MIMI SPENCER invented the 5:2 Fast diet with Dr Michael Mosley. Now she shares food routine that means she's happier in her own body than ever at 57... and a dark warning on weight-loss jabs
There is no silver bullet, we said, no magic wand.
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The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Five sneaky tricks supermarkets and brands use to get YOU to spend more as fat jabs hit sales
WAISTLINES are not the only things shrinking with the use of weight-loss jabs – supermarket bottom lines are too. Food sales are falling, and data-analyst Kantar blames hunger-repressing injections like Mounjaro for a 0.4 per cent drop in the four weeks to June 24. 8 A 4 per cent rise in food prices in the past year is also reducing spending. Now the big stores and brands are fighting back. Rosie Taylor reveals the sneaky ways they try to make us part with our cash. TEMPTING YOUR TASTEBUDS BRANDS are launching new flavour combinations for staple products they think will be a big hit with shoppers. Heinz has released a Sweet Sriracha tomato ketchup (£2.68 at Asda), and Bird's Eye has launched fish fillets coated in a Mexican tortilla crumb (£1.98 from Asda). Brands are also releasing new products with trimmer waistlines in mind. These include Tango Sugar Free Strawberry Smash (eight cans cost £3.34 at Asda) and Pepsi's zero sugar Cream Soda flavour (eight cans costs £3.75 from Waitrose). Dr Jenna Vyas-Lee from Kove Minds clinic in Southwark, London, says: 'We get a hit of dopamine — the feel-good hormone — from trying new things. 'So, a new flavour of Coke speaks to that curious part of our brain. Feeding your curiosity by buying that item makes you feel good.' TIP: Tempted by an intriguing new flavour? Take a picture of it and add it to your shopping list for next week. Take time to think about whether you really want it, or if it's just an impulse buy. Nutritionist reveals which stars could be suffering from 'Ozempic face' & why some like Kelly Clarkson get away without 8 8 SELLING FAT JABS SUPERMARKETS are finding new ways to cash in on the weight-loss trend. Asda and Morrisons are both selling fat jabs through online clinics. Asda is selling Wegovy injection doses from £118.98, while Morrisons is selling Mounjaro self-injectable pens from £129 a month. An investigation by Which? found buying from a registered pharmacy, like Asda, was safer than buying from unregulated online clinics where some fake versions of the drugs have been found for sale. TIP: Always speak to your GP before starting any new medication and only ever buy from registered pharmacies. 8 LAUNCHING FITNESS RANGES ASDA launched a new sportswear brand, Gym Locker, in January, to target fitness-conscious shoppers. Women's wear such as a sports bra and shorts start at £14. Men's wear starts at £12. While Aldi launched a budget Specialbuy fitness range in May, including a reformer pilates machine for £149.99, an £11.99 smart watch to track your steps and heart rate, and yoga mats for £5.99. Lidl launched a high protein product range on TikTok shop in February. The £5 bundles on offer included 500g packs of protein powder and protein pancake mixes. CREATING SPECIAL OCCASIONS SUPERMARKETS launch huge product promotions for Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter. Now, they're finding new ways to encourage us to buy all year round. Asda is advertising a Summer Vibes promotion for picnics, barbecues and 'summer breakfast' products. Top picks include Birds Eye 12 Chicken Dippers for £2.48. But not on the list is its own-brand Just Essentials 20 breaded chicken nuggets at £1.10, a saving of £1.38. Tesco is pushing a Summer Essentials range, including a bistro set of two chairs and a table for £112.99 (pictured). The same set is available at Robert Dyas for £87.99, a saving of £25. Presenting products as a theme encourages us to buy more, said Patrick Young from research consultancy PRS In Vivo: 'It makes shoppers want to buy all the things they need to create that sense of occasion.' TIP: Always go shopping armed with a list so you are less likely to be swayed by marketing. PLAYING LAYOUT MIND GAMES WE'RE all guilty from time to time of walking away with goodies that weren't on our shopping list. But did you know supermarkets are constantly trying to get us to overspend using secret tactics? Shops invest heavily in 'space planning', where the store layouts are designed to get customers spending more. Techniques to catch our eye include putting stickers on the floor or signs around the shelves to highlight a new product or special offers. Brands in particular are jostling to get store customers' eyeballs on their goods — research shows shoppers ignore 80 per cent of products within two seconds of looking. Brands will therefore do deals with supermarkets to position their items in the best places along aisles. 'There is a lot of competition between brands on the supermarket shelf, it's an arms race,' said Young, adding: 'People tend to look in the middle and slightly down, so products at the top of the shelves could be better value.' Another super-sneaky tactic brands are using is to super-size packaging so products stand out more on shelves. TIP: Look at the top and bottom shelves to check for cheaper options. Always compare the price per gram on the label, instead of just looking at the item's price. This is the best way of seeing which products offer the best value for money. RUNNING FOMO DEALS ANOTHER effective tactic stores use is putting time-limits on deals, for example Morrisons' When It's Gone It's Gone deals. 'This creates a sense of scarcity [the fear something could run out] and people also don't want to miss a chance to get value for money,' said Young. Shoppers may feel like they need to rush into buying deals, even when they are not actually great value. Nearly nine out of ten UK adults spend on non-essential little luxuries every month, including takeaway coffees or buying a drink or meal for a friend, according to research by Chase Bank. TIP: 'A good deal is only a good deal if you need it,' said Dr Vyas-Lee. If the product is something you buy regularly, such as toilet roll, it makes sense to pick up a two-for-one deal. But if it is a one-off purchase, you could be wasting your money. Gas boost for needy BRITISH GAS ENERGY TRUST has reopened its Individuals and Families Fund. It offers up to £1,700 to those struggling with energy debt, regardless of their supplier. Last year it helped 1,800 households, writing off £839,000 in debt. Boss Jessica Taplin said: 'This fund will help those who need it most get on stable ground and keep their homes and families warm and safe.' Grit-ish airways BRITISH AIRWAYS has reported a bumper 48 per cent rise in operating profits to £824million for the first half of the year. It comes despite a £40million hit from Heathrow's temporary closure in March due to a substation fire. 8 The buoyant airline ramped up its flight programme, increasing capacity by 2.1 per cent and boosting revenues. Parent company International Airlines Group (IAG), which also owns Aer Lingus, Iberia, and Vueling, saw earnings jump 43.5 per cent to £1.88billion, with pre-tax profits climbing to £1.75billion. Meanwhile, the debate over Heathrow's third runway intensified yesterday as IAG backed rival proposals from hotel tycoon Surinder Arora and Heathrow's owners, calling both 'credible.' However, IAG boss Luis Gallego said: 'We only want to build something affordable that'll allow everybody to have more passengers, but they don't have to pay the level they are paying today.' Arora's £25billion plan for a shorter, 2,800-metre runway aims to avoid costly diversions of the M25 but does not include redevelopment of the central terminal area. Heathrow favours a full-length, 3,500-metre runway to maximise operational flexibility. It would cost £21billion, with its full expansion plan — including terminals and infrastructure — estimated at £49billion. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will assess the competing plans this summer. Homes rise HOUSE prices rose by 0.6 per cent in July, reversing a 0.9 per cent drop in June, according to Nationwide. Annual growth climbed to 2.4 per cent, with the average home now priced at £272,664. With the Bank of England expected to cut interest rates next week, the housing market could see a fresh boost in activity in the months ahead. Mark Harris, boss of mortgage broker SPF Private Clients, said: 'We could be in for a busy autumn. Lenders continue to trim mortgage rates.' Fall slows THE downturn in UK factory production eased slightly again last month as the sector posted its strongest performance for half a year. The S&P GLOBAL UK manufacturing PMI rose to 48.0 from 47.7, signalling a slower decline — but it was still below the growth threshold of 50. Manufacturers blamed weak domestic and export demand, higher labour costs, and geopolitical pressures. Meanwhile, rising staff costs resulted in July being the ninth consecutive month of falling employment. Phone scams do a number on you By Lucy Andrews BEING targeted by a scammer can be a worrying experience. But has a fraudster ever pretended to be YOU to trick people out of their cash? That's exactly what happened to me, when I discovered my phone number had been 'spoofed'. It's a horrible form of identity fraud and a cunning way for con artists to attempt to steal money from unsuspecting victims, as the number appears to be from a trusted source. It all began six months ago, when I started getting mysterious phone calls from strangers claiming they had received missed calls from me. But when I checked my call log each time, I could see that I never phoned them. I would tell the caller that they made a mistake, and hang up. I was suspicious that these were scammers trying to lure me into handing over money in some way, so I made sure to block the numbers after I ended the phone calls. That was until last week, when I received a WhatsApp from a lady I didn't know. 'Hello, did you call me?' the text read. She sent a screenshot of her call log – and surprisingly, my phone number was at the top of the list. I asked my phone company, ID Mobile, what had happened. It said my phone number appears to have been spoofed. I paid £25 to change my number, as it made me feel sick thinking scammers were pretending to be me. Spoofing is becoming a big problem. The telecoms regulator, Ofcom, is so concerned about the growing threat that it launched a consultation last year on how to address the issue. It said a call from a spoofed number could appear more trustworthy, and 'victims are more likely to share personal information'. Worryingly, phone companies can't do a lot about spoofing, but you can take steps to prevent it happening. Be wary of who you share your number with. Most website forms will ask for it, but you don't always need to give your number away.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Three million on NHS England waiting lists have had no care since GP referral
Almost half of the 6 million people needing treatment from the NHS in England have had no further care at all since joining a hospital waiting list, new data reveals. Previously unseen NHS England figures show that 2.99 million of the 6.23 million patients (48%) awaiting care have not had either their first appointment with a specialist or a diagnostic test since being referred by a GP. The Patients Association described the situation as 'an invisible waiting list crisis' that was 'staggering' in scale, with millions living in limbo, anxious as their health deteriorates. The data raises doubts about Keir Starmer's repeated pledge that 92% of patients will be treated within 18 weeks of referral by 2029 – his key promise to voters on health. The target has not been hit since 2015, and in May just 61% were treated on time. In a further sign of how difficult it will be to meet that target, the data shows that a third of the 3 million unseen patients – 1 million people – have already waited more than 18 weeks without receiving any care. It is the first time the phenomenon of 'unseen patients' has emerged as part of the huge challenge facing the government in its drive to 'get the NHS back on its feet'. Until now debate around the NHS backlog has focused on the number of treatments patients are due to receive and how many are waiting – currently 7.36m and 6.23m respectively. 'If accurate, 3 million people are trapped in an invisible waiting list crisis, stuck without basic diagnostic tests of first appointments while their conditions worsen,' said Rachel Power, the chief executive of the Patients Association. 'The scale is staggering, as nearly half of all patients on a waiting list haven't been seen by anyone. That's not a healthcare service; that's a breakdown. 'These aren't just statistics. They're people checking their phones daily for hospital calls that never come, unable to plan their lives while their symptoms deteriorate.' The figures have been collated and analysed by the health data specialist MBI Health, which helps dozens of NHS trusts improve their treatment waiting times. It has shared its findings with the Guardian. Barry Mulholland, the firm's founder and a former NHS manager, said the health service should see the waiting list as 'a frontlog, not a backlog', because so many people had not had their 'first clinical contact' after joining it. In recent years ministers and NHS bosses have made reducing the number of people waiting 12 or 18 months for care their priority. 'There are so many people who have already waited so long without seeing anyone – 3 million unseen patients who haven't had their first contact. 'Unless that's dealt with, you will never achieve that target of seeing and treating patients within 18 weeks. 'From the government's point of view, the pledge to get back to 18 weeks by 2029 will be really hard to accomplish if this huge group of patients isn't seen more quickly.' 'We'll never clear the waiting list if we don't fix the point where patients enter the system, and long delays begin,' he added. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion NHS England acknowledged the vast number of people who had had no NHS care since joining the waiting list. Of the 7.3m treatments patients were waiting for, 4.7m – nearly two-thirds (64%) – were for people who had not had a first consultation with a specialist or a diagnostic test yet. And 1.6m of this 4.7m had already gone beyond the 18-week supposed maximum waiting time for treatment, it added. Alison Bennett, a Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, said: 'These figures are harrowing. Behind every one of these numbers is a person in pain, anxious about their health, and desperately waiting for their first contact from a clinician. 'This isn't a problem that appeared overnight; it's the direct result of the Conservative party mismanaging our NHS for years. It is unacceptable that millions of people are still being left in a state of limbo, while their conditions potentially worsen.' Ministers would only 'fix' the NHS if they overhauled social care to unblock jammed-up hospitals, she added. MBI's analysis also found that the medical specialities with the largest number of unseen patients were ear, nose and throat care, orthopaedics, eye care, gastroenterology and gynaecology. Between 67% and 75% of those waiting lists are made up of such patients, Mulholland added. The Department of Health and Social Care did not comment on the 3 million unseen patients. A spokesperson said only that: 'Thanks to this government's record investment, reforms and the hard work of NHS staff, we've cut the waiting list by over 260,000 since July 2024, which also fell for the first time in 17 years in April and May outside the pandemic. On top of this, we have also delivered 4.6m appointments – more than double the 2m we promised. 'This government is delivering the fundamental reform needed to turn our NHS around, and our 10-year health plan will build on this progress, to ensure we meet our target that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks for treatment by March 2029.'
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Trump officials plan coverage for weight loss drugs under Medicare and Medicaid
The Trump administration is planning a pilot program to cover 'miracle' weight loss drugs under the government health insurance systems for low-income people and retirees, Medicaid and Medicare, in a move aimed at tackling the US's chronic obesity problem. Such a plan was previously proposed by the Biden administration in its final months before Donald Trump re-entered the White House after winning a second term in office in the 2024 election. Now the Trump administration intends a five-year experiment in which the Medicaid program and Medicare drug coverage plans will have the option of covering the cost of drugs selling under the names Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound for 'weight management' purposes, the Washington Post reported on Friday morning, citing documents from the government's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This type of medication, known as GLP-1 drugs and originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, have gained popularity for their ability to reduce body weight by suppressing appetite and slowing digestion. But their high cost, typically between $5,000 and $7,000 a year, has raised concerns about long-term affordability and such a plan now under consideration by Donald Trump would come at a hefty cost to the public purse. Insurance coverage for such drugs is currently typically approved when patients have other conditions that are often tied to obesity, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The new proposed plan would permit state Medicaid programs and Medicare Part D insurance plans to voluntarily cover GLP-1 drugs, including those from the market leaders Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, the report said. Lilly and Novo are leaders in the weight-loss drug market, which some analysts expect could bring in more than $150bn in revenue by the next decade. Lilly's shares were up nearly 2% in premarket trading on Friday. The initiative is slated to begin in April 2026 for Medicaid and January 2027 for Medicare. If it clears the way, it would mark a shift in federal policy after the administration said earlier this year that the programs would not cover weight loss drugs. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Lilly and Novo did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. The plan could expose division between CMS head Mehmet Oz, who has previously praised such drugs, and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has criticized their high cost and how they are not a substitute for a healthy lifestyle.
