My friend is wondering why she’s not losing weight and as I was trying to make her do a food diary, it turned out that she was ‘forgetting’ to write down some of the stuff she eats.

It’s not that these things are unhealthy, it’s just that if you’re going to write a diary for yourself and as an aid to your diet (in order to adjust things depending on what works best etc.), then you need to be thorough.

So what she was forgetting were things like hummus for example. It’s not bad in itself but if you’re dipping things in it all day, be it carrot or cucumber, it’s going to make you fat.  It contains up to 200 calories per 100 grams, and up to 10% of it is fat.

So careful if you’re dipping about everything and anything in hummus. It’s not a bad food in itself, it’s rich in Omega 3 and lots of minerals, but still not worth killing your diet for!

I work in the City just off Cheapside and every morning on my way to the office I walk past Gap. The shop is often packed full.

Every single morning though, I tell myself that Gap is crap and you couldn’t find less original designs anywhere even if you wanted to.

So basically I figured that Gap was for people who couldn’t be bothered to put together an outfit and didn’t know what to wear, and paid a lot of money for their clothes to make up for it! 

I was wondering what it was that made me lose 2 kg in two weeks and started to analyse how my eating patterns had changed over the past couple of weeks.

OK, I’ve been extra careful as Christmas is coming and I know I’ll have to fight off attempts by my mother and grandmother to make me stuff my face, but I’m convinced that I’ve lost those two little babies by stopping to eat… Dorset cereals.

Dorset cereals are possibly the finest range of cereals out there, and they taste lovely. Their range of mueslis include: berries and cherries; super cranberry; fruit, nuts and seeds; really nutty; simply delicious; and a couple of others.  God they are wholesome, but gorgeous. Personal favourites are “really nutty” and “fruit, nuts and seeds”, which make my mouth water as I’m writing this.

But now I’m convinced that the reason I’ve shed 2 kg is that they’re no longer part of my diet. Part of it is because they taste and look so healthy that you feel you can have more of it. Part of it is because their variety packs are 100g each rather than 50g for Kellogs fruit and fiber for example, meaning that a pack contains roughly 360 Cals, and the Kellogs ones, well, half of this.

The reason is that nuts and dry fruit, even though they’re supposed to be really good for you, are also really high in calories. They are also really high in fat, although arguably these are “good fats”. Look at the table below:

One single almond can give you 7 calories. But they are good for the heart, so worth having as a snack, just be careful not to overdo it!

Meanwhile, I’ll give dorset cereals a miss, as for all their lovely goodness, their suppression from my diet means that I’m 2 kg lighter!

I went to a spin class this morning as I was cold and figured this would warm me up. Well it did, but God was it hard.

It is not cast in stone as it very much depends on your body weight and how strong you are taking it but it is thought that spin can help your body burn 450 calories within 45 minutes- so defo a great workout. A lot of it depends on the instructor too, I noticed: Carol was encouraging, but definitely pushing it quite far, and demonstrating everything.

So I had that spin class, a good stretch, and balanced this lower-body workout by doing a few weights, including biceps curls and triceps dips, and 15 minutes of rowing.

I mean, the fact that my arms are aching doesn’t make my legs ache any less, but at least upper and lower body will look about even! 

That would be both comfortable and pretty, to wear with both trousers and skirts, for both parties and work - best boots ever.

£120 though, from Office. They didn’t have my size (i’m a 5 and I guess they’re selling like hot buns), but I shall return mwahahaha!

I was in Covent Garden this afternoon to do a spot of shopping and went to a shop I always pass by thinking it looks great, without ever entering it.

The shop is called Tabio, and it’s got to be the best sock shop in London and beyond. I was actually looking for black, above-the-knee socks and was distracted by a phone call when choosing them so ended up getting normal ones. Over-the-knee socks are cool to wear with a miniskirt or shorts, with boots or heels for a cheeky schoolgirl effect, or just under a pair of trousers when it’s chilly outside, so you don’t have to wear tights, even in the winter.

Anyway I picked up a pair of ove the knees socks / leg warmers with a lovely lacy detail at the top, and a pair of patterned socks with a bow, which will look incredibly cool with a skirt and a pair of heels. See below (apologies for the pedicure in bright red, when the leg warmers are actually pink!).

And for those who don’t live in London, check out http://tabio.com/uk/

I tried the new bourgeois polish, which claims that with its fan effect brush, you can paint your nails spending just one second per nail. So I tried it out.

And it actually works, the most clumsy of us can now have pedicured hand and feet in no time at all.

And it really dries up in 50 secs too!

That’s about £5 and a great buy.  Check it out - I tried the red, as it’s always nice on feet, and cheers things up, for yoga!

Today I tried a sample of Olay total effects 7x (first effects daily moisturiser) at the gym - as I don’t like taking big bottles of stuff with me I often just take a sample (those 1-off things you get in magazines), it also gives me a chance to try out new products.

Anyway it’s supposed to minimize the first signs of ageing and all as it contains anti-ageing agent called VitaNiacin. As I have tried it only once, I can’t tell whether the effcts are noticeable or not over a period of time, but what I can say after this first use is that the skin on my face definitely felt a bit of a lift and my hands, after 5 hours, still feel really soft. So I’ll definitely go and buy a jar but meanwhile, I notice that on Olay’s site (http://www.olay.co.uk/homepage/olay-regen.jsp), you can fill in your details to receive a free sample of their new Anti ageing+ sunkissed glow, their first sunless tanner and anti-ageing moisturiser at once,

…so go for it!

Yesterday at 4:30 a.m. I received a call from my good mate Mathieu who wanted to know my postcode so he could come and sleep with me. He did mean sleep though, as we’ve slept in the same bed many times and I always made it clear that he wouldn’t get more.

So I said no as I couldn’t be bothered to even get out of bed to open the door, and he started to take it all personally and doubt himself and stuff. The thing is that he is a very attractive guy in all respects, but still, I’m not attracted to him, there’s just no chemistry.

Anyway, he starts insisting, which I hate, and ends up literally begging for a cuddle and a sleep in my bed.

A year ago I think I would have said yes, but any amount of begging can’t compare to the absolute feeling a peace you feel whn you wake up on your own, in your bed, on a Sunday morning, having coffee and fruit in bed and watching Hollyoaks.

So I stuck to my guns. I like being on my own more than anything, begging can’t change this.

Is it me or Alex Zane is going down hill?

I was watching mobileact unsigned at the gym earlier and the guy is letting himself go: messy, dirty hair, and ugly glasses which didn’t suit him.

Looks like he can’t be bothered.

The lead singer from Revenue, on the other site, is one edgy, but tasty dish!