Here are Nancy's tips:

1) Positive Self Talk
Probably the most important thing you can ever do at any time is—talk POSITIVE to yourself. Most people have negative self talk running through their heads 24/7 and they don’t even realize it!

2) Hang out with positive people.
Ask your friends and loved ones to help you by saying positive and approving things about you. The more often you hear positive things about yourself, the sooner you’ll believe them.

3) Move your body.
It sounds so simple, but moving your body can make you feel better.

4) Ask yourself---“How do I want others to think of me when they look at me?” What kind of image are you projecting with the clothes you wear? Maybe you dress to be really comfortable or maybe you dress to be extremely stylish, but however you dress, ask yourself if your clothes are giving others the impression of you that you want them to have? Visit Curvety.com for some new ideas.

5) We’ve all heard the phrase, “Fake it ‘til you make it.”
Well, it works. It works partly because the subconscious mind doesn’t’ recognize the word or concept of pretending. For the subconscious, everything is always “real.” So faking it ‘til you make it, makes it happen.

6) Breathe.
Yup, that’s it. Breathe. By taking some long, deep breaths, you will begin to calm your body and give it the much needed oxygen it craves.

7) Give what you want to get.
Like attracts like. So give what you want to get and you might be surprised at how enjoyable it is to give when you get so much back!

These tips are a small insight into the content of her book which gives more ideas on how to increase your confidence and make the most of yourself.

The article talks about Kate Moss and a recent snap of her with 15-stone frontwoman of indie band The Gossip, Beth Ditto, and another unnamed 'fat' friend. In no uncertain terms it is stated that the 'beautiful' people only have 'fat' friends to make them:

A) Look better
Feel better
C) Make it easier to pull

Here is a quote from the article:

'But it's not just when you're out on the town that your fat friend makes you feel better. When you're out shopping there's the satisfaction of slipping into a size 10 as she struggles with a 16, and even if you have put on a few pounds, the fact she can't fit into the biggest size the shop stocks takes the sting out of moving up to a 12.'

The fact that somebody would take pleasure from the obvious distress of one of their friends pretty much sums it up. I for one have many friends of all shapes and sizes who love me for who I am and vice versa. I would not want such a shallow friend, as frankly who needs enemies with friends like that!

If you are a 16 plus and suffer from the problem faced when shopping on the high street, try Curvety.com where you can pick up the latest fashions in sizes up to a 36. And if you have friends like Ursula it will be your turn to show them up!

So - Is media coverage of size zero celebrities directly responsible for the increase in eating disorders in young girls? Or is the steady rise in obesity a far more worrying problem?

Both women appear to eat a healthy balanced diet but nutritionist Fiona Hunter believes that the size zero model - Sasha Larner is eating less than half of the recommended daily calorie intake, and the majority of these are made up of biscuits & alcohol. Fiona had higher praise for the well balanced diet of Mikyla Dodd of Hollyoaks & Celebrity fit club fame.

Both women claim to be happy with their weight, although Mikyla has recently slimmed down from 19st 2lb to 15st 7lb, losing 44lb when taking part in Celebrity fit club. She says:

'I am perfectly content with my lot. If I never lose another pound, I will be happy. I am a desirable woman. I've got great boobs and my last boyfriend said I had a nice bum. I've certainly got no inhibitions when it comes to the bedroom. I know for a fact that you don't have to be slim to be sexy. I feel much better now that I've lost some weight - but I'd never want to be a size zero. Pictures of people like Nicole Richie in her swimwear are so worrying. They are all skin and bone, and look as though they might snap.'

Read the full article here

If you're happy with your curves then dress to impress in the sexy maya chiffon dress from igigi. It can be purchased from UK plus size clothing store Curvety.com

For me it kick starts thoughts of exercise. I am a size 18 to 20 in clothes but believe that size has little relation to fitness. A bit of exercise has such an effect on your general wellbeing and mood whatever your size.

Last year I ran the 5K race for life for cancer research and was hoping to do the 10K one this year, which is about 7 miles. I was daunted about running last year, but when I got there I was happy to see nothing more than thousands of ordinary women of all shapes and sizes with one common goal - to raise money for cancer. Some walking, jogging or running, but there was no competitiveness and certainly no smirks. From now on I wont allow being a plus size to stop me taking part.

Obviously it is necessary to train a little, or a lot depending on your personal goals. There is nothing like a fresh breeze and longer evenings to start the ball rolling so tonight I am going to don my leggings and a T shirt, wipe the dust off my trainers and head to the river.