Categories: uncategorized
Date: 20 January 2007 15:09:48
Last weekend, I mentioned that I had just bought a stash (well, it was four bars actually) of Green and Black's chocolate and said I'd explain later. So, here goes - eek, where to start? I'll try and break my stream of consciousness into bite-sized pieces.
Since my sixth-form days, I've held in tension the two ideas that large people shouldn't be bullied into losing weight, and that I'd really rather weigh less than I do. I've read a lot of 'sensible' diet books and I've occasionally attended what are probably the two largest and most reputable weight-loss clubs in the UK (yes, the WW one and the SW one!). I've usually lasted one to two months, and lost somewhere between five and ten pounds (in weight ...). I've then tended to both backslide on the diet and get really cheesed off with the meetings which are nothing like the hype. I always read the literature in the first few days on the diet (usually, in fact, I've read it while I wait at the first meeting for all the others to be weighed). I can get through it quickly because I like reading, and because an awful lot of it I don't need to think about for long, because I've heard it sooo many times before. The blurb promises you 'friendship', 'support' and 'lots of ideas'. What I've usually found is that most people go with people they already know, and the meeting consists of applauding those who've lost weight, commiserating with those who haven't, and a whole lot of dull discussion about what amazing new low '*oints'/*ree Food people have discovered. Oh, and the leaders like to plug the company's special less fattening cakes and biscuits, which oddly enough are smaller than the normal brands you buy in the shops.
Little Britain fans may have recognised the quote in the title of this post, and I have to say that Marjorie Dawes is not like any other club leader I have encountered in her cruelty and rudeness. However, the format of Fat Fighters meetings, where she dishes out platitudes and masterclasses in Stating the Bleeding Obvious, and suppresses anyone in the group who actually questions, rather than asks questions, who not very convincingly tries to give the impression that she has mastered her own food issues, certainly rang bells for me. Oh, and you remember the episode where the Slimmer of the Year (played by Scotch Egg-eating Keith from The Office) earns Marjorie's enmity by refusing to play the game, stating that no, he didn't find the Unique Fat Fighters Solution particularly helpful, he just lost the weight by eating sensibly and taking more exercise? That was me, that was ....
I'll leave that line for a bit, before I drown in my own bile, but suffice to say, I often decide to follow a diet based on perfectly sound nutritional principles, but after reading through the material, and the assumptions and attitudes which underlie it, I usually end up saying, well I can't type it up here as this is supposed to be a family website, but the second word is 'you'. I will return to unpack (she promises rashly) but, anyway, two weekends away I discovered a nice shiny new book in my local library. In fact, when I took it out, mine was the very first stamp in its pristine library plate. It was called 'Beyond Chocolate' and was by two sisters who are reminiscent of Trinny and Susannah in their chummy 'all girls together' manner and the subtle indicators to their rather posh background. However, they don't do 'cruel to be kind'. Their approach is about thinking about your food and enjoying it, and not beating yourself up about your weight and what you eat. I've read this kind of thing before, and found it helpful, but this particular book put it in a format I found especially useful. One of their suggestions was that you buy lots of your favourite food, so you don't feel that it's a one-off treat to be got out of the way as quickly as possible. Well, my four bars of G&Bs lasted until Thursday, and at one point I did find myself realising that there was lots of chocolate in the fridge and I hadn't eaten any on getting home. So, today I have been and put a bag of treatsize Cadbury stuff in the fridge, let's see how this project goes.