Simple Way to Lose 1lb a Week

Carol Sarler finally accepted the need to lose weight after a health check showed blood sugar levels close to tipping her into diabetes. Although she had tried diets in the past, this time she decided to lose weight - but nor using a diet. She needed to lose three stones, and aimed to lose 1 pound a week to reach her target weight. So how did she do it?

While she cannot properly tell anybody else how to do it, here are her rules for herself. She didn't count calories or weigh any foods, but relied on more, less and sometimes none. If the pound refused to budge, she would revise the more to less. The none was pragmatism. While some pleasures remained in her eating plan (e.g. butter, Yorkshire pudding, red wine), others were so difficult to restrict that she cut them out entirely (e.g. cheese, beer, sugar). She accepted that food might be dull and repetitive. Breakfasts were usually yoghurt with seeds, nuts and fruit, lunches a small sandwich and dinner a piece of meat of chicken with lots of vegetables. If you try Carol's way, you'll have your own non-negotiables and banishments.

The weight loss is slow, and she as she was doing it for health reasons, she kept track of progress on a BMI chart. Even better was the realisation every now and again that she could do something again that the excess weight had prevented. And clothes started fitting better, then not at all, while her shoe size dropped, her ankles stopped swelling and her puffing stopped.

And having achieved her target weight after 42 weeks, she stopped trying to lose weight. Not a pound has gone back on, as she has retrained her eating habits to a healthier way of eating.

Carol Sarler in Good Housekeeping, April 2014

Exalead Search Engine

You can add some shortcuts to this search engine, allowing you to personalise it. There are some useful advanced search options. You can use:

• Word stemming such as 'librar*', phonetic spelling, approximate spelling.
• Proximity searching, nested logic, reguar expressions.
• Search for pages modified before or after a specific date.
• Country / langauge searching.
• Filetype searching.

Display options are: text only; text with thumbnails; text with thumbnails and extra data.

You can also can narrow searches in a variety of ways - related terms, site types (blogs, forums and non-commercial sites), multimedia, geographical location (by country or region - e.g Euope or Africa). There's also a directory option.

You can use it to search images (with advanced search options for image size, facial content, orientation, filetype, colour/b&w/greyscale.

Phil Bradley in CILIP Update, December 2008

Teen Tips

The teenage years are stressful for the whole family. If you have a teen in the family, try reacting this way if you hear the following.

• They say 'I don't have the money to get there'. You say 'I'll give you a lift'. It gives them a chance to open up on the way (easier than with eye contact).
• They say 'I hate you'. You say - Nothing. Meeting angry outbursts with sympathetic silence gives them a chance to regain control.
• They say 'You don't understand'. You say 'Tell me how you are feeling'. Take them seriously. Don't laugh, or try to rationalise their worries, they need to say them aloud.
• They say 'Here are my results'. You say 'You worked really hard to get these grades'. Don't judge; empower them by praising their efforts instead.

Good Housekeeping, June 2014

Avoid Internet Search Tracking

Search engines such as Google like tracking you, your search terms and IP addresses; they use this to build up profiles, store data, etc. To avoid this you can get a tool (Disconnect) at https://disconnect.me/search# which allows you to route your query through their proxy servers before they go to the popular search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo.

Alternatively, install DuckDuckGo as your search engine, as it does not track you.

Phil Bradley in CILIP Update, May 2014

Style Tips from Lorraine Candy

Anyone call pull off modern glamour at any life stage; everything is in the detail.

•  Fashion should be fun.
• You should enjoy getting dressed every day.
• Today it is easy to buy catwalk looks on the high street.
• Don't assume a dress is the answer. A wardrobe of dresses takes away the ability to define an individual style.
• Wear dresses as separates with a shirt underneath, or a sweater on top.
• Try the layered look. A black leather jacket may look like you are hanging on to your youth, whereas a fitted high street leather jacket with 3/4 sleeves is a great alternative. Under it wear a soft knit sweater or a silk blouse.
• Shoes - flat shoes (e.g. loafers) can be a wardrobe staple but instantly update your look (just check your trouser lengths). If you want a heel, pick silver as it goes with everything.
• Copy the style of women you admire.
• When shopping, try on something you would not normally try. It might surprise you.

Lorraine Candy is editor of international style bible Elle.

Good Housekeeping, April 2014