For one wishing to lose weight:


Breakfast of 1 serving of cold whole-grain cereal, 1 cup milk, cup orange juice
Lunch of 2 cups of beef-barley soup, 1 serving of raw vegetable salad with vinaigrette dressing, 1 slice of wheat bread or toast with 1 pat of margarine
Dinner of 1 serving of pasta with olive oil & basil sauce, small grilled or pan-fried skinless chicken breast, steamed broccoli with rice vinegar dressing, 1 dinner roll, Jello dessert with fresh fruit added
If we eat 2 snacks, 1 cup of yogurt with diced dried apricots, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, we have satisfied the daily balance with 6 servings of cereals/grains, 3 servings of vegetables, 3 of fruit, 2 dairy, 2 meats, and 3 fat/sugar. (The total Calorie count is approximately 1700.)


Those who need to gain weight:

Breakfast of cup tomato juice, 1 serving of ham, 1 egg, 2 slices of wheat or rye toast with 2 pats of butter and a glob of marmalade
Lunch of a hearty (2 serving) cheese sandwich, 1 serving of raw vegetables with ranch dressing, cup apple juice, 1 glass of iced herbal tea
Dinner includes a small steak or chop, baked potato slathered in sour cream with chives, buttered steamed peas with sliced almonds and onion slivers, 1 dinner roll, and a fresh fruit and cheese plate for dessert.
Add 2 or three snacks of raw vegetables, nuts, and corn chips, and you've consumed 7 servings of cereals, 3 of vegetables, 3 fruit, 4 dairy, 4 meats, and 4 fat/sugar. (This total calorie count approximates 3000.)

Now we will apply all this nutrition stuff to individual cases. Go to the Appendix and read section A., then run your data through the BMI Calculator. Make a note (here___________) of your score.

VI. Attacking The Over/Under-Weight Problem

If you are under or over-weight, and if your doctor has not advised a different course of action, and if you are serious about improving the situation, please return to the Appendix and re-read sections A and B, because for the next four weeks we are going to retrain your palette and we are going to find out whether the problem lies in your glands or in your hands. If, at the end of four weeks of following "my" diet and menus, you haven't made some progress, you really should insist upon different medical attention. The services of a certified clinical nutritionist, or a gastroenterologist are most certainly indicated.

Now, go to Dietitian - Healthy Body Calculator (Johns Hopkins) and Nutrition Analysis Tool (University of Illinois) and calculate your "Ideal " weight and calorie requirement. These calculations will give you average values for average people who don't have COPD, based upon your input for "activity level." These values are the lowest levels likely to meet your needs because these formulae don't consider your need to expend extra energy to breathe. Add 15-20% and note the value (here________).


Because weight gain/loss is totally dependent upon caloric intake and activity level, we will concentrate on correcting and improving the diet, but I cannot fail to emphasize the need for regular, relatively strenuous exercise. Such exercise has many benefits, including improving oxygen utilization through better muscle tone, better circulation, stimulation of the digestive process, and aiding in "stress management." Get your doctor or respiratory therapist to help you start and maintain an exercise regimen that is appropriate to your overall health. This should include beginning levels of difficulty and periodic increases in pace or repetitions. Those readers who refuse to do such exercise get less than optimal results from a new diet.

Refer back to the calorie count you noted, above. If you are underweight, add 750 calories; if you are overweight, subtract 750 calories; if you are neither, use the noted number. Now you have your personal goal for daily calorie intake; make a note of it (here__________).

I now refer you to section C. of the Appendix. Study this carefully because it will make it much easier to meet your diet objectives.

Now move to Section F. of the Appendix and click on Eating Right with CyberDiet. Browse through several pages and familiarize yourself with its content and organization. Bookmark this site because you will use it often, the first few weeks of this diet.

Those who are over-weight should clean out cupboards and refrigerators of all candy, pastries, snacks, and other high-calorie foods that tempt you to overeat. If there are others in the family without a weight problem, let them keep that stuff out of your sight; otherwise, throw it out or give it away. Naturally, the opposite is true of you who are underweight; get rid of low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, salad dressings, lunch meats, soups, etc., etc., etc. Section V. will deal with re-stocking your pantry; section VI. will discuss re-training the palette. For the moment, be assured that this "house cleaning" is essential to your success; you must change your eating habits.

Im now going to ask you to itemize everything you ate yesterday and, from the "Cyberdiet" data, to calculate your caloric intake and note it (here________). Calculate the difference between this value and your daily goal and note it (here________). Are you surprised?

Given a realistic exercise regimen, the route to a good diet is the proper balance of nutrients, and the way to lose weight is to eat less; the way to gain weight is to eat more.

The secret to accomplishing these goals lies in making food preparation easier, the results more appetizing and interesting, and in developing new habits. I hope you are not disappointed by the simplicity of this approach, but I never promised a miracle, or a rose garden and, while my suggestions may seem simple, many of you may find the process quite difficult.