OK, nearly another year, another failed diet and another stone to deal with. I am now 15 stone 6.6lb or 216.6lb – this is a BMI of 34, which is appalling, but I suppose at least I’m not “extremely obese”, merely obese. If you look at my weight loss history I fit the classic description of a serial dieter, as illustrated in Paul McKenna’s new book “I Can Make You Thin”

I haven’t been able to stay on any diet I’ve tried recently for more than a few weeks. I am finding that I obsess about food and within a few days would do anything to eat a “forbidden food” and thus fall off the wagon extremely easily. This has been so disappointing that for nearly a year I have resisted all attempts to get me on another diet

Anyhow, listening to the radio last night I heard Paul McKenna talking about his new book. He certainly said the right things to get me to go and but his book, mainly by describing my situation exactly and saying his approach deals with problems like mine. I got my hands on a copy on Saturday and felt a bit silly handing it over to the waif like girl in the bookshop (hoping that she didn’t think of me as a sad fat guy trying any old mumbo jumbo).

The book is quite thin and light on content for the cover price, and it can be fairly repetitive with a noticeable chunk being success stories, so I was not particularly impressed. But, on reading he seemed to be making very valid and appealing points.

The accompanying CD has been shunted straight onto the iPod and the first time I listened to it I felt a right lemon. When Paul’s voice started deepening I had a fit of the giggles and thought “What the hell am I doing!”

It was time to be surprised again, though. Yesterday, I didn’t really feel like breakfast, only ate half my lunch time sandwich and only ate half my dinner – although later in the evening I nibbled a piece of Alison’s wonderful ginger bread and a couple of After Eights. This morning I am still not hungry.

I do have a couple of reservations though. I am finding myself thinking about food a lot, and wondering when I will next feel hungry and worrying if I’ll have access to food when that happens. Also, I am worried about family meal times, since Paul recommends that meal times are not strictly adhered to.