How to lose 11 stone in six months - don't eat

Pic caption: Idris Lewis in his special trousers which come complete with a wife.

This week the Bristol Evening Post ran the almost unbelievable story about a man who lost 11 stone in six months, read it here.

The secret of his success? He stopped eating.

Well, that is definitely one way to approach it. The starvation diet, as practised by prisoners of war, concentration camp victims and the two thirds of the world that lives on a dollar a day.

Idris Lewis, aged 69, of Nailsea in North Somerset managed in six months to do something people like me have been struggling with for about six years, although even I would stop short of 11 stone.

But he had good reason for his extreme approach. The doctor told him he needed to lose the weight before he could have an operation on his heart valve, which he needed to save his life.

I can relate entirely to that of course having had a heart valve replacement operation almost two years ago. That news was enough to make me stop smoking right there and then, so I can see how he got the motivation to live on nothing but mineral water mixed with a protein supplement.

According to the report he was over 26 stone at his heaviest before he started the weight loss, and he is pictured in the now-oversized trousers he used to wear.

Of course there is part of me that is very jealous of his success, but is it really a success or simply a desperate measure to ensure he has the life-saving operation he needs. It can't possibly be seen as a way of life, and definitely not a balanced diet.

As soon as he starts eating anything again he is surely going to put some weight back on. Hopefully not as much as he had done before, especially if he has had a new heart valve fitted, but going from eating nothing, to eating something, even one of those Weight Watchers chocolate biscuit things, has to mean weight gain.

If nothing else it does show that it is possible to lose weight quickly, if you really want to. Whether it's healthy or not is another issue, but if I ever get tired of munching on veg and fish and trying to run for miles and miles, I can always head down the doctor and get him to suggest a course of liquid laxatives. Perhaps.

Essentially I can't make up my mind whether to worship him as a patron saint of people trying to lose weight, or an example of the dangers of extreme dieting. It would be good to see a follow-up a year from now in the Evening Post to see how he is doing and whether the weight loss has been sustainable.

What the hell, pass me the Slim Fast.