Jane Fonda – Take two

This is a 1963 Lydia Lane article. Enjoy!

“I lost 15 pounds before I started working In ‘Sunday in New Jane Fonda stated.

“I wasn’t fat, but the wide screen exaggerates the figure. I have no trouble reducing because I learned the rules when I was in my teen. “I wasn’t a fatso but my extra pounds gathered in my hips. Dresses had to have full skirts or I couldn’t wear them. I was more interested in horses than I was in my figure or fashion and any suggestion that I reduce fell on unperceptive ears.

“Then I had a new stepmother with a wonderful style sense. Her clothes were so beautiful that I found myself getting interested in fashion. She had great influence on me and I’m grateful to Susan for exposing me to good taste; it rubbed off. She used to take me shopping and was very clever about it. She would admire a sheath dress that she knew I couldn’t wear.

Soon I wanted to trim my hips, and it was then my first rule for dieting was formed. You need a special 1 goal. A vague wish isn’t enough.” We were lunching at MGM, and Jane studied the menu thoughtfully before she ordered a plate of cold sliced chicken and Swiss cheese.

“I’m on a health kick,” Jane admitted. “I’m fascinated by Adele Davis’ book, ‘Let’s Cook It Food tastes better when you don’t overcook it or use too much water. And it is so much better for you because the vitamins and minerals are not lost. “I shop in health stores and I have gone in for wheat germ, buckwheat and lots of raw vegetables.

We acquire our early eating habits from our environment, and if we stop to examine them we usually discard them and discover new ones. “My second rule for dieting is purely personal. I don’t eat anything before I go to bed. It food you don’t burn up that makes you gain. I try to have my main meal early in the day.

It takes the struggle out of losing weight and the pounds go faster. You can train your stomach and you will find you are hungry before breakfast, which is one meal you know you are going to burn up. It makes sense to eat like an emperor for breakfast, a king for lunch and a pauper for dinner. “The third and last rule is to reduce your appetite. When you habitually eat less, your stomach shrinks and you are satisfied with less.

Most people eat more than they need, and this surplus food is what keeps them from losing weight. I don’t like to think about dieting, so it’s much more pleasant to use discipline before I need it. “I walk a lot in New York. (Jane makes her home there.) And there is no question in my mind that exercise keeps your muscles toned. It also helps burn up excess calories, which you wouldn’t use if you were siting still.”