Nutrition experts and the medical profession agree: men in the Western world eat too much fat and fatty foods. Not only does this kind of food contain high counts of calories that turn to fat if we don’t burn up enough through exercise, but it also causes high concentrations of fatty substances, cholesterol, in the bloodstream and so puts the heart at risk-Therefore as a means to survival nothing is better than a diet that sticks to the rules of sensible eating. You look better, feel better, and have a body that responds better to its environment. By eating sensibly you cut out useless foods and cut down on the risks of heart problems, strokes and high blood pressure. Cut out fatty foods and automatically you help your heart.

The following are the rules of sensible eating — not to be confused with the rules of dieting to lose weight, which follow.

Do not eat fatty meats like sausage, salami, mortadella, pork and duck and avoid all meat fat including the fine slivers of fat ringing roast beef.

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In short, the essence of the advice is that survival comes through the mind; loosening up on attitudes of what can be fun the most helpful pill of all. Sex should be fun; impotence never is.

For many men the simple solution of cutting down on alcohol helps, for although alcohol may make you feel good temporarily and give you inspiration, too much can numb the system and block out chances of erection. And taking regular exercise boosts vitality, the exercise contributing to making the body into a fit machine. Vitamin-E, often called the sex-vitamin, and Ginseng, the root said to have aphrodisiacal powers, have given some men the increased urge they seek, though the powers of both the vitamin and Ginseng to improve sexlife have been debunked by the medical profession. Vitamin-E is found in wheatgerm, dark green vegetables, wholewheat and eggs and can be bought in oil-based capsules. Short-term therapy is usually recommended as in the region of 200 to 400mg a day for about four weeks.

Nor should you forget masturbation, privately or with a partner. It does not, as therapists are quick to point out, make you go blind or grow hair on your palms — as schoolboy lore usually has it. Their word is that the more sexually active your body is, the more quickly you get back into the swing of things, the longer your sexlife lasts as you get older.

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One obvious source for the rumours about hormones and a man’s need to have booster injections of testosterone is attributed to the practice of those doctors and clinics who until recently made a habit of prescribing injections or hormone tablets as an easy way of treating the male-menopause in the apparent belief that if you give a man something to improve the performance of his penis, whether it works or not, he will believe in its efficacy and so will be miraculously cured of all his ills. A short course of hormone therapy can revive energy, health and libido in men after sixty but rarely is it any use to men around forty whose own production remains unimpaired and far from deficient.

In puberty testosterone is the masculinizing hormone that amongst its other actions makes the penis grow and pubic hair appear. By sixteen a man is at the peak of his fertility, a peak that lasts until he is about twenty when the production of testosterone slackens and slows down. This decline, however, is barely noticeable and years later around forty the fertility count remains high unless there has been an acute physical problem or illness. With the passage of time the production of testosterone continues slowing but the reduction is nonetheless hardly noticeable before a man reaches sixty. Some men go well into their seventies full of vigour and virility and start new families. Pablo Picasso and Charlie Chaplin are two fine examples.

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Escapism. From an early age everyone daydreams. It is a free, personal, easy and secret way of escaping reality. Daydreams are happy and always improve the quality of life as they feed the fantasy. And an M-M man uses them too to pretend he is improving his lot. He may be driving the car, walking to the subway, sitting at his work or even relaxing in an armchair and his mind will have wandered into another world where life is at its best, perhaps with some glamour, more sex, a new job, new house, money or, simply, escape. Reality has little to do with the dreams; these are fantasies about how life could be if only . . .

Returning to reality may make the reality seem worse. Feeling resentful he may vent his aggression on those nearest him.

Daydreams only occasionally offer practical solutions to problems.

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‘All menopausal men start growing their hair long and buy clothes in styles meant for young men.’

fact: Many do, but not all. Although dressing-young is considered one of the signs of a man going through mid-life crisis not all men take to wearing clothes that look great on men in their twenties. Often they will go to the other extreme and take great pains never to buy any item they think looks young on them. However when a man in his forties starts togging up in fancy shirts, jewellery and has a fancy haircut and starts wearing tracksuits and designer label denim clothes to dinner and parties it is a sure sign that M-M has visited him. Mutton-dressed-as-lamb as the adage goes.

‘Dirty old men who exhibit themselves to women and children in parks and other public places are going through the menopause.’

fact: No. Flashing is not an activity confined exclusively to menopausal men. Older men, boys in their teens and men in their twenties and thirties have been known to do it too. Some flashers may have the additional problems of M-M but their flaunting of the genitalia is a psychological problem, not one associated with M-M.

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(Meat, Poultry, Fish, Peas, Beans, Lentils, and Eggs): 3 servings—Back in the 1950s, we thought that we needed plenty of red meat to make us healthy and strong. While I still have nothing against red meat (as long as it’s a lean cut, broiled on a rack, and not eaten too often), we now know that most Americans eat way too much protein. An ideal single serving of this group is made up of 3 ounces of cooked, lean meat, poultry, or fish; 1 cup of cooked peas, beans, or lentils; or one egg.

That’s not as tough as it seems. Three servings of 3 ounces of meat amounts to a nice chicken breast for lunch and another one for dinner. And you can throw in a cup of peas for your supper, plus (of course) a big baked potato. The reasonable dollop of butter or sour cream necessary to make the potato taste really good will be removed by a couple of grams of Chitosan.

All in all, not a bad meal. And, remember, if you eat a little more than you’re supposed to, it doesn’t matter. As long as you eat a little less than you did before starting the program, and take Chitosan as required, you will lose weight.

Nevertheless, it is desirable to cut down on protein. Do the best you can. Then do a little better . . . because, with my Fat Blocker Program you can do it. If you really try, you’ll see, your best is good enough! To help you cut down on protein to whatever extent you can manage, let me tell you that the average American eats more than twice the protein that he or she needs, which can put the kidneys and liver on overdrive as these organs struggle to excrete the excess nitrogen. Too much protein can also bind up much needed calcium, sending it out of the body through the urine, rather than into the bones where it is vitally needed.

But even though we don’t need much protein, it is vitally important that we get adequate amounts of it. Protein is necessary for the growth and maintenance of all body tissues, for production of enzymes and hormones, for manufacturing antibodies that fight off foreign invaders, and for maintaining proper fluid, salt, and acid-base balances. Without enough protein, the body will become more and more disease-prone, wasting away as it consumes its own tissues just to stay alive.

For healthy adults, the RDA for protein is .8 grams for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight. If you’re pregnant or recovering from a serious illness, the RDA is higher. And, believe it or not, athletes don’t need more protein than the rest of us. Their protein requirements are based on body weight, too, not on activity level. (To figure your own protein requirement, see the box above.)

As you move to a reasonable diet (i.e., less than you are now eating) and a reasonable exercise program (i.e., just slightly more than you are now doing), you will be reducing your calorie intake a little and increasing your calorie burn rate by a small amount. Alone, these minor improvements would make little difference. But now you are adding Chitosan to the mix, and thus losing a significant proportion of the fat you ingest. And that will make a big difference.

The key here is to tailor the amount of Chitosan you take to the amount of fat you consume.

But there is even more to this approach. For, over time, another tremendously important benefit starts to appear. As your slight decrease in eating and your slight increase in exercise start to work together with the Chitosan to lower your weight, you will find that your energy starts to increase. Without even thinking about it, you will find yourself increasing your exercise. At the same time, because you are more active and less of a couch potato, you will find yourself snacking less. Gradually, what started out as a very mild exercise program will transform itself into a much more vigorous one—more than you could possibly have managed. In fact, you may even find that you can cut down on the amount of Chitosan you need to consume. Without really noticing it, you’ve formed new habits and patterns of eating and exercising.

Chitosan does not interact with the body in a dangerous manner, and it does not add any calories or otherwise leave behind a mark. None of my patients have had any difficulty, large or small, with the substance. My findings are backed up by animal studies which have shown that “the toxicity of Chitosan is approximately equivalent to table sugar or salt.”¹¹ In other words, you would have to ingest tremendous amounts of Chitosan before you had any difficulties.

caution: However, if you are allergic to shellfish, are pregnant or breast feeding, or are under the age of 14, it’s best to seek advice from your physician before
trying Chitosan. Also, discuss the use of Chitosan with your physician before using it if you are taking any medicines,
whether prescription or nonprescription, or have any diseases or ailments. As a general rule, it is best to consult your doctor before starting any diet program.

A Problem Solved some researcher have correctly pointed out that by pulling fatty acids from the body, Chitosan prevents us from using nutrients such as vitamins A, D, and E that are in those fats. Thus, it is theoretically possible for Chitosan to cause a nutrient deficiency.

I haven’t found this to be a problem for my patients. The average person gets 40 percent of his or her calories from fat. This is more than enough; the body only needs to absorb about 6 percent fat in order to take in all the essential fatty acids and nutrients it needs.

Still, my 8-Point Fat Blocker Program successfully deals with this potential problem by including generous amounts of these nutrients in supplement form in the daily regimen, scheduled so that they’re safely digested before Chitosan enters your stomach.

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We’re assaulted by viruses, bacteria, and fungi every day; cancer cells arise within our bodies; and other dangers loom. Yet, for the most part, we remain fairly healthy, turning aside most potential illnesses, or weathering the storms when they arise. Our hardiness is due to the tremendous department of defense we all have within our bodies: our immune systems.

T-cells that grapple with invaders in fatal one-on-one combat, giant macrophages that engulf and destroy disease-causing entities, neutrophils that rush lightly armed into battle, B-cells that manufacture antibodies designed to search and destroy specific targets—these are just some of the parts of the mighty immune system.

Like all armies, our immune systems are prepared to operate in many different kinds of terrain. But when the body and blood are filled with fat, the immune system is hampered. Imagine that you’re a foot soldier or tank driver having to slog through sticky, knee-deep mud, or the captain of a boat crashing its way through an ice field. That’s something like the difficulties our immune system soldiers face when our bodies are filled with fat. Excessive amounts of fats, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol, have been linked to a weakening of the immune system.⁸ Excess blood fats directly interfere with immune system cells,⁹ the lymphocytes, T4 and T8 cells, B-cells, natural killer cells, monocytes, and giant macrophages. Fat also impairs the ability of the red blood cells to deliver oxygen to immune
system tissues that depend on a good supply of oxygen and nutrients in order to keep us healthy. Meanwhile, studies have shown that cutting your fat intake to lower levels may make your natural killer cells more effective, ¹⁰ all the more reason to keep our fat intake low.

I was horrified when Jan, a 45-year-old math teacher in Los Angeles, told me about the diet she was following. “I’m 5′ 3″, 198 pounds and still gaining. Right now I’m eating nothing but pineapple, rice, and carrots,” she admitted sheepishly. “I’ve been on every diet, but not for long. I just can’t stick with it. But I have to try or soon I’m going to be wider than I am tall. Look at this picture of me drawn by one of my fourth graders.” She showed me a crayon drawing of a bowling ball with a little head, arms and legs. It was labeled “Mrs. Bowling Ball.”

“Why do you think you can’t stick with a diet?” I asked.

“I love chocolate too much,” she replied. “And I love the taste of ice cream, cake, pie.”

Jan’s problem was common. How do you stick to a sensible but strict diet? It has to be sensible; otherwise you’ll jeopardize your health. But if it’s too strict, there’s too much temptation to break the rules. That’s where Chitosan comes in handy. It allows you the occasional splurge that helps you stay on the Fat Blocker Program, but minimizes the consequences by preventing your body from absorbing much of the excess fat. The psychological desire for a treat is reconciled with the physiologic need to keep your fat intake low. You can’t quite have your cake and eat it too, but you can quench the desire for “forbidden foods” that pushes so many of us off our diets and undoes all of our hard work.

I told Jan about the Fat Blocker Program. When she tried it, she began losing weight almost immediately and for the first time ever she was able to stick with a diet. “My successes were like a snowball rolling down a hill, getting bigger and bigger. Only I was getting smaller, not bigger. Each month I lost more than the month before. And I could stick to the diet because once a week I could have something like a hot fudge sundae. The Chitosan made it possible for me to eat the foods I love without ballooning up again. Since I wasn’t breaking my diet, I didn’t feel guilty and I didn’t start stuffing myself like I used to. It’s been great.”