"My diminished girth, in tailor phraseology, was hardly conceivable even by my own friends, or my respected medical adviser, until I put on my former clothing, over what I now wear, which is a thoroughly convincing proof of the remarkable change"
About this Quote
The sentence is a miniature courtroom drama. Friends and even a “respected medical adviser” can’t quite believe it, which flatters the scale of his transformation while preemptively neutralizing skepticism. If even the doctor is stunned, the reader is invited to suspend doubt. Then comes the clincher: he puts on his “former clothing” over his current outfit. It’s a physical gag and an empirical demonstration. Before-and-after photography doesn’t exist yet, so Banting invents a wearable version of it: the old suit becomes the evidence exhibit, the body its own persuasive chart.
The subtext is pure modern influencer logic dressed in frock-coat syntax. He frames his body as a testimonial object, converting personal embarrassment into marketable authority. Context matters: Banting’s name ends up attached to “Bantingism,” one of the first mass-popular diet movements. This line captures why it caught fire. It promises transformation that’s legible to others, not just felt within - a social victory, measurable in cloth and disbelief.
Quote Details
| Topic | Health |
|---|---|
| Source | William Banting, "Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public" (pamphlet by Banting; contains the quoted passage commonly cited from his letter), |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Banting, William. (2026, January 18). My diminished girth, in tailor phraseology, was hardly conceivable even by my own friends, or my respected medical adviser, until I put on my former clothing, over what I now wear, which is a thoroughly convincing proof of the remarkable change. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-diminished-girth-in-tailor-phraseology-was-4627/
Chicago Style
Banting, William. "My diminished girth, in tailor phraseology, was hardly conceivable even by my own friends, or my respected medical adviser, until I put on my former clothing, over what I now wear, which is a thoroughly convincing proof of the remarkable change." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-diminished-girth-in-tailor-phraseology-was-4627/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"My diminished girth, in tailor phraseology, was hardly conceivable even by my own friends, or my respected medical adviser, until I put on my former clothing, over what I now wear, which is a thoroughly convincing proof of the remarkable change." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/my-diminished-girth-in-tailor-phraseology-was-4627/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
