This book would not have been possible without the generous advice of Cliff Meyerson who pushed me beyond my limit, and my wife Cathy who suffered through the entire process of fat to fitness, then had to read, check and support my writing. I know there were times when aching muscles, empty stomach and feeling exhausted made me grumpier than usual and you both took it in your stride. Thank you.
I’d like to thank my readers Paul, Mike, Judy, Cliff, Cathy and Anja for always giving me their honest opinion … whether I like it or not.
To Linda de Villiers and her team at Random House Struik, particularly Cecilia Barfield and Helen Henn who encouraged, edited and designed a unique book. Thank you for all your advice and hard work.
To photographers David Penny and Sean Calitz, it’s true, a picture is worth a thousand words, especially in a gym where the majority of words used should not be printed.
To Nick Mallett who manfully admitted to ‘Old Fartness’, I thank you for your fine foreword and generous spirit.
To my dear and greatly missed friends, Bill Flynn and Jonathan Rands, Old Farts of note, who would be most amused at having caused all the sweating, grunting and groaning that went into this book. I see you on every page.
And finally to all those who read this book and join the club, I say welcome, I hope you enjoy it and wish you all a fitter future.