Slimavite news and views

It is World Diabetes Day, a condition now thought to affect 346 million people across the globe.

Being overweight and leading an unhealthy lifestyle are key factors which may increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The good news is research has found losing just 10% of excess weight and improving habits can make a difference.

Darker mornings and evenings, and a colder nip in the air, are signaling that winter will soon be with us.

But do you find yourself eating more during the darker winter months? Are your moods different and is it a real struggle to get up?

If you answered yes to these questions then it may be that you are being affected by seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

What is SAD?

Many people dislike the darker winter mornings, but it is thought that for around 500,000 people in the UK, seasonal affective disorder can become a serious issue.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, a disease which affects nearly 48,000 women in the UK each year.

According to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, 1 in 8 women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime and it is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK.

Here we take a closer look at the disease and its relationship to weight, as well as exploring the issue of weight gain faced by many women undergoing treatment for the disease.

What causes breast cancer?

For smokers planning to quit, weight gain is often one of the main worries cited.

But according to Slimavite nutritionist Melanie Bibby, ditching the habit does not have to mean piling on the pounds.

Melanie says: “There are some key things to be aware of when you quit smoking, which can have an effect on potential weight gain.

1. Appetite
“It’s widely believed that nicotine in cigarettes may act as an appetite suppressant, so ex-smokers may find they have a new sense of hunger.”

2. Taste

We are currently looking for bloggers to follow our fantastic Bite Plan and lose weight for FREE as one of our special Slimavite trialists!

We are looking for women aged over 18 who have some weight to lose. You may wish to lose a number of stones, or simply to drop a dress size. Whether you’re a serial yo-yo’er, or just fed up with trying lots of diets that make big promises but fail to deliver, whatever your circumstances we are keen to hear from you.

Today we are officially launching Slimavite ‘Yummy Mummy’ month - the perfect excuse to celebrate all our fantastic mums - those who are slimming to try and shift their mummy tummy, and also those who are trying to lose weight to improve their health and chances of falling pregnant.

To mark the occasion, we have linked with thebabywebsite.co.uk - a fantastic source of information and advice for mums and would-be parents.

A couple of queries have come up recently, which we wanted to address, surrounding the menopause and whether a low calorie diet may send your body into 'starvation mode'.

To help answer these questions, Slimavite nutritionist, Melanie Bibby, has given us her expert view.

Melanie says: "As we get older we need less calories every day, but as creatures of habit we generally do not reduce the amount of food that we eat. This can lead to gradual weight gain.

Whether you’ve been losing weight smoothly each week, you’ve hit a bit of a wall, or you’re finding it a bit up and down, take a look and see if you may be falling victim to any of these common weight loss hurdles.

Here are some of the most common traps that a slimmer can fall into when trying to lose weight:

1. Being too restrictive. To lose weight you don’t need to ban your favourite foods from your diet. In fact, if you allow yourself your favourite foods in moderation, then you are more likely to continue with your healthy eating plan rather than giving up.

The troubled relationship between one young woman and her soon to be mother-in-law, is currently grabbing the attention of people across the world.

In an email, Carolyn Bourne reportedly criticised her future daughter-in-law for lacking in manners and ‘uncouthness’. The email soon became an online sensation, and the issue has been debated in the media and on tv programmes around the world.

A leading nutritionist has warned a new ‘wonder cure’ for diabetes that has seen participants managing on a diet of just 600 calories a day, may be sending out the wrong message about crash dieting.

The study, undertaken by researchers at Newcastle University and funded by Diabetes UK, suggests that a strict low calorie diet may help reverse the symptoms of those newly diagnosed with the condition.