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The most apt definition of middle age is 'when your age starts to show around your middle'. But many bankers, of course, don't have to wait for the onset of middle age to reveal a paunch - all that junk food, those business dinners and booze often takes a toll on the waist-line before Old Father Time catches up with you.

And for many, once you hit 30, you can stare into the mirror as much as you want, holding in your belly for dear life, but you're only kidding yourself - you're fat and probably fed up too.

Being nearer 50 than 30, and short and bald too, I finally came to terms with the fact that I needed to do something about the only thing I did have control over - my weight. And I was packing way too much. Not that it was easy getting that fat - I've worked at it for years. Greasy fry-ups, chocolate, cakes, crisps and the like. I'd just have to walk passed a biscuit tin and I'd put on 3lbs!

Anyway, in February I was flicking through the cable channels and I came across an advertisment for Weight Watchers. I called the number on the screen, found out where my local group was being held and rocked up the following Thursday.

I remember wondering what the Hell I was doing as I peered into the Hall to see dozens of old fat women busy rehearsing their excuses for why they weren't going to record a weight loss that week. And not a bloke in sight. Receiving a warm welcome, though, I joined on the spot and was told that, in total, I'd be looking at dropping around 50lbs.

After being weighed, we had the meeting proper. Me, 30-odd fat birds and a couple of young women all chewing the fat - or not, as the case may be. One, a woman of 30 had lost 50lbs in around a year, and the other was a stick insect, who assured me that she, too, was once a fattie. I initially thought that she might have been a Weight Watcher plant, but she wasn't.

I attended the meetings religiously for about 5 weeks, lost 12lbs and then fell off the fat wagon. Returning like the Prodigal Son 6 weeks or so ago, after a couple of months of stuffing myself silly, I'm back in the WW Zone - and have now dropped 26.5lbs and lost a good 2 inches around the waist. I feel better, look better and am now that smug bloke who takes the p.ss out of the rest of those in the fat universe (although I'm still far from slim).

Anyway, I just wanted to shares my experience with you. Weight Watchers might not be 'in vogue' or hip, but it is effective. If you're fat and fed-up, you should give it a go. Then you can take the p.ss out of the fatties too.

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