We all know people who appear to sail through life, happily moving from one success to the next. And yet there are others who fail at just about anything they have a go at – but can always tell you why it wasn’t their fault. Our civilisation is made up of victors and victims. The difference between the two can very often be reduced to one key thing, and that’s attitude.

Both my wife Katie and I were desperate to reduce our weight, so we had a little heart to heart about why we wanted to be thinner, and what that would mean to us. Our little tete-a-tete revealed a rather basic wish-list. As far as my wife was concerned, she wanted more get-up-and-go when the kids wanted to do things. Also, she wanted to feel more confident revealing herself to me.

Mental mind pictures spring into our head when we think of our ideal life scenario. Maybe we see a more prestigious home or a stylish vehicle in our mind’s eye. Nearly every one of us will picture ourselves as slimmer and more attractive, with stylish clothes to wear.