Christmas calories

Yep. That's right. All those extra calories we're supposed to consume over the festive season. And to help us control our urges, The Times today gives lots of helpful hints. For example, dark chocolate isn't so bad, so if you're soooo tempted by the office chocolates, keep a bar of it handy in your desk drawer "to nibble on" instead. And eschew the office mince pie, because it's got shedloads of calories; just don't even glance in its direction. Move your desk and face the wall if necessary. Helpful, eh? And if you're at a party where there are canapes, heaven help you, for those are FULL of calories. The Times helpfully tells us just how full, and how to avoid them. And if you're tempted by one of those tiny little Yorkshre puddings with beef in them, well, just peel off the pudding and eat the beef. Voila! Who would have thought of that? As for drink, well, we won't even touch on the calorific evils of alcohol.

Feeling festive now, are you? I've never really got this don't-eat-too-much-at-Christmas thing, because while personally I don't, I really can't see any reason why those who want to shouldn't. After all, while it may feel as though Christmas lasts for ever, we all know that it doesn't, and no-one is going to grow obese in a week. And if by any chance they do, there will be an equally helpful article in the new year on how to get slim again.

You read it first here.

A grumble

I have just received more spam (the computer kind) about " losing those extra pounds" after Christmas, and this infuriates me.

I really resent the assumption that we all gorge ourselves over the festive season, and struggle to shed it afterwards, and I find the whole idea of see-sawing up and down (Christmas, up; get into-your-bikini-by-June, down) rather obscene.

But it seem that we are fascinated by diet and obesity. There is a proliferation of TV programmes about very fat people. Some of these have apparently been bed-bound for years, and that begs a rather obvious question that no-one seems prepared to address. Where is all that food coming from? For behind every beached, obese person, there has to be another (thinner) person with money and a shopping trolley and a handy supermarket. In other words, an accomplice.

A grumpy post, but that's how I'm feeling at the moment. I need sun.