Re-embarking On This Diet Lark...

I'm pretty much back up to the weight I started at, and I'm about to embark on a very stressful month. So I need something to get my head into gear, I need to get myself back together and get back on track. I'm sick of eating crap, and I don't want to feel guilty about any of it.

There's been a lot going round lately about this '2 day diet' in which you eat normal for 5 days of the week, and for 2 days you limit your calorific intake to around 600 calories. People have apparently lost a lot of weight through this diet, and it's meant to be really good for your overall health. I'm planning to do this diet for the next month while I do my exams, and I'm hoping that it'll get me back into the mind of healthy eating and not over eating.

That's my diet plan for the next month, including days I'll be working and exam days. I'm planning to post recipes for anything not already on here, plus updates on how I'm doing on this new diet. 

Hope it all goes well!

Handmade Dress

My nana is one of the most influential women in my life. She worked as an Upholsteress at Uptons, and used to make clothes for not only herself, but also for her mum, her sister and her aunt. I learned how to bake from her, how to knit from her (with a help from youtube) and now I'm learning how to create and alter clothes from her.

When I saw this dress on the Topshop website, I fell in love. I thought it was a bit short, but I loved the print and it's just my sort of dress. But it's 55£.

I showed my mum, wondering if there was any way I could have this dress, to which she turned around and said, "Your nana'll have a pattern like that."

I was almost straight up to my nana's and scrounging through her pattern bag. Low and behold I found a pattern! It was bought in 1956 for six shillings. It's a Simplicity pattern and it really was simple and easy to follow.

Next was a trip to Boyes. Now I was shocked to find that Boyes shops do not in fact cover the entire of the UK - like how do you all get along without this amazing shop. For those of you not in the know, Boyes is a very cheap shop that quite literally sells everything. There are two floors, the bottom sells everything from school uniforms, to toys, to birthday cards, to kitchen supplies, gardening supplies, hair dye and makeup and just everything. The upstairs is the haberdashery, and you can buy curtains, clothes, wool, fabric and all your clothes making needs.

I bought this beautiful 100% cotton fabric for £4.25 a metre, and I needed 3.5 yards (3.2 metres). So my dress, including the zip cost me £14.

I spent three days out of the next week at my nana's and in total it took about 6 hours to create my dress. First I got the pattern pieces cut (we had to botch together a top from another pattern as the top was missing from the pattern I'd chosen). and got the top together. Then I got the top completely fitted and sewn and interfaced, before making the skirt and gathering the waist band, and in the final session I joined the top to the skirt. All under the watchful eyes of my nana.

And here it is. It's longer than the dress in the picture, hitting just on my knee, and I'm very happy that I chose a dark fabric, as it means I can wear it with tights and boots, but the floral print means it will transfer very easy to summer.

I love this dress. It's so insanely comfortable, because it's made just for me. 

It's also a huge incentive to stay at the size I am now! Best thing though, it fits at the waist and flares from my natural waist, meaning that my big bum and hips and thighs are nicely hidden and even if I manage to lose weight and shrink my arse area, it won't affect the fit of this dress :).

And here's me in it, looking all serious.

New Workout

I've been going to the gym this week, around midday after doing a few hours revision, but then before bed I find time and do a short fitness routine of my own making - like the ones I've posted before.

Today I'm planning on squats!

Squats, as anyone who's interested in fitness will tell you, are awesome. Done properly they work an amazing number of muscle groups, including the biggest of them all - your bum. Now, my bum's huge, but I want it to be perky - thus, squats.

Some instructions:
Keep back straight, head up, shoulders back, and when you squat keep your knees in line with your toes.
Plie squats - feet wider than hips, toes turned out
Squat jumps - if you live in a flat/need to be quiet, keep you're jump small and make sure to bend your knees to soften the landing.
Squat, side crunch - Down for your squat, stand up and press your knee at the side up towards your shoulder  (like a sumo wrestler) to work your obliques

Then get down into the squat - may want to take the feet a little wider - press fingers up towards the sky, bring hands round wide, back to centre, then do two quick jabs forward. Repeat x20
Squat kicks - Still in your squat, kick your leg out to the side.

Narrow squat - knees and feet together and go as low as you can!

I've been thinking of making short videos to go with these, but we'll see :)

Have fun squatting! and be prepared for your thighs and bum to hurt the next day :D