Jack - best wishes to you & your partner. As many of us know being different (bigger, smaller, sporty, not sporty, wrong colour...) causes hell, but we do survive.

Little Hawk - I loved the reference to different times, different shapes. I have been overweight since I was about 11 & have always been interested in historical costume. A wonderful Edwardian advertisment pictured a beautiful lady who had returned to her "former sylph-like weight" of 11 stone (154lb, around half of that in kilos) after taking the product. I was an 11 stone sylph in later high school, which was not the fashion in the late 60's. I wonder if I can still find the product!!

More power to real people, people like the wonderful Mudcatters.

Sandra