The art of slimming

Cover of The Modern Art CookbookAre you in a wintry rut? Sitting in your little corner: fat, demotivated and glum. If you’ve given exercise its chance, and it’s too cold to diet, try Art.

That is correct, Art can make you slim. Here’s how:

Ease into this gently. First establish Art as a pleasurable activity. What makes you happy? Food. There is a beautiful book that connects Art and food  - The modern art cookbook, opens a new window by Mary Ann Caws. In this stunning book, you can relate to food (madeleines, red snapper, rare roast beef) as if you were already a famous artist like Monet, opens a new window or Salvador Dalí, opens a new window.

Next step, arm yourself with philosophical arguments that will put all the naysayers in their place. And who better to have on your side than Everyman’s Philosopher Alain de Botton with his academically entertaining Art as therapy, opens a new window. de Botton’s approach could satisfy your senses better than a plate of macaroni cheese. Or not.

Book Cover of Kitchen KitschShould Philosophy fail (as well it might), move on to a bit of aversion therapy. Take a trip back in time, before food photography became the art that it is to-day. There is some scary looking food on display in Kitchen kitsch, opens a new window: pictures of a nightmarish pie on page 15, overly shiny pineapple slices and sliced food trapped in lurid jello might help you lose your appetite.

But if you still just want to e-a-t, you will need to up your game and draw everything that you eat. This is what Danny Gregory in The creative license, opens a new window demands that you do. Every Day. It’s brilliant, you eat less because you are terrified of trying to draw that cheeseburger and fries. Or you are so busy sketching, you don’t have time to munch.

Oh, and you get really good at drawing. I like the look of this!