October 20th

I started my allergy/intolerance diet today. I’ve cut out wheat, diary, chocolate and sugar. I forgot to mention, when I went to the allergy test, I was told I was also intolerant to chocolate as well! They’re killing me here! I’m doing it for two weeks to see how I feel. I absolutely love cheese so I bought a dairy free cheese called 'Shese' from a health food shop. I didn’t know what to expect but Good Lord!! I have NEVER tried anything so disgusting in my life! It tastes like solidified pigeon puke! OK, I’m not sure what that tastes like but I imagine it’s a bit like ‘Sheese’. Warning, stay away!

October 15th

I can’t believe OK! magazine this week!! The front cover is Jordan/Katie Price holding up her ring finger with no rings on and a quote next to her picture saying, ‘Looks like I’ll be a single mum’ Jordan speaks out about her marriage. I bought the magazine and sat back with a brew to read the juicy gossip. Inside was an interview with Katie and Peter discussing renewing their vows!!! No split! And not a single mention of being a single mum. How cheeky is that. What a con! I’m never buying OK! again. It’s not the first time they’ve done something like this. Once they had a cover of David and Victoria Beckham, but when you looked inside you found it was an interview with two look-alikes. Who wants to read their interview? I know magazines can take one little meaningless quote and turn it into a huge story but this is just taking the Michael!

October 10th

I’m obsessed with herbal tea at the moment. I have so many different types in my cupboard, each one with different benefits. I tend to drink a cup of ‘clarity’ ginger, lemongrass and gofu kola tea in the morning, which is an organic herbal blend to focus and uplift. It’s by a company called Pukka who won a Great Taste Gold Award in 2007 and tastes lovely. I then have a tea by Dr Stuarts called Skin Purify, a ‘beautifying herbal infusion’ including red clover, nettle leaves and dandelion leaves. After lunch and dinner I always have a tea to aid digestion such as Peppermint tea or Twining’s ‘Digestif’. If I’m feeling run down I’ll start every morning with half to a full lemon juiced and hot water. If you fancy a bit of sweetness add some honey. Lemon juice aids your liver in flushing out unwanted toxins. Do that for a week or two and drink a load of water through the day and you’ll be feeling much better, It’s the easiest and cheapest way to detox. Another good one is adding some chopped up ginger if you’re feeling sick.

October 5th

I ordered an amazing card today called a Hi-Life Card. I’ve known about them for years but never remembered to order one. They cost £49 and entitle you to get Buy One Get One Free on all starters, mains and deserts at hundreds of restaurants ranging from Franky & Benny’s to Harvey Nicholls restaurant. Looks like my diet will have to go on hold ☺

October 1st

I went for an allergy test today at my local health store. These kinds of tests have had a lot of criticism as they seem to be very inaccurate but I thought I’d give it a go anyway. I was sent up to a room above the shop where a funny looking lady was waiting for me. She had a huge bouffant hairdo, backcombed to death, and bright blue eye shadow. She was a nutritionalist and hypnotherapist although she reminded me more of someone who would read a crystal ball. She sat me down in front of a table with a strange-looking machine on it. She asked me to hold a thick metal rod thing and then pulled out a box full of tiny glass bottles containing different substances, which she was going to test me for. One at a time she put the tiny bottles into a hole in the machine and gently pressed a small rod, also attached to the machine, onto my finger. It made a strange squeaking noise. She repeated this with every different container and the ones I was supposedly intolerant to made a different pitched noise. I heard a big variation of noises so I was pretty worried about what she was going to tell me. I’ve told you all how much I love my food so to be told I can’t have some of it is pretty devastating to me and being the type of person that always wants what I can’t have makes matters even worse. I was expecting her to say something bad but never as bad as it was! I’ve tried cutting out wheat and dairy on separate occasions and both times, although my bloating problem didn’t improve, I did feel better and had less indigestion. So I’d already considered the fact that I could possibly be intolerant to wheat and dairy but was in denial as it’s like a nightmare to me. I love anything creamy, cheesy or buttery and can’t stand the thought of living without bread, pasta, pastry or pizza!! Anyway the dreaded results, you won’t believe what she said! I’m intolerant to cow’s milk and wheat, as expected, but on top of that… SUGAR, a food flavouring that’s in all Chinese food and crisps, all orange colouring and sweeteners!! To top it off she said I was also intolerant to lager and whiskey! It wouldn’t be so bad if my favourite drinks weren’t a pint of lager in the day and a JD and coke in the evening! Typical! I must have done something reeeeally bad in a past life! Like I say they’re not necessarily 100% accurate but I have always thought I could possibly be intolerant to quite a few things as my symptoms are every day and I can never see a pattern with one particular food. I’m just going to cut down as much as possible and see if that makes a difference. I’m not going to start for a week though so I can pile in as much sugar, wheat and dairy as possible.

September 29th

I’ve finally got my Slendertone out of its box and I have to say I love it! I haven’t seen results yet as I’ve only used it for a week but I can really feel it working. I do it when I’m walking the dog or watching EastEnders or Corrie ☺ You use it 5 times a week for 30 minutes. The only disadvantage is you look a bit like a suicide bomber and every 5 seconds it makes your stomach contract, so you look like you’re pushing out a number two ha, sorry. Talking of my fitness regime, I’ve discovered why I used to almost pass out when I’d go on a running machine, I was going too fast! I’ve slowed it down just a smidge and now I breeze through! I always push myself too hard. Even in yoga I always try and do the most advanced moves, nearly falling over and breaking my back, It’s always best to start at the very beginning and work up. I’ve started doing a 10 minute run to warm up at the gym before I work out. I mentioned in previous blog entries how I do no cardio to prevent losing weight, well actually, my boobs, but I’ve been told by my doctor that doing a bit of cardio is really important for circulation and that it would be really unhealthy to cut it out completely. I did start swimming as I mentioned a while ago but as it’s getting colder I’ve given it up. Actually that’s probably just an excuse, I never stick at anything when it comes to diet and fitness. I’m constantly getting new ideas and trying new things! Varying your routine is important to keep it interesting - I get really bored doing the same routine over and over.

September 19th

It’s been a really sad time as one of the Sun Page 3 girls, in fact the latest Page 3 Idol, committed suicide over the weekend. So tragic and such a loss, she was only 19. It was only the week before I was working with her doing a PA in a club, she seemed so happy and normal, it seems no-one actually knows why she did it. I only wish she could have told someone about her pain, so that they could have reassured her and shown her she had such a bright future ahead of her. It’s a reminder to us all to not take anyone for granted because one day you might wake up and, unexpectedly, they could be gone. RIP Jenny. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx