How did our grandmothers lose weight?

The question is interesting. Unfortunately, there is no detailed information on it or was partially preserved.

The story of the English King William the Conqueror is so widely known that he was so stout that his horses could not stand it. And then he decided to completely abandon the food and go completely ... to the wine! Well, the Burgundy - what will you take from him ... What is the story over, it's silent, but apparently nothing good ... At least it's an excellent example of how our ancestors (the most distant) lost weight - in abundance ...

Let not grandmothers, but only ancient

However, both ancient Greece and ancient Rome already had tracts on proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Herodotus recommended eating more fish, and praised olives. Aristotle pressed more on physical exercises and classes with a sword. Lucretius absolutely rightly worshiped the bow, and the Egyptians - garlic. Seneca liked to speculate about abstinence and moderation in everything, and Diogenes - brought in his barrel the principle of limiting needs to the absurd, abandoning the scoop, he drank water from the creek, as did the dogs ...

But if we generalize all this, then it turns out that modern diets take their origins there and their basis - the restriction of fatty foods, vegetables and exercise. That is, how our grandmothers lost weight, or rather, as they were recommended by ancient philosophers and orators, does not differ much from modern, sane recommendations on healthy nutrition.

Have our grandmothers lost weight at all?

Most likely, they just had to lose weight! Hard work in the field and at home, lack of technology, physical overload - and the result is obvious: weight loss, and in a lean year, and dystrophy. It is not for nothing that in Russia the word "lean" meant bad, bad, poor ... for example "the year turned out to be very thin - the drought ate all the bread ... Eh, bad, brothers, it's bad ..."

So, that our grandmothers did not have until diets. Yes, and in general a female figure is a fashion issue ... In olden days, brides were valued full - "poured."

And now here and there. Among the Indians of Bolivia, a lean girl has little chance of getting married - according to the local tradition, a full wife will give birth to healthier children ...

The fasting diet?

Although, of course, conscious restrictions in nutrition were - it was fasting. During fasting, as today, eating fast food was limited, of course, the caloric content of food fell sharply (such an abundance of "lean" confectionery products as now our grandmothers could not see), this account was also losing weight.

But what was next - do not need to idealize our ancestors, all according to a well-known scenario - a feast from morning to night and so on all the holidays, with the absorption of all the fast food.

Earlier, as today, this led to complications of all existing diseases and indignation of the digestive tract (diarrhea, flatulence, vomiting, etc.). During the days and weeks of fasting, our body is weaned from the typical, native food, so you can not jump sharply from one to another - from dietary (see lean) to "normal" (see the fast).