ভূমিকা

At college, playing football and eating at the training table, where no second helpings were permitted, he kept his weight at 16 stone 11 lb. But ten years later he weighed 21 stone 6 lb. , and in another ten years, although he had tried various reducing schemes, 26 stone. "When I see food I have no will power," he said. He knew he had to do something. But what? At this point, in March, I960, Ball entered Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia for one more try. There Dr.

Garfield Duncan and his associates were taking what seemed, drastic measures for overweight sufferers: total deprivation of food for ten days. For ten days Ball got nothing but water, tea, coffee and vitamins. He was hungry for the first two days. Then his craving disappeared; he lost all appetite for food. He felt better than he had since he was at college. In ten days he lost 25 pounds.

Since then, in 27 months, Ball has undergone three more fasts at the hospital and periodic two-day abstentions on his own. He has lost 6 stone 9 lb. , almost a pound a week. Dr. Duncan is a specialist in the control of diabetes. He has been interested in overweight for many years. As editor of the journal Metabolism, he received an article three years ago from a Dr. Walter Bloom, who had used fasting as a preliminary treatment for nine overweight patients. What caught Dr.

Duncan's attention was Dr. Bloom's observation that his fasters did not mind the deprivation. Dr. Duncan decided to give fasting a try. Selecting patients for the experiment, Dr. Duncan took only those who had failed to reduce by all the usual methods. These people had been put on 500 to 1,500 calories diets — which they had not kept up. All had taken drugs to reduce appetite (the drugs were effective in most cases for only two or three days, then lost effect). Dr.

Duncan insisted that they enter hospital, where they could be carefully observed. He gave them poly-vitamins in therapeutic amounts. They stayed in hospital from five to 14 days. They were weighed each day, and had urine and blood tests. Results were dramatic.