An estimated 25 percent of the 2.4 million brides this year will be plus -size, so how do you find the perfect wedding dress to fit your body type?
Joining us this morning with tips is Chamein Canton, author of "Down that Aisle in Style."
According to leading online plus size retailer Always For Me of the nearly 2.4 million brides in 2008 an estimated 25% (600,000) will be plus size.
The key to finding the right gown is to focus on a few tips to make your gown shopping dreams come true.
Full Figured Tips
1. Know your shape. Are you a pear, inverted triangle, rectangle, diamond, round or hourglass shape? Body shape is more important than a tag number. If you dress for your body, you'll look great.
2. Know your assets and accent the positive. For some its arms, for others its legs, shoulders, bosom, neck, waist, etc... If you have great shoulders consider a strapless or halter bodice. If you have shapely legs consider a hi-lo hemline to show them off.
3. Take care of 'problem areas' with the right silhouette. For example the Empire silhouette works well for pear shapes. It draws the eye up. If you have a tummy an asymmetrical waist deemphasizes it.
4. Try to stay away from stiff fabrics, which tend to pull. Instead choose soft fabrics that work with and not against your curves.
5. Don't buy a gown that's a size smaller with the intention of dieting to fit it. This almost never works. Get the right fit from the start.
Tiffany Braxton Belvin- Has an hourglass shape. She's modeling a bias cut style with cowl neck made of silk 4ply crepe and crepe back satin patchwork by NYC bridal designer Cassandra Bromfield. A bias clut hugs a woman's curves so it's very sexy.
Cassandra Bromfield's Company
Specializes in Afrocentric, Multiethnic gowns in addition to traditional gowns
400 West 42nd Street, Suite 3C,
New York, New York, 10036.
Contact: Phone 212-502-5277
www.cassandrabromfield.com
Isabel Garcia (Miss New York Plus America) will be modeling a satin and lace Empire style gown by IGIGI. The off the shoulder neckline draws your attention to her upper body while the princess seam elongates and slims her body.
www.igigi.com
Nic Moore (Miss NYC Plus)- A pear shape is modeling a chiffon slim A-line halter Aurora D'Paradiso gown by Formal Source. Again the focus is on the upper body and the hi-lo hemline shows off her legs.
www.formalsource.com
-----SUNBURN RELIEF-----
With summer now underway, some food and beverage choices you make while out in the sun could affect how your body reacts to the sun's rays.
Joining us this morning with tips is dermatologist Dr. Jody Levine of plastic surgery and dermatology of NYC.
Foods to keep you hydrated while in the sun include:
Blueberries
Strawberries
Oranges
Pomegranates
Beverages to keep you hydrated while in the sun include:
Lemonade
Orange juice
Club soda with lemon
Pomegranate juice
Beverages not recommended include Vitamin Water and Capri Sun.
Topicals to alleviate sunburn - Hydrocortisone, Green Tea, Solarcaine and Vitamin C.
Acute sunburn can be treated with LED Light Therapy - Light Emmison Diodes. The LED light hones in on inflammation within the skin by reducing certain enzymes that cause redness and irritation. Using the LED light therapy after sunburn will decrease inflammation significantly decreasing redness and discomfort. This technology has many uses, including acne, photodynamic therapy, photorejuvenation, pain management and wound healing.
Years of Sun damage can be addressed in several different ways, BBL (Broadband light) also known as photo facial or photo rejuvenation, is the newest technology in pulsed light and is great for photo-damaged skin. BBL selectively targets the sun damage within the skin, destroying it and allowing the body to naturally remove it. Brown spots or photo pigmentation is easily removed, restoring the skins natural and healthy tone.
In addition, photo damaged skin that results in the appearance of red spots or lesions of vascular nature can also be removed with this technology, restoring the skin to an even, undamaged tone. This treatment does not have downtime. At most, it will result in some crusting or flaking in areas of sun damage. This will clear over the course of several days.
For more information, visit www.plasticsandderm.com
-----SUMMER SLIM DOWN-----
There is still plenty of time to lose weight and shape up so you can wear some of your favorite summer clothes.
Joining us this morning with tips is Elyse Silver, a leader at weight watchers.
Here are five "Change of Season" tips from Weight Watchers that can make a big difference in how you look and feel by Labor Day:
1. Change Your Mindset. Don't look at how much you have to lose, set small goals. Start with a goal of losing just 10% of your body weight. Not only has a 10% weight loss been proven to be medically significant, it's also an achievable goal. Sustaining a 10% weight loss has multiple health benefits, including lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. In addition, you may drop a size or two in clothing, which will give you added confidence in those lighter summer clothes.
2. Change of Attitude. To many people, "exercise" is a negative word. If you aren't currently physically active, begin slowly. Start out with a 10-minute walk a few days a week; in a week go to 20 minutes and add a day weekly. By summer you could be comfortable up to 30-45 minutes, 3-4 times a week, and in a regular routine just in time for the warmer weather. Invite a neighbor or a friend to join you and it will feel more like fun than a workout!
3. Your Portions. Think about the portions of what you eat and begin to cut back. Simply cutting out 200 calories a day can add up to the loss of a pound a week, so just cut out that afternoon snack of two cookies. Begin slowly changing your habits and before long, it will become second nature to you.
4. Change Your Pantry. Spring Cleaning 101: Make healthy foods easy to access and get rid of any snacks that aren't nutritious for you or your family. Make a healthy pantry your ultimate goal with snacks and foods that work for your body -- not against you! At Weight Watchers meetings and at weightwatchers.com you can find terrific tips on how to make your pantry less fattening and great ideas for snacks that are filling, delicious and best of all, good for you!
5. Change Your Menu. Order differently when you go to lunch. From small things like trading the mayo on your sandwich for mustard, to going with whole wheat high-fiber bread rather than white. Each week, make it your goal to change your preparation on one of your favorite meals. Find a new more sensible way to make your kids' favorite macaroni and cheese or "fried" chicken. Not only will you benefit, but so will your family. And clean off that grill. It's time to fire it up for healthier food prep!
For more information, go to www.weightwatchers.com
-----STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS-----
While the economy is in a slowdown and foreclosure signs are all around us, it doesn't mean you can't branch out and start your own business.
Joining us this morning with some opportunities is Paul Stappas, founder of bookkeeping administration management.
Is it really a good time to start a business when the economy is in a slowdown or even some would call it a recession?
There is always an upside to the downside of an economy. One person or businesses misfortune is another's opportunity.
Can you give us an example of what types of businesses are doing well in a slow economy when all people hear about in the news is layoffs and foreclosures?
Well, let's take foreclosures first. It's a sad thing for a family but there are businesses that can work with banks to take care of those empty houses until another family comes along to buy it.
Here are examples of the businesses that benefit from all the foreclosures:
The following entrepreneurs can go to the banks that take over homes and offer their services to maintain the homes they takeover
Locksmiths
Landscapers
Painters
Home Remodelers
What about people who work here in the city in an office and are afraid they will be laid off or just lost their job. Are you advising them that now is the time to start their own business?
Yes. In fact, many are well positioned to become their own boss. Let me give you a few examples:
Marketing Specialist can offer businesses a service that saves people money because they don't need to hire a full time in-house person.
Sales people can transition from selling one product for one company to selling several for several companies.
Graphic Design artists can work from home with technology today and do projects for a few different companies often e-mailing documents back and forth.
Now, what if that office worker that gets laid off is a secretary that only has administrative skills?
An administrative person with strong typing skills can start their own Transcription Service by picking up transcription tapes and typing up legal or other documents. (Perfect for a stay at home parent)
Any other industries people should consider if they want to start a business now?
If you want to make green... think green. Any business idea that benefits the economy is hot now.
Any other words of wisdom for first time business owners?
95% of small business fail in the first five years fail because they fail to set up their bookkeeping properly. That's where my company comes in. As a consultant I can set up and manage the books and let the small business focus on what they do best. If you don't have organized books, you may think sales are up, but your profits are actually down because your overhead costs of doing business are too high.
For more information, visit www.bookkeepingadmin.com
-----SEIZURES IN CHILDREN -----
About three million people in the United States suffer from epilepsy and about a third of them, children.
As we're heading into the season for summer camps and vacations, it's important to know if your child or one of their friends is possibly suffering from a seizure.
Joining us this morning with the warning signs and first aid is Dr. Josiane Lajoie, asst. professor of neurology and pediatrics at the NYU School of Medicine.
What is the definition of epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. It's also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy. (from EFA web site)
What causes epilepsy and is there a cure?
Seizures are symptoms of abnormal brain function. With the exception of very young children and the elderly, the cause of the abnormal brain function is usually not identifiable. In about seven out of ten people with epilepsy, no cause can be found. Among the rest, the cause may be any one of a number of things that can make a difference in the way the brain works. Head injuries or lack of oxygen during birth may damage the delicate electrical system in the brain. Other causes include brain tumors, genetic conditions (such as tuberous sclerosis), lead poisoning, problems in development of the brain before birth, and infections like meningitis or encephalitis. (from EFA web site). To date, there is no cure.
What does a seizure look like?
Identifying the Signs of a Possible Seizure
The following are the most common signs of possible seizure activity:
Brief staring spells (5-10 seconds)
Periods of confusion
Head dropping
Sudden loss of muscle tone
Episodes of rapid blinking, or of the eyes rolling upwards
Inappropriate movements of the mouth or face, accompanied by a blank expression
Aimless, dazed behavior, including walking or repetitive movements that seem inappropriate to the environment
Involuntary jerking of an arm or leg
Not all of these signs occur every time or with every seizure.
What can cause a seizure?
Some people who have epilepsy have no special seizure triggers, while others are able to recognize things in their lives that do affect their seizures. Keep in mind, however, that just because two events happen around the same time doesn't mean that one is the cause of the other. Generally, the most frequent cause of an unexpected seizure is failure to take the medication as prescribed. That's the most common trigger of all. Other factors include ingesting substances, hormone fluctuations, stress, sleep patterns and photosensitivity (from EFA web site)
Can seizures be treated?
Yes, with medication, and at times, diet. Break-through seizures are common, even while on medication - so is important to have out of hospital rescue medication, like Diastat AcuDial, on hand at all times.
If you witness a seizure, what are some basic first aid tips?
Basic Seizure First Aid
If you think someone is having a seizure, the following basic first aid is helpful:
Stay calm
Ease person to floor
Loosen any neckwear
Cushion head
Do not restrain or hold the person down
Do not put anything in the person's mouth
Clear immediate area of any furniture or other objects that may cause injury
After seizure subsides, roll person onto their side. If person turns blue, stops breathing, or begins to vomit, immediately roll the person onto their side.
When person regains consciousness, talk gently to them and stay with them until they are well enough to return to their usual activities.
Family members should always have a seizure plan in place
Breakthrough seizures should be anticipated, so always carry around your plan, wallet card, rescue medication, and locate nearest hospital information in advance of any trip/vacation
For more information, go to www.epilepsyplan.com
