Having been referred to by my Doctor as being "morbidly obese", and being a type 2 diabetic as well, I felt that something had to be done. So far in the past 12 months I have shed 70 pounds, primarily by reducing my beer intake to negligible levels, eschewing all junk food, most desserts, anything that contains more than 15gm of sugars per 100gm and switching to cooking with olive oil. At 6'4" tall, I could carry the weight better than most, but...

My problems could well be hereditary in nature, my mother, father, both grandfathers and one grandmother were similarly afflicted by both obesity and diabetes (and all but my mother and grandmother were dead before they were the age I am now!). Nonetheless, diet and exercise can help to mitigate them.

However, I have never been particularly aware that my size affected my reception as a singer and musician. I long ago accepted that the skinny, undernourished look was not achievable, and took heart from Burl Ives, Hamish Imlach, Luciano Pavarotti, Barry White et al.

I seldom had "chicks" falling at my feet, but I still get a good number of embraces from middle-aged ladies, which, at my time of life, is probably a more realistic expectation!

It is really all down to self image. Even now, I look at many of my contemporary friends who were lean and fit in their youth, played sport seriously and are now into hip replacements, knee operations and other painful procedures. We are all mortal, it's just the form that our mortality takes that differs.

"There are few pleasures in this life that it is worth forgoing for the sake of an extra six months in a nursing home!" (John Mortimer - "Rumpole of the Bailey")

Carpe diem

Alan