Hey guys, so I know I failed to upload Day 4 yesterday, and I don't really have a good enough excuse. To be honest I was busy... busy watching The Devil Wears Prada with my mum... oops!
So today I'll catch you up with day 4 as well as day 5.

It's not been easy. I've found day 4 and 5 the hardest I think because the novelty and motivation has begun to wear off. I didn't get to go for a jog yesterday. I was going to go in the evening but couldn't in the end as was waiting for a call and had some work to do. And today I haven't jogged either as again I've been working. However I did go food shopping with my mum so maybe that counts as exercise. I am again busy tonight, but if I finish not too late then I'll go out for a run... fingers crossed.

So here were my goals:

• Eat a light, healthy breakfast
• Cut out carbs completely (ha let's see how that goes!)
• Drink mostly water
• Exercise most days
• I read somewhere that drinking a cup of coffee an hour before a workout, results in more energy and burns more calories, so let's see if that works shall we?
• Smaller portions- don't over eat
• Only eat healthy snacks
• Get a good night's sleep and wake up at reasonable times
• No alcohol 

How they've gone:

1. I have eaten a light breakfast each day. I've tried to have something different each day so I don't get bored. Sometimes I've eaten fruit other days egg and yesterday I had a small bowl of cereal with berries on top.
2. Look, this was never going to be easy. Quitting carbs cold turkey is honestly so much harder than it sounds. And have I achieved it? Well, no. I've cut out a lot though. I don't eat crisps, or biscuits. I've had the odd slither of cake, and the odd piece of bread, but that has always been accompanied by veg or salad. As much as we assume carbs are the unhealthy part of our diet, we don't realise that for a balanced diet we need carbs. Carbs are just as important as other foods and cutting them out completely probably isn't natural. I have felt less bloated when I've not eaten carbs which is a great benefit, however cutting out carbs is so much harder when you live at home as you can't always dictate what food is cooked etc. I feel as though I've done really well with this goal though to be honest, because it is really hard and I've made a lot of alternative choices for carbs in meals.
3. I think I've done really well. I have only drunk water for the whole week, except for one cider at the pub and one teeny glass of red wine. Other than that, I've stuck to water. 
4. I tried the cup of coffee one hour before a workout thing, but personally I didn't think it made much difference. I think just sticking to a protein breakfast and water will do just as good.
5. I have made sure to have smaller portions for dinner and I have never over eaten, and I am yet to feel too full after a meal this week. That for me is one of my biggest issues. I always graze, snack and eat too much which causes bloating, nausea and most of all it's just greedy. It's calories that I don't need.
6. Healthy snacks? I think I've done this really well during the day. In fact I haven't really snacked or had much urge to. I have however had the odd piece of chocolate in the evening. Naughty I know, but... well I have no excuses other than, I wanted some chocolate.
7. I think getting a good night's sleep is not something you can always control. I've been going to bed at an alright time and I haven't been having huge lie ins, nor have I been waking up super early. Due to the heat it has been difficult to get a good nights sleep consistently, so whether this has had an effect on my diet I am unsure.
8. No alcohol? Well as I've said, I have had 2 drinks this week. I think that is good considering I usually have about 2 glasses of wine a night. So that's 2 drinks instead of 10. When you say it like that it sounds great. Think of what those extra 8 glasses does to your body. My body is 8 glasses of wine healthier this week!!

Okay so there have been good points and bad points. I was semi on this diet last week as well ( I just chose to write about it for this week) and in the two weeks I have just about lost 4 pounds. Of course this alters during the day due to water weight and food etc. But I have managed to shed 4 pounds- just from living a healthier more balanced diet and lifestyle! Result!!

Speak soon

Okay, so today I am guilty of slacking slightly on my diet. Not necessarily intentionally but sometimes it's hard to completely monitor what you eat when you aren't the only person who is eating. Because I live at home currently, my mum buys food that everyone will be eating and so I can't exactly always dictate the meals!

So, I had a high in protein breakfast of scrambled eggs with spinach. This was really easy to make and super yummy. It gave me more energy for my run than the previous days.

I then went for a short run because time was ticking and I didn't want to be out for too long as I had things to do.

For lunch I did have some orange juice as a treat as I have stuck to water for ages so I thought a glass of juice wouldn't hurt. I then had my typical lunch of a garden salad with chicken, cheese and ryvita. I then had yogurt, granola and mixed berries for dessert and a small slice of Jamaican Ginger Cake. The cake was of course carbs but according to my Fitness Pal app, it was only about 94 calories.

I've also been on my feet a lot today as I went for a run as discussed, and have walked my dog twice and been out and about doing errands.

I've kept at drinking more water than usual as well which I really feel is benefiting me.

For dinner, I was rather naughty as we had some pizza bases to eat up and so we made some pizzas for dinner, which of course is a high carb however we had some peppers on top and a side salad. I then had no dessert.

However I did then go to the pub where I had a light cider- again naughty! However it's not every day that I get to see my friends and so it was a treat. I have now had a few cubes of chocolate as well, oops.

Okay so today overall hasn't been as healthy as my previous two days, however when I look at it, it still has been relatively healthy. I've had plenty of vitamin C and salads and so the carbs and sugars I have consumed I feel can be justified.

I have noticed that today I have felt a lot more energised and not exhausted, so perhaps that is due to the protein breakfast, or the carbs I had. All things to take on board.

Tune in tomorrow for day 4!

Speak soon

Back again with today's update on how my 7 day diet is going.

This morning I started off with a white coffee with no sugar. I then had a bowl of cut up mango and banana. This was so sweet, perhaps a bit too sweet for breakfast, but was definitely refreshing and helped wake me up. For more energy I think I need to have more protein in my breakfast. So tomorrow I think I may make myself some eggs with spinach.

I then went on a 6.1km run where I ran solidly for about 2km and then mixed jogging with power walking for the rest. This was one of my longest routes I've done so far around my area, so I felt really good about it afterwards.

For lunch, I had a healthy garden salad topped with cold chicken and a couple of Ryvitas to help fill me up. During the afternoon I did, once again, feel rather exhausted. I believe this could be from lack of sugar, perhaps not a lack but because I've lessened my sugar and carb intake so my body is probably having slight withdrawals.

For dinner, I had a chicken and leak pie. I know that is carbs however it was complemented by some lovely fresh vegetables and new potatoes and I had yogurt, fruit and a tiny bit of granola for dessert. So even though the pie might not have been as healthy, I think it gave me the energy I needed and that I was lacking during the day.

I have also had a few cubes of chocolate (which was a present) which is very naughty but I'm only having a couple of squares to help my sugar levels.

I have also, once again stuck to water, besides the two small coffees I have drunk today. I feel brighter and more cleansed due to having more water.

I also weighed myself this morning and had lost about 2 pounds since the last time I'd weighed myself which is a bonus.

Check out the blog tomorrow for my next update.

Speak soon

Hey folks,

So as promised (we all know I'm rubbish when it comes to keeping blog promises) I am back to update you and report back on my first day of dieting. As outlined in my previous post, I have set myself several goals.

I want to be clear that this is a diet to become a healthier me with an outcome of a happier mental health and happier physical health. I am not doing this purely for weight purposes but truly to become a better version of myself.

Okay, now we've got over the disclaimer part, I can get cracking with telling you all how my first day has gone.

Well, it started off good and bad. I did have a morning coffee (see my goals and explanations here)and an hour later I did a good workout which included: cardio, abs and yoga. I also walked my dog. However I didn't have breakfast. That wasn't because I was trying to skip it, as I never really skip breakfast, but I woke up feeling rather full of air and as a result I didn't feel hungry and then before I knew it it was around 11 O'clock and only an hour until lunchtime.

In hindsight I know I should have had breakfast because as a result I believe I've lost a fair bit of energy.

For lunch I had a healthy salad with some cold chicken from last night's roast, and some ham and cheese on top too. I finished off my lunch with a fruit salad. I did also have a homemade gluten free fairycake, which goes against my 'no carbs' rule, however I baked them yesterday and they needed to be eaten up!

All day I've only drunk water and I am starting to feel better for it. I can't quite explain how, I just feel fresher and more awake I suppose. I also avoided the temptation of having a glass of wine with dinner, and stuck to water.

For dinner I had a smaller portion than I usually would, but still enough to satisfy me. I had salmon with new potatoes, cauliflower and carrots; a healthy and nutritional meal that filled me up. I also had some granola with natural yogurt and mixed berries for dessert. I suppose granola is classed as a carb as well, but it's full of fibre which is important in a diet and so I can excuse things like oats and granola etc.

Right now I feel really tired. I am unsure why this is. Perhaps it's due to the disturbed sleep I had last night due to the heat or whether my different diet has started to effect me. Either way, I will be sure to try and get a good rest tonight. And of course my diet is still balanced and good for me.

So that is today's update. Unfortunately my scales are a bit weird so I haven't been able to weigh myself today, however there would hardly be any point considering it's only day one. Overall I feel confident that I can complete my 7 day diet! Tune in tomorrow to see how day 2 has gone!

Speak soon

Okay guys, so as you can see from the title, this post is about dieting. Basically I am putting myself on a diet. I've put on a few pounds in the last few months and my jeans are starting to notice...

So this week I thought I'd blog about what I do each day, and report back with the end result after 7 days. Of course my diet will continue after 7 days, but let's just see where I can get to in just 7 days, following these steps:

Goals:

• Eat a light, healthy breakfast
• Cut out carbs completely (ha let's see how that goes!)
• Drink mostly water
• Exercise most days
• I read somewhere that drinking a cup of coffee an hour before a workout, results in more energy and burns more calories, so let's see if that works shall we?
• Smaller portions- don't over eat
• Only eat healthy snacks
• Get a good night's sleep and wake up at reasonable times
• No alcohol

Okay, so they are my goals for this week. I want to find out if this is a good way of dieting whilst still being healthy, and if it works whether I feel happier and healthier with my lifestyle.

Follow me this week as I report back to you what I've been eating and what exercise I've been doing and the struggles/benefits I encounter. I start tomorrow!

Hello, back again

If you read my blog regularly (which I'm hoping you do, and if not and you're new then hello!), you'll know that I am a lover of fake tan. I'm not going to go into why I am, because I've probably rambled on about that in other posts and also vlogs! See my last fake tan video here.

Today I am reviewing St Moriz Fast Tan. This is one of their newer products and I'm going to start this blog post off by saying... WOW. This has to be one of, if not THE, best fake tan I have ever used. Let me go into why.

Spray version:

So the spray cost me under a tenner, probably around £8 from Boots. A little pricier than previous St Moriz tans and a little pricier than I'd usually buy. However in no way breaking the bank and with summer coming up, I was willing to invest in a good product.

It explains the two methods of applying on the back: spray in circular motions directly onto the skin, OR spray onto a mitt and then apply. This was really good because I've often been a bit scared of getting spray tans because they go everywhere, so these directions were clear and gave you an option.

I tried the first method and sprayed in circular motions onto my skin and then used my mitt to rub in. This method worked so well and made my tan look really even all over AND I didn't feel as though the mitt was stealing my tan!!

It has a guide colour, which if you don't know, means that it has an instant colour when applying so you can achieve a streak free tan. The guide colour is a nice rich tan, but not orange, just a lovely golden colour.

Now because it's a fast tan, is states than for a light glow you leave for 1 hour, a medium glow leave for 2 hours and for a dark glow leave for 3 hours. It then says if you want it darker to leave it for 4 hours. From previous experience with fast tans, I find they still aren't very dark after a few hours. So I applied it in the morning and had a shower in the evening, so I probably left it on for about 8 hours (a normal tan time).

This photo does not do the colour justice- it actually looked a lot darker in person!!

I then washed it off and although you could see the guide colour running off, my skin remained almost as dark as it was with the guide colour on. This for me was brilliant because this is usually my biggest disappointment in tans. So this pushed St Moriz right to the top of my list.

It also smelt so much better than their older products. I think they have perhaps changed the formula. Not only this but the tan fades so much neater and non patchy. In fact the tan lasted a good 5 days. it started to fade a bit on the 4th day I'd say. But this is fab because usually tans start peeling or fading on the 3rd day.

Mousse:
This worked in the exact same way as the spray, except in mousse form. The foam/mousse is a really light and soft consistency so you don't feel like you're rubbing on a cheap feeling product. In fact it felt glorious on the skin and did not irritate the skin in anyway. It dried really nicely (after spinning in circles to air dry a bit ;) ) And, again, it smelt so much nicer- really fresh and not over powering.

Of course as the tan develops the fake tan smell does get a bit stronger but it was in no way bad, especially compared to the smell of their older tans.

So, this for me was a fake tan breakthrough! The colour was gorgeous, it lasted and it was nice and dark without looking ridiculous! Perfect for applying on a Thursday, ready for the weekend or at the start of the week for a week-long tan!

So if you haven't yet tried it, I would highly recommend it- especially if you love tanning as much as I do!