Willing To Slim

Losing weight is no longer just a cosmetic activity; it is a matter of life and death. Certainly we all want to look as good as we can within our own physical limitations but now the pressure is on us to lose weight for significant medical reasons. A correct weight varies from one person to another depending on height and build. There is now no doubt that being heavier than our personal correct weight can be a major cause of or a least a contributory factor to developing heart and other organ diseases as well as blood pressure related ailments, cancer and diabetes. If we want to live long and active lives it is essential that we try to eliminate or at least control those factors that may militate against that want. We seriously have to put our minds to it.

We all know that eating correctly and using the body more actively are the two simple factors needed to tackle our excess weight - our excess matter. So why do we so often fail? The mind is the governing tool in all this. There are thousands of regimes out there from which to choose. Some are appropriate to individual conditions, some not so. Choosing diets and exercise regimes that suit our temperaments and conditions is the easy part. Sticking to our choices is the hard bit. Failure is a failure of the will, not of the chosen diet (unless it is unbalanced and obviously stupid - some are!) or the chosen physical activity. You have to be Willing To Slim. In charge must be your mind over your excess matter.

Richard Woolley was diagnosed in 2011 with Type 2 diabetes. He weighed about 20% more than his BMI told him he should. He set himself the task of losing 1kg (2.2lb) each month and, apart from the Christmas glitch, has managed to stay on track. He has written this booklet in order to share with others his 'secret'. Beyond setting yourself comfortable, manageable targets and not unachievable ones the secret lies in harnessing the willpower to persevere. Richard describes a couple of simple exercises he has used for other purposes throughout his life that will help you to achieve that.

The task before you need not be unpleasant or arduous. The booklet is not written by anyone trying to sell you anything at all - apart from the modestly priced book itself. It is written by an ordinary someone who has simply been there and done it without any of the usual attendant histrionics and wants to share that with you. Richard has drawn a few cartoons to illustrate that if you are Willing To Slim, you can also have a smile at yourself. Losing weight does not have to signal the end of fun in life.