440 



KEEPING DOWN WEIGHT. 



he persists in outraging hygienic laws, his constitution will 

 become shattered, and his nerves unstrung, in which state it 

 will be impossible for him to ride well, no matter how great his 

 ability, and how extended his experience may be. In the first 

 place, he should take abundance of exercise, should observe 

 strict moderation as regards intoxicating drinks and food, and 

 should not try to reduce his weight beyond a healthy limit. 

 In ordinary cases, as for hunting, a man in the prime of life 

 should take exercise equivalent to walking fifteen miles a day ; 

 should not eat oftener than twice a day (say, breakfast at half- 

 past eight and dinner at half-past five) ; and should not take 

 more than three or three-and-a-half pints of fluid, of which 

 light ale might constitute a pint, or light claret, half-a-pint. 

 This would allow him two cups of tea or coffee for breakfast, 

 two cups of tea in the middle of the day, and a pint or a pint 

 and-a-half of beer or of, say, claret and water for dinner. The 

 reputation which ordinary ale has as a fattening agent, is due far 

 more to the quantity drunk than to the nature of the fluid, in 

 a pint of which, the amount of fattening material would be 

 inappreciable during a day's work. If tea is taken, it should 

 be made very weak, and in that state is, I think, most 

 palatable, when it is made in Russian fashion, by infusing 

 a little less than half a teaspoonful of tea in a pint of boiling 

 water, and drinking the tea with a slice of lemon in it, and 

 sugar. The concession of a moderate amount of sugar and 

 milk may be safely made, when extreme measures are not 

 required. We must bear in mind that although a sufficiency 

 of water (pure or combined, as in tea, coffee, beer, or light 

 wine) is a necessity for health, an excess of it is a potent agent 

 for putting on weight. 



The diet should consist essentially of animal food (meat, 

 poultry, game, fish, and non-fatty cheese), green vegetables 

 and fruit, with a little common salt. To avoid thirst, the 

 meat should be fresh, not salted. The best way to cook 



