I’ve always been a “big strong boy” and thirty-odd years in the offshore oil industry hasn’t helped that at all. I’ve never been bothered about being barrel-shaped, but it’s a matter of degree.

I’m increasingly desk-bound and that doesnt help either.

About once a year I lose 6 to 10 kg then eat it all back on, usually at Xmas.

Nothing else seems to work and I definitely need to lose some weight, so let’s try this..

Yes, yes, I know all that. The challenge is to lose weight in a group of bored, overworked, under-exercised, stressed men with a general habit of eating free meals which a lot of people would probably find astonishing, as a primary recreation.

The younger ones don’t have the same challenges, but for the older blokes who grew up in an industry where it was usual to eat 4,000-plus calories a day with red meat at every meal, and work it all off again, it’s hard.

I lost 10kg easily, last time I was in a pipeline job, because I was active 12 hrs a day, and pretty much living on tea, coffee, oranges, olives, crusty bread, occasional grilled fish or lamb.