How To Lose Weight Fast And Make Your Muscles Stand Out

The following excerpt comes from Dan Lurie’s Body Building System, a mid-century mail-order course that reflects the commercial and cultural ambitions of the American Physical Culture movement. Lurie, a one-time Mr. America contestant and tireless self-promoter, occupied a peculiar space between showman and health educator. His system, like those of his contemporaries, blended moral advice, dietary guidance, and exercise prescription into a single narrative of bodily renewal.

What makes texts like this valuable is not the science — often outdated even by contemporary standards — but the worldview they represent. Physical Culture courses such as Lurie’s offered a script for self-mastery in post-war America: to reshape the body was to demonstrate discipline, control, and modernity. The language here, taken from the section “How to Lose Weight Fast and Make Your Muscles Stand Out,” captures a moment when muscularity was both a personal project and a moral ideal

Carrying around excess fat makes developing a muscular body a lot tougher than it should be — even with our fast-working Instant-Action POSITRAIN™ System. So, if this is your problem, it’s important that you read and follow the instructions in this section.

The ideal way to take off weight — according to experts — is with a combination of exercise and diet. The two work together to trim off fat quickly and turn it into firm, hard, well-defined muscle.

Why You’re Overweight

Rarely, if ever, is it caused by a “glandular condition.” The most common and probable reason is that you may be eating too much — taking in more calories than your body needs for daily activities. This excess is stored in your body tissues, and you gain weight.

Calories are units of heat energy found in every kind of food. Some have less, others have more.

You might ask why some people can eat piles of high-calorie foods and never seem to gain an ounce — even though they’re not physically active. The answer is metabolism.
Those with a fast metabolism burn energy quickly, leaving little chance for calories to be stored. If you have a slower metabolism, you’re more likely to store calories and gain weight.

The solution is to decrease your daily calorie intake through a planned nutrition program, outlined here.

Avoid “Starvation” Diets

Don’t make the mistake of trying to lose weight by starving yourself. It will work against you — especially in your quest for a strong, muscular body. Starvation diets not only fail in the long run, but they’re also dangerous to your health.
They drastically reduce your intake of vital vitamins, minerals, and proteins that your body needs to stay healthy.

Your goal should be to lower your calorie intake by eating low-calorie foods with special emphasis on those high in muscle-building protein.

Protein is absolutely essential for healthy body function and satisfies hunger more quickly than any other nutrient. It’s the single most important food substance a bodybuilder can take. You can bet that “Mr. America” champions like Anibal Lopez, Don Ross, and Joe Spooner concentrate on high-protein foods to develop and maintain their great physiques.

There are plenty of good protein foods to choose from — see page 42 for the “Do Eat” list.

SOME OTHER REASONS FOR OVERWEIGHT

Most of us have been programmed through upbringing to eat “three meals a day,” whether or not we’re hungry. Habits and traditions die hard. Many people still believe missing a meal will make them sick — or even lead to starvation. Absurd, of course: science shows the body can go without food for forty days or more (though only seven days without water).

This self-enforced eating stretches the stomach, increasing its capacity — and the pounds pile on.
A good, high-protein breakfast can often replace lunch entirely, followed by a light dinner without weight gain.

Pressure Eating

Overeating often comes from social pressure.
At work, you eat lunch because everyone else does.
At parties, you don’t want to appear strange.
A friend’s dinner invitation turns into an overindulgent evening because you “can’t say no.”

Learn to say “no” politely. Most hosts would rather you enjoy yourself than force down food.

Food Commercialization

Modern advertising glamorizes food — on TV, in magazines, and on billboards. Taste and appearance are emphasized over nutrition. Processed, low-nutrient foods are sold in colorful, tempting packages that even strong-willed people find hard to resist.

As a result, many have become addicted to soft, devitalized foods — breads, cakes, macaroni — that are high in fat-forming calories but low in vitamins, minerals, and protein. Their hunger isn’t satisfied, so they eat more, and overweight is the result.

When you eat a high-protein diet, you become satisfied with less food, and your desire for starchy carbohydrates decreases.

EIGHT SUGGESTIONS TO OVERCOME OVERWEIGHT

1. Never overeat.
Eat only until comfortably satisfied — not bloated. Try smaller, more frequent meals (5–6 per day) to control hunger and make dieting easier.

2. Chew thoroughly.
Eat slowly and chew each bite well. This reduces appetite, improves digestion, and prevents gas and indigestion.

3. Use less butter and bread.
Half a pat of butter per slice. Cut bread consumption from 4–5 slices to 1–2. Bread can really pack on weight.

4. Eat sensibly when dining out.
Choose steak, chicken, or fish. For dessert, go with fresh fruit — rich in vitamins and minerals, refreshing, and satisfying.

5. Make calorie counting a habit.
Carry a pocket calorie guide and use it regularly. Soon, you’ll know the calorie values of most foods by heart.

6. Don’t eat while distracted.
Avoid snacking while watching TV, reading, chatting, or listening to music — it’s easy to lose track of how much you’re eating.

7. Don’t “clean up” leftovers.
Save them for later instead of finishing what others leave. Those extra calories add up quickly.

8. Go to bed early — avoid late-night snacks.
Evening eating adds calories you can’t burn off. If hungry before bed, have a glass of warm milk instead. Keep your stomach light so you’ll wake up hungry for a high-protein breakfast.