LDREN often tug at their parents' sleeves, point at Mr Ian Poulier and cry ''Look, look, so fat, so fat''.

Instead of glaring at the tykes or telling their parents to teach them some manners, the 150kg school counsellor usually flashes them a big smile.

''Yes, and you're so small, so small. One day, you'll be big too, but you will never be as big as me,'' he says.

The 1.87m-tall Mr Poulier breaks out into loud guffaws as he relates the anecdote, his waist - which he thinks measures more than 150cm - reverberating with his mirth.

Mr Poulier, 43, is not at all self-conscious about his size. He jokes about dressing himself in maternity throwaways, and says if he were a comic hero, he would call himself the Incredible Bulk.

The Eurasian - who has an elder brother - describes his accountant father as large and his teacher mother as tall, but says he is the biggest in his family.

He blames his size on his love for bread and pasta, nuts and sour kanna (preserved olives). ''Oh I love sour kanna. Bad Ian, bad Ian,'' he says, playfully slapping himself on the wrist.

People, he says, gape at him all the time.

''They look at me from top to bottom before stopping at my waist to wonder how my legs could support the rest of me.''

He adds: ''It takes time to take all of me in so I just stand there and smile. Sometimes, I feel like saying: 'Hey, would you like me to turn around?'''

It's been said that many people use humour to mask pain. The Eurasian readily acknowledges he did that when he was young.

Life as a pudgy schoolboy was not easy when he had to deal with nicknames such as lifebuoy and feh jai (Cantonese for fat boy).

''I especially dreaded swimming lessons because I was so embarrassed about other people seeing my fat body. It didn't help that I came from a school highly regarded for its swimmers,'' says the Anglo-Chinese School alumnus with a mock moan.

''But when I grew older, I realised that if you don't learn how to laugh and accept yourself first, it will be very hard for others to accept you,'' says Mr Poulier, who read English Literature and History at James Cooke University in Queensland, Australia.

He says drama and music gave him a lot of confidence, and helped him cope with his self-image issues.

''I was always playing the part of the fat man or the fat lady. They said I had the boobs,'' he says with a loud chortle.

While many Singaporeans covet their 5Cs, Mr Poulier, a Christian, loves his 3Fs: his family, friends and faith.

He adds: ''Sure, Mum often nags at me to lose weight, but it's for my health. And sure, I wish I could find a girlfriend I can marry. Who doesn't?''

''But I'm happy my God accepts me for who I am. I used to have a great T-shirt. It said: ''If you think I'm big, wait till you see my God.''

He says he has tried to lose weight. ''I jogged, joined a gym and even got a personal trainer. But I lack the discipline lah. I?m a great procrastinator,'' he confesses sheepishly.

He is, however, careful enough to go for two health screenings a year. So far, he has had no health issues. ''No diabetes and other problems. I know, I know, I need to start before it gets too late and I will,'' he says.

For the past two years, he has hosted a radio show called Teen Talk on 93.8 Live, which discusses teen issues such as sexuality and self-image. His regular work also involves counselling students struggling with emotional and other issues.

But doesn't his size work against him in this profession? After all, it's been said that with self-discipline, weight is an issue easily managed.

He says: ''Actually, my size helps. I'm very honest. I'm not perfect. I always tell them I've struggled, and still do, with identity and acceptance. And I tell them life's all about reframing perceptions. You can reframe and change a stumbling block into a stepping stone.''

''I've never perceived my size to be a problem. I may have problems getting clothes but I get to eat the same food, read the same books as everyone else.''

There's more to life, he says, than griping about one's size although he is not above doing that too.

He grumbles about not being able to sit in an aeroplane without an extended seat belt. And he gripes about the size of toilets on planes.

''They're the ultimate in difficulty. I manage lah but then, I have to sit,'' he says. Then he throws his head back and laughs merrily again.

This story was first published in The Straits Times on Mar 29, 2008.