'I'm a weight loss expert - one thing you can do is way better than skinny jabs'
As WeightWatchers files for bankruptcy in the US, Slimming World managing director, Lisa Salmon, says weight loss injections can't replace diet clubs and community support
There's no escaping the fact that so called skinny jabs are making an impact on weight loss, not just on bathroom scales but also on the diet industry as a whole. Data from one of the largest retailers of weight-loss injections, Simple Online Pharmacy, suggests half a million Brits are using the jabs – with an estimated 95% of patients buying their medication privately.
You might imagine that the bosses at Slimming World, which has been guiding slimmers for more than 55 years, and has 700,000 members in the UK, would be worried that their business is losing traction. Managing director Lisa Salmon assures us this isn't the case. For her, all the fanfare about weight-loss medication is nothing new and she isn't rattled in the slightest.
'We were told liposuction would be the end of us; that weight-loss surgery would be the end of us,' she says. 'We were told drugs would be the end of us but, actually, with the millions of people we know who are struggling, there's space for different offerings.'
Earlier this week WeightWatchers filed for bankruptcy in the US. While the company insists it will keep operating there is no doubt there is huge pressure on the diet and exercise industries. You'd expect the Slimming World boss to be anxious. But Lisa is calm. 'I'm not particularly concerned. Slimming World and WeightWatchers were formed around the same time in the very late 1960s.
"We've always been shoulder to shoulder and whilst, like any competitors, we've had our differences and we've always believed our service and philosophy to be superior, we would never want to take away from the fact it's another offering in the community. We very firmly believe that losing weight needs support.'
Support is key
Lisa – who became a Slimming World member in her 20s after putting on weight while at university – is quick to point out that while GLP1 medications might result in weight loss, they don't come with the community benefits of a slimming club. 'We've always believed that support is absolutely key. Of course, we have evolved over the years. We've a greater awareness now of the mindset and support that people need to make sustained changes.
'So, we have a healthy eating plan and active-lifestyle programme, but we also know group support is absolutely essential for each of us to learn about ourselves as a slimmer because we are all so incredibly different.'
Lisa is keeping her eye on the weight-loss jabs but so far, has not been swayed. 'In terms of noise around weight-loss injections, we haven't seen any detriment to our membership numbers. We have been approached by many organisations that would like us to prescribe and have said we are watching all the developments closely.
'Fundamentally, it feels like it cuts across what we've stood for over 55 years when we know we can genuinely re-educate people.' Part of the design of Slimming World is to give slimmers the tools with which to live their lives, have a social life, eat healthily and enjoy themselves.
Its founder Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE was passionate that members should feel valued and not humiliated. The messaging has never been about total deprivation and zero treats – something Lisa fears the weight-loss jabs result in. 'The drugs are very, very expensive relative to being a member of something like Slimming World. And, also, nobody knows the side effects that seem to be different in different people.
'Anecdotally we have heard reports of people on the jabs where they've lost interest in food and that's impacting their quality of life. We want people to live the life that they want.'
Care and guidance
Surprisingly, dieters who have opted for weight-loss medication have begun to join Slimming World. Lisa believes they are looking for knowledge about how to eat and live healthily in order to maintain weight loss and at Slimming World's head office, work is being done by the Nutrition, Research and Health team to tailor the right nutritional support for such individuals. 'We have some members who are taking the drugs that have come to us for our wraparound support,' she says. 'They want guidance and to re-educate themselves.'
It's clear that one of the things Lisa is most proud of is the atmosphere franchisees cultivate. She mentions how slimmers begin to regard their clubs as a second family – how the smallest of weight-loss milestones are celebrated and how for the very overweight or obese, the club meetings help them out of isolation. There have been Slimming World marriages and plenty of babies too.
Diet clubs may seem like an outdated prospect in a world where so much happens online, but Slimming World has developed its digital offering with work in the pipeline to improve the online membership service. Aware of how time poor so many of us are, which can often lead to unhealthier food choices and a reliance on convenience foods, a Slimming Kitchen recipe box has been devised and was rolled out last year.
'Drugs are not the only option'
Lisa has resisted launching a shiny new aspect of Slimming World to counteract any fuss surrounding weight-loss drugs. Instead, her eyes are on a bigger prize – helping to solve the UK's gigantic health crisis. 'Excessive weight is taking years off people's lives and we at Slimming World have a part to play.
"What we say to the government is please don't treat the drugs as the only option, medicalising obesity. We'd love to work more with the government. We could do more in the workplace too. We already work with a lot of health professionals to refer people to our groups, but there's more we could do. I take comfort that in the 1980s our founder was being told the day of the slimming club was over. We're absolutely determined. We are not going anywhere. What we provide in our groups is a very, very special thing and it makes a significant difference to people's lives.'
A national problem
The latest statistics make stark reading when it comes to the health and weight of the UK. Information from the House of Commons this year found that 61% of women in England are obese or overweight, while for men it's 67%. Wales reported a similar picture: 65% of Welsh men were overweight or obese and 57% of Welsh women.
In 2023, Scottish figures recorded that 32% of adults were obese and more than seven in 10 adults aged over 35 were overweight or obese. The latest data from Northern Ireland found 69% of men were overweight or obese whereas with women it was 59.5%. The UK ranked as the European country with the fourth highest rates of obesity, and the tenth highest in the world.
There are multiple health problems that can stem from being obese, including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and an increased risk of respiratory, musculoskeletal and liver diseases. People who are obese are also at increased risk of certain cancers.
Slimming World experts have identified some key areas where those who want to lose weight might trip up
Emotional eating
Finishing the kids' leftovers
Boredom
School holidays and being out of routine
Petrol stations: fill up with fuel and not the shelves of chocolate or crisps
The late-night munchies
Failing to plan meals
Grabbing a pastry when you buy a coffee
Fast food after drinking alcohol
Having unhealthy snacks in the cupboard
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Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
My ADHD diagnosis at 34 was ‘clear as hell' – here's how I've silenced the caffeinated squirrels rioting in my brain
UNILAD and LADBible founder Alex says it took his mum finding 23 empty bottles of wine under his bed and a brutal legal battle that pushed him to the brink to discover the truth NUT A PROBLEM My ADHD diagnosis at 34 was 'clear as hell' – here's how I've silenced the caffeinated squirrels rioting in my brain Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TO the outside world, he was the mega successful founder of two multi-million pound companies. But secretly, Alex Partridge was battling crippling anxiety, using alcohol to "press his brain's brake pedal", and pouring up to £14,000 down the drain every year. It wasn't until a shock diagnosis aged 34 that his life started to make sense and he turned things around. 6 Alex Partridge - the founder of UNILAD and LADbible - discovered he had ADHD in his mid-30s Credit: Alex Partridge 6 He was misdiagnosed with anxiety as a child Credit: Alex Partridge Here, he shares his story. I'VE always known, deep down, that I was different. This began during my school days, when I'd copy my classmates' mannerisms and tone of voice just to fit in. I altered who I was to appear likeable to others, because I didn't understand who I was. This carried on into secondary school where, as a fellow student so sensitively put it, I 'could have been one of the cool kids if I wasn't so weird'. I have vivid memories from this period of when teachers would ask me questions that I didn't know the answer to, and the stress would lead to full-blown anxiety attacks. My palms would get all sweaty, my face would go bright red and my heart rate would shoot right up. In a panic, I would rush out of the classroom. I remember one day I found someone in the corridor and told them to call an ambulance because I thought I was having a heart attack. At the time, aged 15, I was misdiagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder (excessive, uncontrollable worry about everyday situations). I now know this not to be the case, but I was put on beta blockers (to slow my heart by blocking hormones like adrenaline) and antidepressants. Do you or your child have ADHD- Here's the NHS test as Brits waiting two years for diagnosis They didn't help - in fact, they actually made me feel worse - so I stopped taking them after six weeks. Following a tumultuous young adulthood, which included founding the websites LADBible and UNILAD in quick succession – and a protracted legal battle over their ownership that turned my life upside down – I was finally diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) two years ago, aged 34. Like so many others across society, I had thought ADHD was just something hyperactive little boys had, so I never even considered that I might have it. But when I hired a director to help me set up a podcast, before losing interest in the project three days later, he asked me: 'When did you get your ADHD diagnosis?' This casual question changed my life forever. So much of my life up until that point – the anxiety attacks, the constant picking up and dropping of new hobbies, identities and business ideas – began to make sense. I had an assessment, and a psychiatrist told me that my ADHD was 'clear as hell' – and it's a day that I'll never forget. When I began to learn more about the condition and the different ways it can present, it was the first of many 'lightbulb moments'. The 'ADHD tax' cost me up to £14,000 a year at my worst Alex Partridge I'm not physically hyperactive like the naughty schoolboys I had previously imagined; my brain is a different story entirely. Describing how it feels to anybody who hasn't spent time inside it is tricky, but my ADHD means that all my energy can be concentrated in my head. The closest approximation I can give is that it's like 10 highly caffeinated squirrels running about at once! Hyperactivity associated with ADHD can be internalised and, after realising this, so many of my previous life experiences suddenly made sense. For me, ADHD means that: I possess the creativity and hyperfocus to create two global social media brands, but if a task doesn't interest me, it simply will not get done. I've always been entrepreneurial, but I had poor financial skills and often lost interest in projects once the novelty waned. I own an impressive list of domains, and enjoy buying things, but this often results in overspending and financial difficulties. I love meeting new people, but I've always struggled to maintain friendships. One way it presents is impulse purchasing, which I've always struggled with. It would cost me hundreds – sometimes thousands – of pounds a year. I estimate about £14,000 annually at my worst. I now know this to be a little-known (and costly) consequence of ADHD known as the 'ADHD tax', referring to the higher living expenses that so many of us with ADHD (and other neurodivergences) can incur due to challenges with impulse control and executive functioning. The ADHD tax might show up in the expensive hobbies we've signed up for (and then lost interest in), the impulse purchases we buy and forget about, or the dreaded monthly subscriptions that we sign up for, never use but never cancel – a classic example of how knowing how my brain worked would have been extremely helpful earlier in my life. 6 Alex would buy food he'd then forget to eat Credit: Alex Partridge 6 Alex developed an alcohol addiction Credit: Tanya Grace I used to buy so much food that I would then forget to eat. I impulsively signed up for an online sewing course on a Monday, then had lost all interest in it the following day. My electricity bills increased as I was having to wash my clothes multiple times because I'd forgotten to empty the washing machine. When I thought I'd found my new calling in life as a master candle maker, I bought a 2kg box of paraffin wax from Hobbycraft, only for it to sit there unused for months. I bought a trumpet thinking I'd learn to play, but again, it stayed firmly in its box. I even bought new socks when all of mine were dirty, and decided to buy a new rug when my dog went to the toilet on the original as the thought of cleaning it was too overwhelming. Hundreds of pounds splashed on unused gym memberships, vitamins, app subscriptions… the list goes on. The 9 'hidden' signs of ADHD in adults ADHD has long been associated with naughty schoolkids who cannot sit still in class. And that is part of it. Fidgeting, daydreaming and getting easily distracted are all symptoms of the behavioural condition, which is why it is often spotted in children. However, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is far more complex than simply having trouble focusing. Henry Shelford, CEO and co-founder of ADHD UK, says: 'If it isn't debilitating, it isn't ADHD.' In recent years, social media has given rise to trends which conflate specific personality traits or single behaviours with ADHD. You might be thinking, 'I'm always losing my keys, forgetting birthdays and I can never concentrate at work — I must have ADHD'. But it's not as simple as that. Though these may all point to the condition, Dr Elena Touroni, a consultant psychologist and co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic, says: 'The key distinction lies in how much a behaviour impacts a person's daily life. 'Genuine ADHD symptoms affect multiple areas of life - work, relationships and emotional wellbeing - whereas personality traits are typically context-dependent and less disruptive.' ADHD UK's Henry, who has the condition himself, adds: 'Having ADHD is hard. One in ten men with ADHD and one in four women with ADHD will at some point try to take their own lives.' So how can ADHD manifest in someone's life? While hyperactivity is a common indicator, here are nine other subtle signs: Time blindness - losing track of time, underestimating how long tasks will take, regularly being late or excessively early Lack of organisation - a messy home, frequently misplacing items, forgetting deadlines Hyperfocus - becoming deeply engrossed in activities for hours Procrastination - feeling overwhelmed by to-do lists and struggling to determine what needs your attention first so focusing on less important tasks Heightened emotions - emotional struggles can manifest in angry outbursts, feeling flooded with joy or shutting down because you feel too much at once Being a 'yes man' - agreeing to new projects at work or dinner dates with friends when you're already busy (a desire to please) Impatience - interrupting people mid-conversation, finding it painful to stand in a queue, being overly-chatty Restlessness - tapping, pacing, fidgeting or feeling restless on the inside Easily distracted - by external things, like noises, or internal things like thoughts Among the most challenging periods of my life, however, came in 2017, before my diagnosis, during a long-running legal battle that pushed me to the brink. 'Two members of the public found you staggering in an alleyway. It was 2am. You were alone and clutching a bottle of vodka. As they approached you, you slipped and hit your head on the wall. They called an ambulance.' These were the first words spoken to me by the nurse next to my hospital bed when I woke up. Upon hearing them, I was hit by an overwhelming wave of shame and anxiety, and the immediate need to self-medicate. Unfortunately, it was alcohol - my medication of choice at the time - that had landed me here in the first place. So how did this all come about? I was 18 when I discovered booze, and quickly figured out it turned down the volume in my head. As I've often been a pleasure-seeker with low impulse control, it wasn't a shock when I discovered the strong link between ADHD and addiction. And alcohol became an addiction that would temporarily run my life. 'It was like I'd pressed my brain's brake pedal' It was being effectively ousted from UNILAD, the business I founded alongside two others, that really kick-started my alcoholism in 2013. I still remember staring at my computer screen, suddenly unable to access the site because they had changed the password, paralysed with overwhelm and crippled by anxiety. I stood up, went and bought a bottle of wine, drove home and drank the whole thing in five minutes. Suddenly, it was like I had pressed my brain's brake pedal. My thoughts instantly slowed down, and the caffeinated squirrels stopped running around. My anxiety had, temporarily, disappeared. 6 Alex describes his ADHD as like having '10 highly-caffeinated squirrels running about' in his brain Credit: Andrew Mason 6 He is the host of the podcast ADHD Chatter and author of the book Now It All Makes Sense Credit: Luke Hamlin For various reasons, such as rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) – an extreme emotional reaction I feel to real or perceived rejection - that accompanies my ADHD, I've always been terrified of confrontation. So much so, that my coping mechanism for effectively having my life's work snatched from me was not to confront those responsible, but rather to bury my head in the sand and drink myself to sleep every night. After my mum found 23 empty bottles of wine concealed under my bed, we finally arranged to speak to a lawyer, who told me: 'You will win this case over ownership of the company if you choose to fight it in court. You will, however, have to give evidence in the witness box.' My mind immediately flashed to the opposing lawyer saying: 'Alex, do you know the answer to this question?' And I panicked, remembering the little version of me sitting in the classroom all those years ago. I abruptly stood up and left the lawyer's office, bought a bottle of vodka, and woke up in hospital 12 hours later with a nurse looking over me, saying the sobering words you see above. Much of the next year was characterised by the court battle, which was an unbelievably stressful time. During the trial, I was cross-examined in the witness box for five days, during which I had to excuse myself several times to 'use the loo' – when in reality, I was doing breathing exercises to divert a panic attack. A further three months passed before my lawyer phoned me. He said: 'Alex, are you on your own?' 'Yes,' I said. There was a pause. 'You've won everything.' I broke down crying – one of the biggest legal, and mental health, or battles of my life, and I'd come through it. I won my 33 per cent stake in the company back. How to get help UNFORTUNATELY, a GP cannot formally diagnose ADHD but they can refer you for a specialist assessment. Be warned, the wait can be long. Data suggests there are at least 196,000 adults on waiting lists across the UK. And a BBC investigation found in many areas it would take at least eight years to clear the backlog. For an adult to be diagnosed with ADHD, the NHS says their symptoms should have a moderate effect on different areas of their life, such as underachieving at work or having difficulties in relationships, and the person has been displaying symptoms continuously for at least six months. There must also be evidence symptoms have been present since childhood - it's thought that the condition cannot develop for the first time in adults. After a diagnosis, treatment can include psychological therapies, psychotherapy, social skills training and medication. For many, a diagnosis can be a relief, but also unravel mixed emotions and feelings of 'being different'. ADHD UK has information on considering diagnostic pathways and can offer support. UNILAD went into administration in 2018, then was bought by the same company that had earlier bought LADBible for an undisclosed amount. Reports suggest the brand was valued at up to £40million. My celebrations included a trip to Las Vegas, a new tattoo (that I had no memory of getting in the first place) becoming infected, and another hospital visit. But in 2018, I managed to kick the alcohol habit for good. I attended my first Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting where I said the most important sentence I'd ever uttered. 'My name is Alex and I'm an alcoholic.' I've been sober ever since, which is among the best decisions I've ever made. I'm now 36, living in Brighton, and I can confidently say that quitting booze has enabled me to take back control of my ADHD, suffocate the negatives - and allow the positives to thrive. Alex Partridge is the founder of LADbible and UNILAD and the host of the ADHD Chatter podcast. His book Now It All Makes Sense: How An ADHD Diagnosis Brought Clarity To My Life (Sheldon Press, £16.99) is out now.
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Warning issued to UK households over ‘rare' 50p coins that are being sold on eBay for up to £100
The coins aren't always worth as much as they seem to be MONEY MATTERS Warning issued to UK households over 'rare' 50p coins that are being sold on eBay for up to £100 Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EXPERTS have warned Brits to be careful after discovering "rare" 50p coins selling on eBay for hundreds of pounds. Coin collectors revealed the true value of the coins and warned would-be collectors to be vigilant. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Some "rare" coins are only worth their face value Credit: EBay 3 Coins selling for hundreds of pounds are rarely worth that much Credit: EBay Everyday Brits were warned that the coins selling for hundreds or even thousands are often worth nowhere near that much. While some coins are super rare finds, part of a low mintage of featuring mistakes, the majority are only worth their face value. A coin collecting expert who goes by the name @ shared the truth about the rare pieces. Some listings spotted by the expert on eBay had price tags of up to £100,000, a massive markup. One particular coin that is often seen listed with an eye watering price tag is the "Brexit 50p" which is not rare at all. Despite numerous listings on eBay pricing the 50p piece at upwards of £10,000 the coin is only worth its face value. Brits who are looking to get into coin collecting were warned to avoid the dodgy listings. 3 The Brexit 50p has been listed for more than £10,000 Credit:The Brexit 50p features writing on the "tails" side reading: "Peace Prosperity And Friendship With All Nations." It had a 10 million odd mintage meaning it is not rare in the slightest and only holds its face value of 50p. Another common discovery on eBay is the Mrs Tittlemouse 50p, which has been listed for £10,000 plus. Olympic Aquatics 50p coin error The coin expert again debunked the eye watering price tag explaining that the piece was only worth around £3. While rarer than the Brexit 50p the Mrs Tittlemouse 50p still isn't worth anywhere near what some sellers are asking for it. Even the rarest coins often sell for less than £1,000 with one of the rarest coins in UK circulation, the Kew Gardens 50p, selling for £800. Some collectors will pay extortionate amounts for rare pieces but coins rarely sell on eBay for the prices sellers sometimes ask for. Coins are made rare by having a low mintage, meaning only a few were printed, or by having mistakes. Currency minted with mistakes is very valuable to collectors since an exceedingly small number of coins are printed and put into circulation with errors on them. Commemorative pieces like the London Olympics coins are rare too with only a few put into circulation for a limited time. But even the Olympic coins aren't worth much more than their face value unless they have an error. To spot a rare coin Brits have been urged to check their mintage numbers before buying or selling them. Rare metal coins, such as gold bullion, have an inherently high price due to the cost of the metals they are made of.
North Wales Live
6 hours ago
- North Wales Live
Shoppers happy to drive 144 miles and queue seven hours for a bargain
We are a nation obsessed with a great deal, with almost three quarters saying bargain hunting is an essential part of British culture, according to research from Three. 98% saying they feel 'on top of the world' after securing a saving, while more than half 58% report it can 'make their whole week'. People say they are not afraid to queue for seven hours to get their hands on a bargain. With almost a third admitting they have driven to an entirely different area, an average of 144 miles, or woken up in the early hours just to get a deal. Brits also confessed to leaving work early, bailing on friends and even sneaking out of a date early to take advantage of a super saving. For many, deal-seeking is almost a full-time job, with the nation spending on average 52 hours each week hunting for ways to save. Andrew Foy, Director of New Products and Propositions at Three UK, said: "We know our customers love a good deal. Last year our savvy customers saved up to £335 each, thanks to our Three+ app. Whether it's treating the family to a meal or getting a £1 fancy coffee to go."
