Living Life the Essex Way (18 page)

BOOK: Living Life the Essex Way
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But since I left my job and started on
TOWIE
it has been harder. I’m afraid I do no regular exercise at all! Even walking is out as, I’ll be honest, I drive or get cabs
everywhere.

I have joined the gym twice, but it just isn’t for me, and I’d rather go swimming or for a bike ride if I had to. What happens when I go to the gym is that I’ll really go at it
for a few weeks and lose four or five pounds, but then I get bored and give it up. I just can’t keep up the momentum. The only time I am happy to go is before a holiday because then I am only
aiming to do it for a short burst, so I can focus and get to a size eight within a short time.

I have noticed a difference without the constant exercise in my life though. Whereas I was pretty much always a size eight before I started on
TOWIE
, now I swing between an eight and a
ten. And although my perfect weight is probably just over 9st, at times I creep up to 9st 7lbs before I realise and do something to pull it back down. Don’t get me wrong, that is not
overweight for my height – I am five foot six, so I am supposed to weigh between 9st and 10st 4lbs – but for me my ideal weight is around 9st.

I just feel like I never have time to fit exercise in now. Whenever I get a few hours off, I am knackered. It’s especially hard in winter, when I just want to be warm indoors. Going out
and getting fit is the last thing on my mind when it’s cold outside.

I also think that some of my weight gain is probably just part of getting older. My body is more adult now, and I like my curves, so I don’t really mind. I look more like a woman than a
teenager now.

Obviously everyone has their own preference, and the main thing is feeling comfortable and happy with your body, whatever shape you are, but personally I would never want to be skinny. I think
very skinny legs, where you can see a big gap between a girl’s thighs, are not nice at all. Having hips and legs with a bit of shape is definitely the best look when you are in a bikini.

As for boobs, again everyone has their own preference, but I quite like mine, because they add a bit of curve, and it means I am in proportion with the rest of my body. I am a 32D, which I think
is about right for my age and size.

As I’ve said, the one place I can never lose weight from is my arms. They stay chunky even when I lose weight, and no matter what I do, they are kind of bulky. But I guess I have just
learned to put up with them. My legs are also never going to be skinny, but I don’t mind that. I have always had pretty stocky thighs, even when I was little, so that’s not going to
change.

If I put on weight on my belly or face or anywhere else, I can lose it pretty easily, but that’s not the case with my thighs and arms. But that’s fine – I’m never going
to be skinny, but I don’t want to be, and I’ve never had any complaints about my curves!

I actually think girls are a lot more likely to judge each other’s figures than guys are. That is probably one of the reasons you won’t catch me doing those magazine articles where
you talk about your body hang-ups, or pose naked to have your body analysed. I did do something like that once for a magazine, and posed in a bikini, and I was described as athletic and curvy,
which I was fine with. I had been going to the gym for a while before that shoot, and was more confident about myself, but I still can’t say I felt comfortable with it.

The most exercise I do now is when I go clubbing and dance all night – that has to count as good exercise, right? The only downside is that I will have a few drinks when I go clubbing, and
obviously alcohol is not great when you’re watching your weight. I have definitely noticed that I’ve put on weight since I began drinking and socialising more. It’s a case of
moderation, I guess. I’m quite a fan of Amaretto and Diet Coke, and vodka, lime and soda is another favourite. I like to drink white wine with ice cubes in it with food.

I don’t have strict dos and don’ts as far as food and diet goes. The only thing I do try to stick to – and I know loads of people say the same – is to drink plenty of
water. It makes such a difference to your skin. I look at my mum, who drinks two pints of it religiously every day, and she looks so young. She doesn’t look her age at all – she is 42,
but people always think she is our older sister.

My one big downfall is Chinese takeaways. When I lived at home with my mum, dad and Billie, I’d say we’d order one in once a week. Noodles, rice, chicken strips, prawns . . . even
chips. We’d go for the full works! I still make a point of going back for a Chinese even now, or getting them round to mine for one on a Friday night.

Generally, though, my mum makes pretty healthy food. She is really conscious to make things from scratch and to avoid ready-made meals. I want to do the same now that I’ve moved out of
home – my only problem, as you might have noticed on
TOWIE
, is I can’t cook! The one time we tried to cook food for a Christmas party at Arg’s, Amy, Harry and I
didn’t exactly pull it off very well. And then when Mark took me on a date to learn to cook, and the chef slapped this bloody great dead fish onto the counter . . . well, that was it! There
was no chance I was going to cut off its head or gut it. I like good food, and I don’t mind giving things a go, but really, there is a limit! I guess I’ll be forced to learn when I live
on my own though, for the sake of my health and weight.

My typical daily diet starts with a cup of tea in bed, and a biscuit – either a chocolate digestive or one of those Viennese ones from Marks & Spencer. I love them! I know it is not
the best way to start the day, but I have to have it. Mum used to bring it up for me, and missing out on that is one of the real downsides of leaving home! In fact bringing me my daily tea and
biscuit in the morning is probably my main requirement in any boyfriend who wants to stand a chance of lasting long . . .

Then, after I have got up and had my shower and that, I will have breakfast. Normally it is whatever cereal is in the cupboard, like Frosties, Sugar Puffs, or Coco Pops, with semi-skimmed milk.
Or if I want something different, I have a slice of toast with peanut butter or Marmite. Hovis Best of Both bread, if you really want to know!

Then for lunch I have a sandwich and a packet of crisps, or sushi and a packet of crisps. The crisps are non-negotiable. But I make up for it with some kind of fruit afterwards. And I generally
just drink water with lunch.

When I lived at home, dinner was basically whatever Mum made, so a roast, or pasta, or fish and veg. Since I moved out I have tried to cook a few meals – I’ve done steak, and lamb
chops with veg. TJ cooked a bit in the beginning, and Mum still comes round with food.

Snack-wise, I had loads of intentions to just fill my house with healthy food, but I’ll be honest, I’m already failing! I have the odd bit of fruit or a yoghurt, but there are a lot
of crisps. And takeaways still feature pretty regularly in my diet . . . I didn’t realise how expensive food was until I started buying it for myself though – I’m going to have to
curb my addiction to shopping in Marks & Spencer!

After series two of
TOWIE
my weight crept up to 9st 7lbs, which is the heaviest I have ever been. I had just been to Marbella, and I think the partying and lack of exercise was
beginning to show. I tend to have a pretty good sense of when I have put on weight, even without checking it on the scales, as my clothes will feel tighter and I’ll just generally feel
bloated and heavy. And that’s what happened after Marbella – I felt bigger, and suddenly my size eight clothes were too tight.

So I tried to be healthy to get ready for the third series. I did that by just making small changes, like not having butter on my toast, having a salad instead of a sandwich for lunch, taking
smaller portions at dinner, and swapping my morning cereal for eggs. I don’t know that much about dieting though, so when I am trying to lose weight, I will print something off the internet
and try to follow that. I’ve always wanted to try the Cambridge Diet – where you replace food with milkshakes, as I like milkshakes, so think I would find that one easy! But you have to
be a certain amount overweight to do it, and sadly – or rather happily – I’m not.

I tried going to a boot camp once. I went for just one day and, I have to say, I hated it. Being bossed around like I was in the army was not my kind of thing – I hate being told what to
do. It is scary being shouted at like that, and there is just no leeway. You do what they say, and that’s it. And they always make you do more than you feel you can – like they’ll
tell you to do ten repetitions of something, then when you are completely exhausted and think you are coming to the end of it, they suddenly go ‘Right, three more.’ I don’t think
that’s fair!

The one I did was the Trimmer You Boot Camp, and I went to their centre in the Peak District with
Love It
magazine to do a feature. The daily routine started when you had to get up at 6
a.m. for an hour’s run. Grim. Then you were given some water and nuts before you did another workout. And only after that could you have breakfast – if you can call it breakfast! I was
so unimpressed by it – it was like a spoonful of porridge or something, along with a quarter of a banana and some herbal tea. I am a big eater, and that did not impress me! Lunch and dinner
were nicer, but the portions were so tiny, it really put me off. I know you are supposed to be losing weight, but you need food to give you the energy to get through all the exercise. I might have
liked it more if they hadn’t totally starved us. Then there was an evening walk, which was a nice way to unwind at the end of the day, although by then all you wanted to do was sleep!

Most of the cast have been to boot camps at some point, but from what I have heard theirs were all pretty basic, whereas mine was an exclusive – and expensive – one. The facilities
were lovely, and you could unwind at night with a Jacuzzi in your room. I guess that was the best bit.

I wouldn’t totally knock them – they are a good option if you are the kind of person who needs to be bossed into doing something, or you want to lose a few pounds and shape up
quickly – but it just isn’t for me.

I’m not sure it was great for Arg and Gemma either. They both lost weight at boot camps – then put it back on again. They need longer-term targets over a few months. Arg especially
is a yo-yo dieter. He does try, but basically, he is a bit greedy! He thinks it is rude to leave food, so he always finishes his, and then if you have left any, he starts to pick at that as well.
It’s a bad habit.

The one bit of intense blitzing since starting
TOWIE
, when I really noticed a big difference and enjoyed myself in the process, was when Billie, Lydia and I made a fitness DVD called
The Essexercise Workout
.

There are three 20-minute sections in it: Totally Retro Reem, which is a dance workout; No Carbs Before Marbs, which is combat training; and the Well Jel Workout, which is cardio. We were
working on the video for five days solid, and it was exhausting, but great fun. We spent the first three days learning the routines with the lady who was organising it – who, I swear, must
have had close to 0 per cent body fat. She wasn’t horribly skinny or anything, because she was toned and muscly, but you could not have pinched even a tiny bit of fat on her body. Then there
was our instructor, Glenn Ball who, I have to say, is pretty fit, in both meanings of the word . . . He certainly gave us something to look forward to each day anyway!

After he had taught us the routines and we had got them perfected, we spent two days filming it. We were doing exercise non-stop, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, and it was exhausting, great
fun and very hardcore.

I remember wanting a sausage sandwich on the first day of filming, and the others asked for bacon sandwiches. But you’d think we had asked for someone to be shot or something. Honestly!
The room went silent, and we were pointed towards this amazing but healthy food they had got for us, like fruit and nuts and that. But we had been out the night before and had not had dinner, so I
really wanted proper food, and stood my ground.

Eventually they had to go and check with the boss if it was allowed, and there was a ten-minute debate, and then I was told that for health and safety reasons it wasn’t a great idea. I
know that exercising straight after food isn’t ideal, but I was desperate and was determined to get my sausage sandwich! Eventually they gave in and it was allowed, but wow, the way we worked
out, I think I burned it off again in five minutes anyway.

By the end of the five days my old six-pack was starting to reappear, and the definition in my muscles was showing again. I think that is an upside of all the sport I did as a kid – as
soon as I start to exercise again, my muscle tone improves very quickly. I think an athletic figure is very attractive. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to go all body builder-esque,
like Jodie Marsh, but looking like you are toned and in shape is great.

Sadly, once filming for the DVD ended, I didn’t keep it up – until the DVD came out that is, and then I used it to get back in shape again! That was the weirdest thing, following
myself on the screen, but it was a really funny way to do it.

I think Lucy Meck has the best body on the show. She is naturally slim, and while she isn’t really into exercise, she eats well.

One person on the show who I can see worries about her body all the time, and who really shouldn’t, is Jess. She is so beautiful and slim – slimmer than me – but she is so
insecure. Insecurities are natural, but she has a lot, and I don’t think she is fair on herself. I don’t know where it comes from really, as she has a supportive family, a successful
business and a great body! But the smallest things stress her out. It’s silly because people are always complimenting her looks, and she’s got a perfect shape, even though she
doesn’t go to the gym and really likes her food and wine! It’s her insecurities that made her get her boobs done, although I thought they were good before. Now she worries they are too
big. You can’t win!

BOOK: Living Life the Essex Way
6.76Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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