In 1909, Lulu Hunt Peters achieved a rare status for a woman of her time. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of California at a time when less than five percent of American medical students were women. Peters was the first woman to intern at the Los Angeles County General Hospital. For a while, she managed the pathology lab and later led the health committee of the California Federation of Women’s Clubs. Ms. Peters frequently lectured on wellness and child nutrition.
However, she entered history for a completely different reason—one that was more personal. This was her true triumph. When Lulu Hunt Peters turned 40, she took her figure seriously, which had changed significantly while she built her career. Ultimately, she discovered a weight-loss hack and shed 30 pounds. Her method proved its viability for decades. The essence of her approach was strict calorie counting, as reported by Smithsonian Magazine.
How It All Began
Today, even schoolchildren are familiar with this method of combating excess weight. Yet, few consider where it originated. Over a century ago, the theory of calorie counting emerged from laboratories and became part of public knowledge, all thanks to Ms. Peters. She vigorously accelerated the evolution of her teachings, ultimately transforming them into one of the most enduring and significant health concepts of our time. This concept offered people around the world a deeper understanding of the foods they consumed and provided a model for proper nutrition.
Eventually, Dr. Peters channeled her passion for calorie counting into a guidebook published in 1918, which became the first diet bestseller in history. The book, titled “Diet and Health with Key to Calories,” was filled with humor and playfulness. She enlisted her 10-year-old nephew to help create the guide, and he drew whimsical illustrations featuring satirical characters from the so-called “Friendly Brotherhood of the Overweight” (though such phrases are now considered politically incorrect).
From the first to the last page, Lulu Hunt Peters paid homage to the majesty of the calorie. “You should use the word ‘calorie’ as often or even more often than you use words like ‘foot,’ ‘yard,’ ‘quart,’ ‘gallon,’ and so on,” the author wrote. She added, “When you consume calorie-dense food, instead of saying ‘a slice of bread’ or ‘a piece of pie,’ you should say ‘100 calories of bread’ or ‘350 calories of pie.'” The idea was so simple that it immediately made one want to try it out.
In 1922, this guidebook made it onto the bestseller list and remained there for four years, competing with the works of Mark Twain.
Thus, the epic of calorie counting began with one personal story. After losing 30 pounds, Ms. Peters wanted to help others lose weight as well. “I will save you just as I once saved myself and many, many others,” she wrote.