Charles Nevin: The Third Leader

Weight loss

And it is in just such a spirit that we should contemplate further travails for the Atkins diet company, with bankruptcy protection in the US following administration in Britain. Others may tap their noses and arch their eyebrows meaningfully; I look for lessons and opportunities, after only a few days thanking Providence that I shall now hopefully be spared somebody else combining the words "protein", "carbohydrates" and "amazing" before the belt-tug and stomach-pat that normally precedes the self-congratulatory stride away of the body-obsessed.

Lesson: I don't think anything Atkins-wise will ever improve on the good Doctor's demise, coming as it did after he slipped on some ice outside his office, proving once again that the said Providence has a dubiously dark sense of humour; and, leaving aside the fierce debate about the Doctor's state of health at the time, it would have helped if he had been better padded.

Opportunity: should you wish to lose weight, I find eating less works well. And some gentle exercise. Make sure, for example, that you book the restaurant table furthest from the door. At home, why not meet the pizza delivery at the end of the street? Try, too, putting the plate at the other end of the couch, ensuring that each bite incorporates a sit-up. Go!