A thought struck me the other day as I was leafing through a pile of diet magazines. These people would be out of business if we were all the weight we wanted to be. I counted 12 diet, health and fitness magazines in one supermarket alone and they certainly don't carry the whole range.
Then there are the health food shops and special sections in other food outlets with their shelves stacked with stuff to help you get thin, unspeakable powdered drinks, energy bars, slimming patches, vitamin-packed supplements to keep you healthy when you're dieting, low-fat everything, low-calorie meals, endless drinks with zero per cent fat in them, sugar-free sweets (such as the ones that I am sucking as I write) and several different types of sugar substitutes, none of which, in my opinion, taste anything like the real thing.
And what about the pills, creams, bodywraps, slimming belts, exercise equipment, counselling, hypnotherapy and other New Age remedies?
Add to that the books, the television programmes and advertisements, diet clubs, spas and gyms devoted to ridding the world of unwanted fat, and it adds up to an industry worth billions - and we haven't even started on the government departments, the quangos, the conference organisers, the pharmaceutical companies and the people who make their living out of monitoring the whole business.
According to statistics, the UK slimming industry is worth one billion pounds sterling (Dh5.8bn) and the USA market a whopping $33 billion (Dh121bn), clearly reflecting the size of the country and of some of its people. These are eye-popping figures and I don't believe that they even scratch the surface.
In the UK more than a decade ago, the Advertising Standards Authority found it necessary to lay down the law about how manufacturers can advertise their products, bearing in mind that many people with food issues are vulnerable souls.
Ads are now supposed to be honest, decent, truthful and socially responsible. In particular, they are not allowed to say that it's desirable to be underweight. The ASA report stated that the only acceptable method for losing weight is to take in fewer calories than you use and claims that weight loss or inch loss can be achieved by any other means are unacceptable.
The ASA did manage to get rid of the really dishonest ads, such as the ones that claimed that some amazing herbal tea makes you lose weight. Claims for "overnight slimming miracles", or "no-diet, no-exercise" slimming products were also outlawed.
But after a flurry of press interest and a concentrated effort to weed out the fibbers and monitor advertisements it all died down and went away.
In much the same way as the yo-yo dieter sheds pounds, then puts them right back on again, plus some more, the global determination of newspaper and magazine publishers and television programme makers to cash in on our insecurities about our bodies has ballooned.
The poor slimmer is bombarded every day with images of perfect bodies on television and in magazines - and the claims are getting sillier. The advertisers have just found cleverer ways of suggesting brilliant results without falling foul of the watchdogs.
They are still telling us that we can eat all we like on this diet or drop a dress size by Christmas on that one, and they love nothing better than featuring pages and pages of puddings involving chocolate and ice-cream.
An ad I read this week for a new lipgloss claims that it speeds up your metabolism, helping you to lose weight. I reckon Sellotape across the mouth is a better idea but I am as daft as the next person and I expect that I will give it a try.
Clearly the harder these dieticians and nutritionists work churning out their diets, the fatter we all get, especially women. The focus of the slimming industry has always been on women, which is irritating in itself. More fool us for falling for it. Men's magazines on the other hand are all about health and fitness.
The one statistic that should not make sense - but I am assured that it can be proven - is that as the slimming industry grows, so does obesity, especially in children. Now get your head around that one. As far as the UK is concerned, I blame the government (in general) and a succession of education departments (in particular) with their foolhardy determination to sell off school playing fields to developers. They have turned generations of youngsters into couch potatoes who do not take enough exercise and prefer to sit playing computer games.
Busy lives, poor diets, convenience foods, both parents working outside the home, the growth of computer games, soaring crime figures that impact on children being allowed to play away from home - they all play a part. Obesity levels are rising in the USA and the UAE, too. Maybe it is time that we all wake up before it is too late.
In the meantime, I'm going to have to stop now as I've just spotted an ad for chocolate fudge brownie frozen yogurt ice-cream that promises not to ruin my diet. Less than five per cent fat and absolutely delicious, it says here. Must fly.
pkennedy@thenational.ae
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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ARGYLLE
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Directed: Smeep Kang
Produced: Soham Rockstar Entertainment; SKE Production
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Sunny Singh, Omkar Kapoor, Rajesh Sharma
Rating: Two out of five stars
Company%20Profile
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The%20Color%20Purple
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Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
AIDA%20RETURNS
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
HOW%20TO%20ACTIVATE%20THE%20GEMINI%20SHORTCUT%20ON%20CHROME%20CANARY
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The%20Letter%20Writer
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You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
RESULTS
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The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
The National selections
Al Ain
5pm: Bolereau
5.30pm: Rich And Famous
6pm: Duc De Faust
6.30pm: Al Thoura
7pm: AF Arrab
7.30pm: Al Jazi
8pm: Futoon
Jebel Ali
1.45pm: AF Kal Noor
2.15pm: Galaxy Road
2.45pm: Dark Thunder
3.15pm: Inverleigh
3.45pm: Bawaasil
4.15pm: Initial
4.45pm: Tafaakhor
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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