When I get old

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Claire Stone

She stood there, barefoot in the surf shop, board under her arm, still in her wetsuit, talking to the shop owner about the rip that the storm had brought up. She laughed about her wipeouts, and how she needed to be braver. I stood there, checking out the board wax, but actually checking her out, listening to every single word that she said.

When she finished chatting, she turned to go, saw me staring, smiled (because she knew). And then was gone.

I was awestruck. Gobsmacked. A little bit in love.

Not because she was some kind of beauty (although, in that moment, she was physical perfection, as far as I could tell) but because she represented almost that I hoped to achieve in my entire life. Which is odd, seeing as I never actually met her, and only saw her for about 3, 4 or maybe 5 minutes at the most. And this was years ago. Long before I met my husband. Long before I had children. Long before I was even brave. But what she represented has stayed in my belly since then. And I know that one day, I will be like her. Continue reading →

Hot stuff!

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Claire Stone

Today we are talking hot stuff.

And by hot stuff, I don’t mean the weather. And I don’t mean your shiny gold hot pants, eh, Kylie!

No, by ‘hot stuff’, I mean HOT DRINKS.

Which is a bit weird because, surely, as you undoubtedly know, I am not against hot drinks. The odd cup of coffee (when you aren’t doing my detox, of course) is perfectly fine, and a nice cup of tea can be a lovely companion to toast and eggs at the weekend.

What I am talking about here is the super-mega-boiling stuff that some of you like to pour almost straight from the kettle, down your throat. You know who you are, so please don’t hide behind the steam billowing from your chai.

Why do I care so much about hot stuff like that?

Continue reading →

Don’t let scales screw up your happiness

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Claire Stone

Let’s just imagine, shall we?

You are losing a bit of the weight that’s been pulling you down for a long time. You are getting fit. You are getting strong. You try on some clothes which you haven’t worn in years, and yes, amazingly, they fit. They don’t just fit. You + those clothes = FIT BIRD. You get admiring glances from those who get to feel that new body, and you get admiring comments from the friends and family who know how low you have felt being bigger than you wanted.

And yet, despite the pert buttocks, flatter belly, and hint of delicate muscles which are starting to grace your arms and the flood of sexiness which has turned your slumping gait into a catwalk sashay, you STILL jump on the bloody scales, see that you’ve only lost a pound, and instantly you feel deflated. And I don’t mean in a good way. Just in a crappy, ‘why am I doing this?’ kind of way. Continue reading →

They just wanted to fob me off with ‘IBS’ and give me painkillers and Fybogel

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Claire Stone

Does this sound familiar? If it doesn’t ring a bell for you, there’s every chance you know someone who struggles with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and is very used to taking Fybogel as either a laxative or to control some of the other symptoms of IBS.

Now, there are loads of reasons people struggle with IBS, and there is no way I can go through enough information in one blog post to help everyone. Each and every case of IBS is different (which is partly why I get annoyed with the term ‘IBS’ because it is just a cover-all term which doesn’t even begin to try to sort out WHY all the problems are happening) and very individual. As a nutritionist, plenty of clients come to me with digestive problems and I love the detective part of my job which is helping folk figure out what is causing the problem. To be fair, I haven’t had to do a huge amount of investigative work, because often it just takes just a little bit of thought, and a few changes to a diet, and amazing things can happen. And I’m not just talking for people who get a little bit of belly ache now and again. One client, called Laura, came to me last year suffering with really bad IBS symptoms and had spent over ten years – yes, you read that right – struggling with gut problems that would make anyone want to just roll over and quit. She came to see me as a last resort (sure, it does hurt to be the last resort, but I don’t mind!) after being fobbed off over and over again.

Now, we didn’t do anything crazy. I didn’t ban her from eating her fave foods or instruct her to eat only foods grown in a three mile radius of her house. I didn’t take blood samples. She didn’t have to do any bowel cleanses, or strange yoga moves, and she didn’t even have to dance naked under a full moon. Continue reading →

Get yourself some Spring Energy

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Claire Stone

Finally, after a long Winter which seemed tg go on for pretty much ALL of last year, we are heading into Spring.

Which is precisely when you want to hitch up your trousers and dip those toes in the waves as they lap the shore.

You want to hoik your over-sized wooly jumper off and get some sun on your skin.

You want to jump right into your spangly new trainers, and knock two minutes off your personal best (whether it is on your trot around the block, or your Ultra-Marathon training)

You want to jump on your bike and peddle furiously with the wind blowing the cobwebs and sleep out of your eyes.

But. Yes, of course there is a but.

But, there is something missing. Something not quite right. Somehow, in some strange way, you feel, erm, you KNOW YOU ARE NOT QUITE UP FOR IT.

You are still wrapped in that extra layer of cuddliness which kept you warm all Winter long. You haven’t quite come out of hibernation mode yet. Or, worse, you weren’t allowed to hibernate properly – kids, work, life – and you are fighting your way to the coffee pot each and every morning just so you have the energy to pull your tights on over your PJs. Darn it. Take the PJs off first.

Your brain is saying ‘yeah, life’ and your body is saying ‘noooooooo, curl up, roll over and don’t fall out’.

You need caffeine to wake you up, cakes to keep you going and then vino to get you to chill out.

You can’t see how you would ever have the time in the morning to wrap up a sarnie for later, let alone wrap up your life in a big bubble of joy. Continue reading →

Is the recession making you fat?

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Claire Stone

This is a serious question.

Is the recession making you fat?

Before you hit me over the head with a breaded kipper for being so ridiculous, hear me out.

Times are hard. Harder than they have been for a long time. Money is tight, and you need to make your money goes further. So why on earth would a recession be making you fat? Surely a recession is when we all get skinny?

Think for a mo though:

Do you buy 3 packets of something, just because if you buy two packs, you’ll get the third FREE? It makes sense right? Buy two, and get a WHOLE ONE FREE. Just because you don’t need three, or will take months to eat it all – or worse – you will eat all of them this weekend because they are there – that doesn’t matter. You’ve saved yourself £1.09. And £1.09 is big. We are in a recession.

Do you sit there at a work meeting, eyeing up the biscuits? You never have them at home, but, well, they are here, just sitting there, smiling sweetly at you. You would never normally eat more than two, but hey, it is Friday. You deserve a treat. Especially as someone else is paying.

At parties, are you the first in line for the buffet, and one of that last ones up there again too, clearing up the leftovers? It’s free, right? Why shouldn’t you eat as much as you can – it will only go to waste otherwise.

Well, sorry. I’m here to tell you that this line of thinking is going to get your butt big. Your butt bigger than you want, and in a harder-to-shift-kind of way than you ever thought possible. Continue reading →