18 2GM Monday August 3 2020 | the times
News
Diet experts have wrongly targeted
women over the years as it is men who
are truly “deluded” over their excess
weight, a doctor has claimed.
Michael Mosley, the presenter of a
Channel 4 series that begins on
Wednesday, says that men are far more
likely to lie to themselves about carry-
ing extra pounds.
The doctor and broadcaster, 63, is
fronting Lose a Stone in 21 Days, which is
aimed at viewers who have gained
weight through inactivity and in-
creased snacking during the Covid-
lockdown.
Experts and the prime minister have
said that those who are overweight
stand a higher chance of requiring hos-
pital treatment if they contract corona-
virus. It is also thought that they have a
higher chance of dying from it.
“An awful lot of people are unaware
of how much weight they put on, par-
ticularly around the gut,” Dr Mosley
said. He added that research showed
only 10 per cent of people who are obese
know they are overweight but that the
figure is only 7 per cent for men.
“Men are deluded — they’re much
more prone to thinking they are leaner
and fitter than they are,” he said.
“They take less care of their health
and yet they are at greater risk of things
like diabetes.”
Dr Mosley said those taking part in
his programme had “no idea how much
Obese men deluded
about their weight
weight they put on” and “the worst of
the fat is the stuff around the gut”.
The doctor asked participants to
guess the size of their waistlines before
having them measured. “They were out
by between two and 12 inches,” he said.
Dr Mosley denied that the pro-
gramme, which offers practical advice
on overhauling lifestyles, involved so-
called fat-shaming. “Body-shaming is
awful,” he said, adding: “It is incredibly
ineffective. Telling people they’re fat
never works. Any diet is only ever going
to work if the person wants to do it.
“This is a health show. What I’m try-
ing to do is make these people healthier
and put them on a healthier path. This
is not about weight itself so much as
about health.”
Dr Mosley popularised the 5:2 diet,
which involves fasting two days a week.
More extreme versions of the diet in-
volve adherents fasting for several con-
secutive days.
Last week the prime minister an-
nounced that GPs will be able to pre-
scribe Weight Watchers diet plans to
overweight patients as part of measures
to tackle the obesity crisis.
Boris Johnson urged the public to “do
their bit” in the fight against fat. Minis-
ters said they would ban junk food ad-
vertising before the 9pm watershed on
television and consult on plans to ban it
outright online.
Promotions on junk food such as buy
one, get one free offers and prominent
supermarket displays will be banned.Jonathan Ames
YORKSHIRE POST/SWNSSwan Hellenic
returning to
choppy waters
Sue BryantOne of Britain’s oldest and most
revered cruise lines is to be revived by
investors in what is an audacious move
given the present state of the industry.
Swan Hellenic will make its come-
back in 2021 with a new expedition ship
carrying 152 guests and exploring the
Arctic, Antarctica, New Zealand, Pap-
ua New Guinea, Indonesia and Japan.
A second vessel will follow in 2022.
The new Swan Hellenic will be a far
cry from the original ethos of high-
brow cruises for mature Britons and
some are asking whether the line’s loyal
followers will take to “Scandi-chic
interiors” and glass-walled saunas.
From its beginnings in the 1950s until
its demise in 2017, Swan Hellenic was
known as the thinking person’s cruise
line. There were neither casinos, danc-
ers, nor waterslides, only trips to ar-
chaeological and religious sites. These
were interspersed with lectures from
distinguished speakers from academia,
the military and the diplomatic service.
The new venture appears as though it
will focus as much on adventure as edu-
cation, offering “immersive, exclusive
bucket list experiences for the discern-
ing traveller ”. It will have a more inter-
national audience, too, with offices in
Germany, Monaco and London.
According to Andrea Zito, the chief ex-
ecutive, it will “retain its British heritage
while being international in outlook”.Thirsty work Jonathan Manby, a master cooper, practises his craft at Theakstons
Brewery at Masham, North Yorkshire. The family company was founded in 1827