In which I am a drunken lush

It's all a bit weird. Basically, it is never good to hear yourself being talked about. I have a male friend, SG, who is lovely, if very immature (he is 23). I was at the pub tonight and I heard him trying to set me up with his mate, T. Call me old-fashioned but I don't like being offered as a piece of ass, so I wasted no time in pulling SG aside and having a massive rant at him.

I fancy so many men, but I never tell them. Maybe I should give SG a break.

Reasons to be cheerful

- our team came second-last in the pub quiz tonight.
- I got a bonus at work for the stuff I did on vaccination.
- I wore my pucci-esque shirt dress to work without it gaping open.
- it's payday tomorrow.
- just because.

Double super yey!

In which I am a shopaholic

Today I wore a suit to work that hasn't fitted me since 2005. It is a 10 in the trousers and a 14 in the jacket. Weirdly, I also came across the colour pallette I got given when I had my "colours done" at work in 2005. I am classed as "light" which makes sense as I have very pale skin which freckles a bit, burns easily and never tans. Turns out I do wear the right colours, as I have clothes in pretty much every colour in the grid. Also I remember one other piece of advice the style consultant gave me - as a curvy girl I should always choose rounded lapels and curved-toed shoes, never pointed collars or toes. I stick to this advice faithfully. My favourite pair of shoes (also my most expensive pair) are chocolate brown suede and patent leather Mary Janes by Moschino. They have an ankle strap and a curved toe. I love them, but I only wear them on special occasions - job interviews/ weddings. Maybe it's time to live a little and wear them randomly. It's always good to look down at your feet and smile, I reckon.

My favourite brands are, in alphabetical order:

Benefit (make-up)

Bravissimo (underwear)

Irregular Choice (shoes)

Nudge (Danish designers)

Oasis (all clothes)

Reiss (posh suits and frocks)

Also attached randomly above is a my favourite print by Tamara de Lempicka. I'm unsure how it got there and I can't seem to get rid of it so there it shall remain.

10 Things I wish I knew 10 years ago.

1. It is ok to give up on rubbish books. No-one gives you a medal for finishing them.
2. Don't worry about what other people think about you. They're too busy with their own thoughts to be thinking about you much in any case.
3. That the series of quite rubbish jobs will lead to a fantastic one.
4. If you exercise regularly you won't put on weight.
5. You will meet the best friend you can ever imagine.
6. Don't worry about change, everything will work out for the best in the end.
7. It is taking the pill which is making you sad, actually you're quite a happy person.
8. If a woman you know has recurring abdominal pain, and bloating, make her go to the doctors. Nag until she goes. Ovarian cancer is the 4th commonest cancer in women.
9. Take more risks, make more mistakes. It's not the end of the world.
10. Be kind to yourself.

Monday Monday

I'm just back from a rather weird gym experience. I was getting my formal induction and I'm fairly sure the fitness instructor was on drugs. She was exceptionally twitchy, distracted, and spoke very quickly without listening to me. It was my first time meeting her, so maybe she's like that all the time. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, for now. Anyway, I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the cross trainer and about 5 minutes of weights. I don't really understand the machines so I felt like a bit of a dickhead. I think I'll stick to classes, you can watch other people to make sure you're doing it right.

I have been thinking about what I eat, and I'm actually worried that I might be slowing down my metabolism by not eating enough. For example today I had sultana bran with blueberries and skimmed milk for breakfast, an Innocent veg pot for lunch (which was SUPERdelicious) http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/things_we_make/vegpots/ and then chilli for dinner, made with extra lean mince. I think that's barely 1000 calories, and I then used up about 300 calories at the gym. But I'm not hungry, and I've got plenty of energy, so I'll keep going in that vein for a little while yet. I'm also doing very well on the not drinking front, haven't touched a drop since last Thursday.

The tickets for The Shawshank Redemption at Somerset House (outdoor cinema) arrived today. I can't wait. Though I'll probably blub like a baby in front of my workmates.

Bob the builder

I am sweating and, unusually for this week, it's not because I've been to the gym. I have single-handedly assembled an Ikea desk, chair and bedside table. I now have the coolest duck-egg blue desk/dressing table at which I can make like Carrie Bradshaw.

I was a very efficient Ikea shopper I must say. I made a list of what I needed, and then allowed myself to go over budget by no more than £50 on random "must-have" purchases (which included a new dinner set, an apron, a mirror, a vanilla candle, a table lamp and some clip frames). I then ate the obligatory meatballs (on which I'm blaming a VERY upset stomach last night - ugh) and came home. No tears, no tantrums.

Also, note to self, don't spend money on a manicure before you have to assemble flatpack furniture. Doh.

Yoga kills

I decided to take it easy today so I went to a yoga class at the gym. Big mistake! It was really tough and I basically am very unbendy. When doing side planks my arm was wobbling, and I definitely can't do head stands. The instructor was remarkable though - so flexible.

I'm going for my formal gym induction on Monday. I want to get some powerplate action as I've hear it is really good for weightloss. I think they'll put together a programme for me. It's exactly 2 months until I go to New York, so I'd really like to get to goal by then (9st 11lbs).
I've also got a 5k run on 6 September. If I could be 10st by then it would be amazing.

I also think I need to completely give up alcohol for the next 2 months, as it's just empty calories, and I've learned how hard it is to use up 200 calories on the treadmill. It's N's birthday party tonight, so this will be the first big test. I've been trying to find weightloss blogs, but most of the ones which come up on a google search are full of adverts for acai berry or green tea or similar bollocks. This much I know - losing weight is only possible by eating less and moving more.