Life can be a weighty burden, and for a good many of us that weight tends to settle around the midriff.

We all know it’s not good for us yet the western world is waddling towards an obesity crisis that will cost countless lives and add billions to the healthcare bills.

There’s always a lighter side to things and when I phoned an exercise class for details they asked me to bring some loose clothes. If I had any loose clothes I wouldn’t need the exercise class!

Diets have come and gone, from high carb to cabbage soup they promise to work wonders with your body and return you to the sylph-like figure that may have been a thing to be proud of in your teenage years.

We have highlighted the diet proposed by one Andover man who aims to lose stones and raise pounds for charity at the same time.

It is an unusual scheme and one not recommended by an NHS nutritionalist who believes it may not provide enough necessary nutrients, calcium or vitamins.

Our intrepid dieter acknowledges his diet’s shortcomings but is determined to shed two stones in 15 weeks.

And his pledge to boost the funds of Naomi House children’s hospice is one that can only be applauded, but one has to question if this is the best way of achieving these aims.

We are surrounded by life’s goodies, the little treats we feel we deserve for putting up with all the stress of modern day living.

But we also know it would be good to get rid of those excess pounds to look better and improve our health.

The reality is that unfortunately, for most of us, achieving a racing snake figure is down to eating less, eating sensibly and exercising more.

Life can certainly be tough!

Joe Scicluna, Editor