Otherwise, you could go the way of a plumpyoung friend of ours - in her early twenties - who suddenly decided sheneeded to lose weight.

Armed with a Jane Fonda video, shelaunched into aerobics. Simultaneously, she stopped eating - well,almost. At the end of a few months, the puppy fat disappeared and asleeker, streamlined figure silhouetted itself through her loosesalwar-kameez. Some weeks flew by and, suddenly, she was once againfilling up her clothes.

What had happened to her is the story ofmost people's fitness lives. Everybody starts off with the best ofintentions - to attain physical fitness by whittling away the fat. Butthe time and effort demanded by an average exercise programme - be itsweating through a series of callisthenics or the lonely and oppressiveprospect of running miles only to sit down to a heap of tastelessboiled vegetables, cuts not into the fat, but into the intentions onestarted with. Many people give up with the proverbial grumble of "I washappier when I was fat" So, what went wrong?

Basically, most ofus unwittingly wear time-bound blinkers when we decide to lose weight.We swing to the extreme side of the fitness pendulum by exercising withfierce concentration and starving ourselves into oblivion. Obviously,since this state of existence is unnatural and tiring, the naturalelement within us rebels. We realise we can't stick to this torturouspath we have set for ourselves and jump off at the first opportunity.We may have achieved the desired weight loss, we may be appearing moreattractive, but now, the terrible prospect of maintaining ourselves atthat level-looms ahead. The picture is so bleak that we throw our handsup in desperation and return to our original plump selves resignedly.How does one overcome this I'm-running-to-a-standstill feeling? Thehors d'oeuvres of fitness come in three little bowls. Before you embarkon this new voyage, dip into each bowl for a few wise nibbles:

Such extreme steps, both in exercising and dieting, are unnecessary.

Gradual weight-loss is healthier because your body and mind learn to adjust to your new lifestyle.

What you need is a combination of moderate but extremely efficient physical activity and comfortable, sensible eating.

Onceyou digest these three simple facts, you will realise that fitness isjust round the corner. If you think back, you will see that nature gaveyou a good start. You were a wriggly, vociferous, individualisticinfant who, lying on your back, did your own little callisthenics. Yourushed through your active or inactive school-life with unthinking,high-spirited, chocolate­coated adolescence. It's possible that yougraduated with a degree in your chosen subject as also in snacking atthe canteen. By the time you are seriously installed behind your deskin responsible adulthood, all you are aware of is your next promotionand raise that need to be toasted and banquetted.

You are luckybecause your tolerant, forgiving body has been keeping pace with youwith its obliging metabolism. But as you whizz up your career ladder,there could be faint signs of wheezing in your breath. Yessir, yourlong-suffering body is giving out definite signals. 'Do something,'it's warning you, 'Or else...' So, you act like a blend of asteroid-injected, galvanized acrobat and an Ethiopian refugee andfinally find yourself back to where you began.

But, look at theflab situation calmly. Your body has taken years to accumulate all thatweight. Now, it's your turn to be patient with it. Tune it with theright kind of exercise - at a moderate pace. Feed it lovingly with theright kind of food so that it's comfortable with itself. It may take ayear or two to actually lose that weight, but you would have been doingit at your own pace and gradually inducting yourself into a fitnesslifestyle that not only makes for a slimmer, but also, healthier you.And since it has become part of your living, you will be able tomaintain that level without batting an eyelid. You will be surprisedhow eating a piece of chocolate ­which in any case you haven't deprivedyourself of completely in that year - doesn't, any more, hold thatspecial appeal.

This approach is sounder, more effective andlasting than the most seductive quick-weight-loss programmes whichoperate on the crash ­principle. All you have to give your body is theopportunity and time.