coast.Trust me five lbs is like five tons here.hard to feel pretty

rhoda said:
Even a few years ago, lots of people had trouble gaining weight. Now it's rare. people i knew who struggled to get UP to 110 pounds are in the 130's and 140's today [...]

How about society stop trying to find an ideal body type and we all aim for healthy? I am very thin and it is quite natural. When I was in high school, I had a friend who was thick and could outrun every girl on the team (and most were skinnier than she was), ever since then I thought the focus on what our bodies looked like was superficial and aimed to be healthy instead. Unfortunately for the girl, she thought something was wrong with her because she wasn't skinny, while I envied her for being in shape. This kind of thinking (wanting the ideal figure--which obviously changes from time period, to culture, to subjective thinking) is kind of appalling and unhealthy in my opinion. I cannot stand weight loss ads which clutter television nowadays.

I eat healthy and for what is good for my height and weight and I exercise. I feel my best and I have no body image problems-- even though I have virtually no curves and a small chest. The focus should be on a healthy and active lifestyle, not our measurements.

Sally said:
It would be great if they bring this back. The skinny figure isn't what everybody wants and it wiould be good that there is something that will give you 5 lbs in just one week. [...]

One week isn't feasible, but with a healthy diet + weight training, you can easily gain 5lb. Won't all be on your boobs though.

omagod. i need that medicine. im around 5'2" and weigh around 90 lbs. I cant gain weight. i eat anything, i sleep after i eat, i dont even exercise except some walking/10 sit ups or someth, and i dont eat fruits/vegs cos I just dont eat green colored foods.

this might makes you ppl who want to lose weight thinks im lucky. seriously? Im not. Ive been single for more than a year, im jealous to see curvier girls hooking up wif guys all the time.

i wear a size 0 clothes and ppl think im anorexic all the time. this is crazy. i do everyth to gain weight. can anyone pls pls pls help me... i beg. im really frustrated. i really, madly wanna be able to look gorgeous like u curvier girls are -___-

Hey Faddist
That ad was hilarious! Ironized yeast sounds disgusting. It looked to me like the woman was supporting herself with the arm that was hanging down. Too funny.

shirley said:
omagod. i need that medicine. im around 5'2" and weigh around 90 lbs. I cant gain weight. i eat anything, i sleep after i eat, i dont even exercise except some walking/10 sit ups or someth, and i dont eat fruits/vegs cos I just dont eat green colored foods. [...]

Shirley, you need to get a good physical checkup and blood work done to make sure there are no underlying problems with your health. Part of the reason you are so thin might be because you are not eating a balanced diet and that means fruits and veggies. There are ways to prepare them that will be appetizing. The more colorful your diet is the better. You are not getting the vitamins and minerals in these veggies if you don't eat them. Go to a dietician/nutritionist and they can help you with your diet. Take a gourmet cooking course to learn how to prepare food in a more delicious format and I bet you will be gaining healthy weight in no time and have fun learning about the ways to prepare good food. You also need to exercise more but not to the extreme because this will help with your metabolism and make you hungry and it will also help your body to better utilize your food. Good luck!

Shirley, you need to get a good physical checkup and blood work done to make sure there are no underlying problems with your health. Part of the reason you are so thin might be because you are not eating a balanced diet and that means fruits and veggies. There are ways to prepare them that will be appetizing. The more colorful your diet is the better. You are not getting the vitamins and minerals in these veggies if you don't eat them. Go to a dietician/nutritionist and they can help you with your diet. Take a gourmet cooking course to learn how to prepare food in a more delicious format and I bet you will be gaining healthy weight in no time and have fun learning about the ways to prepare good food. You also need to exercise more but not to the extreme because this will help with your metabolism and make you hungry and it will also help your body to better utilize your food. Good luck!

shirley, even i do have the same problem as yours....did something work out for u...plz suggest

omg shirley i have the same problem as yours! but im not sure about these tablets i've tried other medicines for gaining weight but nothing helps...:(