When Brittany May started her weight-loss journey over two years ago, she knew she would have loose skin when she reached her goal. Now she’s 336 pounds lighter—but she wasn’t prepared for just how heavy that extra skin would really be and how much pain it would cause her.
“Nobody talked about the pain loose skin can cause and the discomfort and limitations that come with it,” May tells Health. “I have pounds and pounds of skin hanging off of all parts of my body that throw me off balance and cause neck, back, and shoulder pain.”
In a situation like May’s, you would think the answer would be to get the skin removed, right? Well, that’s easier said than done. The surgery is very expensive, and because no one warned May about the complications that come with carrying loose skin, she had no idea she would need to save up for such a procedure.
“I thought I was just going to have loose skin, be fine with it, and be able to move on with my life,” she says. But now that she’s seen this isn’t the case, she wishes she would have known to put aside money along the way.
Needless to say, her situation can be pretty defeating. “I worked so hard to free myself from my former physical prison, and now I’ve created another one,” May says.
But no matter how frustrated she gets, she never regrets her decision to lose weight. Sure, there are some moves her skin keeps her from doing in the gym. But at least she can actually fit into the driver’s seat of a car to take herself to there, she says. “It’s still a complete night and day difference of what the world has to offer me now at this size as opposed to 500 pounds.”
She copes with her loose skin by always having a bottle of Gold Bond No Mess Spray Powder handy to keep things dry and avoid irritation, as well as wearing tighter than usual shirts and leggings to hold everything in place.
May now shares her experience on Instagram in hopes that others on their own weight-loss journeys can have a better idea of what to expect than she did. She also wants others with loose skin to know it isn’t something to be ashamed of. If anything, it’s a reminder of how hard you’ve worked and all of the progress you’ve made.
It’s not uncommon for people to come to May and say, ‘I want to lose weight, but I’m scared of loose skin,’ she says. Her response: “Just think of how much better you can be for you and your loved ones if you did lose the weight, even with the skin. Don’t let the fear of what’s to come stop you from getting there.”
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(*CONTRACT*) INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER REQUIRED IN WESTLAKE, CAPE TOWN
Please Note:
If you do not fit the specification with the minimum requirements your application will not be accepted for this position. Shortlisted candidates may be required to complete an Assessment or Test to demonstrate your knowledge of this position.
Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree (minimum)
Computer knowledge including MS Office and the Internet is a prerequisite, especially researching online quality educational resources
Experience creating assessments
Advantageous:
Knowledge of the Further Education and Training and Higher Education markets
Experience in the educational publishing environment
Experience designing/creating online learning material
Familiarity with the Socratic method of teaching
Previous teaching experience
Previous course/ curriculum design experience
Knowledge of and previous experience using learning management systems such as Blackboard
Skills / Duties:
Design and develop digital learning content based on storyboards developed by an instructional designer
Effect changes to digital learning content based on feedback
Capture content on various Learning Management Systems
Design UX for various online learning platforms and digital learning content
Perform any duties as requested from time-to-time by the Academic Manager or Chief Operating Officer
Applicants must reside in WESTLAKE, CAPE TOWN or surrounding area.
Only South African citizens, who are suitably qualified, live in the applicable area and meet the requirements of the position are eligible to apply for this vacancy.
Please take note: if you have not been contacted within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.
Visit our website to view all of our current vacancies: www.mprtc.co.za
STORE MANAGER – KWAZULU-NATAL in Kwazulu-Natal | Retail Wholesale | Job Mail | 4334381
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VERY WELL-KNOWN OUTDOOR RETAIL OUTLET HAS A FANTASTIC POSITION AVAILABLE FOR A STORE MANAGER FOR THEIR BRANCH IN KWAZULU NATAL
Please Note:
If you do not fit the specification with the minimum requirements your application will not be accepted for this position. Shortlisted candidates may be required to complete an Assessment or Test to demonstrate your knowledge of this position.
Requirements:
Matric/ Grade 12 certificate
Must be computer Literate (experience on a point of sale system)
Minimum 2 years Branch Management experience in the retail industry
Successful track record in achieving turnover targets
Must have financial understanding of retail profit factors to effectively control branch expenses
Ability to manage all aspects of the store
Excellent leadership skills and ability to develop and motivate staff
Excellent customer relations skills
The ability to manage, train and develop staff
The ability to apply company policies and principles strictly and consistently
Controlling the expenses of the branch
Understanding stock control to ensure stock levels are always on the correct levels and allocated correctly and minimize stock losses
Excellent administrative skills
Customer service orientated
Attention to detail coupled with strong planning skills
Ideal incumbent must be a well-spoken, friendly, people’s person, as Staff and client liaison, dispute resolution and training would form part of this position
Applicants must reside in KWAZULU NATAL or surrounding area.
Only South African citizens, who are suitably qualified, live in the applicable area and meet the requirements of the position are eligible to apply for this vacancy.
Please take note: if you have not been contacted within 14 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.
Visit our website to view all of our current vacancies: www.mprtc.co.za
Former public enterprises minister Barbara Hogan says she knew she was going to be dismissed when former president Jacob Zuma called her into an urgent meeting at his residence in Pretoria.
Hogan was testifying during her second day at the judicial commission of inquiry into state capture on Tuesday.
Hogan told inquiry chairperson Deputy Justice Raymond Zondo that her deputy, Enoch Godongwana, had told her before she was fired that there were rumours of her dismissal at Luthuli House.
She said in October 2009, she received a call summoning her to an urgent meeting with Zuma and former ANC secretary general and now Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe at the former president’s official residence in Pretoria.
“I knew then that I was going to be dismissed…the president never really called me to an urgent meeting,” she said.
Her late partner, Ahmed Kathrada, insisted on accompanying her to Zuma’s house. She said when they arrived at the house, Kathrada sat in the car because he was not invited in.
Hogan said the former president told her that the ANC’s national executive committee had decided to “redeploy” her to Finland as an ambassador.
“There had been lots of rumours that I was going to be reshuffled so I had no idea that I was going to be sent as an ambassador to Finland.”
She told the president she could not ask her partner, Kathrada, who had spent 26 years in jail, to leave “his country, family and friends” and come live with her in Finland for five years.
She said she did not ask for reasons for her dismissal because the president has the prerogative to dismiss.
She explained to Zondo that she also could not stay as an MP because Kathrada was alone most of the time while she performed her duties.
Hogan said she was informed that former minister of home affairs Malusi Gigaba would replace her as minister of public enterprises. According to Hogan, Gigaba had declined a “handover” meeting with her.
Hogan said at the time there was a narrative spun that painted the Cabinet ministers who had been reshuffled and dismissed as “incompetent”.
She also said that issues around her performance were never raised by the former president, prior to her dismissal.
She said while she was aware that she often had “differences of opinion” with Zuma, he had never complained about her performance.
Hogan’s testimony was interrupted by a power failure in the area. She is expected to appear again on Wednesday at 10:00.
In the early 2000s Malusi Gigaba was headed for the top.
He was president of the influential ANC Youth League (ANCYL), which had begun to flex its political muscle inside a party in firm control of South Africa’s young democracy.
Under then president Thabo Mbeki the ANCYL was increasingly claiming the role that Peter Mokaba, a firebrand former leader, had envisaged for it: militant, outspoken and unafraid. And in Gigaba – smart and articulate – the ANC found the right person to lead the so-called “young lions”. The ANCYL started taking part in national debates – about black economic empowerment, transformation, sports quotas – and positioned itself as the progressive and radical wing of Mbeki’s party, with Gigaba at the forefront.
But the ANCYL never veered too far away from Mbeki and although it often took controversial positions to test the political waters, the ANCYL was very much part of the furniture at Luthuli House. Gigaba became an MP in 1999 and was elected ANCYL president three times between 1996 and 2004, the year in which he was appointed deputy minister of home affairs by Mbeki.
Gigaba first served on the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) in 2002 and was re-elected in 2007 after switching his allegiance from Mbeki to Zuma. His higher position on the final list of NEC members reflected this, and he was rewarded with a full ministry in 2010, after Zuma dismissed Barbara Hogan as minister of public enterprises.
He was always considered the leader of the next generation, overtaking his successor during their youth league days, Fikile Mbalula, as a favourite of the Zumaites and was often mentioned as a possible future ANC leader and president by those in the know.
But it was his tenure as public enterprises minister that did much to taint him, with his mandated changes to boards of state-owned enterprises that allegedly left various state companies such as Eskom and Transnet vulnerable to state capture.
On Monday at the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture, Hogan testified about how Gigaba replaced the Transnet board shortly after he was appointed minister and that the board promptly reinstated Siyabonga Gama, who was dismissed after an investigation into tender irregularities.
The Gupta project of grand state capture, however, was to firmly ensnare Gigaba and he was to become closely associated with the parasitic and corrosive nature of institutionalised corruption. Not only were various parastatals opened up to networks of patronage during his tenure at public enterprises, but when he was transferred to home affairs, his department and office went out of their way to assist the Guptas with immigration issues.
The #Guptaleaks emails revealed how he instructed two senior immigration officials to be transferred to India where they assisted the Guptas, while an academic study titled Betrayal of the Promise identified him as one of the central enablers of state capture.
His status in the Zuma ring as a trusted enforcer was confirmed in April 2017 when he and Sifiso Buthelezi were rushed to National Treasury to replace the fired duo of Pravin Gordhan and Mcebisi Jonas who were dismissed as minister and deputy minister of finance. Gordhan and Jonas had been locked in conflict with Zuma and his network of cronies ever since Zuma showed his hand in 2015 when he launched an open assault on Treasury by firing then minister Nhlanhla Nene.
Gigaba was considered a safe pair of hands, pliable and, unlike Gordhan and Jonas, without the fortitude and conviction to defend the national purse. Treasury insiders spoke of a minister with a lack of experience and knowledge of financial matters who only saw the finance ministry as a pit-stop to the presidency.
He only tabled one budget before being shifted by Ramaphosa after the palace revolt which saw Zuma resign the presidency in February. His position was always considered precarious, alongside that of ministers Nomvula Mokonyane and Bathabile Dlamini, and his retention in Cabinet was interpreted as an attempt to unite the factions that formed before the ANC’s elective conference in December 2017.
Gigaba’s position weakened dramatically over the last two weeks after the Constitutional Court and the Public Protector castigated him for lying in the Fireblade/Oppenheimer saga. And it was further undermined when he had to pre-empt the release of an embarrassing video of a sexual nature.
After Ramaphosa spoke to the ANC’s parliamentary caucus last week, some MPs said it was clear that he wanted Gigaba to go. The president spoke of “doing the right thing when you’ve been found wanting” and “putting the interests of the party before that of the individual”. Exactly a week after the caucus meeting, he did precisely that.
Gigaba was a flashy politician who only wore expensive fitted suits, tailored shirts and what looked like quadruple Windsor knotted ties – he once wore the uniform of an SAA pilot to the opening of Parliament. He liked attention, his private life was the subject of many gossipy stories in Sunday newspapers and his political life arranged depending on the prevailing winds.
His rise was steady and sure and his demise inevitable and public. That’s what happens when you mix with the wrong crowd.
Cape Town – Springbok assistant coach Matt Proudfoot has described Scotland as a formidable side who will present the improving Springboks with a difficult contest on Saturday at Murrayfield.
South Africa managed to defeat France in Paris last Saturday following their one point loss to England in the 2018 Outgoing Tour opener in London two weeks ago.
The Scots have built a formidable record at Murrayfield in the past two seasons, with their only loss from nine home Tests coming against New Zealand last November.
“They are a very good side and Gregor (Townsend, Scottish coach) has done a fantastic job with the team since he took over,” said Proudfoot.
“The challenge at the breakdown and the contact point is always crucial in Test match rugby. The difference (compared to the French game) is that Scotland are probably a lot better technically in the defensive contact situations, while the French were very physical.”
Proudfoot also lauded some of the other Scottish strengths: “Their continuity play and their ability to apply a kicking game, which allow them to counter off the back of that, are some other strong points.
“They are also a very disciplined side who are able to defend for long phases, so you don’t get to break them down easily. That means you must have a lot of patience against them,” said Proudfoot.
A call on the fitness of Eben Etzebeth will only be made later in the week. The experienced lock picked up a foot injury against England two weeks ago, which forced him to miss the game in Paris.
The Springbok side to face Scotland on Saturday will be named on Thursday.
The match in Edinburgh kicks off at 19:20 (SA time).
Otherwise healthy women diagnosed with postpartum depression may be at higher risk of a heart attack, stroke or heart failure, a new study suggests.
Acting on mounting evidence linking clinical depression to cardiovascular disease, researchers sought to explore whether other forms of depression might also increase the risk for conditions affecting the heart or brain.
They examined a registry of 1.8 million California women who did not have a history of cardiovascular disease or chronic depression. Of those women, 40 276 were diagnosed with postpartum depression.
Within roughly five years of giving birth, the women who had postpartum depression had a nearly 70% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. And that was even after adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure, pregnancy-related conditions such as preeclampsia, and social and behavioural factors such as smoking, alcohol use and insurance access.
The findings will be presented on 11 November 2018 at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions meeting in Chicago.
Cause is still uncertain
What’s causing these women to be more at risk is uncertain, said Dr Punag Divanji, the study’s lead researcher and a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco.
Among the possibilities is a link to the drop in oestrogen and progesterone after childbirth. These two hormones increase exponentially during pregnancy, and women with postpartum depression may have a greater decline in levels after childbirth than other new mothers.
But more research needs to be conducted before actual causal reasons can be pinned down, Dr Divanji said.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done in terms of better understanding cardiovascular risk in women,” he said, particularly risk factors other than high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Dr Leslie Cho, director of the Women’s Cardiology Center at The Cleveland Clinic, agreed that more research would help validate the findings, as well as shed light on the mechanics behind them.
Depression can lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices
“What we do know is that if you’re depressed, straight-up depressed, you tend to eat badly. You tend to drink. If you’re depressed, you don’t tend to exercise,” said Dr Cho, who was not connected with the new study. “It goes with so many other unhealthy lifestyle choices.”
Past studies have shown a link between clinical depression and its impact on cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, Dr Cho said.
“It’s been linked with platelet reactivity – your platelets are more sticky when you’re depressed,” meaning there’s a greater chance they could clump and form a blot clot, she said. “So, there are all sorts of interesting heart-brain connections there.”
She noted that women of all ages should consider having their cardiovascular risk assessed anyway because heart disease is the leading cause of death for women.
Dr Divanji said he hopes the study will help raise awareness about the potential link between all types of depression and cardiovascular disease.
“This level of evidence isn’t sufficient enough to say we need to sound the alarm but rather, this is something to be aware of and think more about,” he said. “When we see patients, we should be cognisant that depression plays a role in future cardiovascular disease risk.”
If you need help, contact SADAG. You can speak to a counsellor between 08:00 and 20:00 Monday to Sunday by calling 011 234 4837. For a suicidal emergency call 0800 567 567. The 24-hour contact is 0800 12 13 14. Alternatively, you can SMS 31393 and SADAG will call you back.
We’re looking for a contract UI designer/interactive designer to join our Johannesburg team.
Designers at VML SA are responsible for designing digital solutions at the highest standard. As digital creatives they are responsible for solutions that are responsive fluid and interactive, they also design applications and integrated campaign collateral.
Designers work closely with our conceptual, UX and FED teams to create the best solutions for our wide spectrum of clientele.
We are an award-winning agency who prides itself on creating work that is meaningful and purpose-driven, work that lives in peoples lives. Our ideas are born digital but often extend beyond the digital canvas.
You at VML SA
As a mid designer, you are responsible for creating the look-and-feel of digitally led projects and campaigns within the agency.
You will work with teams of varying size and skill to create a consumer-centric design of international standard. From time to time, you will be responsible for projects from senior designers you will need be required to deliver polished work with oversight from your seniors and HOD. It is your responsibility to ensure each project follows the creative aesthetic across all projects.
You are expected to work intelligently and efficiently and explore a variety of creative options for each brief. The work is always expected to be delivered on deadline, meet the brief, look unique with an international standard, it should always meet the needs of the user but at the same time follow strict design principles.
It is expected that work produced will require a minimal amount of feedback from the HOD and CD.
You need to be a proactive contributor within the ideation process to deliver new ideas and design insight within projects.
We need you to inspire others, to play an educational role, specifically around the latest digital trends and tech.
You will be required to actively engage with the project teams to create work that incorporates best practice and insight from all departments relevant to the project.
Whilst creative excellence is required, you need to be aware of time and budget constraints.
Being a South African citizen requires you to contribute to a culture of creative excellence.
Requirements
Relevant degree/diploma
Minimum two years’ relevant experience in a digital agency or digital environment
Proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign
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