ME:

Hi Doris lovely to see you old girl, how have you been doing?

DORIS:

Not bad young man, still trying to diet!

ME:

You’ve been at this a while now pal, have you not lost all that weight yet?

DORIS:

Not yet, I lose some, put some on, lose a bit more, I just find it hard to be consistent.

ME:

You clearly don’t want to lose it badly enough Doris or you WOULD be consistent!

DORIS:

NOW DON’T YOU START THAT WITH ME! Dieting is NOT easy, it’s HARD, you clearly don’t understand.

ME:

Calm down girl, I DO UNDERSTAND, and I realise life gets in the way, and temptation is everywhere and sticking to a diet is hard but STILL I stand by what I said, if you wanted it badly enough, you would DO IT!

DORIS:

I DO WANT IT BADLY ENOUGH, but I just can’t stick to it, sometimes I get so hungry, and then everyone around me is eating all these nice foods and you can’t be expected to go without, life has to be worth something, all this skipping carbs or missing breakfast, it’s not for me, I just can’t do it.

ME:

Oh I completely agree Doris…

DORIS:

Don’t humour me young man, you do NOT get it or agree with me OR you would not have made such a flippant statement about me not wanting it badly enough.

ME:

OK Doris, let’s test this….If someone offered you Half a Million Pounds, and a pair of new knees, in return for you sticking to your diet for a whole 4 weeks, would you do it?

DORIS:

Of course I would I would be a fool not to, these knees are killing me!

ME:

BUT, if that diet was ONLY eating two bowls of soup a day, lunch and evening meal, with no bread, JUST SOUP, for half a million pounds and new knees, would you still do it for a month?

DORIS:

OF COURSE, it’s only a month, only an idiot would not do that.

ME:

But what about the skipping breakfast, and having no carbs, and not enjoying treats, or your whisky?

DORIS:

YOUNG MAN, I grew up in the war, I KNOW WHAT HARDSHIP IS, I am quite capable of sticking to a diet for 4 weeks, unlike the youth of today who have never known true hardship or even food restriction.

ME:

So we are agreed. You CAN stick to a diet IF there is motivation enough to do so, or put another way “If you want it badly enough”. All of a sudden your attitude has changed from “How can I be expected to do that” to “Damn right I am going to do that and will NOT be beaten”

DORIS:

You’re confusing me now young man…

ME:

Doris, I am saying that yes you need to want it badly enough but equally importantly you have to have the right attitude, not one of ‘I can’t do that” but one of “Damn right I CAN do that”

DORIS:

You’re still confusing me..

ME:

Well hopefully everyone reading this has understood the point of it all!

DORIS:

So when do I start?

ME:

Start what?

DORIS:

The diet, to get my new knees.

ME:

NOW DORIS, TODAY; Stick to your diet, drop two stone and your knees WILL seem like new.