To most Americans one meal per day would seem like starvation, but many thin persons have been known to gain greatly in weight by the adoption of this abstemious diet. The explanation of this apparent phenomenon is simple. When following the regular three-meal plan, they had acquired a habit of eating beyond their power to properly digest, and of eating at meal time regardless of whether an appetite existed or not, and the result of this pernicious practice was naturally disordered and weakened digestive organs, and when the one-meal plan was adopted the food was not taken until there was an actual need for it, until the stomach was able to receive and dispose of it, and the natural result was gradual increase in weight and strength.

One's habits in eating must be determined largely by his occupation. One meal each day, though not by any means a hardship for those following mental and other sedentary occupations, would be rather difficult for the manual worker who begins early and labor until late.

I have personally followed the one daily meal for a month or more at one time, and have lost no weight worth mentioning and have been able to do my work with the same energy as usual. One very pleasant feature about this plan is the keeness of the appetite. There is no " dilly dallying " at meal time under these circumstances. You are there to eat, and even if your food is of the plainest kind every morsel is dwelt upon and enjoyed to the fullest extent. The great importance of enjoying your food has been explained in a previous chapter, and this one-meal plan will quickly, in every case, entirely cure any lack of appetite. And for this purpose alone - that is, creating a keen relish for food - it is especially advised and should be adopted in every case as the first means of remedying lack of appetite.

Of course, the meal under such circumstances is always quite heavy and no active work of any kind should be attempted for sometime after. All the energies of the body are then needed to digest, and nothing should be allowed to interfere with this important work. This meal could be eaten in the middle of the day though the best time would naturally be in the evening after the day's work is done. It should of course precede the time for retiring several hours, as the work of digestion is not usually carried on with the same energy during sleep as when awake.

Many object to this plan because of the fear of overloading the stomach. There is but little danger of this if the rules in reference to proper mastication are followed. It is only when the food is hurriedly bolted that the appetite is unable to indicate when sufficient food has been eaten, and when you blunt and deaden the sense of taste by such unnatural speed in eating you must not complain if it fails in its duty.