I lost over 3 stone on Mounjaro and went from a size 18 to a 10 - here's EXACTLY what I did after my last jab to lose another 8lbs and get down to a size 8 without the injections: CLAUDIA CONNELL
The very idea that in the near future I'd have a cavernous thigh gap, a flattened stomach and upper arms the width of a baguette seemed laughably unthinkable.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
17 hours ago
- Times
Does humour translate? Read ambassadors' gags and decide
Act now to keep your subscription We've tried to contact you several times as we haven't been able to take payment. You must update your payment details via My Account or by clicking update payment details to keep your subscription.
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- The Guardian
Are we letting ‘stranger danger' get in the way of connecting with our community?
About six months ago, a friend and I took our kids along to the shopping centre in Ballarat for some school holiday activities. When I rocked up, my friend was already deep in conversation with another mum, who was not initially known to us. I joined in on the yarn, in my usual fashion, and by the end of it we'd all exchanged numbers and invited the new mum over to our home as well as an event at our community hub. Friends often gasp when we retell this story. Approaching someone unknown and proceeding to ask for their digits? The audacity! We have become so used to operating in isolation, segregating ourselves from the world and those around us, that it has become a challenge to push beyond our comfort zone and engage with people we don't know. God forbid we exchange words with someone random, let alone extend our circle of friends. According to the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, an estimated 15% of Australians aged 15 and over were experiencing social isolation in 2023. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare states that social isolation and loneliness can harm mental and physical health and may affect life satisfaction. Sign up to receive Guardian Australia's fortnightly Rural Network email newsletter So why aren't we making more of an effort to embrace more people into our lives? To connect with more people? To even meet our neighbours? According to a 2020 study, there were 40 reasons which prevented people from making friends – with the main one being low trust, followed by lack of time, and introversion. But growing up, I saw how my parents and broader community constantly worked to foster friendships – old and new – with love, warmth and openness. Time wasn't a barrier. The aim of the game was to open our home, to invite people in, to share a meal. I will always see in my mum and dad their willingness to connect with those around them. Even now, more than 30 years after I moved to Ballarat, I'll see people from my childhood down the street and they'll stop to chat. 'You were my neighbour! I still remember eating all those Persian sugar cubes in your house!' And when we recoil at the thought of meeting new people, because we don't trust anyone or it's too hard, we run the risk of our children modelling our attitudes and behaviours. It makes me sad that we teach 'stranger danger' with no context, rather than teaching our children about how to be safe but still promoting that, at the end of the day, we are all part of one human family, interconnected and bleeding the same. I'm not suggesting we lead a life of ignorance. People have lost trust in humanity – and for good reason. We have become aware of harrowing cases of institutional child sexual abuse – in Ballarat in particular that trauma is never far from the surface. The recent case of a Melbourne childcare worker charged with the alleged sexual abuse of children and infants in his care has amplified parental concerns and sparked immediate childcare safety reviews and reforms at the federal and state level. Our interactions need to be approached with a level of wisdom and safety has to be a top concern. This isn't about welcoming everyone into our home without a second thought. Conversations about personal space and safety need to be a high priority in all settings. It's about being vigilant and educating the community – especially our young ones – about the signs to look out for, about when to speak out, about who to turn to for help. But we must not let fear come at the expense of community. I was recently reminded of the saying: 'A stranger is just a friend you haven't met yet'. I can't imagine my life without my friend who I met from being friendly at the shops on that day six months ago. We share our thoughts, clothes, food, and even shared our birthday together this past month. My village expanded the day I met her, and other friends like her, simply because I stopped to say 'hi'. A 2020 study found that preventing and reducing social isolation and loneliness required 'a comprehensive socioecological framework that fosters a broader culture of connection, rather than relying solely on individual-level interventions or targeting only vulnerable communities'. Quite often I'll be running errands and strike up a conversation with someone I don't know, wondering if they'll be my next new mate. My children wonder why I'm always talking to random people, though my son said just the other day that he too loves talking to strangers. I hope this openness will remain throughout his life, but more than that, I hope society will be in a position to have normalised it. Sign up for the Rural Network email newsletter
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Longlist of Ireland's Greenest Places 2025 announced: Mayo and Dublin lead with six nominees each
What do Taplin's Fields in Dublin's Liberties, Inishturk in Co Mayo, the Three Sisters Gardening Community in West Belfast and Quin in Co Clare have in common? They have all made the longlist of Ireland's Greenest Places 2025 competition and are therefore among the contenders for the overall title which will be announced next month. Advertisement Other places to make the long list include Harper's Island in Cork, Rathcroghan in Roscommon, Castlegregory/Maharees in Kerry, Derrybeg in Kildare and Ambrosetown in Wexford. 'Ireland's Greenest Places 2025', an initiative, which is being run by The Irish Times in association with Electric Ireland, began in late May when members of the public were invited to nominate a special place or project which they believe contributes to a genuinely greener environment. Over the last couple of months, over 120 nominations were received from across the island and the judging panel has now whittled that number down to 26. Pictured at the launch of The Irish Times Ireland's Greenest Places 2025 in association with Electric Ireland are Beth Healy (12), Laura Gargiuto Keenan (12) and Jaxon Okon (2). Photo: Julien Behal The chair of the judging panel, Irish Times Features Editor Mary Minihan said they had been hugely impressed by the quality and diversity of the environmental projects being undertaken around the country. Advertisement 'It was extremely difficult for us to come up with the long list and we spent many hours reviewing and debating the entries. But that is a real compliment to the excellent quality of the work being done in the projects and the places which were nominated. Congratulations to the 26 projects who made it on the long list but also to everyone who entered and is doing such valuable work. 'Each place was judged on specific criteria including its beneficial environmental impact, level of ongoing collective engagement by the community and evidence of behavioural change by people. What was really pleasing to see is that the greening of so many places across Ireland has flipped from the cosmetic to delivering substantial environmental dividends.' The longlist includes 3 suburbs, 5 villages, 5 towns and 13 communities. Mayo and Dublin lead the way with a total of six nominations across the four different categories, with Kerry next on 3. Clare has two with nine other counties on one. The panel of five judges includes Eamon Ryan, former leader of the Green Party, who said the Ireland's Greenest Places initiative shows just how much community-led- environmentalism has deepened and spread in recent years. Advertisement 'At a time when people are anxious about climate change and biodiversity loss, it helps to think global but act local. The long-listed entries show the variety of what is taking place around Ireland. People in every community seem to be looking to see what they can do by promoting pollinators, planting trees or establishing sustainable energy or transport solutions. 'Gone are the arguments that local people shouldn't be doing these things because it is the State's responsibility. Everyone can now see the returns that can come when you work from the bottom up as well as the top down.' The shortlist for Ireland's Greenest Places 2025 will be announced at the end of the month with the category winners and overall winner announced a fortnight later.
