Support for the Radio West podcast comes from Harmon's Grocery, with a variety of meats for grilling, roasting, and meal prepping.

Harman's, your food, our passion.

The British writer Johan Hari begins his latest book with a story about a party, a fancy one.

It was in the winter of 2022, and it was that moment when the world was opening up again after everything we've been through.

And for the first time in, I don't know, two years, I got invited to a party.

And I immediately said yes. It was in the home of an Oscar

winning actor. I'm not saying that just to name drop. It's relevant. And in the Uber on the way to

the party, I suddenly had this awful sinking feeling. You know, I'd gained quite a lot of weight

during lockdown. And I've been quite fat at the start. And I thought, oh, I felt a bit shlobby and embarrassed.

And then suddenly I thought, oh wait a minute,

almost everyone I know has gained weight during lockdown.

This party's going to be really interesting

because I'm going to see these Hollywood stars with like

a bit of weight on them.

They're going to be a bit flabby.

This is going to be super fascinating.

And I arrived and I started to walk around the party

and it was the weirdest thing.

It's not just that no one had gained weight.

Everyone was gone.

Everyone was markedly thinner than they had been before

and I don't just mean the stars.

...