Cogs in a Machine

So it's been roughly 4 months since I wrote a blog post. My silence has been nagging me, bothering me, but I couldn't bring myself to log in and open this page. This in itself feels like a big step.

I suppose there are lots of reasons why I went off the radar. Those reasons that only matter probably to me as realistically, this blog is more like a log book for me, a marker in the sand. I create posts that I feel might be of use to someone somewhere, but I have no idea if they actually are.

I've noticed that as you get older, time seems to go a lot faster. It feels like yesterday that I started this blog and actually, it was nearly 2 years ago. I set this up after a big personal trauma in my life, and looking back, I'm not sure I portrayed the real 'me' in the beginning. I was in a shell, on full alert, protecting and defending myself, in fight or flight mode, from a monster that wasn't even there. This is probably the most vulnerable I've ever been, but my intention was never to not be honest. Your true self really is the best you have to offer the world, and it's OK to not be perfect.

Here is what I do know: I know that I am happiest when I am making and doing, and achieving. The problem is, that happiness can easily become surface happiness. Everything in my life started to feel like an ego feeding exercise, as opposed to a spiritual or fulfilling one. When you get caught up in the rat race, when every achievement starts to dull the senses, much like I imagine it might feel like to have a drug addiction and to be always chasing a new 'high', we sometimes forget where we are going. I suddenly found myself feeling really unhappy, after years of living that way. I wanted to figure out what I actually really wanted to do with my time, as opposed to what I thought I should be doing.

I am in my late 20's. I've realised that whilst I have been successful in lots of ways, that I'm not where I wanted to be. I know that's a complete cliche, and is probably the same for most people who are lucky enough to reach this point in their lives. I do all the things I told myself I wouldn't (as age is just a number after all). I compare myself to others. I've fallen victim to routine, doing the same things every weekend, stuck in a town I didn't want to still be living in at this point, struggling with my personal life (I was pretty sure that somehow I'd be a high flying career woman with two children and happily married by this point), but I am not. I'm still acting like a 21 year old in lots of ways. I'm not earning what I thought I'd be earning by now, I'm not doing what I hoped to be doing. At the same time, I never really set myself a clear plan, either. And that's OK. I just need to learn to not base my happiness solely on achievements or what others think of me, but to search for something deeper within myself. To be content with who I am and where I'm at, wherever that may be. That's not an easy lesson to learn, especially in this whirlwind society that we live in, and it requires more humility than I thought I even had.

Don't get me wrong, I think if you asked my family and friends, they'd probably tell you that I have been successful. It all depends how you define 'success' and what success really means to you. On paper, I have three degrees. More importantly, I work in a job that I actually love. Actually, I've been so lucky to this point to always somehow find jobs that I love. The project I manage, whilst not perfect (like it's creator) is something new and useful for the city that I live in, the city I thought I'd have given up on by now. I get to play music and get dance floors moving every weekend, granted, maybe I'm not playing on a boat somewhere in the Med, but we really can't have it all. I've been commissioned to create my own theatre work. But that again is me 'selling' myself to you, and I really shouldn't feel the need to do that. The point is that I have, like all of us, been graced with many talents that I just don't have the time to use properly yet, but that I can always look forward to exploring in the future. Most important of all; I have an amazing, and wonderful group of people around me that I am utterly blessed with.

I've essentially spent the last four months in a bit of a hole (probably longer if I'm honest actually), but I needed to be there to realise that I have allowed myself to be ruled far too much by my own ego. Nothing will ever, ever be enough for the ego. It doesn't matter how successful, affluent or well liked you are, there will always be someone better. It's OK to aspire to be better, it's OK to look up to other people, and if you're lucky enough to know people that inspire you, then you can be positive about that, set yourself a bar to work towards. But there are many traits and talents that you have, that others don't. We're all just cogs in a big and wonderful machine after all, designed to serve different functions.

I'll go back to my normal posts after this, but I wanted to share this before I launched back into normality. Not to explain myself, as I don't feel I owe anybody an explanation. You should never apologise if you really feel like you have to be silent for a while. But as obvious as the above may already be to most people, it's been the most important life lesson of my 20's (so far), so I suppose I thought it was worth sharing.


To summarise the above if you are even still with me, everyone grows up with different experiences. It is alright to sometimes still feel like a teenager when you are in fact, definitely now a fully fledged grown up. My biggest challenge by far is to let go when things don't work, when I don't succeed, otherwise you will just grind to a halt. There is just no real way forward until you learn to really accept where you are in life, and how to be happy and grateful with what you've got. And though I could be better at showing it sometimes, I am so very very grateful.

Alice x

5 things I'm loving this St Patricks Day

Certain things strike me as amusing about living in England. We don't really celebrate St George's day, the patron saint of this Country, but when St Patricks day rolls round, we're all up in O'Neills in our silly hats which you can only earn the right to wear by drinking far too many pints of guinness. I'm half Irish though, so if you catch me in the pub later, I claim genuine patriotism.

My celtic roots are probably responsible for my being a redhead. Green is probably by far my favourite colour to wear as a result of this (especially since I'm pale as a ghost, so dark colours wash me out). In the spirit of this, I've compiled a few of my favourite Irish inspired items, some that I own, some I want to own. Mostly the latter. So haul up a chair and bring your Magners over with you! Here's 5 things I'm digging this week in the spirit of good old St Pat...

1. Symbol of Lucky in Love Bracelet, Pandora, £45.00

I used to love my charm bracelet, and collecting charms. This cute little bracelet from Pandora comes with a selection of hearts in a lucky clover shape. You can buy a number of other little charms on the website.

2. Lucille Lindy Bop 1950's Vintage Inspired Dress £34.99

This 50's style dress is basically too adorable. I usually like my green dresses, and I'm really liking the retro at the moment. I've been eying up a few bits over at Lindybop for a while.















3. ASOS Circle Skirt in Red Print - £11.00 (favourite thrifty buy!)

Is tartan traditionally an Irish or purely Scottish tradition? No one can seem to agree. Who cares, this skirt is pretty cool.

















4. Anything from Carousel, in Dublin, but particularly this Floral Shift Dress - 79 euros / £56

I went to Dublin for my birthday two years ago, and stumbled across this little shop, and fell in love. Lots of their pieces are great, and I found what is still my favourite green dress in there (though the cat decided to jump up in the wardrobe and rip it to shreds, but that's a different story. It's still hanging there out of love). If you can't afford to fly to Dublin right now, luckily they have an online shop here, too.

5. Cast a spell on me 18k Hawthorn Necklace in Gold - 139 euros

Chupi is an Irish jewellery designer who is inspired by nature through her creations. This 18k gold hawthorn leaf necklace is cast from a real leaf stolen from a Hawthorn tree - legend says you must never cut or harm a hawthorn tree as they are fairy trees, so hopefully she's not in too much trouble! The website says that 'Chupi borrowed a single leaf from a beautiful old tree overlooking the Royal Canal in Dublin, which is cast in substantial solid sterling silver and plated in a thick layer of 18k gold, creating an eternal piece of glittering beauty'. It is hallmarked in Dublin's beautiful castle.

I would love to read your thoughts on these! 

Have a merry St Patricks Day! x

My Little Frenchie Box - Review

As most of us know, subscription boxes can be very more-ish. I do love surprises. Over the past year, I have tried many different types of subscription boxes, steadily becoming addicted, from food based boxes to makeup and even cat toys. Whilst some have worked out to be very good value, others have been  a little disappointing. I decided to review 'My Little Box' as I've only just recently discovered it, and found it to be one of the best I've encountered so far for value. So far, My Little Box have been on point in selecting really great quality products and making me smile with their quirky french additions. Each month they choose a different theme, and it really does feel like they handpick every item to fit this with a great deal of thought. The box itself only costs £10 a month (you get a small discount if you have it delivered to your workplace, otherwise it is £11) and £3.95 p&p.

To explain 'My Little Box' without using the word 'random' would be hard. Each month you get a selection of makeup, beauty treats, accessories, and something a bit extra to make you smile. This month was collated by Ines De La Fressange, a french model. Here's the breakdown;

1. Ines De La Fressange Smartphone case - This little red case is pretty stylish and smart looking, and protects my phone! This is something I needed to invest in for myself but would probably never have gotten round to doing.

2. Complexion Enhancer - Embellisseur Teint De Peche £9.50 (full sized) - This is a really lovely tinted moisturiser! I actually find it hard to find peach/pink based moisturisers that don't contribute to my red face problem, but this adds a subtle glow without caking yourself in foundation. Its rather nourishing for the skin, too.

3. DHC Oil Blotting Paper (£4.00 for 100 sheets) - This month I have recently embarked on a quest to give up makeup and let my true self shine through (a post on this WILL follow as it's been a bit of an eye opening experiment). The trouble is, the shine itself really is a problem so this couldn't have arrived on my doorstep at a more useful time.

4. L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper - It's not really too much of a surprise that L'oreal might feature in this box, as a french company. But I was really quite surprised that this got thrown in on top of everything else, considering what I paid for it! Again this is not something I'd bother investing in myself, but this clear gel has being doing a great job so far at keeping my brows tidy.

5. Terrybly Khol Pencil £23 (full sized) - GREAT addition to the box, considering the box cost half the price of this one item alone. Having put this little waterproof gem to the test, I can confirm that it blends beautifully and doesn't budge!

5. Les petits mots d'ines - This is my absolute favourite item in a subscription box to date, ever! It's a jar of little messages in scrolls, and you open one a day for a snippet of wisdom. Todays message read 'If all good things come to an end, why don't we start with the dessert?' which is a bit quirky but I can't say I disagree with the sentiment.

The value of this box greatly exceeds what I paid for it and continues to do so every month, so I'll be sticking with 'My Little Box' for a while! It's definitely one way to brighten up a bleak day in the office. To top it all off, you also get a fab little magazine with some really interesting content, and a wall card too. This months read 'Life is never what it seems, and that's the great thing about it.' I wholeheartedly agree, My Little Box.

Do you have a favourite subscription box? x

5 Reasons why I used to hate Christmas, and 5 reasons why I now love it

Merry Christmas!

It finally feels like the festive season! I know this because Trig and I managed to get our first Christmas tree up the other day in our flat and, within 24 hours the cat had smashed 80% of the glass baubles, all around the house. He'd hidden glass in some areas too. That was excellent.

I am being somewhat reflective this year. I have in the past been a bit of a yoyo when it comes to my feelings about Christmas, as a child, obviously, it filled me with excitement. My dad used to type up letters from Father Christmas at his work and post them through the door, and that to me was sheer evidence that he must exist, as who else in the world had a computer when I was five?

But into my teens and early 20's, there were a number of things that did used to bother me about Christmas.

1. You couldn't leave the house. No one was around and - dammit, and (God forbid) I'd have to spend time with my family and watch re runs of 'A Miracle on 34th Street'.

2. Jumpers. So many jumpers.

3. Seeing the scales and feeling guilty. Actually this one still gets me, but also the guilt that a large percentage of this world is currently starving, and I have just eaten my weight in cheese and crackers.

4. The whole extended family would come to our house on Boxing Day and there would be nowhere to run or hide, especially with a raging hangover.

5. Too many parties, too little time.

It's interesting now how the tables have turned. I genuinely do believe I might be becoming a grown up. Here's why;

1. My life is now so busy and I work a lot, so one day a year in 'housebound' mode is actually amazing.

2. We have no central heating in my flat, so, this year I actually asked for jumpers.

3. I have started to really care much less about what the scales say and more about how I feel. I do try to eat food that makes me feel good, and I'm more conscious nowadays about the nutrients I'm getting, but regardless I'll definitely be tucking into the mince pies this year.

4.  I miss those family get togethers. Took me years to realise that not everyone has their families travelling all the way to see them on Boxing Day, and now that it no longer happens. I rarely get to see them, I really really miss the yearly get together. Most importantly, now my Grandmother is older and less mobile and lives quite far away, it's so much harder to see her. I have realised that she is the linchpin that brings everyone else together, too. Food for thought.

5. All my friends who once lived in one place now live in separate parts of the Country, so once a year it's really really great to get together and be festive. Though this year, I'm attempting to do so without drinking alcohol. Lemonade can be just as fun as cava, right? Hmm.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Treading the Boards

A few years ago, I completed my Masters degree in Contemporary Theatre and thought, what now? I've never wanted to act full time. I was commissioned initially to develop a piece of work that I wrote and direct it in London and Cambridge, and I did that with a really wonderful cast. And then I let work swallow me up, and put my passion to one side.

My friend recently became a published author for the first time, and then subsequently published his first play. He needed a cast to help to workshop it and perform it on stage for the first time. He put out a call for an actress in my age group on facebook, and I thought, why not? 6 months later and many successes and setbacks, and an 80 page play to learn, and we finally performed it in two shows on stage last week!

'My Lot' and is a two act comedy that is a tribute to the modern day family who, despite the issues with 21st century living, can and do still carry the strength and values family life needs. The characters within the piece all represented some sort of stereotype. I played an over the top mother who bullied her slightly downtrodden husband, the other characters included a gay son, a pregnant teenage mother, a very smart and misunderstood daughter, a fussy auntie and senile Grandpa! The seemingly dysfunctional family is struggling with a blackout and have to learn to talk to one another. Little moments and revelations occur throughout during this time that really bring the family back together. The whole play is also thread between the telling of a really long joke! If you'd like to learn more about Darren O Sullivan's work please do click here.

The whole process was a lot of work but I was really honoured to be asked to be a part of it. It sort of filled a gap in my life that until then I had been too busy to notice was there. The play is set in northern England, so I also learned that I can do accents if I really try, something I was convinced I couldn't do before!

Most importantly for me, I met a group of local actors and actresses that are keen to work together on new projects, which is really great. We have decided to revive the piece that I created years ago, through another show in the local area. I'm really excited about this because it is really close to my heart and was a huge achievement for me to direct such a talented cast. The performance is called 'The House of Secrets' and is based within an actual residential house, and was written to raise awareness about sex trafficking. The audience interact with the show by walking round the different rooms, which all have different stories told by actresses in various ways. The feedback we had last time was really moving and I can't wait to develop it even further. You can find out more about this and watch a promo video here. 

Have you got any hobbies you don't get to do enough? Let me know!

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

Well its been a fair few weeks since I last posted. I think its safe to say I've been on a self imposed hiatus, trying to evaluate whats actually important to me in life and what I want to write about. This may seem like an odd statement seeing as the title suggests that this is in fact a diet post, but I've noticed lately that more than ever, when I get so busy and let my eating habits slip (and when they slip, they slip badly) my whole life seems to follow into a kind of chaotic state.
 
First thing that's worth noting, just to set the context : I've got terrible willpower.

I'm not going to lie to you, I'd rather sit on my sofa than go for a run. I wish I was one of those people who loved going to the gym, but the truth is it bores me half to death. I'd rather be doing something, actually anything, other than step onto a treadmill. Of course, I enjoy the rush of endorphins after a bit of exercise just like the next person. But I know that I can cheat and get a similar effect by eating a bit of chocolate. This is ultimately my problem.

All things considered, I should probably be morbidly obese. But about a year and a bit ago, I decided that after the best part of a decade of half hearted dieting and going to the gym, followed by eating cheese then getting nowhere, that I was just going to bloody well get on with it and do it. I am an all or nothing person. I threw myself into a juice cleanse for a week, and then I followed this with two more weeks of combining juicing with home cooked meals, cutting out all white bread, white pasta or white carbs in general. I lost just over a stone, which is all I really wanted to lose - but it made a huge difference to me. (Then I went to America for a bit and discovered savory pancakes, but that's a whole different story).

After about ten years of saying 'I just need to lose a stone or so and I'll be really happy with my weight' it took some kind of inner revelation for me to just get on with it and actually do it rather than continuously fail. It may not sound like a great deal of weight loss - it's not much to lose, but it really changed the way I felt about myself. I felt able to wear the clothes I wanted to wear but didn't feel confident wearing before. Most importantly, the weight stayed off too, for about a year, despite my gallivanting and pancake eating adventures.

Everyone has different methods when it comes to merging a busy life with a healthy life. But I've learned that for me, the true secret is that you NEED to stick to a change in diet for at least three weeks, and try and be strict with it. After that, the odd camembert sharer is OK (although, as a general rule I don't share camembert). The reason this is important is because your body adapts to your new weight. They also say that after 21 days of doing something it becomes habit and a part of your new way of thinking. After your body has adapted to its new weight, your metabolism tends to keep you there, unless you're really really naughty.

Over the past month (and after a few more gluttonous adventures) my scales are tipping again a bit. This has spurred on my personal mission for finding ways to eat well and stay healthy, when you also work like a madman and can't afford a personal chef. Initially I went back and did a week juice cleanse again to set me back on the straight and narrow. It made me feel great, and I was full of energy. I made it to day 6, lost 8 pounds, then accidentally left the cable to my juicer over a hob and burnt a hole through it. I dare not plug it in now. Consequently, partly due to this, and due to a couple of days in Ipswich and a boozy wedding, I fell off the wagon and regained most of the weight I'd lost a week later. It is always best to aim to lose 1-2 pounds per week, but I find that when I eat healthily and do the following, my body loses what it needs to and that's OK. The most important thing, whether you lose weight or not, is just that you feel better in yourself, and it's taken me quite a long time to realise that this should be my main priority. Here are the steps I am taking to get myself back on track;


1. I am eating more vegetables, soups, and salads.
2. I'm generally forcing myself to walk everywhere rather than be lazy and catch the bus.
3. I occasionally dip into home exercise. I used to be great and go to the gym 4-5 times a week but those days are gone now (see above, terrible willpower). I actually find Results With Lucy to be the best, and I've tried a few different ones now. Very simple and easy to follow.
4. I'm buying a new juicer, and incorporating juices for breakfast back into my regime.  One a day is enough though for a long term healthy lifestyle. Throw some spirulina in too and your body will thank you!
5. Most importantly, and this is probably the key, I'm trying to not spend so much time judging myself.


For me, the three week rule works. My body adapts to the weight and then I relax a little on my diet, but by this point, I want to eat the good stuff and I'm less drawn to the bad stuff. When I'm juicing or eating more vegetables, I feel a huge noticeable difference in my focus, my work, my happiness, and my life. I just don't understand why, even armed with this knowledge, I still find myself surrounded by a load of refined sugar and junk food sometimes!



What methods do you use to incorporate healthy living, especially in busy lifestyles? I would love to hear your suggestions :)

Small Achievements, and the Little Friday link up!

I am now officially in my late twenties. This is a fact. At 27, I convinced myself I was still in mid twenties territory, or at least teetering on the border, but having just celebrated my 28th birthday, there's no denying it now. One of my friends yesterday told me she was getting botox at the weekend, and it made me consider it. Should I be doing the same? Are we all obsessed with stopping the passage of time? It seems like no time at all since I was running down the garden naked in nothing but a bobble hat (I am referring of course, to myself at roughly four years of age, and not the unfortunate incident last year where I devoured several bottles of wine to myself) or playing on the swings in the garden. Life was much simpler then.

One thing that I have noticed, is that all the little things about being younger now seem golden. I miss family holidays, and somehow, it's taken me over ten years to realise these rituals might be gone for good. We always went to parts of the countryside every year,  and, not being old enough to go down the pub, I remember feeling a bit bored sometimes, but I realise now that the benefit of this was that we had to talk to each other and spend time together (or in myself and my sisters case, usually fight). I remember being fifteen and sitting cross legged on the side of the water fountains in the shopping centre with my best friend, talking for hours, and I remember so well my first major heartache. Emotions seemed almost stronger back then, before I'd learned to put any barriers up and protect myself or prepare myself. There are so many other memories, some that would seem unimportant, but all of them form the rich tapestry of my own life to date, and I'm so thankful for them.

This is not my usual sort of post, but sometimes self reflection is important. Like many others I have tried all kinds of methods to tap into the elixir of youth and stay young forever, such as juicing, trying to curb my vices, experimenting with all kinds of face creams (I am also utterly convinced that by the time I'm 40 modern science will have invented a way to reverse the clock. They're working on nano technology right?) But in between what I am sure is a shared fear with others my age about crossing the threshold into a state of being fully grown up and mature, I know that it's so important to remember to be grateful. Age is a gift. The passing of time and the introduction of wear and tear, dark circles, and lines are gifts. No one knows what is going to happen tomorrow. The ability to get older, to continue learning and experiencing life, is a beautiful thing. Sometimes we're reminded of our own mortality, as I was the other week when someone I once knew passed away suddenly. It puts things into perspective. I welcome each day and I have always lived my life at the risk of burning the candle at each end, I'd like to think I try and make the most of it.

With that in mind, I've a checklist of things I'd like to achieve by the time I reach 30. Look at it as cosmic ordering if you will. Putting this list out there might just help me to achieve it. So here we go;


1. Grow the project I manage and make the work sustainable. I've been trying to do this for some time, but only recently have I developed the business plan to a place where I feel really positive about this.

2. DJ overseas - Mainly I just take on gigs here - but now I'm learning production and becoming more creative with my mixes, I'd like to keep working on it and eventually travel with it. Why not?

3. Be working on new creative projects - and take a show to Edinburgh! I completed an MA in Theatre a few years ago and have been commissioned to develop work in the past few years, but I need a new project to sink my teeth into. I'm acting in a local play in Sept, but I hope I'll be working on other projects in years to come.


4. I want to pass my driving test.

5. I want to explore and see more of Asia, Japan and China. I think this is realistic, since we're going to Singapore in Oct and Japan is next on the list :)

6. I want to develop my business ideas to the next level. I'm guilty of talking about things a lot and sometimes not acting enough. I have plans in place and I want to have developed them in two years.

7. I want to be able to hold a conversation in Spanish!


What are your key goals? I'd love to hear them!

This week I'm co-hosting the Little Friday weekly link up! Sign up below :)

Ash (Follow Here!) // Morgan (Follow Here!) //  Alice (Follow Here!)

Rules are there are no rules! 

Please link-up to whatever you like! 

All that we ask is, if you wish, please follow us via the links above and that you link back to this blog - so that other's can join in and mingle! 

Happy Little Friday Everyone!

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Why a Juicer Might Just be Your Best Ever Staple Beauty Buy..

I will be reviewing Jason Vales 7lbs in 7 days juice plan, and its effectiveness not just in terms of weight loss, but also general health benefits. Juicing has been revered widely for its miracle properties, reportedly curing many terminal illnesses and diseases across the world. I am fascinated by this intriguing prospect and by the seemingly magical nature of its consumption, and have subsequently been seduced into what I truly believe will be a lifelong relationship with my juicer. It's hardly a new idea, juicing has been highly praised in many cultures over thousands of years, yet we are just beginning to take notice in the western world.

My aim here is to explore not just the benefits of juicing, but the lasting effectiveness of maintaining weight loss or health benefits over longer periods of time. My personal experiences can hopefully shed some light on this, as well as attempt to explain how it all works!

What do you need?

• A juicer - I bought a Phillips juicer for about £40 
• The Jason Vale book, or you can also buy the JV app on an iphone or get it on googlebooks for about £5. My Phillips juicer actually came with the book.
• Lots of fruit and veg ingredients, including a lot of green 'stuff'!
• Straws - you do need to protect your teeth as there is a lot of acidity in the juices.

 The concept - you drink nothing but juice for 7 days.

On a first glance, this seems irresponsible. Be prepared for a lot of blank faces when you try to explain why you are not partaking in the staff lunch/birthday meal celebrations/sunday lunch with your parents, and the inherent urge to try and explain yourself. I originally tried this several years ago, but because I did not read the accompanying book by Vale, I had a sense in the back of my mind that I could not survive without food, and I failed.

The truth is though, you can. Having attempted this again last August, my whole mindset was totally different, because I read the book first. You are still eating food, to the value of at least 1,200 calories, and probably far more nutritional food for that matter than you are likely to find in the average diet.

The book isn't exactly a literary genius, but to give credit to Jason Vale, he does help you to understand the science behind it and the reasons why juicing has such a phenomenal effect your body. Surprisingly, the majority of the juices are very nice, even the veggie based ones.


What Happens During the Week?

Notes:
1. If you can incorporate light exercise, do it. It might seem mad as it feels like you are not eating, but it actually makes you feel better. I've tried the plan both with not exercising, and with exercising, and the latter is definitely a bit easier and keeps your energy levels up.
2. CLEAN YOUR JUICER straight after using it. It's incredibly hard to clean it once the fruit has hardened. May sound obvious but I learned this the hard way!

Day one - I miss chewing food. I am anxious that I am going to be hungry, but actually, I'm not. Several of the juices include blending avocado etc, and I actually find them to be quite thick and filling. I don't like the taste of the Spirulina (which does give you your all important vit B), but otherwise actually found the juices to be very tasty.

Day two - I struggle to get up in the morning, but know that if I don't, I won't have time to make all the required juices for the day (and I don't want to be cleaning my juicer twice in one day!) Mentally, I find myself battling with it at this point. I am tired. Exercise brings my energy levels up. I have a plentiful supply of juice and didn't feel hungry at all. 2/3lb is banished by the end of the second day.

Day three - I wake up and a strange thing happens. I don't have a 'sleep hangover' (you know, where you want to roll over and give yourself 10 more minutes). I am raring to go. I feel really good - which makes me realise that what I eat generally perhaps weighs me down/makes me tired. I seem to have dropped about 4lb on the scales, too. The Lemon Ginger Zinger is really tasty (I love ginger, though, so it may not be to everyone's tastes). The 'Passion 4 Juice Master' is also a personal favourite, which includes bio yoghurt.

Day four - I still miss and crave food occasionally, but more out of habit than hunger. However I remind myself that it's ONLY seven days and the scales have now dropped an further pound. My energy levels are soaring which makes me struggle a bit with sleeping, but the exercising helps with that. I actually start to find that I no longer even really need to drink all of the juices, as I feel full before I've finished them.

Day five & six - I'm getting so much done at work. I'm looking forward to chewing something again, but otherwise, I'm not too fussed. I have to attend a work meal, and I'm dreading it. I find it really hard to resist/explain myself, as the social eating scenarios are the worst. 'What do you mean you're not eating?' colleagues say in disbelief, trying to get me to break, but I can't launch myself into a lecture on nutrition right now. I explain myself as basically as I can, they leave me to my soda and lime, and let me get on with it. It's not as bad as I thought.

Day seven - Weirdly, I feel by this point, that I could keep going on longer. I feel a sense of achievement that I've nearly made it, but also a desire to keep on eating and juicing so that I continue to feel great after the week is over. I have lost half a stone (7lb) in weight. As an added bonus, the pesky migraines that had been plaguing me for several weeks are now completely gone. My skin is glowing, and my eyes are shining. Everyone keeps asking me what new beauty product I am using on my skin.

Once you reach the seven days, the likelihood is that you will want to keep eating well. You don't actually miss pizza anymore. Spinach is oddly appealing. And if you're like me, and still need a bit of discipline, Jason Vale has a follow on '14 day plan', which is a helpful next step to start introducing the right foods back into your diet.

I continued the follow on plan for 11 days, incorporating a juice in the morning, a power salad for lunch or power sandwich, and one of the many recipes provided in the evening. They were really tasty, my favourites being the 'fish and chips' with sweet potato chips, or the pesto pasta concoction. The basic principles are to cut out bread, refined sugar and white pasta, and go for healthier subsitutes. The only troublesome bit was the recommended exercise twice a day, which I thought was a bit unrealistic, so I didn't do it. I would advise that you order the google books version of this if you decide to use it, as they seem to exclude some of the best recipes in the app. I didn't follow the plan religiously, but the following 11 days were easy in comparison to the first week, and I lost a further 7lb.

What's so important here, is that if you attempt this plan, you should make the juices yourself.  It's so tempting to order ones that are ready made and delivered to your door, especially when you have a busy lifestyle. I tried one of these ready made plans with a company after buying a Groupon, and it was a totally different experience. I was constantly hungry, it tasted like there were added sugars (which defeats the purpose of cutting out the bad stuff). Plus, it's by far cheaper to buy all the fruit and veg off the market, and you'll be able to continue to use the juicer once you're finished the plan.

But does the weight really stay off?!

It was at this point that I then set off on a mini tour of the East Coast for 3 1/2 weeks (see previous 'Hooters Mission' blog post :). If anything would test the tenacity of my weight loss, a visit to the US and lots of drinking and cheese burgers would. I nervously returned to the scales on my return, tail between my legs, with one eye closed. I had indeed regained 5lb, and figured that this was a fair deal. But here's the interesting part, I reverted to eating relatively normally (not quite as well as before) and the 5lb dropped back off within two days.

Here's my theory as to why this happened; the body, when it gets used to a certain weight for a long enough period of time, 're-sets' itself at that level, and tends to work towards keeping you there. Despite my self sabotage, my body reverted me to the level it had grown used to whilst eating well.

They say if you do anything for 21 days it becomes a habit, and true to form, you actually do incorporate certain changes as a natural part of your lifestyle. I still indulge myself and have bad weeks, but generally I make more conscious choices, I make juices fairly often for breakfast, swap white pasta for brown pasta, white potatoes for sweet potatoes, and enjoy the odd salad out of choice. Juicing also arguably helps you to maintain weight loss because it changes the way your body digests food and makes it more efficient, flooding it with 'good' enzymes, which help you to process your food much, much easier.*


Repeating the process

5 months later, the weight had stayed off at 10st 5 (and 5ft 9) , but I still felt I wasn't at my target weight. I decided to take the juice detox again in December during a 'slow' week at work. I lost another half a stone and have continued to maintain that two months on, without any real difficulty, even over the xmas and new year period, which I have to admit I am surprised about! I keep juicing, though not always every day, and it makes such a difference to my energy. It's great for keeping your skin and hair looking good, too.

For me, the juicing has been life changing and has taken a stone and a half of weight off me, and kept it off, even when I have taken breaks and indulged in the odd camembert/pizza/drinking session. I don't feel like I'm dieting in the slightest. The whole experience has also inspired me to start a nutrition diploma, so I can understand more about foods and how they affect the body.

I hope this review has been helpful! If you have experiences of the 7 day juice diet, please do feel free to share them as I'd love to know how others get on, too.

Alice x


* http://www.i-amperfectlyhealthy.com/juicing.html.

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