On the diet treadmill (clockwise), Oprah, John Goodman, Madonna and Jessica Biel. Photo Supplied

DON’T dig your grave with your own knife and fork.

This English proverb is a sobering thought, but unfortunately it’s becoming more of a prophesy than a saying as obesity has not only reared its ugly head but rages particularly throughout the Western world, and its not just adults but children not yet teenagers tagged with that awful word as they get off the scales.

It’s true that in America more people die of too much food than too little – a shame it’s not the case in so many African and other Third World countries.

But while the fat and obese grow in numbers and girth day by day, the number taking up diet programs make that a continually expanding growth industry as well.

Thinness may be beauty but just not to be fat is a good start if you can ever trawl through the hundreds of diet plan options, weight loss, fitness and detox programs not to mention the ultimate in drama surgery with staples taking the lead role.

But if it makes you feel better, needing to lose weight and diet is not just the concern of millions of people running ordinary lives; it can be even more important for celebrities.

They are constantly in the public eye with the feral press always ready to point the finger at a bulging waistline or widening thighs on the stars of stage, screen, television, catwalk and recording studio.

They need to look lean because their futures, not to mention the millions of dollars they make every year, are dependent on their shape and size.

All after sleek silhouettes, when it comes to finding the answer or something that promises the answer, the choice is limitless from the long-standing Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig programs, to other famous diets such as the Macrobiotic and Atkins, and even lemonade and soup diets.

Many famous people follow the famous diets.

Along with a fitness regime Madonna has followed the Macrobiotic diet, while Oprah’s diet preferences have changed considerably over the years and the talk-show queen has finally found the one that works is rich in proteins, fruits and vegetables and limits sugar, carbohydrates and alcohol.

Her friend Gayle King tried many diets to lose weight and one tip worked: keeping a food diary. She managed to cut snacks and keep an eye on other unwanted entries to reduce her calorie intake.

Jessica Biel followed a strict diet – now that’s the hard thing to do – when she was preparing for her role in Blade, and that meant no dairy products, sugar, flour or salt and just small meals each day.

And the men are pretty good at keeping the weight in check when they have to lose a few kilos.

Actor John Goodman showed off his new body recently on the popular television talk show Late Night wtith David Letterman after losing an amazing 45 kilos, from a starting weight of 167 kilos – having given up drinking and adopted a sugar-free diet.

Also recently former US President Bill Clinton, always pretty partial to junk food, promised daughter Chelsea he would shed the kilos for her recent nuptials and knocked off more than she challenged him, shedding 10 kilos.

And then there are those who try to look after their health and well-being in the best way they see it, by being vegetarians.

If you think that’s the answer, you’ll join an illustrious crew that includes Brad Pitt, Paul Newman, Kate Winslett, Pamela Anderson and Dustin Hoffman.

Dieting! Eat properly and get some exercise and you probably shouldn’t have to. No, surely that’s too simple.