The almost expected review of a diet book, but can they really take you from flab to fab?

Neris and India’s idiot-proof diet

How we lost ten stone – and kept it off

Amongst the hundreds of diet books out there Neris and India’s idiot proof diet stood out like an instant breath of fresh air, is it written to seem more like your friend and to be a helping hand on your weight-loss mission, to be there for you every-step of the way.

The first thing that grabs your attention of this book is the shocking pink cover, this is somehow reassuring, it strikes you as friendly, approachable and possibly even achievable. Fundamentally the book is based around a friendship, and how they used that bond and the help of each other to collectively lose ten stone between them with minimal effort.

Along with giving you a guide on what to eat and what not to eat it does so much more, it works on helping you to become comfortable in your own skin and actually liking yourself for who you are. They do this with a mix of different exercises… no, not the kind that involves a gym and working up an unpleasant sweaty appearance but by encouraging you to write down inspirational bullet points such as ‘Actually I’m pretty great - here are some reasons why’ and listing ten things you like about yourself before you’re encouraged to move onto the actual diet plan.

At it’s core this diet is a realistic approach to the Atkins diet, for people who don’t have the time to follow a strict diet plan or to hibernate inside because of the fear they will face any challenges while out with friends. This diet encourages you to go out and live a normal life, they even have handy chapters on what to do if you find yourself up against certain challenges such as; going to a party, going to the pub, take-aways and falling off the wagon.

The book is aimed to help with any issue, for example if you are having a particularly stressful day there is a section of inspirational quotes at the back to give you an added kick in the right direction especially if you can find one that relates personally to you.

This book is everything you need to succeed on a realistic diet that doesn’t make you survive on shrubbery for the next couple of months and only accompany it with either steamed fish, steamed chicken or more salad. I have found the book to be inspiring and hope evoking so I will be starting this myself and finding out if this dream really can be a reality.

Okay. Yes I'm a terrible blogger. . . but I apologise

I initially created this account on the premise that I was going to keep it active but have failed miserably so I have finally decided to re-activate my account ... lets just pray that I am successful this time around as I really do what to be an active blogger.

So what's gone on in my life recently? Well I have recently returned from Kavos in Greece from what was supposed to be the 'ultimate holiday' of my life but in truth it made me feel old and left me terribly sunburnt and grumpy. The idea of a 20-30's holiday to a party town was something I really wanted to experience the idea of non-stop cocktails and tanning on golden sand instantly had me sold but the reality was far from my ideal.

The alcohol tasted like cough medicine and rather then get you drunk gave you a slight queasy sensation that left you wanting a bottle of water not another sex on the beach.
The so called 'sandy beaches' and 'crystal blue seas' where more a hazard zone, the sand filled with glass . . .  even the holiday rep joked that we needed to watch out for needles in the sand.
As for accommodation we where situated about a 24 hour bar so the idea of sleep was precisely that an idea.

Overall I came home tired and irritated and longing for a holiday somewhere like Paris where I could spend my time wondering the city and sipping the perfect cocktails in quaint bars. For now I will be applying aftersun                          liberally and nursing my liver back to health.

Insert christmas related blog

So yes, I’m actually shocking when it comes to remembering to write in this thing… I have the attention span of a fish… except when it comes to shopping, half naked men and gossip girl. So here it goes I feel as though I should at least give this another shot and work a little more on my dedication.

Sooo. . . Christmas? For some reason this year Christmas was feeling a little too generic, I was more stressed about saving up the money to buy Christmas presents for everyone in my family and finishing off my work before the deadlines. The only thing I had to look forward to was my once in a lifetime trip to New York , yes I actually had the opportunity to go and the only overused word I can think to describe the experience . . . AMAZING.

There is simply not enough journal space to share all the details of everything I did and saw but here is a short list; Sex and the city tour, Central park, prison like hostel, crazy dancing people, times square, HUGE candy store, empire state building, vintage flea market, statue of liberty, grand central station, tiffany’s and hot naked men dancing in the window of many stores.

The one thing that surprised me most about New York was the instant feel of Christmas spirit that almost slaps you round the face, how could one city possibly have that many Christmas tree’s, lights and bubbles? You had to literally walk around with your mouth open in amazement at the festiveness. For the first time in a long time I felt like a little girl again it was like I found my Christmas spirit again and believe me it was just as magical as the first time around.

Over the last few weeks I believe I have started to change for the better I’m becoming my old self, and working towards being that happy, positive and slightly loopy girl my friends all knew and loved and going to New York was like the final push in the right direction. So now I’m back home and getting ready for Christmas, I may not believe in Santa Clause anymore but I certainly believe in the overall spirit that the day is famous for.

The greatest thing you will ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return

So you say it’s not okay to be gay, well I think your just evil. You're just some racist who
can't tie my laces; your point of view is medieval

- Lily Allen

Like most girls I have become obsessed with the world of Celebrity and the whole culture that goes along with it; Fashion, Romance, Drama, Beautiful People but most of all the gossip. I started off my obsession with publications such as ‘Top Of the Pops’ but as I grew older I craved more so began to read everything I could get my hands on…. More, Heat, Star and Now are just a few of the titles….there was always something about having a shiny new magazine in my hands a cup of tea in the other; it almost became like my therapy…my safe heaven.

About 3 years ago I was told about a site that could not only feed my need for celebrity gossip but would also bring the information to life and give it a much needed personal approach. Perez Hilton, I’m sure many of you would have heard about his site before, after all he is one of the most famous bloggers of all time and has received the reputation as ‘Hollywood’s most hated man’ as he isn’t afraid to say what he thinks.

So for the past 3 years I have checked his site religiously, sometimes logging in 3 or 4 times a day in need of my next hit of the world of celebrity. I have even become a huge fan of the blogger himself and had the privilege of meeting him in London this summer at a concert he put on ‘One night in London’ featuring acts such as Diana Vickers, The Hoosiers and Kelis. Perez Hilton has achieved the Status most bloggers can only dream to reach.

One thing that has struck me about his site is how he not only uses it to tell the world about the latest celebrity hook up or fight, he also uses it to share issues close to his heart and it just so happens his latest one has also been close to mine.

In America there has been a HUGE number of teenagers, people my age and younger, committing suicide purely because they where bullied and victimised for being gay…. Now being from Brighton the self proclaimed gay capital of England and having a gay best friend this issue shocked me and I literally felt disgusted. How can another human being discriminate against someone to this extent because of their sexuality?!?

The only positive thing that has come to light in an awful situation is the support of huge stars such as Pink! Daniel Radcliffe, Joel Madden, Ashley Tisdale and Chelsea Handler making video’s in support of Gay Youth encouraging people to be less closed minded and reassuring people that there is acceptance out there for all of the LGBT community.

So, I feel as though I should end raunt here but remember; Love has no boundaries.  

Freshers flu. . .

"Once a man tastes caviar it baffles me how they settle for catfish"

- Blair Waldorf

I still remember my first week at university. The excitement of being somewhere new for the first time, the sudden feeling of embracing your independence combined with ridiculous amounts of alcohol and ‘welcome parties’ that you must attend in fear that you will miss out on something exciting, going to bed in the early hours of the morning almost becomes the norm. All of this combined has resulted in something every young fresher dreads and over 90% of students will contract in one form or another…..flu….well actually a very bad cold but flu sounds a little more manly when justifying turning down another night out.

I was in the group of very unfortunate people who got the fresher’s flu too its full extent; fever, sore throat, dizziness and to top it off bronchitis. So two weeks into living life as an adult for the first time I was on a train back home to be in the comfort of my mothers arms as she nursed me back to heath with a mixture of home-cooked food (a rare luxury as a uni student I assure you its all about cheap and easy to cook food) and cups of tea.

So little did I expect to have the same thing happen to me in my second year. Three weeks into the first term and I can feel a familiar tickle in the back of my throat, 2 days later and yet again I am bound to bed…. The only difference is this year I didn’t go home for some much needed TLC I decided to take a stab at being an adult after all I am now 20….surely I should be able to handle flu….. Ok so maybe I haven’t handled it that well iv sat in front of the television watching episodes of gossip girl, there is just something about the TV idol known as Blair Waldorf that has the power to boost any self pity spree. Watching the Queen B in action plotting in what can only be described as the most amazing couture fashion and accessories always lifts my spirits.  

Once Upon A Time . . .

The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly & without fear for newer & richer experiences.
( Eleanor Roosevelt )

 

Sooo. . . I probably should have started this a long time ago; but hey, I’m a student pro-longing anything that can be seen as slightly academic is what we do best. For my second year at University I have decided to give myself a well needed kick up the backside, so instead of just contemplating writing something, I’m actually going to stick a pen to paper. . . or should I say type something more into my ruby red laptop than a facebook status or Google search.

 Now here is where I would be explaining that I’m just your typical teenage girl, but you see I have just turned 20… and already I’m obsessing over the prospect of getting old. Just the other I was running into my flat-mates room to show her a possibly non-existent grey hair that I was convinced I had seen in the mirror. This was of course on top of the humongous bags around my eyes that I had been stressing about just that morning. There was only one thing for it a trip to boots for hair colorant and this new Garnier tinted eye-roller with caffeine, even if it meant spending £20 I was determined to hang on to my youth.

Looking back on it now from a couple of days later I can see the craziness, my hair looks no different from before and the eye-roller seems nothing more then a fancy illuminating concealer.

So, welcome to my world; I have the tendency to obsess over the smallest of problems, day dream continuously, become obsessed with American Television shows and I also have the habit of falling in love with the most daring of fashions but never have the courage to actually wear them myself instead I envy the girls who do.

For this blog, I plan to first and foremost to actually keep it up to date and secondly to share my opinions on anything from the latest fashion trend to the hotness of Ian Somerhalder, Thirdly I hope to get stuff off my chest that would otherwise no doubt cause me to drift into another day dream and spend another unproductive day in front of my laptop.