It’s hard for me to be unbiased about Slimming magazine, having been the editor for three years in the late 90s and continuing to write for them now. However, I’ve tried my best!

In Detail

Slimming is one of the few specific weight loss magazines on the market that’s not directly linked to a club and so the information tends to be more balanced than the others, and is independent of any one product. It also means you’ll find all the information you need to lose weight in the magazine – and that’s good news if you don’t want to join a club.

The magazine has a friendly feel and starts with a lovely feel-good feature to get you motivated. The success stories are well written and inspiring and cover a wide range of weight losses and ages, with the result there’s something for everyone. Frustratingly though, the facts and figures appear at the end of success stories rather than at the beginning when you really want to see how well they have done. Meanwhile, the photographs of the successful slimmers aren’t as flattering as they could be (the clothes and poses don’t always do them justice!)

Best of all, the needs of slimmers are clearly kept in mind throughout: food features include information on calories and fat, and fashion features include clothes that will actually fit larger ladies (several recommended items are available up to a size 32). Nevertheless, many of the features seem a little tired and lacked originality – this issue included features on breaking out of emotional eating, body sculpting creams on test, the low down on fat, a fact file on iron, an update on carbs and a feature on dancing. On the positive side though, these features provide plenty of good basic information and so are likely to be interesting for first-time slimmers.

There’s a great feature, too, on unusual visual symptoms that could indicate ill health caused by a poor diet. Meanwhile, there’s a fun quiz to help you identify how body confident you are – unfortunately though, the scoring system has been accidentally omitted and so it’s impossible to work out how you scored.

When it comes to helping people to lose weight, there are two slimming plans to choose from. The main one featured is taken from a new book and is effectively based on food combining. The second is created specifically for the magazine and focuses on the well-accepted view that you need to take in fewer calories than you need to lose weight. There are also plenty of experts dotted throughout the magazine, which helps to create the image that you’re getting good information, that’s guaranteed to work.

Who it will suit

anyone who wants to lose weight on their own regardless of their size, shape or age. For experienced slimmers, the information might be a little too basic, although the success stories are very inspiring. For first-time slimmers or for those needing a ‘refresher’ course in basic slimming information, Slimming Magazine is a good buy.

Value for money

Slimming – it’s cheaper than joining a slimming club yet provides you with plenty of the same information 9/10
Content – it would be nice to see some newer ideas for the features 5/10