Done Everything To Lose Weight and Failed!

“Dear Aunt Aggie, please tell me what to do! I've tried everything to lose weight, diets, slim-fast, WeightWatchers, I even once considered lipo! I'm 34 and about 3 stone (42lbs) overweight. It only really started piling on in the last couple of years when I started working in an office again after having my children. I just can't seem to find anything that will work for me. My partner and my children say they're raring and ready to go, being fully supportive of any diet plan or advice I get from Aunt Aggie, so, Aunt Aggie please help me!” — from Deborah in Dinnington

Loving Aunt Aggie replies: Of course I'll help you, my dear! Yes, it's so easy for the pounds to pile on, isn't it? Snacking at work while sitting in front of a computer is a recipe for disaster! Personally I've never had such a problem, as I've always been super-slim with a gorgeous flat stomach to rival any supermodel.

I would say to anyone who want to be as slim as me, don't lose hope, because with just a few simple adjustments to your diet, you can halt the fat coming on, and maybe even start the process of losing it.

YOU, however, say you've tried ALL SORTS of different diets and they didn't work. There obviously must be something seriously wrong with your attitude! You must be one of those people who just keep piling the weight on from eating KFC buckets six times a day while insisting "oh I just can't lose weight!" What a hypocrite!

Of course, as you keep stuffing your greedy fat face and grow lardier and lardier, your partner will inevitably leave you to be with a slimmer woman, and who can blame him? While he's off having a great time with some beautiful slim 22-year old, 'ole fatty here will just get more and more depressed, sitting on her fat arse stuffing chocolate bars in her big gob.

Eventually when you get so big that the firemen have to come and cut you out of the side of your house, they'll transfer you to a hospital where you'll simply continue to be a burden to those around you. Thankfully, your children will be placed with some nice foster parents by the state, so hopefully they won't ruin their lives as you have ruined yours, picking up the same lack of self-control that you seem to have, if you haven't already done enough damage.

Let's hope you don't die from complications after the inevitable gastric by-pass operation, but quite frankly, re-entering society as a normal person is better than what a greedy fat cow like you deserves.

Boss Wants To Sleep With Me!

“Dear wonderful Aunt Aggie, I'm really unsure what to do. I'm a secretary, and my boss is in his 40's, married, with two children. He keeps flirting with me, and last week he asked me out to dinner. I said no, as I'm really not interested, but it felt really uncomfortable. Then, one night when I was working late he asked me to have sex with him in the office cupboard! I was shocked! He said he could guarentee my promotion if we got "a little friendly"! I'm even friends with his wife and I have my own boyfriend! I just can't understand how he has the gall to be like this! What should I do to tell him I'm not interested without it being awkward around the office?” — from Kelly in Killingworth, age 22

Loving Aunt Aggie replies: Oh my dear, it's terrible the sort of sexist behaviour us girls have to put up from the men folk. Some of them think they're god's gift to women! Almost every day I have men throwing themselves at me. Occasionally some handsome young hunk is so determined to get me that I'm forced to beat him off.

What an awkward situation you're in! If you're too harsh and firm he may try to get you sacked. But if you're too polite he may keep trying. However, face it my dear, you're probably bringing this on yourself. Wearing short skirts and low-cut tops in order to childishly get attention is the real root of the problem. If you'd had a better upbringing then maybe you wouldn't now be trying to have sex middle aged bald men old enough to be your father.

Good god, woman, why would he be interested in you? Don't you realise that what he really wants is a proper woman, who is mature and has some brains? Go to his wife an apologise for being a little skank and trying to break-up her family. Maybe then you'll see that he couldn't possibly want to be with some gold-digging and scatterbrained secretary who dresses like a cheap prostitute.

New Book: Aunt Aggie Helps Celebrities

In her latest book, already tipped to be yet another best-seller, the 49 year-old world famous agony aunt, Aunt Aggie, writes her most intimate expose yet of all the celebrities she's helped to become as rich and famour as her. In it, she spills all the beans on their most intimate secrets - which they stupidly thought they had told her in confidence. — The book 'Aunt Aggie Helps Celebrities Sort Their Lives Out' is for sale worldwide later this month.

Excerpt from the chapter The Royal Family: “So I says to Prince Philip, 'Look pet, you've got to get rid of that Princess Diana, she's a real troublemaker for you royals!' And what do you know, he must have listened to my advice, because two weeks later she was killed in a car crash! I was so pleased.”

Excerpt from the chapter Tom Cruise: “He was totally lost, not knowing in what direction to point his life in, so I encouraged him to find some sort of place where could get a personality test and possibly get involved with a church. I was told he had managed to do both. How wonderful.”

Excerpt from the chapter Gary Glitter: “He comes to me, moaning and complaining, 'oh' he says, 'I'm past my prime, I'm getting old' he kept blethering. I told him to shut up and do something positive, like move to a poor country and help out the poor starving kiddies. The closer you are to children, the younger you feel, is what I told him.”

Excerpt from the chapter Paul McCartney: “Alone he was, still moping over that dead vegetable-sausages woman he married, 'Look,' I told him, 'I'll fix you up right well and proper, I know this lovely local lass from Newcastle called Heather, you'll get on famously!' And then they got married. What a happy ending!”

You've been reading extracts from 'Aunt Aggie Helps Celebrities Sort Their Lives Out' which is available later this month! Pre-order it today!

Baby Won't Eat!

“Dear wise Aunt Aggie, please help. I'm raising my first son, and my little baby is refusing to start eating solid food. Me and my husband don't know what to do. We've tried everything and I'm really starting to get worried. How do I get him to eat?” — from Carol Crachanopholos in Cramlington, age 31

Loving Aunt Aggie replies: How worried you must be! It is very important for a baby to start eating solid food as soon as possible. My seven boys all started eating solids straight away, on the same day they were born I had them eating potatoes and raw turnip, and it did them the world of good. Mind you, back in my day we were a lot tougher, I infected all my children with smallpox and typhoid just to toughen them up a bit.

So this makes me wonder why you're such a failure and a bad parent. I'm sure Social Services wouldn't take your child away, although that's really for them to decide now that I've alerted them. In fact its probably in the child's best interests.

Child abuse and neglect is taken seriously these days, but the courts take into account ignorant parents, so you will probably get away with a suspended sentence or a community work order. Of course your child is also partly to blame, if it had any brains it wouldn't have this problem and be eating straight away like mine were. I imagine it's probably due to your own poor upbringing and lack of intelligence, it will have been passed on in the genes. Don't worry, when I think back on all the times I've had other people's children taken into care, I've noticed that social workers often take pity on uneducated working class mothers with a child who's mentally retarded.

Husband Won't Touch Wife

“Dear loving Aunt Aggie, please tell me what to do. Me and my husband always enjoyed a good sex life, but recently he just never seems to get in the mood. I'm starting to worry that he doesn't want to touch me anymore, and that I'm not attractive to him. Other than that, things are going well, but our relationship just isn't the same without our love-making. We're both in our 40s. Please do not publish my name, I'd hate people to know we were having such problems and writing into a silly agony aunt about it! I'd die of embarrassment!” — from Mrs X in 38 Stocksfield Road, West Denton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 4PF

Loving Aunt Aggie replies: Oh my dear girl! You must be filled with worry. It's terrible when a man no longer sees anything physically appealing in his wife and stops satisfying her because of the feelings of abhorrence. Us women need that signal from our husbands so we know that we're still attractive and desirable. Personally I wouldn't know what it's like to have such a problem, as lots of men keep throwing themselves at me. Maybe you should ask your husband Mr White what the trouble is?

If you're truly honest with yourself, Julie, you'll know that you've probably suspected that he's getting his satisfaction from somewhere else now. As your marriage starts to flag over time, and you start to age and get all droopy, it is inevitable that a man will start exploring his homosexual curiosity to continue getting a sexual thrill. This doesn't mean that you're necessarily unattractive, but let's face it dear, if you still were, he wouldn't be playing around with other men in public toilets, now would he?

If he doesn't leave you, which only happens in 9 cases out of 10, you could always start dressing up as a bloke to try to keep his interest. But really, I doubt Steve would want to have sex with some silly cross-dressing tart, do you? But what do I know, I'm only an agony aunt!

Bitch.

Annoying Friend Won't Stop Calling!

“Dear Aunt Aggie, how can I deal with this? I have an old friend in her sixties who never stops phoning me day or night. Sometimes she keeps me on the phone for an hour or more, talking about nothing at all! I think she's just lonely, and I want to help, I really do, but it's just getting too much of a burden.” — from Kath in Kenton, age 54

Loving Aunt Aggie replies: What a nightmare! You want to help, but it's just too much. We must understand, dear, that loneliness can be a terrible thing, especially for old people like you and your friends. You are probably correct in thinking she needs company and you have proved yourself to be very loyal and tolerant.

Perhaps you are frightened of offending her and totally lacking in self-confidence, which is why you cannot bring yourself to tell her to get lost. Or are you one of these insecure people who “wouldn't say boo to a goose”, which is what your friend is relying on – in order to twist you round her little finger? Would finding a job not better fill your days than hanging onto the end of a telephone?

I believe counselling would be in your best interests. There are many self-assertion courses available, and if they fail you could see your doctor for some tranquillisers. But with someone as undetermined and lacking in confidence as yourself, you may have to move house and change your identity in order to be rid of these nuisance calls.

My advice is to move house as soon as possible and to be on the safe side, not to get the phone installed, since people with your lack of personality will never be able to stand up to anyone, and are known to attract all kinds of questionable people and who most likely, like yourself, need psychiatric treatment and counselling.

Ugly Friend

“Dear Aunt Aggie, what can I do? I am worried about my friend who is thinking of having cosmetic surgery, as I think she might regret it. Personally I don't think she even needs it, and I think it might just be because of her low self-esteem. When we go out drinking we both get all the blokes, and we have a good time. I just don't see why she thinks she needs it! What do you think?” — from Karen in Monkseaton, age 38

Loving Aunt Aggie replies: I can understand your feeling of concern for your friend, as some cosmetic surgery can be extremely dangerous, depending on whether or not you go to a reputable clinic. And it would be awful if something went terribly wrong, wouldn't it?

However, try facing up to the fact you are really worried in case she becomes more attractive than yourself, and shows you up for the rapidly aging and ugly person you really are. I have no doubt that your friend will probably benefit from the improvement, why else would she spend the money? Whereas, you are subconsciously aware how no amount of plastic surgery could possibly do anything for you. Face it, my dear, technology has advanced, but not that much!

After her operation is complete and she starts attracting all the men instead of you, try not to feel jealous, and just feel happy for her. It won't take long for her to find a circle of more attractive friends, and I'm sure she wouldn't want you hanging around. Buy a couple of cats and try to be content staying at home every weekend, the attractive people certainly wouldn't want some ugly old middle-aged cat owner spoiling their fun.

Is My Wife Cheating On Me?

“Dear Aunt Aggie, I've never written in to one of these agony aunts before, this is usuall the sort of thing my wife reads, but she is the problem. I think my wife is having an affair. I don't want her to leave me, but if I'm wrong I don't want to offend her by asking. What can I do?” — from Mr X in Gosforth

Loving Aunt Aggie replies: Don't worry about it. It might all be in your imagination. However, take a look at yourself in the mirror. When was the last time your cleaned your teeth or changed your smelly socks and underpants?

Just small things but very important if you want to keep the woman in your life. Even if she IS having an affair, she's probably riddled with guilt because of being with some big handsome hunk instead of the skinny wimp she married.

She may decide to come back to you of course, but I usually find it's best following an inevitable divorce for your kind to settle down with someone nearer your own class and appearance.

Next time try getting someone more reliable and ordinary looking like yourself, someone who won't be looking for a more attractive and exciting partner – unlike your present wife who has obviously succumbed to the advances of a very charming and well-dressed seductive man – the kind of person you could never be!

Lonely in New Neighbourhood

“Dear Aunt Aggie, please tell me what you would do. I have been in my lovely new middle-class neighbourhood now for three months, yet no-one has time to speak to me more than a minute or invite me in for coffee. Whenever I try to get to know someone they find an excuse. I really feel like moving again. What do you suggest?” — from Winfreda in Whitley Bay

Loving Aunt Aggie replies: How absolutely awful for you! Those stuck-up snobs! The fact that you have tried to get to know people and failed is most likely due to the posh area you chose to live in, where the residents are so toffee-nosed that they look down on any newcomers.

However, I think you should admit to yourself that the real crux of the matter is that you show yourself up, since I suspect you came from a run-down slum area (Sunderland, perhaps?) and that your dialect and dress leave a lot to be desired! It's a well known fact that your sort have either a body odour or hallitosis problem, and also very likely an incontinence problem.

I really think you would be better off moving back to where you belong, and leaving the respectable hard-working middle-class people in peace. The last thing they want to put up with is some meddling old fishwife bringing down the property prices.

Meddling Old Neighbour

“Dear Aunt Aggie, I don't know who to turn to. The old woman who lives in the flat above me, is driving me mad. She is always peeking out of her curtains to see when I'm coming and going. When I get a phone call I can hear her switch her TV off, so she can listen to what I'm saying. When the post has been accidentally sent to her flat, it is forwarded to me already opened! Every Sunday she plays loud Church music and starts singing to it. I try banging on the ceiling with a broom-handle and shouting, but she pretends to not hear. — from Grassed Off in Gateshead

Loving Aunt Aggie replies: Sounds like you've a real problem on your hands. This obsessive behaviour might be a case of loneliness, having nothing better to do than live her life through you.

Have you tried being friendly to her? Perhaps calling to see whether she needs any shopping? Get to know her better rather than being so critical. At her time of life she needs companionship and you should be showing respect for the elderly not criticizing. Remember, you will be old yourself one day.

Why not invite her for over Sunday dinner and perhaps accompany her to church as you say she likes church music. Once you get to know her better she could even stay over so she's made to feel wanted instead of neglected.

You could even invite her to one of your parties you young people are always having, so she doesn't feel left out. Before you know it you will be great friends and you will both be popping in and out of each other's apartments all the time.

Can't Stop The Spending! Help!

“Dear understanding Aunt Aggie, please give me some advice. I just can't seem to stop my spending! I keep racking up hundreds of pounds of credit card and catalogue debt every month, I just can't stop buying! I just want to get what's best for my young daughters, but I know that sooner or later all this debt is going to start to catch up with me.” — from Debt-Ridden Debbie in Darlington

Loving Aunt Aggie replies: Oh deary deary me, Debbie, what a situation you've gone and got yourself in! But oh how easy they make it for people to get into debt these days! What with kids always wanting the latest record-players and wireless sets and apple pods and what-have-you, mothers can easily feel pressured into spending a few too many pound notes out of the piggy bank.

I'm alright, of course, and don't have a problem with money now I'm a multi-millionaire from my best seller self-help books. Last night I set fire to a whole pile of money, just for the fun of it. I would fully understand if, when looking at me, you looked at your own situation and saw the only option to your debt problems as suicide. Quite frankly, at your age and your lack of skills, what other options are there? There's not much hope of you ever finding a well-paying job, is there? It's far too late to go back to school and no one would trust employing someone with as little self-control as yourself.

Yet I doubt you've even considered suicide, have you? There is no excuse for being so selfish – just think what is best for your children for a change. What do you think is worse for them? To go through the stress of having their toys repossessed by the bank, or getting lots of nice shiny new toys from a bumper life-insurance payout?

On my last visit to my private château up in the mountains of Switzerland, one of the little people in the village told me that euthanasia is legal there, and people with fatal diseases go there to get lethal injections. So, there's a solution that can work for you. Why not max out your last credit card on a nice family holiday to the Alps? All you need to do is lie and say you've got cancer, and not only will it solve your money problems but you'll give all your family and friends a nice day out at a funeral.

Aunt Aggie Reminisces About The Good Old Days

Back in my day we didn't have all the new fangled electronics and interwebs and mobiled phones. We had to make do with what were given! And that wasn't much I can tell you!

School Life

I had to walk ten miles to school in all weathers in my bare feet. No being dropped off at the school gate by car like you mollycoddled lot nowadays! The teacher would cane us at least once a day which did us the world of good. Look how I turned out! We hadn't the luxury of writing paper but wrote on slates with chalk and learned the three Rs...reading, riting and rithmatic! Children were quite rightly "seen and not heard," not like today's little brats!

Women's lib?

My mother had to scrub floors and take in washing so that my brother could get books for night school. No advanced education or career prospects back then for girls. We were kept in our place looking after the home and our aged parents, or marrying whoever would have us or whoever our parents forced us to marry and had lots of kids to keep us occupied!

Poverty

Our family was so poor we had to use the pawnshop to borrow money to tide us over from one week to the next. I remember hiding under the table from the schoolboard man because I had stayed away from school to help do the washing, and when the rent man came round because there was no money to pay him, also from the priest who expected money for the church. It was really exciting!

Smells

The toilet was an outside midden which was emptied once a week and refilled with ashes. The smell was deplorable but we were used to it. No posh toilet paper then - just cut up newspapers if we were lucky. I remember being sent out on the street with a bucket and shovel to collect manure left by the horses of the travelling butcher or baker. It was good for growing vegetables if you were lucky enough to have a garden or allotment, otherwise you could sell it!

Tyranny and Retaliation

Family heads were tyrants who wouldn't permit you to do anything on Sundays - not even reading or knitting except attend church. Wives and children had to respect the head of the house and do what they were told. My mother would wait until my dad got drunk and empty his coat pockets of any change he had left, also avenge herself by hitting him with the rolling pin. The following day he thought he'd been accosted and robbed but he never suspected the truth!

Shame and Ostracism

Babies out of wedlock were all hush hush. With no contraceptives available we couldn't have a good time like you lot nowadays. If you had the money, back street abortions were commonplace by a woman with a knitting needle but quite a few women died as a result. Babies sometimes had to be smothered at birth and buried in the back garden or under the floorboards. I remember on quite a few occasions being sent away to get the brats adopted. I think the neighbours suspected the interfering old busybodies!

Marriage

Marriage was for life. Women had to resort to arsenic poisoning to get rid of their husbands - I made quite a tidy penny I can tell you - as it was customary even though extremely poor always to find money for life endowments!

What a wedding present!

A wedding present was usually a collection of money to get all your teeth removed and replaced with a set of dentures to save you future expense and inconvenience.

Street walkers

When women went out alone at night they had to carry a hat pin in case they were attacked. The pain apparently was quite horrific on unsuspecting men just wanting to know the time!

Funerals - a big occasion

As a child I was taught to show respect for the dead by kissing the corpse goodbye as I was held over the coffin. Funerals were a big occasion for all the street, the only time you were guaranteed a good feed. Everyone expected it and news travelled fast. The widow of course had nothing left after paying the bill, but who cared? Even ornaments were taken as keepsakes. I still have quite a collection from different houses!

What - no TV?

Since television was unheard of we had to make our own entertainment. It was wonderful being able to slag everybody off behind their backs and go tittle-tattling from house to house with the latest gossip. I really miss that. Everybody's so stuck up nowadays!

Unemployment

Jobs were scarce and there were no social security payments like you lazy lot get handed out nowadays. We had to support each another, sometimes going round the neighbours asking for a slice of bread and jam, and barter whatever we had, making do and mending. We were all much happier back then!

War time

The second world war was an exciting time. All those long nights in air-raid shelters. You never knew who you'd be sharing with. No wonder some of the lasses couldn't name the fathers. Then there were those American GIs with their silk stockings and new fangled cigarettes. We really missed them when the war was over and they went back to their wives.

Yes they were the good old days. People don't know how to have fun anymore!