My mum is ­seriously ­overweight and has been for a number of years now. As much as she ignores the problem, I know she is unhappy. She finds it ­difficult to walk long distances and so puts off any sort of ­activity, which only makes the problem worse. She has a very stressful job, which means she eats very badly during the day because she has little time. Everyone else in my family ­acknowledges that it is a problem – they are all worried about her and the ­impact of her weight in the long term, but nobody knows how to talk to her about their concerns without upsetting her. As the only daughter, everyone seems to think I should broach the subject (I am probably the closest to her) but I can't see a way of doing so without causing offence, and without it ­being unbearably awkward. I don't even know how to bring it up.

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