Belt tightening
The man who runs is our special guest today.
Stop sniggering at the back.
I know what you're thinking. If there was ever someone who needed to lose a few pounds, it's me.
I did sign up for a gym many years ago. But the only pounds I lost were financial ones - in the shape of the monthly membership fee.
So I take a sceptical view of any weight-loss, diet or exercise programme that involves shedding fortunes before flab.
There's no doubt this is big business.
According to the research organisation , the UK health and fitness market was worth an estimated £3.45 billion in 2006, and is expected to grow by another 5 percent a year until 2010.
Another firm of researchers, , puts the value of the business at £4.4 billion, and predicts it will be worth £5.0 billion by 2012 (Just in time for the ).
And that's just the gyms, health clubs and exercise equipment some people buy for their own homes.
Food is another financial feast entirely.
The market researchers Mintel calculated we bought £2.3 billion worth of reduced fat and reduced calorie foods in the UK last year.
There's no shortage of companies chasing what now called the "fat pound".
Unilever, the British food giant, makes low-fat versions of traditionally lardy products like Walls ice cream and Hellmann's mayonnaise; by the way, it also owns the SlimFast range. Tate & Lyle, the sugar company, has low-calorie ice cream. All the big supermarkets sell low-calorie meals. Tesco even offers its shoppers their own diet plans.
And WeightWatchers? Well, according to its website, it costs £40 for the first month, and then another £10 for every month after that. This, remember, is just for the advice and support it offers. Food is an optional extra.
But one million people have signed up for it here in the UK. And the company says that in the last decade, its British members have lost 40-thousand tonnes of flab from their now-skinny frames.
It's worked for them - but do you need to lose pounds from your pocket before they go from your waist? I'm sure you've got some cheaper alternatives. It's time to share.
See you at 1230.
Comment number 1.
At 20th Oct 2008, Jivegal wrote:There is one absolutely fail-safe way to lose weight. It's recommended by GPs. And even better: it won't cost you a penny more than you spend now.
Want to know the secret?
Eat less.
No fussy calorie counting, no special meals. Just less food. Duh.
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Comment number 2.
At 20th Oct 2008, KarlsOpinion wrote:I think on top of this is the surge in recent years of sports nutrition, which began life as bodybuilding nutrition.
So mainsteam has the industry become that you can find many leading brands on supermarket shelves in Tesco!
Once the preserve of bodybuilding fanatics, many other sportsmen and women and looking to learn from the nutrition experts to give them the edge in their sports.
For example, Ricky Hatton the boxer up until recently had bodybuilding champion Kerry Kayes as his official strength and nutrition coach. Ricky is known to still endorse Kerry's line of sports nutrition.
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Comment number 3.
At 20th Oct 2008, Worldwriter wrote:Declan, if you really want to lose weight then just imagine having plaque in your arteries and having to lose it plus the weight. I had a heart attack just about a year ago through excess weight, little exercise and lack of knowledge or just pain ignorance as to the symptoms of heart attack.
It surely did frighten me as I was lucky to have seven heart bypasses done and some stenting in my legs. I was clogged all over with plaque and cholesterol. Within three weeks of surgery I went down from 150lbs to 120lbs. It was fear alone that made me lose the weight. Make it your reason to lose weight too. Just think what would happen to your family if you dropped dead from heart troubles just because you love to eat too much. It should make you realise that you can lose weight by s imply eating and more fruits and veggies than meat. I reduced the salt intake as well and I feel wonderful and so agile after so many years with that extra weight around my middle.
Go for it Declan and we will have you around to enjoy your personality for years to come.
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Comment number 4.
At 20th Oct 2008, annchiswell wrote:I joined weightwatchers earlier in the year, but left after a few sessions as they seemed to talk mostly about food, and it made me so hungry!
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Comment number 5.
At 21st Oct 2008, davegthomas wrote:Hi
Please, please when you read out a web address such as www.bbc.com/working lunch there is no such thing as a forward slash! There is a back slash or a slash.
cheers
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Comment number 6.
At 27th Oct 2008, m42dasher wrote:I know how to save money on your heating bills and lose weight.
Insulate your house, the loft space, as well as the walls over the upstairs windows, from the outside by removing the roof tiles in order to install it around the 'Catnic' lintel's.
You can lose half to three quarters of a stone, have the wife to say 'What you have done must have been good, as it is too hot to iron in the kitchen wearing both a nightie and dressing gown'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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