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Show “Diet or Die’: The Story of a Woman By Sam Roen “| never dieted with a gimmickor any faddish trick. Instead, | patterned a new wayoflife, carefully eating the proper foods in e proper balance—and doingit with a willto live.” WhoLost 430 Pounds ous and important considerations is health. “It’s a shame,” Dolly says, “that people don’t realize how manymedical problems begin with obesity. The plain fact is that fat is the worst disease in On July 18th, Dolly was 70. That's a long way from the the world. It sets off so many other diseases—heart _troubie, hospital where, 22 years ago, her high blood pressure, respiratory and kidney problems, complications of diabetes... and this doesn’t even include emotional and nervous traumas.” The obese person can’t hide his problem...instead, he must face the kidding,theridicule, the being stared at. He can’t run... priest had given herthelastrites _ as she lay unconscious, suffering a heart attack. She was 48 then and carried an astounding 555 pounds. Her real name was Celesta Geyer, but she was known throughout the world as Dolly Dimples, the circus fat lady. Thensuddenly, at the peak of hen career, her heart gave up. Her doctor explained that her enormous body was too muchfor it. He told her husband Frank that Dolly would notlive through the night. But, in the morning, he wasgreeted by a miracle: a living Dolly who had refused to die. Amazed and unbelieving, he told he can’t hide. Dolly was reminded of this again recently when she took a trip back to Orlando,Fia., where she used to live in her circus days. She flew into her home town on Florida’s feeder airline Shawnee without any special and required remcvalofseats (alwaysshe had hadto have the airline take out two seats to provide a wide expanse). When she checked into the Hilton Inn West motel she was received happily. (In her sideshow days, when motel managers spotted the great hulk of Dolly Dimples, “No Vacancy” signs magically lit up. The managers told her husband Frankthe: did not want their beds mashed.) Now the master chef of the motel’s House of Beef restaurant even baked a special birthday cake complete with a colorful circus clown decoration and flaming 70, saluting and toasting her that God had sparedher. But, from now on, hesaid, it would be “diet or die.” Now, 22 years later, Dolly’s story of “Take it off...Keep it off” is the most phenomenaldiet story in the world. Today Dolly Dimpleshelps others help themselves. She inspires them with the simple statement, “I did it...you can doit, too.” “Tt wasn’t simple,” Dolly admits, “but the bleak choice was all [ had. I had to lose more weightthan anyoneever had, and I had to turn away from life of unabated, uncontrolled, unman- aged eating. It was a hard turn, but I madeit full circle. I never dieted with a gimmick or any faddish trick. Instead I patterned a new wayoflife, carefully eating the proper foodsin the proper balance—and doingit with a will to live. I have for these past 22 years continually thanked God for that chance to ‘diet or die,’ and | have learned howtolive.” In the years that followec Dolly’s survival andher shedding more than 430 pounds (four- fifths of her body) thousands of people have asked for her success formula. “I'm glad to tell anyone who will listen. In our country Dolly's success and good health. Celesta Geyer—alias Dolly Dimples—asshe looked 22 years ago. Weight: 555 pounds. Years ago, Dolly coined a word, “foodaholic.” It portrays the person hooked on food as “alcoholic” describes the person hooked on drink. To break this addiction requires more than a proper diet; diet is only a treatment, not a cure. That's why gimmick diets are not the answer to the obesity problem. Says Dolly, “You can't expect to per- manently take off pounds by particularly, we all eat too much. drinking only water, only buttermilk, only coffee or onlytea. It We getinto the habit...that’s the realproblem—habit. The habit of is easy to crash four, five, 10 or even 20 pounds off in a hurry— overeating must be broken but it will harm your health, and 1% first step to gaining back whatever youlost.” There are unlimited aids or benefits in keeping the new way of life goin, One of the most obvi- Family Weekly, October 17. 1971 After the doctor delivered ultimatum, Dolly chose to live. By 1950 she was down to 154 pounds. A department store fit her with clothesoff the rack (never in her “Fat Lady”life had she been able to wear anything ready-made. the pounds will probably come “Today’s calorie-counted foods “my clothes were more tents than back.” In “Diet or Die”, Dolly's biography, her “take-it-off” procedures were told in detail and in endless variety in stores make dieting a pl.asure compa.ed with the tortures I went through. dresses”). She had a birthdayball, bowling and playing shuffle board ail as “just a housewife,” Celesta Geyer—the woman who had added 22 years to herlife. has wonfull acclaim and endorsement, including recommendation by the Mayo Clinic's Emeritus Professor of Medicine, renowned Dr. Walter C. Alverez. AsDollyexplainsit, at the age of 48 she was “reborn.” Planning every day around calorie count, she lived with determination to look for the easy way down which usually becomes a way of down followec by an up, then exampled with actual menus. It keep her program. “it's so much easier now,” Dolly points out. “But despite the advancement in foods, too many peoplestill another down and up and down ,-ad infinitum.” A good tip of Dolly's: “Don't talk about diet with anyone. Put food out of your mind. If you brag to a friend that you've lost 18 pounds, that me! you think you have achieved success. And that's the “I guess I was lucky that I had a heartattack, because it changed my whole life. It is not necessary for anyoneto have that kind of a warning, however; you can controlyourliving pattern before yourlife beginsslipping away.If I did it—with my problem—certainly you can do it with your lesser one. Takeit off... keep it off.” = |