Portsmouth News

A few sit-ups and I’m back on the chocolate biscuits

- ALUN NEWMAN

Ihave no idea what body size you are. Me? I'm a skinny fella who is ‘nearly’ six feet tall. I used to say I was six feet but if you do that and you’re actually 5ft 11in (which I am) everyone who is 6ft and above will point out that they don’t believe you.

It’s as if you're trying to gain entry into a club but you don’t have the right ID.

Height is a genetic consequenc­e which is outside of our control so why people feel the need to protect certain thresholds is beyond me.

Having said that, if someone says they are 5ft 11in when they're clearly not, I will jump in immediatel­y as if I’m a member of the height police.

It must be a ‘power’ or insecurity thing.

As thin people, we often get told that we’re ‘lucky’ and others never stop telling us they wish they had our metabolism.

This, I think, is actually not unreasonab­le.

I have always been able to indulge my chocolate biscuit addiction with little body impact.

The hidden impact of cholestero­l is something else.

I actually had a few days last year when I was eating a packet of biscuits a day for a while.

They were those thick chocolatey ones, they are my kryptonite. There the ones where the chocolate sits neatly on top of a rectangula­r Rich Tea-style biscuit. I was out of control for nearly a month.

Currently, there are no ‘help group’ meetings for biscuit addicts, you know, the ones where you stand up in a circle of others and declare your biscuit problem.

I simply had to rein it in. The challenge is exercise.

I like doing regular exercise, which I have done for several years.

However, I sometimes hear myself saying ‘I’ve done some exercise so a few biscuits are okay’.

Come on Alun, think SAS. Think Ant Middleton. Mind control.

It’s just that it’s so easy to nibble around the edge of each biscuit!

Aside from the biscuit point, the reason I’m chatting to you about body size is because of the new year sales.

Is it just me or is every sale item, online or in-store, never in your size.

Even if you include the strange tolerance for different items.

For example, my feet change size depending on whether I’m buying shoes or trainers.

If I’m going for a shirt, I never know whether to go for a neck size of fifteen, fifteen-and-a-half, or a 16 until the shirt is actually on me.

I’m cruising the internet for some new jeans and spot a great deal.

I click on it and they either only have a size that would fit Kylie Minogue in one direction, or a size that would only fit Geoff Capes in the other.

Even if you change the search criteria clearly indicating what size you are, you still click when you see something you like. It turns out the computer is ignoring you anyway and thinking to itself ‘this’ll be funny and get their hopes up!’

In-store it seems to be the same.

I was in a shop in my local town and they had some great ‘sweatpants’ (tracksuit bottoms unless you’re from New York).

They were a great deal but only had them in size XXXL.

I could have climbed into one leg.

I asked the assistant if they had any ‘out the back’ in my size and he laughed.

The key here is, if you are looking for a deal in the sales, either change your height or put on 10 stones, then you might just find a bargain.

… others never stop telling us they wish they had our metabolism

 ?? ??
 ?? ?? Alun just can’t find clothes to fit him.
Alun just can’t find clothes to fit him.

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