Forty Days Later...

I've always struggled with my weight, even as a kid I vividly remember being told not to eat too many smarties, 'they'll make you fat'. But, I ate them, and everything else in sight and there begun my life long battle with my weight. Except for my brief encounter with my Lighter Life induced size 8-ness (oh how I miss you!) I've always erred on the heavier side of curvy.

I didn't massively gain weight during pregnancy and breast feeding allowed me to eat whatever the hell I wanted for six months but unfortunately, this was totally too good to be true. After stopping breastfeeding Nora at just over six months, I totally piled on far too much weight. It hit April and I'd had enough, it was time to shift some of this wobble

So I've spent the last forty days and forty nights balancing being a mummy and working full time, along with embarking on a super extreme weight loss program.

I've dragged my wobbly backside out of bed every single morning to undertake, what I can only describe as a body and soul destroying workout before heading off to work. I was walking like John Wayne for the first four days, I couldn't get through the day without dosing up on Paracetamol. These pain staking twice daily workouts along with total clean eating have produced some amazing results and I'm bloody over the moon.

In just 40 long days I have managed to lose 25 inches of wobble and a massive 18lbs, now I definitely haven't forgotten that I have a hell of a long way to go still but I'm a dress size down and a million times happier!

This bootcamp was ran through Forte Fitness & Bootcamps. Their programme Forte Days of Lent is completed at home, you can do it from any corner of the globe!

DIARY + REVIEW: The Dreaded Hair Loss

The very lovely people over at LighterLife HQ featured the Lady Gluttony blog on their Facebook page yesterday, how exciting! So hello to all the LighterLife fans who have made their way over to LG. I noticed a lot of people questioned the hair loss topic I raised earlier in my blog, so I thought I'd delve a little into the whats and whys of hair loss on very low calorie diets such as LighterLife.

My hair began falling out after I reintroduced conventional food into my diet after 19 weeks of full abstinence from food on LighterLife. It was very slight at first but continued to get worse until I was having to unblock the plug in the shower every day. I was devastated! I dug out a photo from September 09, 3 months after the LighterLife programme, along with a photo from March '10. I can definitely see the difference!

During a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD - less than 800cals per day) your body remains in a constant state of ketosis - this basically means your body is being fuelled via your fat stores (yippee!) as opposed to the energy stores you usually use from your liver which are known as glycogen. Whilst you are in ketosis your body uses what little energy you have available to power your vital organs. As there's not much energy going spare, it stops doing other less important tasks such as hair shedding, hair regrowth, nail growth and keeping you warm (I was forever freezing whilst on LighterLife).

This little holiday your body takes from completing these tasks has to be accounted for somewhere, meaning that when you reintroduce food and increase your calorie intake you begin to shed the hair you should have been regularly losing which is around 50 to 100 strands per day. Obviously the swift loss of 19 weeks worth of hair is going to be a considerable and alarming amount, but it doesn't mean you're going bald! The new hair grows back through just as quickly as you lose it which is brilliant, but meant I had a mini afro for several months following my abstinence from food, such a good look for me…not!

A nutrition deficiency could also account for the hair loss on some diets. Although I know LighterLife is 100% nutritionally complete, some diets lack vitamin B12 and Zinc which are essential for luscious locks so perhaps a deficiency in these nutrients could cause the hair to take a little break from growing.

I was so upset about losing my hair though. I had no one to reassure me, so I had no idea whether it was going to grow back! I did have slight bald patches around my hairline which of course in my head translated to "Oh my god, I'm actually bald, I need to invest in a toupee!". Always the drama queen. I was willing to try anything to speed the regrowth of my hair. I consulted my lovely hairdresser, Jolie, who recommended the L'Oreal product Aminexil. I purchased a 6 week course of the product costing around £90 (steep, I know - but I was desperate!). I had to apply the solution to my scalp daily for six weeks, massaging it into towel dried hair. Now, according to the boffins over at L'Oreal, Aminexil is a nutritional programme that has been scientifically proven to combat hair thinning using Omega-6 nutricomplex. Now who knows, this may have been a load of rubbish, but my hair did seem to grow back exceptionally quickly. It's not really a fair test as I've no way of knowing how quickly my hair would have grown back without the Aminexil, but it did make me feel like I was actively trying to encourage my hair growth. It's all in the psychology I say!

Overall, the amount of hair I lost was a teeny price to pay for the amount of weight and dress sizes I dropped. It's very easy to say but don't worry too much about hair loss - some people go through it and some people don't. As it happens, my hair is much thicker than it previously was which is a bonus. Its a small price to pay to be healthy and happier.

REVIEW: My First Fitball Class at Bannatynes

I ache so much, my legs were like jelly trying to get down the stairs at the gym. I suppose that means I've been working hard?!

I'm a member of Bannatynes Gym but I'm not a regular attender to say the least. But as you know, 15 weeks until holidays so I'm forcing myself there as often as possible.

Yesterday I got up extra early and went to the 9am Fitball class, check me out! Fitball according to Bannatynes is - 'an intense workout using a stability ball'. The aim of the class is to improve core stability, in turn improving your strength, coordination, stability and balance. I obviously have non of these attributes! I was wobbling all over the place - never realised how unstable I am. Maybe thats why I fall over so often? Anyway, being on the ball means your body has to respond to the natural movement of the ball whilst doing the usual gym movements (abdominal crunches, bicep curls, squats etc) making your muscles work extra hard. Does this mean I'll be more toned extra quick? Lets hope so!

We got there early to try and get a few snaps but unfortunately we weren't the only early birds! I couldn't be bothered explaining to everyone why I wanted photos so I've taken a few at home in my garden to show you a handful of the moves.

The workout lasted 45 mins and involved using the swiss ball, small hand weights and a yoga mat. There were 8 women of mixed ability in my class, it's amazing how fit some of the women are, it puts me to shame (especially seeing as most of them were twice my age!).

We started with a warm up, then moving onto some back, shoulder, and arm exercises, finishing with some ab work, squats against the wall (ouch that hurts!!) plus a little stability game involving everyone. It was really fun, i feel sorry for the lady next to me she got stuck with the wobbliest girl in the world!

Dumbbell Kickbacks: these help banish bingo wings, but by being sat on the ball, you're working your core too. The closer your feet are together, the harder you work. My dog decided to poke his head in on this one, he then proceeded to take my weight off me and chew it!

Squats: much more comfortable with the ball than without, also the ball makes sure your posture is correct. Works your bum and thighs, for legs like Beyonce's!

Dumbbell Flys: works your pectorals (muscles that keep your boobs in the right place) and your arms. Again being on the ball is improving your stability - try to keep your body as straight as possible with your pelvis right up.

I'd advise you get a better fit ball than this (I picked it up from Tesco for a fiver), I'm 5ft 7 and this is a 65cm ball - it's a bit too small, your legs are supposed to be at right angles when you sit on it. Also, I can't inflate it anymore than it is, its a bit saggy, poor ball. I don't know if it's just poor quality as most fitballs advertised on Argos etc are 65cm. The one below is from Argos for a bargainous £6.99. I also managed to get some little 1kg hand weights from Tesco, they were only £3.97 each and are ideal for some at-home toning!

The class was surprisingly enjoyable (in terms of fitness classes, that its). I'm not a lover of cardio or getting a sweat on so this low impact (making it good for people with injuries) but intense workout was really quite good. I could definitely feel the burn! I know gym memberships are expensive, and you can do fitball work from home but I find the motivation of the instructor is what I need to keep me going.

I am going to practice my moves at home though. The fitball is a complete bargain and it's so useful, not just an expensive clothes hanger which a lot of home gym equipment often proves to be! Apparently just sitting on the ball improves core stability and gets those abs working! Maybe I'll write my next blog entry whilst perched on it. I'll let you know if I think it's working - judging from the aches in my shoulders, legs… everywhere! it is working. No pain, no gain ey?! I'll definitely be attending next week!