THEGAYUK

Category: Wellness

  • 6 reasons you need a gym buddy

    Your holiday is booked and with healthy living being promoted more than ever there has never been a better time to kick-start your fitness routine at the gym.

    Your holiday is booked and with healthy living being promoted more than ever there has never been a better time to kick-start your fitness routine at the gym.

    For some reason you’re finding it a bit of a slog, and no matter how good your intentions the weight isn’t shifting and the muscles aren’t building as you’d hoped. Your symptoms are incredibly common, you’re having a gym buddy deficiency and it’s ruining your chances of achieving your summer body goals. There are proved reasons as to why exercising with a friend can help you to achieve your goals more effectively, here’s just six to get you thinking.

    1. Working together
    A goal shared is a goal halved, or something like that – basically the idea here is that if you share your fitness goal with a gym buddy it’s going to be a hell of a lot easier to realise that dream. Whether it be flat abs or bulging muscles, finding a gym buddy who’s goals are similar to yours is key.

    2. Planning together
    Creating a schedule together will really help you to work towards your dream body, but being realistic is also necessary. Sit down and plan your week together, working out when you can both fit in a work out (always together, remember) will ensure you are much more likely to go to the gym, because you know your buddy is there waiting for you.

    3. Sticking at it together
    It’s easier to stick to a goal if you’re doing it with someone else so you’re far less likely to avoid a gym session because you’ve been invited to impromptu after-work cocktails on a Tuesday. Give your gym buddy a text to encourage him or her not to skip gym sessions and they can do the same for you – encouraging each other to work together to stick at your schedule.

    4. Bringing a competitive edge
    Sometimes a bit of healthy competition is what you need to get you motivated, so if you can see that your gym buddy is shedding the pounds faster than you it’s going to make you want to up your game. If you have someone to compete with you’re far more likely to succeed.

    5. Building your confidence
    As well as being your natural competitor, your gym buddy is there to bring you words of encouragement and ultimately help you to feel better about yourself in the process. Spurring each other on whilst lifting weights is one thing but little words or emails f encouragements when you’re not sharing the bench press is also a great way to ensure you both stay focussed on your goals.

    6. Sharing tips
    Sometimes the mind boggles when you’re researching gym techniques and fitness plans online. There are so many options, videos, inspirational blogs and online personal trainers out there that it can be really tough to work out what will actually work for you. Having a gym buddy is almost as good as having a personal trainer because they know you and can help you sort the bad from the good advice.
    Gym buddies aren’t just a good idea, they’re essential if you want to achieve your goals, providing you with encouragement, support, advice and a shared goal for you both to achieve together in the gym.

  • Tips on how to deal with back pain

    Having lower back pain is one of the most debilitating feelings in the world. If you have ever had it then you will know that it can affect every single part of your life.

    You will probably have to stay in bed for long periods of time and you might withdraw from relationships. You won’t be able to do even the simplest things that other people take for granted, like washing the dishes or walking up stairs.

    Doctors
    You will have done the right thing by getting to the doctors as soon as you had the injury, but you might find that a regular GP will treat the symptoms and not necessarily the back injury itself. The doctor might have given you some painkillers and told you to rest, but you can’t do that for the rest of your life. That is why it is better to see a specialist doctor, so you would have been better asking your GP for a referral to a back pain specialist.

    If you have had back pain for a while and you feel like it is ruining your life, then it is important that you read on for some tips for how to deal with the pain.

    Ice
    This might sound really simple, but when the pain is at it’s worst, you should put some ice on it, especially if you know that it is muscle pain. Putting ice on the affected area will reduce the swelling.

    A lot of people make the mistake of putting heat pads on the area, when the pain is bad, but heat actually makes the injury work. Whilst the heat will feel good and your muscles might relax, heat will actually make the muscle swell up even more.

    Move through the pain
    If you have back pain, the worst thing that you can do is stop moving. This does not mean that you should go running or swimming, or anything like that, but you should go for walks and do the things that you would normally do, around the house.

    If you stop moving, then your spine will become stiff and the pain will get even worse. So you should keep moving and if the pain get’s too bad, you should stop to rest for a short period and take some medication so that the pain is reduced.

    Moving through the pain will also help with your frame of mind because if you are stuck in bed, then you will begin to feel depressed and you are less likely to get out of bed. However, if you keep doing things and keep yourself busy, you won’t sink into a depression because you won’t feel like the injury is affecting your life as much.

    Once you get to the point where you are feeling less pain, but the muscle isn’t as strong as it should be, you can ask your doctor to send you for some rehabilitation instructors. This should be covered on the NHS, but you do have the option of going private if the waiting list is too long.

    When you go to your appointment, you might find that you are doing pilates. This is a brilliant form of exercise for back rehabilitation because it will strengthen your lower back. Furthermore, it is not intensive on your body, you will be exercising through gentle movement, so there isn’t a high risk of further injury.

    During pilates, you will learn exercises for coping with the pain and the breathing exercises will actually calm you down and release any stresses that you might be feeling.

    About London Osteopath Pilates
    London Osteopath Pilates is a leading London based Pilates center. The main instructor is David Canevaro and he is qualified and experienced in rehabilitation pilates and sports therapy. He has worked with many clients and has helped them to overcome a variety of problems. He is a dedicated health professional and is determined to better the well-being of his clients. He offers brilliant customer service and understands that every client is different. He gets most of his clients through referrals because current clients enjoy his personality and the high level of service that he provides. You can visit his website at http://www.london-osteopathy-pilates.co.uk

    by David Canevaro

  • 5 Amazing Foods For Better Sex

    Adding food to the bedroom is a classic way to spice things up with a partner. But did you know that food can heighten libido and improve your performance between the sheets? We-Vibe has collated the best foodie tricks and tips for you to put to the (taste) test!

    – Figs: These small fruits pack some big benefits. They are bursting with calcium, iron, potassium, and more of that stimulating zinc. They are also packed with fibre, which boosts heart health and satisfies hunger without adding to your waistline.

    – Strawberries: Don’t forget to bring this mouth-watering dessert on your next picnic. Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin B, which has been linked to high sperm counts in men. Go one step further and coat them in chocolate, as it is full of libido-boosting methylxanthines! (Why do you think it’s such a popular Valentine’s Day gift?!)

    -Almonds: These healthy nuts are said to act as a sexual stimulant and a fertility aid, so if you’re trying for a baby, start snacking! They are rich in nutrients and in several minerals that are important for sexual health and reproduction, including zinc, selenium, and vitamin E. Zinc can also help enhance sexual desire – added bonus!

    -Avocados: The name for this South American fruit derives from the Aztec language Nahuatl, in which it meant ‘testicle’ – a name chosen for the fruit’s unusual shape. It may seem like a bit of a stretch to us, but avocados do have some sexy benefits! They are rich in unsaturated fats, making them very heart-healthy. And a healthy heart keeps the blood flowing to all the right places! Men with underlying heart disease are twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, so feel free to add some extra avocado slices to your salads.
    -Eggs: Poached, scrambled or fried, eggs are sure to rev you up after a long day at work. They are full of protein, which keeps you going without packing on the calories. They’re also an excellent source of amino acids, which combat certain types of heart ailments as well as erectile dysfunction. There’s a reason Dean Martin likes his eggs with a kiss in the morning…

  • Sexual health charity releases video urging condom use

    HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust has launched a short video clip for gay and bisexual men, outlining the risks of recent infection – the initial period after HIV is contracted, when a person is super-infectious but won’t yet know they have the virus – and urging men to use condoms with new or casual partners.

    The 1:30 clip ‘Ben and Will’, which can be viewed at www.tht.org.uk/BenandWill, has been released as part of It Starts With Me, the flagship campaign from Terrence Higgins Trust and HIV Prevention England (HPE). It demonstrates how men who have recently contracted HIV are often unaware of their status, and – if they have contracted HIV within the last six weeks or so – will have such a high level of the virus in their body, they will be more infectious than at any point afterwards. Among gay men, as many as eight out of ten HIV transmissions are passed on by a partner who doesn’t know he has it.

    Cary James, Head of Health Improvement at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Too many guys are deciding not to use a condom because they believe they or their partner are HIV-negative. It’s called serosorting, but really it should be called seroguessing. If either guy has had unprotected sex since his last negative result, he could not only have picked up HIV but now be super-infectious. As tests often won’t detect HIV during these first few weeks either, it’s really important men protect themselves by continuing to use condoms.”

    In the UK, one in five gay and bisexual men with HIV remain undiagnosed, meaning there are currently more than 7,000 men in the UK’s gay community who have HIV but don’t know it. It Starts With Me focuses on a combination approach of condoms, testing and treatment to halt the spread of infection among the gay community. Using condoms and lube when having anal sex significantly reduces the risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, being passed on.
    HIV Prevention England is a partnership of community organisations headed by Terrence Higgins Trust and funded by the Department of Health to carry out national HIV prevention work in England among communities at an increased risk of infection.

    Gay and bisexual men are invited to sign up to It Starts With Me by visiting www.startswithme.org.uk . They can also join the conversation on social media at www.facebook.com/startswithme

  • Gay Men At Greatest Risk Of Sexually Transmitted Infections

    A shocking new report from Public Health England (PHE) shows that gay men and young adults are most at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections.

    There were 446,253 sexually transmitted infections (STIs) diagnosed in England in 2013, according to new Public Health England (PHE) data out today – close to the number diagnosed in 2012 (448,775 cases).

    Chlamydia was the most common STI, making up 47% of all diagnoses (208,755), while gonorrhoea diagnoses saw a large rise, up 15% from 2012 to 2013 (29,291).

    Among heterosexuals diagnosed in genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in 2013, young people (15-24 years) experienced the highest STI rates – 63% of chlamydia cases (56,034), 54% of genital warts (36,312), 42% of genital herpes (12,450) and 56% of gonorrhoea (8,122).

    Gay men were also disproportionately affected, accounting for 81% of syphilis (2,393) and 63% of gonorrhoea (13,570) cases in male GUM clinic attendees. Gonorrhoea diagnoses rose 26% in this group, nearly double the national rate, which is of particular concern as harder to treat gonorrhoea strains emerge.

    Dr Catherine Lowndes, consultant scientist in PHE’s STI surveillance team, said: ‘Sustained efforts to encourage people to regularly get checked for STIs means we are now finding and treating more infections – which is good news. Nevertheless these data show too many people are still getting STIs each year, especially young adults and gay men.

    ‘Investment in promoting good sexual health awareness, contraception and condom use, and STI testing is vital, as is ongoing investment in easy to access sexual health services that meet the needs of local populations. Not only will this help bring down STI rates but abortion rates and under 18 conceptions as well.’

    National guidance recommends local services routinely offer chlamydia screening to young adults but only 15% of young men and 35% of young women were tested in 2013. Wide variation across the country were seen in rates of chlamydia testing and diagnoses – with only around 1/3 of local authorities reaching the recommended chlamydia screening outcome (2,300 diagnoses per 100,000 young adults per year).

    Dr Lowndes, PHE, continued: ‘Chlamydia can have serious consequences, including infertility, if it’s not treated. These data show we need to do more to encourage young adults to ask for testing every year when they attend health services.

    ‘Local areas can look at embedding screening into a variety of settings to make it as easy as possible for this group to get tested. Offering a young adult a chlamydia test opens the door to conversations about other important aspects of good sexual health, such as contraception and condom use.’

    Individuals can significantly reduce their risk of catching or passing on an STI by consistently and correctly using condoms until all partners have had a sexual health screen, by reducing the number of sexual partners, and by avoiding overlapping sexual relationships.

    If in one of the highest risk groups, getting screened regularly will lead to early identification and treatment, as these infections are frequently asymptomatic:
    · Sexually active under 25-year-olds should be screened for chlamydia every year, and on change of sexual partner
    · Gay and bisexual men should have an HIV/STI screen at least annually or every three months if having unprotected sex with new or casual partners
    · Black African men and women should also have an HIV test and a regular HIV/STI screen if having unprotected sex with new or casual partners.

    Cary James, Head of Health Improvement at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: ‘These figures show we now have more gay men testing more regularly, and that’s a good thing. However, it’s not the whole picture. Too many men are taking risks with their sexual health, more often than not because they believe they share a HIV status with their partner. Even if they’re right – which many of them aren’t – eliminating HIV risk does not make you immune to other STIs. The sharp increase in rates of both gonorrhoea and syphilis is concerning, especially in the context of emerging drug-resistant strains of gonorrhoea.

    ‘Part of the problem is that the current approach to sex education in schools is leaving gay and bisexual men out in the cold. Gay men will continue to be disproportionately affected by sexual ill health until we have a proper programme of sex and relationships education in all schools, that is fit for the 21st century and covers all types of relationship. Taught properly, sex and relationships education has been shown to delay sexual activity, reduce the number of sexual partners, and increase the use of condoms. Having that bedrock in place is a vital step to give gay and bisexual men the confidence as adults to make healthy decisions about sex.’

  • Commentary | Turning Back the Clock on HIV

    Growing Old with HIV

    Life expectancy has increased remarkably in HIV+ people. This is due to the improved efficacy of antiretroviral drugs. However, according to a recently published article, “Inflammatory Co-morbidities in HIV+ Individuals: Learning Lessons from Healthy Ageing” by lead authors Dr Anna Hearps and Professor Suzanne Crowe at the Burnet Institute in Australia, this comes with a price [1].

    “Increased life expectancy in HIV+ individuals has uncovered an increased risk of acquiring age-related conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, neurocognitive decline, osteoporosis and frailty.”

    The authors linked these conditions to inflammation that causes premature ageing of the immune system. The immune system of young HIV+ people resembles that of uninfected elderly people.

    Where Does Inflammation Come From?
    Damage to the lining of the intestine during HIV infection is thought to cause leaking of bacterial products into the blood stream and this contributes to inflammation. Chronic Inflammation is a feature of ageing and is recognised as the driving force behind many age-related diseases. HIV infected individuals have high levels of inflammation even in those receiving anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and who have undetectable viral load. In fact, as shown in the Data collection on Adverse events of Anti-HIV Drugs (DAD) study [2], a non-smoking HIV+ person on ART and a long-term smoker face the same health risk of developing heart disease.

    Therapies
    Preventing or treating inflammatory diseases by reducing inflammation seems an obvious approach. Unfortunately, as there is no “magic bullet” pill, healthy lifestyle choices remain the most effective way to control inflammation. Low-dose aspirin (baby aspirin) is commonly used as a preventative strategy for heart attack in the general population. The medical world holds its breath for results from a large Australian study (ASPREE) that has been evaluating the efficacy of low-dose aspirin treatment over a 5 year period, in preventing age-related conditions in 19,000 elderly individuals. Other drugs such as statins and hydroxychloroquine have been evaluated, but adding yet another drug to the already complex HIV regimen is not an inviting prospect for those already on a cocktail of pills. Furthermore, the long-term effects of these drugs are unknown. Some evidence suggests that probiotics and a Mediterranean diet could be beneficial although more studies are warranted.

    The Future
    The majority of studies conducted examined a limited number of biomarkers that consistently show a strong relationship with several age-related co-morbidities and therefore may have diagnostic potential. The main challenge that remains is to understand how these association studies can pinpoint the mechanisms involved in these clinical manifestations to engender novel therapeutics to delay the onset of pre-mature ageing in the HIV+ population. Most importantly, these novel strategies should be long lasting, perhaps once per week or once per month, to limit additional pill burden.

    References
    1. Hearps A.C, Martin G.E, Rajasuriar R, Crowe S.M: Inflammatory Co-morbidities in HIV+ Individuals: Learning Lessons from Healthy Ageing. Current HIV/AIDS Reports (2014).
    2. Friis-Moller N, Thiebaut R, Reiss P, Weber R, Monforte A.D, De Wit S, El-Sadr W, Fontas E, Worm S, Kirk O, et al: Predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected patients: the data collection on adverse effects of anti-HIV drugs study. European journal of cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation : official journal of the European Society of Cardiology, Working Groups on Epidemiology & Prevention and Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology (2010), 17:491-501.

    About the author
    Dr Clovis Palmer heads the Immunometabolism research team at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, Australia. He recently identified a new subset of immune cells and is the first to show that HIV affects the way CD4 T cells use energy – a discovery that could revolutionize the prognosis and treatment of people infected with HIV. He frequently speaks at The International AIDS Society/AIDS conferences and is a guest editor and reviewer for several top ranked scientific journals. He is the Founder of Natural Immunity-Health, a scientifically driven organization that promotes a healthy lifestyle in order to combat inflammatory conditions such as HIV and obesity. Dr Palmer’s work has also been featured in The Australian Sydney Morning Herald and The AGE: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/ideas-that-could-change-your-life-20130312-2fxo6.html, and the Star Observer: http://www.starobserver.com.au/news/study-finds-new-route-against-hiv/90705.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Hepatitis C To Be Eliminated By The Year 2030

    It is currently estimated that there are 144,000 people living with Hepatitis C in England alone. Though a small proportion of the total, men who have sex with men are one of the risk groups.

     Until now there has been no definite cure, and so far treatments have been long, debilitating, and often don’t work anyway. The usual outcome is cirrhosis of the liver, and eventual prognosis death.
    So why is Hepatitis C treatment in the news? According to the Hep C Trust, new treatments are now available that can cure 95% of all cases, leading to a projected saving in England alone of over 5000 lives by 2030 and preventing the need for 1000 future liver transplants. The population of those living with Hepatitis C would be cut by over 90%.
    What is needed is a nationwide screening programme and greater awareness. Often GPs don’t test for Hep C until the illness is quite advanced. Early diagnosis and treatment will mean that transmission rates will slow down, and eventually peter out, hence the projection that we could eliminate the disease by 2030. There are similarities with HIV here, in that early diagnosis and treatment can bring down a patient’s viral load to undetectable, meaning that it is virtually impossible for them to pass on the virus. But there is one important difference. Where there is still no cure for HIV, there is now a cure for Hep C, so it is doubly important that we get tested. As gay men, we are fortunate in that we are usually offered Hep C screening as a matter of course when attending a Sexual Health Clinic. If you aren’t, then ask for it.

    This awareness needs to be extended into the wider populace, where the problem is one of implementation, which, as usual, is taking too long. A few days ago, The Guardian ran a story stating that, “the NHS is to pay for around 500 people with end-stage liver disease caused by hepatitis C to receive a new drug which could cure them, without waiting for guidance from the advisory body, Nice.”

    As Charles Gore, one of the founder members of The Hepatitis C Trust put it at the media event I attended, “Are we going to step up and do this, or leave things as they are.” This would certainly seem to be a step in the right direction. Though the cost of treatment is high, it has to be weighed against the far greater cost of doing nothing, allowing Hepatitis C rates to increase, and ultimately putting a far greater burden on the NHS. We should be looking at the long term, not, as is sadly too often the case, the short term. Governments, as we know too well, rarely look past the next election date.
    Let us hope that both the Government and the NHS take notice and set us on the path to eradicating this terrible disease.

  • Confidante Sexual Heath Kit Reviewed

    If you’re concerned about your sexual health and always find excuses not to get checked out, then the new Confidante STI home test may be for you. I try out a kit to find out just how easy it is to use.

    The kit tests for ten different STI (Sexually Transmitted Infections) from either a urine sample or a swab. Using the urine pot I collected my sample, filled a vile and that was it. Simple. No needles, no umbrella metal objects to push down anything! You then just fill out the form and return with your sample in the pre-paid envelope provided.

    It says test results can take up to a week and as soon as I’d posted the kit, though fairly confident on my results having been in a long term relationship, I still felt that sudden ‘Oh dear, what if something comes back positive?’

    The results can be sent a number of ways via post, email, phone or online. I opted for online and as soon as I received the email to say they were in, I logged onto the website with my unique reference number to discover I was in fact clear in all ten tests. It’s always reassuring to know you’re not carrying an STI that you didn’t know about, especially as some can go undetected for years.

    Of course had any of the tests come back positive then you will be advised to seek appropriate treatment either from a Genito Urinary Medicine (GUM) clinic or your GP. Should you not want to discuss results with your GP then other advice can be offered on services available to you.
    The Confidante lab uses your sample to test for the following:

    1 – Chlamydia trachomatis
    2 – Neisseria gonorrhoea
    3 – Treponema pallidum (Syphilis)
    4 – Herpes Simplex Virus 1
    5 – Herpes Simplex Virus 2
    6 – Trichomonas vaginalis
    7 – Mycoplasma hominis
    8 – Mycoplasma genitalium
    9 – Ureaplasma genitalium
    10 – Haemophilus ducreyi (Chancroid)

    You can order your kits online at www.confidantetest.com

  • Single male office workers most at risk of male cancer

    Ok, how would you feel if I told you to go ahead and cop a feel? Go ahead and pop your hand in and roll them both around… get a grip and give ‘em a good feel!

    It’s Male Cancer Awareness Week from 7th to 13th April 2014 – and to mark this occasion, there’s some startling new research available.

    Orchid, the male cancer charity has surveyed 3000 men, and the alarming fact is that those most at risk from testicular cancer are single office workers!

    So here’s the deal, marry someone and get a new job, or be ahead of the game and get in there and rummage! Learn what to do, and when to do it – learn what you feel like now, and use this to ensure you pick up on any changes, any new lumps n bumps. It could be a life saver!

    Some surprising insights in the research include single men being less likely to recognise the symptoms and signs of testicular cancer, office workers being less likely to check themselves, tabloid readers being more likely to be switched on and check for lumps, 1 in 3 men would tell their mum or partner if they found a lump – rather than their GP!

    That last one – seriously? Come on men – what’s your mum going to do? Kiss it better? Pop a plaster on it? Time to get real – if you find something, only a medical professional can do something! My favourite piece from this research is that London men are less ball aware than other areas of the UK? Really? And here was I thinking… no, never mind…

    Orchid states that awareness of this type of cancer has improved over the past few years, but the findings illustrate that a large number of men still don’t know what to look for or how to protect themselves. If it’s caught early, this type of cancer is 98% curable – so get in there and feel a friend today. Just tell them you’re saving their life!

    To help ensure that happens, and help educate men out there, Orchid are launching their first freephone Male Cancer Helpline on 7th April. This Helpline is staffed 10am to 5pm every Monday and Wednesday – give ‘em a tinkle on 0808 802 0010 with your questions – or email them on helpline@orchid-cancer.org.uk

    Orchid isn’t just about testicular cancer; it also looks at prostate and penile cancers, supporting research and campaigns to help raise awareness. This charity was set up by a testicular cancer patient and focuses on the effect of cancer on men. Give them some support if you can.

    So boys, do your research, Google how to check yourself, get a friend to check you, arm yourself with some knowledge – and make sure you’re ball aware! Who knew ball games could be such fun?

  • How to lose the last few KILOS

    Darren Liddy, 27, has come a long way since 2011 when he embarked on a journey to lose over 7 stone.

    He says: ‘Generally I eat healthy, but I seem to be stuck in a rut as far as losing weight/body fat is concerned.

    At the minute I weigh 227lbs, I want to get down to at least 200lbs. But I can’t shift my last 27lbs. I’ve been on my own fitness journey for a year now, I started at 294lbs and as proud as I am of what I’ve achieved so far, I’m still not happy. I need to achieve my goal of being 200lbs so I can focus on getting the body of my dreams.’

    We’ve asked expert nutritionist Robert Hodson from Nutrition Expert to help Darren reach his goal.

    My first thing to say to you would be, don’t lose heart! You have already lost 67lbs which is a fantastic achievement. I know it can be frustrating, but weight loss plateaus are normal and do happen, however diligent you are with your eating & exercise regime. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t things that you can do to help kick start the weight loss once again.

    You’ve provided me with your current weight, but I wonder whether you have had your body fat % measured? If you haven’t, I highly recommend you do, as measuring and keeping a record of this will give you a much better indicator of how you’re doing. Simply monitoring your weight does not differentiate between changes in fat, muscle and water. If you are exercising regularly you are likely to be building muscle mass, and as muscle weighs more than fat, you could be burning fat but this not always registering on the scales.

    As you lose weight, not only does it become naturally harder to lose, but your metabolism slows down too. Because of this, your daily calorie requirements become lower, so this may be a good time to revisit your portion sizes. I would recommend switching from having 3 large meals a day, to 6 smaller meals. If this seems time-consuming, one idea may be to make your lunch as usual (for example), and split it into 2 portions. Regular eating will keep your metabolism fired up, and it will also make it easier to control your portion sizes and prevent overeating, as you will never be eating when you are really hungry. It is also important that you take time over your meals. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to start to tell the brain that it’s full, so by chewing slowly and pausing between mouthfuls you will become much more in tune with your bodies hunger signals.

    Your current diet looks well balanced, and it’s great that you are getting a good source of protein into dinner every day in the form of fish or meat. Protein is great for satiety (it keeps you full up!) and it also promotes lean muscle tissue, which is beneficial for fat burning. It would be great if you could boost your breakfast with a bit more protein, and here are a few ideas of how to do this:

    • Top your porridge with nuts and seeds (such as almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds)
    • Have an egg-based breakfast e.g. 2 poached eggs on a slice of wholemeal toast or a mushroom omelette
    • Treat yourself to a cooked breakfast at weekends- 2 eggs (scrambled or poached), 2 slices of bacon, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes

    For lunches, make sure that your salad or sandwich (always choose wholegrain bread!) includes a good source of protein in the form of lean meat, fish, eggs, beans or pulses. You can also mix this up a bit by opting for a chunky soup- most supermarkets and coffee shops do good options now. Be wary of low-fat yoghurts as they often replace the fat with added sugars (this tends to be the case with many low-fat products).

    The healthier option is to opt for natural full-fat probiotic yoghurt, with some fresh fruit.

    At dinner, fill up on vegetables (particularly the green, leafy ones- broccoli, cabbage, spinach, kale) – these should always take up at least half your plate. Try switching your potatoes for sweet potatoes, and try quinoa as a high-protein alternative to rice. Finally, good luck, and keep us posted!

    Robert Hobson is a registered nutritionist and qualified trainer for the Royal Society of Public Health. He’s over 15 years experience in consulting people or organisations in food and nutrition. He has a BSc in Human Nutrition as well as an MSc in Public Health Nutrition. He used to work for the NHS promoting healthy eating and has specialised in helping government organisations meet nutritional standards and legislation.

  • Man celebrates amazing 13 STONE weight loss

    A gay man from Manchester is celebrating a whopping 13 stone in weight loss after pioneering surgery.

    • At his heaviest Gareth weighed 30 STONE
    • Tried surviving on PEANUT BUTTER and MILKSHAKES diets
    • Lost 13 stone with gastric bypass

    Gareth Roberts, 36, is celebrating with his partner after managing to lose over 13 stones in weight after undergoing a gastric bypass.

    Gareth, who grew up in Wythenshawe, Manchester, but now lives in Baroda, an Indian city between Mumbai and Delhi, said: “The surgery has completely changed my life for the better and opened up so many new things to me.

    “My partner Marco is an engineer who had the opportunity to go and work in India – before the operation, I never would have had the confidence to even contemplate going to live over there. But now we are enjoying a whole new life together there.”

    The 36-year-old added: “Health-wise I knew it was only a matter of time before my weight started to catch up with me.

    “I already had raised blood pressure and my weight was affecting my mobility as well as putting strain on my joints – I knew it wasn’t going to be long before things got worse. But now I am feeling fitter and more active than I ever have in my life.”

    Gareth underwent his procedure in 2011 at Spire Manchester in Whalley Range, one of five hospitals which make up the Spire Weight Loss Surgery (SWLS) specialist bariatric surgery network.

    Gareth had struggled with his weight since childhood, and admits over the years the problem had escalated to the point where he had lost control over what and how much he was eating.
    He said: “I used to live in an open plan apartment and I’d be sitting in the living room, next to the kitchen, and almost hear the food calling to me in my head. If I knew there was a multi-pack of crisps in the cupboard you could guarantee they’d be gone by the end of the night.”

    Over the past 20 years he had made numerous attempts to shed the excess pounds in all manner of different ways, surviving on diets consisting of everything from milkshakes to peanut butter.
    He did once lost five stone through a slimming club but would always end up piling the weight back on, and more.

    Gareth remembered: “There would be a sense of camaraderie at the clubs, but you’d often also encourage each other to be bad. You’d congratulate each other on being good all week and losing 3lbs so then you’d tell yourself you deserved a treat that night – and put on all that you’d lost again anyway.”
    The former manager in social care, who now volunteers with a charity in India, said the bypass procedure carried out by Mr Alan Li, one of Spire Weight Loss Surgery’s expert surgeons, was now giving him confidence with food for the first time since he was a child.

    “This is one of the major benefits for me,” Gareth said.

    “The surgery has given me a tool to not only lose the weight, but to alleviate the fear that always lived in me whenever I lost some weight that I was going to pile it all back on again. Having the operation is a life-changing decision, but it brings life-changing results.”

    He praised Spire Weight Loss Surgery and its team of specialist nurses, expert surgeons and helpful dieticians for their advice and support over the past two years.

    “I had such a positive experience with Spire Weight Loss Surgery – they were so supportive from the very start and still are today, two years on. I’ve always felt like they were there for you and you could ask them anything. It’s a very friendly, nurturing environment.”

    And he said he was feeling the difference in all areas of his life.
    Gareth said: “I can actually move and breathe now – I can run up the stairs without gasping for breath!

    “My partner is quite active – he enjoys things like mountain hiking and going on roller coasters which I just couldn’t physically do before because of my size. I was missing out on so many things – you try to pretend it doesn’t matter, but it does.

    “That’s not me any more. I’m so much physically fitter – after all I’m no longer dragging another person around with me! I enjoy swimming and walking and I work out at the gym. I’m also happy to fly back regularly to Manchester to visit friends and family on my own – something I would have dreaded before I lost the weight.

    “After years of dieting, I finally feel like I’ve got control back over food and over my life.”

    For more information about Spire Weight Loss Surgery, please call 0800 142 2200 or email weightloss@spirehealthcare.com or go to www.spirewlsurgery.com.