Scene From Ned Wayburn’s “Honeymoon Cruise”

So believe me when I say that what I am about to put down here in black and white is not said for the fun of it nor for any other purpose but to enable every woman to increase her capital stock and secure the largest possible dividends in the beauty market.

The thin, slight, under-nourished woman will heed my words on this subject with satisfaction. Her procedure is pleasant and easy, comparatively. She can and will improve rapidly if she is determined to do so and will stick to what I tell her.

The “just right” woman wants to remain in her perfect form, and the words here printed will serve as a sign-post to direct her in the way that is best for the accomplishment of that desirable end. Her task is easiest of all.

The stout woman who would regain the more pleasing figure that nature intended she should have can do so if she will, but her inclination to indolence and indulgence must be overcome—by herself, not by anything anyone else can do for her—and she must make up her mind that she has a real task before her, and one that calls for all her will power and stern determination. And she must be patient, for in her case results are apt to be slow. But let her be encouraged: Some of the most admired women of the stage have experienced her same difficulty with too abundant flesh and have perfected themselves by this identical plan set forth here. So it has been done, and can be done in your case; but it all depends upon you, your zeal and your stick-to-it-iveness.

To see how your present weight conforms to the proper standard, I present here a table of average weights based on heights and age. In this table the weights are taken in scant costume, a single garment and no shoes. Any table of this kind can be only approximate, however, for the frame and general build vary in different people and the bone structure must be considered in fixing the weight.

Standard Table of Average Heights and Weights of Men and Women of Various Ages

Women

Heights						Weights
Ft.	In.	15-19 yrs.	20-24 yrs.	25-29 yrs.	30-34 yrs.	35-39 yrs.	40-44 yrs.	45-49 yrs.	50-54 yrs.	55-59 yrs.
4	11	110	113	116	119	122	126	129	131	132
5	0	112	115	118	121	124	128	131	133	134
5	1	114	117	120	123	126	130	133	135	137
5	2	117	120	122	125	129	133	136	138	140
5	3	120	123	125	128	132	136	139	141	143
5	4	123	126	129	132	136	139	142	144	146
5	5	126	129	132	136	140	143	146	148	150
5	6	130	133	136	140	144	147	151	152	153
5	7	134	137	140	144	148	151	155	157	158
5	8	138	141	144	148	152	155	159	162	163
5	9	141	145	148	152	156	159	163	166	167
5	10	145	149	152	155	159	162	166	170	173
5	11	150	153	155	158	162	166	170	174	177
6	0	155	157	159	162	165	169	173	177	182

Men

Heights						Weights
Ft.	In.	15-19 yrs.	20-24 yrs.	25-29 yrs.	30-34 yrs.	35-39 yrs.	40-44 yrs.	45-49 yrs.	50-54 yrs.	55-59 yrs.
4	11	111	117	122	125	127	130	132	133	134
5	0	113	119	124	127	129	132	134	135	136
5	1	115	121	126	129	131	134	136	137	138
5	2	118	124	128	131	133	136	138	139	140
5	3	121	127	131	134	136	139	141	142	143
5	4	124	131	134	137	140	142	144	145	146
5	5	128	135	138	141	144	146	148	149	150
5	6	132	139	142	145	148	150	152	153	154
5	7	136	142	146	149	152	154	156	157	158
5	8	140	146	150	154	157	159	161	162	163
5	9	144	150	154	158	162	164	166	167	168
5	10	148	154	158	163	167	169	171	172	173
5	11	153	158	163	168	172	175	177	178	179
6	0	158	163	169	174	178	181	183	184	185
6	1	163	168	175	180	184	187	190	191	192
6	2	168	173	181	186	191	194	197	198	199
6	3	173	178	187	192	197	201	204	205	206

Now first of all, weigh yourself and see how near you come to the standard, and take note how many pounds you have to add or subtract to reach the perfect mark. Weigh yourself at regular intervals, every Sunday or Monday, but weekly, if possible, and keep a record of your weights and the dates they are taken.

First I am going to direct the too thin as to the best method for them to put on flesh, fill out hollows, become symmetrical and graceful and pleasing to the eye.

How to Gain Weight

1. If you are thin, have an examination by a competent physician to be sure you have no organic trouble, before you try to put on flesh.

2. Calm yourself. “Learn to accept the trivial annoyances and the small misfits of life as a matter of course. To give them attention beyond their deserts is to wear the web of your life to the warp.”—Hubbard.

3. Exercise and air. Take at least 10 minutes of Ned Wayburn exercises every morning as soon as you get up. Begin with a small number of movements and increase gradually. Be in the open air as much as possible.

4. Sleep. Resistance is markedly lowered by a lack of sufficient sleep. Have a rest period during the day if possible. Do not sleep longer than eight hours. For every hour you are in bed over that time the fat piles on or else you are losing flesh.

5. Avoid unnecessary exertion. Don’t talk too much. Delete the details. Never talk about your ailments except to your physician. You pay him to listen (or should).

6. Avoid tea, coffee and nicotine and other stimulants.

7. Masticate your food thoroughly and leave your troubles behind when you go to the table.

8. EAT. Stretch your stomach and train it to take care of more food. You must eat three meals each day at regular intervals. They must consist of what your system requires and not just what tastes good on your palate. Never eat between meals. Give your digestive apparatus a chance to function as it should, three times daily, at the same time each day, always giving it an opportunity to rest as well.

9. EAT. Eat whether you enjoy it or not. You will enjoy it later. Don’t heed the advice that you should not eat as a matter of duty. You should.

10. EAT. But no second helpings.

I have seen printed advice never to eat unless you enjoy your food and to avoid eating as a mere duty. I tell you to discard that advice. Do eat whether you enjoy it or not, and do eat as a matter of duty.

Once the food is in your system, whether you like it or not, a large part of it will be assimilated. Perhaps not so well nor so readily, for we know that the enjoyment of food adds to the efficiency of the digestive juices.

There is a small bird called the ortolan, which is highly esteemed by the Italian gourmands. When it is fat it is very delicious, but as it feeds normally only once a day, when the sun rises, it naturally has no fat on it. So the Italians confine these birds in a darkened room and succeed in getting them to eat four or five times a day in the following manner:

They put a lantern at a little window in the room. The ortolans, thinking the sun has risen, hop around and eat. The lantern is withdrawn and they are left in darkness four or five hours. Now the lantern is again put in place. The ortolans, evidently an unsuspicious, guileless type of bird, thinking the sun has risen again to perform its duty by telling them it is time to eat, hop down from their perches and busy themselves very seriously and dutifully with their breakfast.

Apparently they do not keep track of time and do not suspect that only four hours of the 24 have elapsed. This same sun rises for them four or five times during the day and each time they obey its summons and gallantly eat. The result is that they are converted into little balls of delicious fat.

You can get a lesson from these birds.

Diet to Increase Weight

Thick soups. Thick gravies. Plenty of butter and sugar.

Fruits. The best fruit to fatten is bananas, eaten slowly with cream and sugar. Any kind of stewed fruits, cooked with sugar. Orange juice, with plenty of sugar. Grapefruit, with plenty of sugar. Any kinds of berries, with plenty of cream and sugar.

Cereals. Oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Corn Flakes. Avoid bran foods.

Meats. Anything fried is good. Roast beef, roast veal, roast pork, roast ham, veal chops, pork chops. No lamb. Must have steaks rare. Ham and eggs.

Vegetables. White potatoes, creamed, hashed, any kind of fried potatoes, sweet potatoes fried, mashed potatoes with butter. Beets are fattening boiled—not pickled. Spaghetti, macaroni, boiled onions, spinach, creamed, creamed carrots, lima beans, peas.

Bread. White bread, fresh bread, hot tea biscuits, plenty of butter.

Pastries. Pies, cakes, puddings, bread puddings, any sort of French pastry, and candy (in moderation).

Beverages. Sweet milk, cocoa, chocolate, malted milk. Perhaps one cup of coffee a day, not too strong, with plenty of cream. Weak tea with cream and sugar.

Keep your system well flushed. Drink plenty of water, about 45 ounces a day, say nine tumblerfuls. A glass of water before and after each meal, one in the middle of the morning, one in the afternoon, and another just before going to bed, are essential. This induces perspiration, which opens the pores and lets out the impurities, the worn out tissues, and keeps the system healthy, incidentally relieving the kidneys. Never take any liquids during a meal. This interferes with the work of the digestive juices and prevents the proper assimilation of the food.

There is no hardship involved in selecting one’s meals from this extensive and comprehensive menu, and if proper eating were all that is necessary to perfect your figure the process would be a joy indeed. But we are seeking to make you not only pleasant to look upon, but also physically adapted to a stage career, which means that vigor, strength, endurance, “wind” and flexibility are demanded as well, so, in order to accomplish both, we unite exercise to diet, and the combination of the right food and habits and the Ned Wayburn Foundation Technique brings about the direct result; you become shapely, graceful, strong, and accomplished in a great art, all as the result of the same instruction, and simultaneously.

Beef stew with vegetables; red beet or cabbage salad, French dressing; 2 rolls; 2 squares butter; strawberry short cake; glass of milk or coffee with hot milk.

Note: If underweight is marked, it may be advantageous to take additional nourishment at 10 A.M. and 4 P.M., such as a glass of milk or cocoa with 2 graham crackers and a glass of hot milk and crackers at bedtime. This will add 750 to 1000 calories to the day’s total.

Any one of the above breakfasts contains 800 calories. Any one of the above luncheons contains 1000 calories. Any one of the above dinners contains 1200 calories. This gives a day’s total of approximately 3000 calories of heat or energy.

← Back to The Art of Stage Dancing