Missing: Bread.

After the worst nights sleep in a long time (up 3 times- thanks teething child!) I wasn't full of enthusiasm at the prospect of a low carb breakfast.

I did manage a home made smoothie (with more yoghurt than fruit) and a protein bar and felt pretty full up. I was at a training day today and the later start meant I could do the 30 minute walk to the station.

Lunchtime proved more difficult as the gods had situated the training venue in the same place as a Krispy Kreme shop. I spent my lunch time eating a tuna salad which perched on a bench opposite the obit shop. Like a vulture circling, I could smell blood (well, chocolate frosting but you get the idea) and had to tear myself away and look at expensive handbags (which I had no intention of buying) in John Lewis.

Tonight I cycled to yoga instead of taking the car so I've had plenty of exercise today- 30 mins walking, 30 mins cycling, 90 mins of yoga.

I'm trying to man up enough to do some before and after shots but its just too depressing to post them at the moment! Watch this space and I'll see what I can do.

The day in pictures:

I ate...sausages and ratatouille. At first I thought strange combination but I am loving this high protein combo, filling and 1 of your 5 a day.

I applied...Clinique Thirst Relief Gel Cream which is providing me with great moisturisation and acts as a fantastic base for make-up.

I admired...diet tips from the lovely Jane. Check out her blog Janes Juggle which tells the tale of a working mum and competitive horse rider. www.janesjuggle.blogspot.com

The blog is back, and this time it's, erm, blobby...

Last week, we had a holiday in the Lake District. I had been looking forward to it for sometime and spent the week walking, then eating cake, taking my daughter to the park, then having more cake, putting my daughter to bed, then having a 3-course meal with wine (and cake obviously!)

The result, well I can no longer fasten the trousers I intended to wear to work tomorrow and I am tipping the scales at 59kg. It's the heaviest I have ever been. Ever.

So I've decided to resurrect my little corner of the Internet as I try to slim down and (more importantly) get fit!

I've decided to go low carb (which means no cake- humph!) and exercise as much as I can.

Now, taking a deep breath, here are my vital stats on day one.

Weight 59kg

Chest 36 inches

Waist 32 inches (whaaat?!! Really?!)

Hips 36 inches

Thighs 21 inches

How easy will it be to go low carb when I love carbs and can't stand the thought of eggs for breakfast? Will I ever fit back into the cocktail dress I wore once before I got pregnant? And, will the cellulite cream I bought actually work?!

Here is day 1 in pictures:

I ate... Salmon with sundried tomatoes and garlic alongside steamed spinach and carrots.

I applied...Soap and Glory Sit Tight which promises to slim when used as part of a healthy lifestyle.

I admired...the abs of Jillian Michaels whose DVD I am currently completing.

Wish me luck!

Time flies when you're having fun...

And in fact, even if you aren't having fun it still seems to pass pretty quickly!

Something exciting has happened- we have bought a house! It wasn't planned (well not very well anyway) and the news is still sinking in.

Our new place isn't built yet so we won't be moving until December (what a great Christmas present!) but I can still start shopping for sofas already!

Yesterday I dragged myself out of bed at 5.30am- way to early for a Sunday- to sell a heap of junk we no longer use at the local carboot sale. The morning was surprisingly successful and everything that I didn't sell was dropped at the charity shop on the way home.

Following the early start, some pampering was in order and I headed to the gorgeous 5 Senses Thai Spa at Clifon Green York. My hour and a half experience consisted of an aromatherapy massage and a facial. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep at one point and my skin is glowing today!

I'm going to try and blog a bit more after my period of inactivity- watch this space.

The day in pictures...

I ate...Nakd Cocoa Orange Vegan Snack Bar. Surprisingly moist and tasty!

I applied...Essie nailpolish in Bond with Whomever

Ouch! My face!

Hello everyone,

Hope you are enjoying this bank holiday weekend. I have spent mine applying large amounts of arnica gel to my very swollen face.

You will see the pictures below, and no, I haven't had dodgy fillers done (thanks sis!). I had my wisdom teeth taken out on Wednesday afternoon and this is the aftermath.

Thankfully the pain wasn't as bad as I thought it would be (plenty of ibuprofen and co-codamol have sorted that) but I wasn't prepared for just how huge my face would swell.

As the doctors told me to be on a soft food only diet, I have been slurping my way through smoothies, yoghurts and soups. I am dying to have something more substantial but I still can't open my mouth properly and chewing is a definite no.

My mum sent some arnica gel down with my sister so I have been applying it generously and the bruising does look better already- I am now yellow instead of purple. Apparently it can take up to a month to fully recover so I am lucky it's improving already.

The hardest part has been not doing as much as I normally would with my daughter. Every time I lean forward, the bleeding in my mouth starts again so picking her up and playing with her has been challenging. She knows when mummy isn't right and she's been really upset and clingy- she just wants cuddles bless her.

We did take her out on Saturday afternoon (I felt like I was getting cabin fever from being indoors for so long) and she enjoyed getting some sunglasses and eating tapas.

Tomorrow I hope to lessen the number of painkillers I take (the co-codamol are great but I have felt doped all weekend!) and venture out for a walk of the weather is good!

So here it is...the weekend in pictures

I ate...tomato soup

I applied...arnica gel

I admired...the impressive shape of my jaw

Shredding and a gradual retreat...

When you become a parent, sleep becomes a topic of obsession- how much is your baby getting? How much are your friends getting? Is there a way to get more?

We have been fairly lucky in the past few months as our daughter was sleeping through doing about 8 hours a stretch (this didn't happen until she was 8 months old- I'm not going to lie!)

Unfortunately this has regressed over the past week, bedtime is becoming a war despite following the same routine of bath, cuddle, bed and she's waking during the night again. We are tired and feeling hard done by!

So tonight we began the "gradual retreat" technique which essentially involves staying close to your baby until they sleep. The first night you may cuddle them to sleep or sit holding their hand etc. As time progresses you begin to move further away from the cot until you can put baby straight into bed, leave and shut the door.

It worked quite well tonight as she was asleep in a few minutes. Apparently the approach requires consistency so I will keep you updated as the days go on.

I managed to shred again today. My legs still felt like jelly but I rewarded myself with a new body lotion for sticking at it- I had better see results after all this effort!

Today in pictures:

I applied...Garnier Intensive Body Lotion (smells yummy and gives great moisturising at high street prices- my new favourite!)

I admired...my daughters ability to "help" in the kitchen

Water, water everywhere...

When I woke up this morning I was simultaneously hit with two thoughts:

1. Wow, my daughter has slept through. 2. Ow! My legs.

I can see why they call it the 30 Day Shred, I have spent most of the day walking around like John Wayne. Not to be deterred we did the workout again tonight! I think the stairs will be out of the question at work tomorrow!

What today's post is really about is the hot-right-now multitasking product which I have recently been trying- Micellar Water.

The invention of our French friends, Micellar waters act as a gentle cleanser with no harsh drying agents. They also tone the skin without leaving a residue.

So what exactly is Micellar water? Let me put my degree to the test and explain...

A micelle is a ball type structure formed when a soap, oil or detergent type molecule is added to water.

The soap/oil/detergent has a "head" and a "tail" and these "tails" don't like to get wet. I order to avoid getting wet they clump together (almost in the same way that penguins huddle for warmth!)

What you are left with is a solution of water with micelles swimming around in it.

The micelles are then able to remove materials which water alone would struggle to shift (think make-up and mascara!)

So, basically the micelle waters are, well, posh water?!

In a way, yes. However they also contain molecules of oils to cleanse.

My current favourite is Vichy Purete Thermale Cleansing Micellar Lotion. (Retails around £10.50)

Touted as a 3-in-1 cleanser, eye makeup remover and toner. You simply sweet a cotton pad covered in the solution over the face.

I've been using mine as part of a double cleanse regime (more on that later) and I love the fact that my skin feels clean and fresh without stinging, tightness or residue.

Inject some French glamour into your skin care routine and add a Micellar water today.

30 Minute Dread

I'm a bid sick of looking at my muffin top. And as summer is on its way I am determined to shift it!

Having carefully considered my options- sweating it out in a gym (no thanks!), doing nothing (easy but avoiding the issue) or working out at home.

Having googled and seen the amazing before/after pictures on some forums, I ordered Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.

The concept is interval training, each 30 minute workout consisting of cardio, strength work and abs.

I roped in my partner to joining me (mainly because I didn't want him laughing at me from the comfort of the sofa)

Tonight we embarked on our first workout. We started at level 1 and OH MY GOSH! It's hard. My legs feel like jelly, I am sweating buckets but on the plus side I got to use my new sports bra!

So here's the day in pictures:

I applied: Balance Me Hand Cream

I admired: The amazing Jillian Michaels

I wore: Pashmina bought in Rome