One hundred percent lard

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I'm obese. No, I exaggerate. I was last time I weighed myself but today I've crossed the threshold; I'm overweight.

This is because Maggie decided to join all of Spain in "operation bikini" - shedding those extra kilos ready for the summer. She signed up to an online diet club that provides her with menus and some sort of personal cheerleader to keep her spirits up when the lettuce and low fat dressing become too much. The website is an UK based one.

I do most of the shopping and most of the cooking when we're in Cartagena. Wandering the supermarket shelves in search of this or that product I've realised that the reduced calorie/low fat market is really underdeveloped here. It's not nonexistent but low fat spreads, cottage cheese and what not are not an easy buy. Perhaps Spaniards have never been taken in by the high fat foods that are marketed as reduced fat yet still contain far more calories than something more traditional. Better a big salad, dressed with olive oil, and some fresh fish than reduced fat chips served with reduced fat mayonnaise and low fat burgers.

Actually I'm quite enjoying the diet in a slightly masochistic sort of way. Food has become much more of an event and I think it's reminded me of something blindingly obvious. We weren't necessarily eating particularly fattening/unhealthy food but we were eating far too much of it.

By the way, the photo isn't me.

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