
How I cut out ‘food noise' and lost 40lbs
Healing a complicated relationship with food that involved years of binge eating and yo-yoing weight was difficult — but it is beginning to feel less of an achievement now that everyone else seems to be doing it with ease. Watching the pounds melt off people around me thanks to a relatively quick course of Mounjaro or Ozempic, I feel like someone who made careful investments and earned a modest amount of money just as others around me enjoy a lottery win.
I've spent most of my life trying to manage my weight and now that I've finally done it, at a time when everyone seems to be getting teenier and teenier, it sometimes feels daft to have done it the 'hard way'. Perhaps it irks me because overcoming disordered eating and yo-yoing weight isn't something that just happens with an injection. It's a huge undertaking and for me it's a process that never really ends.

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The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
300 sick Gazan children to be brought to UK for free medical care
Hundreds of seriously ill children from Gaza are set to be evacuated to the UK for treatment by the NHS under a new plan. Up to 300 young people will receive free medical care under the scheme, expected to be announced within weeks. The initiative comes amid a severe malnutrition crisis in Gaza, where health authorities report 92 children have died from hunger-related causes. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously pledged to evacuate badly injured children, and over 100 MPs have signed a letter supporting the scheme. The plan will run in parallel to the privately funded Project Pure Hope, which has so far facilitated medical visas for only three children from Gaza. Hundreds of sick children from Gaza to be evacuated to UK for critical NHS treatment


The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Parents and columnists don't get everything right – here's what I've learned from three years as both
'If you are reading this, I have just become a mother.' That was the first sentence I ever wrote for this column series, three-and-a-half years ago, the starting pistol on a clutch of copy filed in advance before my son arrived suddenly, explosively, five weeks early. I was supposed to have a break for a few weeks while those pieces ran, but I found I couldn't: I was making notes before I left the hospital. Looking back, I can see that there are a few things I got wrong in those few years. I never pretended to be an expert, and tried to be upfront about the fact that I was very much learning on the job. So here is a potted list of things I regret: I was wrong to be so dismissive of baby-led weaning. I had anxiety from a difficult birth and my son being hospitalised, and I was neurotic about choking. My son was preterm and wasn't ready to be handling big bits of food at six months, but I didn't realise that at the time (still, I maintain that people are weird and culty about it). Also, I was wrong to make a joke about 'tummy time' not mattering: tummy time matters, especially for kids with certain disabilities. And I was wrong, possibly, or at least inconsiderate, to write about how having a baby had made Christmas feel so special. A woman who had just had a miscarriage sent me a message saying it had made her cry, and I think, were I to write that column again, I would try to better acknowledge the pain of those with infertility and baby loss – the subject of my column the following Christmas. Still, there is a lot I stand by. I still think two weeks of statutory paternity leave is pathetic and embarrassing. I still don't think dads can have it all, either. I still don't think there is a quick fix to baby sleep. I still think breastfeeding promotion policy in this country is a disaster, which sidelines maternal mental health and doesn't even work in the process. And I still passionately hate Bill Thompson, from Postman Pat – the snarky little sod with an attitude problem whose voice continues to grate on me even as my son giggles with delight at his antics (although his favourite character is Michael). If there's one lesson I've learned in the last three years of being a mother – and of writing about it – it's that all of my readers were right: those first days, weeks and months really do pass so quickly, and though they can be hard, a part of you will long for them. Had I not written it down, I am sure there is so much I would have forgotten. In that sense, it's been a gift. I'll never get to hold my son as a baby again, or to hear the little truffle pig grunts as he sought me out for milk, but the writing of an experience helps to hold it in time, can even transport you back. Readers, too: I have been so moved by how many of you said you were in the trenches with me, or those, older, who said my writing helped conjure that time for them. It's a funny thing, being a columnist. I picture my readers all the time, mainly because I hear from so many of you (your messages, emails and comments below the line have been the best part of this job), but it didn't occur to me that you might picture me. The reality three-and-a-half years ago wasn't pretty: I was newly postpartum, reeling, sleep-deprived. Often I wrote while 'the bairn' screamed in the other room, cared for by my husband, or my mother – both of them are the hidden labour behind this column. For some reason, I had been arrogant enough to think writing with a newborn would be easy. Of all the things I have got wrong as a writer, that was probably the main one. There was this look I used to get in the run-up, when I told friends and family who were already parents that I was planning to document it all, in real time, and report on others' experiences, too. It was a kind of wordless, smiling nod, the sort you also often get when you say that you want a water birth with no pain relief, or that you and your partner are solid and that a baby won't change that. It's often followed by a hesitant sentence before the person trails off. Just you wait, the knackered goblin in their head is hissing, but they're too nice to say anything, and so they don't. So that was my first error. In a way, I'm glad I made it, because otherwise I would not have written, and despite the fact that any time a female writer produces anything at all about motherhood she's accused of thinking she's the first woman in the world to have ever had a baby, when you look at the history of humanity we are still very much in the early days of women writing about this. We forget that for many centuries we weren't even taught to write. Our knowledge was passed between us, and passed down, through the words that we spoke to one another, and to our daughters. I started this column because very little of the writing that existed then – brilliant as it is – seemed to speak to parents of my generation and younger, who face unique challenges. Now, there is far more, and it feels as though with every year that passes our voices are being taken more seriously. Choosing columns from this series to stitch together into a book was an emotional process. The thread that runs through them all is the feeling that, when it comes to parenting, having a feeling of community and solidarity are paramount. So it's my story, but you have all been a part of it, too, from the many, many readers who have sent encouragement and advice, to the grandfather who said that he dances with his baby granddaughter now because he won't live to see her wedding. Even the dad who said you don't need to do anything with your kids until their teens, whereupon you can simply take them white-water rafting, taught me something. So many of you have been a part of this journey. Thank you for coming on it with me. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist The Republic of Parenthood: On Bringing Up Babies by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, illustrated by Pia Bramley, will be published on 7 August


Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
ADHD assessor reveals five surprising questions she asks people who think they have the condition
A UK nurse who assesses patients for ADHD has gone viral after revealing the unexpected questions she uses to help spot the condition—including how many unread emails you have. Marie, known to her 120,000 TikTok followers as The Zebra Nurse, shared the tips in a clip that's now racked up more than 300,000 views. Her first question? 'How many unread emails do you have in your inbox?' While not part of the official diagnostic criteria, she explained: 'It helps inform me if my patient has difficulty with administrative tasks.' Neglecting an overflowing inbox, she said, can be a red flag for inattention and problems with executive function—the mental skills that help you manage daily life. 'If they're not clearing their inbox, they are probably not opening or filing their mail either,' she added. Next up: 'Which housework chores do you routinely avoid doing and why?' 'This question is looking for difficulties with sequential tasks, such as laundry,' Marie explained. This task, she said, actually involves a lot of steps, including gathering the laundry, putting the clothes and detergent in the washing machine, and turning it on. Then when it is done, she said, they have to take the washing out, dry it, fold it and put it back away again. 'If people can't manage that task then it usually indicates they have got some kind of executive dysfunction going on.' The third question is: How do you feel about queueing? This, she said, is a task people with hyperactivity and impulsivity find 'very hard'. This is because, they are expected to stand still, not fidget, be quiet and fight the impulsion to leave, she explained. The fourth question, she revealed is: Are you able to build flat pack furniture or follow a recipe from a cookbook? 'Now this actually assesses a couple of different things,' she said, 'it tells me one you have the concentration to be able to read the instructions, and two, do they have the actual ability to follow the instructions'. And finally, the fifth question she asks patients is: What is your relationship and work history like? This she explained, is because people with ADHD 'tend to end jobs and relationships very quickly and impulsively'. The video received lots of comments from social media users who related to the interesting ways traits can manifest. One user commented: 'I've got 120,000 total emails across all my accounts. Cleaning the floor and wiping down the surfaces—I hate.' And on queueing, they added: 'I definitely prefer self-checkout, which is why I love ASDA.' A second user wrote: '23,456 unread emails, washing clothes send me into a mental breakdown, I get frustrated in queues. 'I do ok with building flat pack but don't necessarily use the instructions. I have a great relationship, he's dealt with me for 12 years+. Dr refuses to refer me.' However, another commented: 'The building flat packed furniture never was a problem. I never looked at the manual, but I still build it the correct way. 'So, I do have problems following instructions, but also my brain is good at figuring out how things work.' It comes amid a sharp rise in the number of adults seeking ADHD diagnostic assessments later in life. In recent years diagnoses have soared, with more than 2.6 million people in the UK now estimated to have the condition. Some have suggested this is because too many incorrectly people think they have the condition, while others put it down to better awareness of how it affects women. A review of research published from 1979 to 2021 about females with ADHD showed girls and women tend to show inattention and internalised problems, Meanwhile, in contrast, men show greater hyperactivity, impulsivity, and externalised problems. The study also found clinicians may overlook symptoms and impairments in females because they appear less overt, despite still impairing them. Concerningly, it also revealed that up until recently, almost all research on ADHD has focused on boys and men. What are the signs of ADHD? The traits can manifest differently in children and adults diagnosed until later in life, according to the National Health Service (NHS). And people can be diagnosed with one of three types of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive or combined. The symptoms in children and young people: Inattentive: Being easily distracted. Finding it difficult to listen to what people are saying or to follow instructions. Forgetting everyday tasks, like brushing their teeth or putting on socks. Hyperactive and impulsive: Having high energy levels. Fidgeting or tapping their hands and feet. Talking noisily. Feeling restless or getting up and moving around when they're supposed to sit still. Finding it hard to wait their turn, or interrupting conversations. Meanwhile, in adults the NHS says ADHD can manifest in the following ways: Inattentive: Being easily distracted or forgetful. Finding it hard to organise your time. Finding it hard to follow instructions or finish tasks. Losing things often, like your wallet, mobile or keys. Hyperactive and impulsive: Having a lot of energy or feeling restless. Being talkative or interrupting conversations. Making quick decisions without thinking about what might happen. These have been referred to as symptoms, but some people prefer them being called traits, as they don't believe ADHD is a medical disorder.