My father has always advocated exercising the elbows (use them to push yourself away from the table a lttle earlier). Seriously though, I have heard and read - like most of us - most of the suggestions above (admittedly the pool water is a new one to me!). I think we can all make too much of a science out of diet and become obsessed with calorie counting and so on. Obviously with certain medical conditions we have to eat - or avoid - certain things. But having taken account of that, and cut back on the obvious high fat things, it is a simple case of eat a little less, exercise a little more. If that's not doing it, then eat a little less, and exercise a little more! Still not working? Then expert medical/dietary help would seem to be indicated.

Not that I'm any role model, far from it! But I've always noticed that the people I know who are trimmest and fittest...are the ones who eat a little less, exercise a little more!