The chilling rise of the Pro-Naana website

The last few years has seen a chilling rise in the popularity of so called "Pro-Ana" websites where a predominantly teenage female readership celebrate what they see to be the joys of eating orders such as anorexia. Typically, near skeletal pro-ana forum members swap ideas and recipe tips, such as eating a bowl of steam every other day (with a piece of cress once a week) as a means of keeping off the pounds and ensuring cheek-bones remain so sharp they could be used to grate cheese — not that any pro-ana enthusiast would actually eat cheese.

In recent months, however, the pro-ana mantra of "It's a lifestyle choice not a disorder" has been hijacked by a growing army of Indian food enthusiasts, dedicated to hoovering up as much curry, dahls, bhajis and sundries as possible, not to mention the vast naan breads that have given their name to the new "pro-naana" websites.

The author of one site, Silas Bogarthary explains: "In January 2005 I spent nearly £600 on gym membership and over £70 on lycra as I really wanted to get fit. I weighed just over nineteen stone and had wobbly man-boobs. I saw a couple of Gilliam McKeith programmes on Channel 4 and thought that this would be the year I'd get my self in shape."

But two months down the line, Bogarthary's enthusiasm had disintegrated, largely as the result of the treatment he received from fellow gym-goers.

"I was nicknamed 'Pie Boy' and my sagging pecs regularly received towel-flickings from ultra fit types — the sort of wankers who spent their gym sessions listening to The Eye Of The Tiger whilst staring at each other in the wall mirrors. I think they were mostly recruitment consultants. After one session where I was wedgied and told I would have to sumo wrestle my way out of the gym. After I eventually got out I thought 'Fuck it, I'm going for a curry' — and I haven't looked back since. Not a day has gone by when I haven't eaten at least two curries washed down by a dozen pints of Guinness. After one session, I shat in a box, wrapped it up and sent it off to Gillian McKeith with note that read 'analyse that stick bitch'. So far I haven't heard back from her."

Bogarthary's next step was to set up a website which openly waved two fingers at conventional nutritional wizdom, eschewing this in favour of a take-away based diet with plenty of snacking between meals. Unashamed bloaters from all over the UK and signed up with the website (which we declining to name in the interest of promoting sensible eating) and the forums are now full of recipes such as tuna-bhuna (two tins of tuna, one jar of Patak's finest), Seafood-Stick Jalfrezi and deep-fried sag paneer naan topped with a Bombay Bay Boy Pot Noodle. With a Vienetta for pudding.

"We're about to launch our own branded four-ply toilet paper and we're planning a topless calendar featuring some of our bigger titted members. I'm going to pose dressed as Dolly Parton complete with a blonde wig," adds Bogarthary. "And then we're going down the Gym. A few of us want to have a word with those recruitment consultants I mentioned — we'll see about sumo wrestling..."

Previously

• Scientists discover new order of insects
• Courtney Love to star in Hell's Kitchen II
• Coconut pulls India and Pakistan back from brink