Royal Caribbean Symphony Of The Seas Cruise Review

I have recently got back from a Mediterranean cruise on the Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship  Symphony Of The Seas.  It was brilliant, just awesome! Every aspect of the cruise was brilliant in my eyes however I am biased as I was only really going to see my artwork in situ.  But from a cruising virgin, and a fussy bugger, I found everything from the food, to the staff, facilities just top class.  Had I had younger children they would have been in their element.  I went with my youngest son Leon who's 19 and we just had a blast.  We got the drinks package and turned it into a booze cruise where we partied all night and some how managed to get up early for excursions (well we missed the first one).

I am so going on more cruises as I loved every aspect of it.  The Symphony of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world costing over a billion to build apparently.  It has the best Art on there of course.  Actually when the ship first set sail i read a review on trip advisor and it was terrible, its started like this:  "I sailed on the April 14 sailing on Symphony of the Seas and it was one of my worst vacation experiences. I’ll start with the positives: The ship is beautiful. The artwork is beautiful..."  It then ranted on for ages about poor food etc etc.   I found no problems with the ship at all.  But then I went excited to see my sculpture so was in a positive vibe and on cloud nine really.

So here are some pictures.  This is me and Leon on the plane after a 3 hour drive and two hour wait in Gatwick.

We landed in Barcelona and I wasn't expecting much but I was really pleasantly surprised. I have been to many parts of Spain but not Barcelona.  I loved the streets and architechure and would definitely like to go back and spend longer there.  We had one day in Barcelona with one nights sleep in Les Ramblas which was right in the heart of the City. 

There were loads of craft and antique stools which i enjoyed.  I went on a mission to find an old 1920s cigarette case for my eldest son (who is a tommy shelby lookalike). I did fine one in the right era but was I was too tight to buy it.  After some food (spoilt for choice) we decided to walk to the Zoo as it wasn't too far.

The next day we had a transfer to the port.  By this stage I was seriously getting excited.  This is the first full glimpse of the ship as we approached the port.

As we got closer the size of it was becoming more apparent

Not sure I believe those life boats will hold 8 thousand people! 

As soon as we got on board we headed to find our rooms. Our cases weren't there yet and all i could think about was heading to the Spa to see Heidi. (She is named Miss Hydrangea but I call her Heidi for short).  So once we had checked the room out we went off to find the spa.  I already saw on the lift map that the Spa was at the front of the ship on Deck 6.

We entered the ship on Deck 5 where there were lots of shops, pubs, the bionic bar, the Royal Theatre and some cool art:

These two sculptures were being made by Andrew Sinclair at the same time as my flower lady.  I actually helped make these.  My memories are not great as the smell of the resin really got to me in the last week I was there and these are the culprits.   But they looked the part and it was good to spot them.  Andrew made a number of sculptures for the ship so I was on a mission to find them all.

Finding our room was easy and on the door handle were our cards and some info.  This card you use for the door and everything,  all the buying on ship and getting on and off.  The room was compact but had everything we needed, glad to see a hair dryer in the draw.  Only complaint was no kettle and tea bags etc. I couldn't care less about coffee but I do like a tea first thing. 

Dropping some bags off we went off in search of Heidi,  just one deck up to go.  Straight away I walked around the corner and there she was!

I took a small sculpture as this was how Heidi was meant to come out like:

We played crazy golf a few times..

We loved the casino.  Lost a few quid in there but enjoyed every second.

I loved the fact that the room cleaners did this for me.  It made me giggle so much.  I like little touches like this.

Food art:

Pictures from Rome.

Me on the last night seeing Heidi again.  I went to see it most days and dragged people who I told and wanted a picture with me and it.

The cruise went to Marseille in France, Majorca and three Italy locations La Spezia, Rome and Naples.  I totally fell in love with Italy.  I am so going back on a shopping trip.  All the trousers actually fitted me, I was gob smacked!  Being nearly 6ft I struggle with getting trousers and clothes to fit.

Overall the cruise was just amazing.  I so need to run workshops on that ship.  I could of sold tons of flower people if I could have directed them to the shop.

My Son is now a Tommy Shelby Lookalike!

.....and I am his agent!

Ever since Peaky Blinders hit the screens people have been coming up to my son saying how he looks like Tommy Shelby. Soon as he told me (which was not long after the first series was aired) we all watched the show on catch up then on TV as the series aired. Instant fans!  And what a cool character Tommy is.  We could all see see the similarities.

We went on a Peaky Blinders Tour here and I wrote about it here.  He was a hit and everyone started to comment and ask pictures.  As folk were getting off they were thanking us for being there and making it extra special which was a nice feeling. He was actually offered a roll of tour guide by the company as he was such a hit. Myself and everyone has told my son how he should milk it and become a lookalike which is why I created this blog post.  I knew it was a matter of time before someone phoned. He thinks or rather did think it was all a bit cringe (he's not really the dressing up type and thinks it silly).  But after I got a call and I begged him to do it he is glad he did it.  He was a huge hit.  His debut was at this speakeasy blinders pop up bar event in Leicester last Friday and Saturday.  He got so much positive feedback and really enjoyed himself although he did admit it was hard work.

He was bloody brilliant.  He can act and he pulled off the accent well.  Everyone wanted their picture taken with him and he was the star of the event for sure.  He worked with trained actors and they all said he was a natural.  I always thought he was going to be an actor or stunt man because as a toddler he had no fear and if I turned my back he would easily be climbing fences or trees. Looks like acting might be calling first.  He could also be Tommy's stunt double as he knows how to fall and has done a number of martial arts in the past.  Perhaps this is a new career for him, or at least a bit of fun and a way to earn a bit of extra money at the weekends while Peaky's is hot.

I would do it.  If I looked like a celeb or character I would milk it.  We are all working whores really. Everybody sells their body to an extent.  Our bodies are tools to do any job, be it being an engineer or lookalike.   I am an IT and sculpture whore!!!!

Today I had had another call from someone running an event looking for a Tommy lookalike, so I am acting as his agent. Plus my son has also had a call from a real agent, so its all going swimmingly.

So anyone wanting to hire my son for events contact myself on 07813 257386 or visit http://tommyshelby.com

He wants to be able to offer more than just being a lookalike. He could just do meet and greet but we are working on possible scenarios which would work well in events. I am off to google 1920s pub games and the like to see if I can come up with ideas.  He just wants to reenact fights and create scenes.  He really got into the acting and the fight scenes in Leicester, they were good.  He has a belt in Aikido and he has trained in Thai Boxing so he is perfect for all that malarkey.  Also he used to work behind a bar so he could always just be Tommy behind the bar of a mock up Garrison pub at an event

Here are some pictures from his debut as a working Tommy Shelby lookalike actor:

Some pictures I took from the evening:

Below with his younger brother who himself makes a damn fine Peaky Blinder!  Currently travelling around Thailand, but when he returns he will join us in this Peaky Blinder madness. I recon I could pull off Polly to be fair... mmm now I am thinking..

Here's me as a very proud mum!

Car Place Birmingham LTD Review

Buyers BEWARE of these fraudsters.  My son had spend months saving for his first car and bought a polo from Car Place Birmingham LTD. He was assured is was a good car but he only just about managed to get it home. Hundreds of pounds spent later it still needs major work.

They ignored all phone calls and letters so we are suing them.

This is the website:

http://www.carplaceltd.co.uk/ 

This is one of the names the company is registered under, Mr Mohammed Tufail.

The address is 134 SMALL HEATH HIGHWAY, BIRMINGHAM, WARWICKSHIRE, B10 0BW

Meeting my hero Andrew Sinclair - a very talented man!

This week I met someone totally amazing. Andrew Sinclair. He is a humble British sculpture artist with talent and skill beyond comprehension. I was totally impressed and in awe. I've never ever met anyone who impresses me like this man did. I'm so fortunate to say that I will be working with him soon. This is like dream come true stuff. I don't think he quite realises how big this is for me, to him it's just another job. Well for me it's friggin awesome. Walking around his studio I was in tool heaven. He has every tool and machine imaginable. As he makes large sculptures he has to make armatures in wood and metal, so it was like all my favourite classes at school in one studio. I didn't see a 3D printer though, that's what my studio will have. But I was like an excited puppy, it was just awesome. He and his studio was just like wow to me and what I visualise having soon.

I can't talk about how this meeting came about or what we are working on as it's confidential until the delivery. Next March I can reveal all. However if you follow me on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/cazamic then you probably know as I have been blabbing about it for weeks. I didn't realise I couldn't. As I work in digital marketing it was natural to me to post about it. Plus I was so excited I've been shouting it from the roof tops and driving everyone including myself insane. It is a good job I am single as I have been unbearable to be around lately. 

When I went to uni many years ago I dreamt of being an artist and doing work like Andrew. I saw myself working in Madame Tussaud's and doing portrait sculpture. However by the end of the degree I was disheartened by my art, mainly because I listened to some of the lecturers and folk around me. Making a living from art is nearly impossible unless you teach is what I was told. I’ve never had a family or partner who supported my dreams. There was no way I wanted to be a teacher. There was no way I was going to make a career out of working for a system I don’t believe works.  Plus one of my computing teachers said if you want to earn money go into industry; if you want to join the rat race teach.  (I did a ceramics and computer science degree) So for me going into industry was the only option. By the time I left I'd found something I had a passion for and that was SEO.  I got a job in SEO and after a couple of years I went freelance and started running my own business which I still do today. Something has held me back from getting staff and growing it larger.  I pick and choose clients these days but I think the reason is my art. 


Around 3 years ago I started to get back into my art and since then have been making and selling. My 'flower people' seem to have struck a chord with some people. Each year I have sold more and more and recently I've made some important contacts in the art world and thanks to them the dream of being an ‘Artist’ is that bit closer. I am currently working with two influential people so I feel like I'm on the crest of a wave. I'm confident that within a year or so my main income will be from my art. I'll probably still do some SEO work but I'd like to think it's just to promote me. But I may keep the odd client on the go as I feel loyal to some of them, some I've worked with since I began 10 years ago.

So that's it. I'm one happy bunny. Advice to anyone interested. I could have done this years ago but I listened to people who said I couldn't. Never listen to people who say you can't. If you say you can you can, if you say you can't you can't. Both are true statements.  Listen to your instincts and follow your dreams even if they seem totally impossible. Most importantly believe in yourself. Everything is possible when you believe you can. This is what I have taught my kids.. Anything and everything is possible, live your dreams and do what you wish, not what society expects you to do. Sod the rat race.  

Check out these scultpures below:  These are just a few of his sculptures on display ouside his studio. He has tons more inside, I could have spend ages just wandering around inside it.  Well I will be spending 2 weeks there soon and I can't wait.  He is building a sculpture park so soon people can drop by, have a coffee and enjoy his work.  Andrew Sinclair is one talented man and I feel blessed to be working with him soon. 

 

How did JK Rowling create such an empire?

Many people believe that imagination is everything. Imagination is what creates reality.  Western thinkers tend think that reality is just that and imagination is a dreamlike dimension and not connected.  However for hundreds, even thousands of years, for spiritual people, it is just common knowledge, not just a belief.  Now with recent advances in neuroscience, particularly in the field of brain scanning, there seems to be weight added to this belief. It seems imagination and sense of reality is closely intertwined.

It was thought that two processes of remembering and imagining were the same cognitive task, so carried out by the same areas of the brain. However, neuroscientist experiments have proven this is not the case.  The result from the experiments showed that imagination and memory are using different parts of the brain. Closely located, however, but distinct areas of the brain are responsible for each activity.  

Then there is the law of attraction which again stems back from hundreds of years ago.   Basically, the Law of Attraction is the belief that there is power in what you say and think.  If you think positively and imagine a great outcome this is what the outcome will be, it’s all it can ever be.  Again with recent advance in science, they have kind of proven this in Quantum physics. There is something spooky going on when you look closer at subatomic particles.  Einstein actually called it ‘spooky action at a distance’. Quantum entanglement has shown that by simply observing something (thinking about it) you affect the outcome. Everything in the universe life, matter, energy seems to be all connected, entangled, on single interconnecting source.

Well JK Rowling certainly knew what to do with her imagination. I wonder if when she at that low point in her life, living as a single parent on benefits, writing in cafes, that she stared out of the window imagining a better life for herself.   I wonder if when she got turned down time and time again she used her own imagination to envisage getting a book deal and selling millions worldwide. She certainly had self belief and didn’t let the loads publishing house rejects stop her. And look what she has created. Nobody else created that reality, she did.  If imagination and self belief are what creates reality, then we can all be what want imagine.

I suspect the actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint had a lot of imagination and self-belief growing up. I assume most actors need to have a lot of imagination to act.  All now successful in their own right but it was JK Rowling and Harry Potter which made them household names. It was JKs imagination and the energy that this created that got the ball rolling.  I am sure she didn’t in her wildest dreams believe that Harry Potter would be such as juggernaut and billion dollar business.  Or maybe she did. Maybe as her books began to sell and she was writing sequels she imaged selling millions of copies.

She has never spoken about if she believes in the law of attraction or if imagination creates reality.  She has admitted that Christianity was one of her major inspirations. When asked if she believed in God she said: “I do struggle with it; I couldn’t pretend that I’m not doubt-ridden about a lot of things and that would be one of them but I would say yes”.  Also saying, “I feel very drawn to religion, but at the same time, I feel a lot of uncertainty. I live in a state of spiritual flux. I believe in the permanence of the soul. On any given moment if you asked me if I believe in life after death, I think if you polled me regularly through the week, I think I would come down on the side of yes - that I do believe in life after death”.

Today she is a real force to be reckoned with. She has been in many influential people poles, she is not afraid to support and share her political views. She is a social media sensation with her honest tweets.  

I don’t believe it was just luck and a good story that has created her vast wealth.  Harry Potter was her baby and she must have had nothing but pure faith and belief that her stories were worth being read.  Yes, she worked hard and continues to do so but she attracted it all.  She didn’t crawl under her rug and give up when she got rejected. She didn’t let people stand in her way; she must have just brushed off negative criticism, kept focusing and believing. She kept going until the universe gave her what she wanted and I assume what she imagined, and then some.  

My favourite quote is ‘To accomplish great things we must not only act but also dream, plan but also believe’. I full heartedly believe this and believe this is how JK Rowling created such an empire.

Fans of Harry Potter can go on a tour run by my friends over at Brt Movie Tour.  Click here to see all their Harry Potter tours.

Traditional Tours UK

Traditional Tours UK is a new venture for Lewis Swan,Val Blackburn and Chris Jeffery. Following on from the success of Brit Movie Tours, which was started by Lewis Swan in 2009, Traditional Tours is his new sister venture. Traditional Tours offers traditional sightseeing tours, some walking, some bus and small vehicle tours in various locations across the UK including London, Cardiff, Leeds, Edinburgh and Belfast.

It seemed like a natural progression for Lewis. More and more people were asking for general sightseeing tours, tours that you couldn't really class as 'Movie Tours'. This is why Traditional Tours UK was born. It made perfect sense setting up Traditional Tours so they can now offer more general  UK Tours for the public to enjoy and keep them all under one roof as it were.

Brit Movie Tours quickly become one of the leading specialist tour operators in the UK and it's down to the founder Lewis. I started working for Lewis back in 2011 and over the years have helped him with his website and ranking tours in google. He has a good team who all work hard at providing quality tours. I like to think I have a good instinct about people and I was right with Lewis. As soon as I spoke to him and met him I could tell I could help him and his business. I got the impressions he was an ethical type man and business person. He was prepared to work hard and understood it takes a number of factors for a website to rank high in google.  He understood the importance of social media and reviews and had a grasp on internet marketing himself. Online reviews are a necessary part of any tour company's marketing strategy and the only way to get good reviews is to provide a great service. You only have to look at the percentage of good reviews to know how well a tour company is run.

It's a new site in progress so only a few tours are listed at the moment. It has the same clean user friendly look and feel to the site as Brit Movie Tours:

Currently London tours available to book include a London Walking Tour, Dickens Walking Tour, a Quirky London Tour, Shakespeare Walking Tour and a London Underground Tour. You can also go on a number of Beatles Tours in London and one in Liverpool.

As long as the team use the same ethical working practices I am sure Traditional Tours will be as popular and successful at Brit Movie Tours. I for one will be right behind them, helping people find the tours they provide, happy in the knowledge I have been a small cog in the system helping people find, experience, enjoy days out, and making memories to treasure. That's what life is all about!




 

Life is easy when you realise your creating every moment of it

Life is easy when you realise your creating every moment of it. I find when I practice the law of attraction, which there is now scientific evidence of, life is easier. I just wish it was mainstream knowledge and taught in homes or schools.

I don't need scientific proof, if something works for me, then I believe. Plus I believe that when you believe something, then it is. End of.  But I am a scientist (ok computer) so I have a need to understand how things work and am always searching for answers. I'm like a sponge for knowledge. 

For the last couple of years I have been studying all aspects of physics, the universe and consciousness. It all fits in with my spiritual beliefs which led me back to the law of attraction. I've never been religious but always believed we and everything in the universe is energy. That is fact anyway. So in my mind no higher power or god. Us, the energy is all there is, and we create our reality.

I've always managed to attract exactly what I've wanted into my life, some not so good, but all by practicing this law.  Quantum physics fascinates me and it kind of makes sense to me, even though I have trouble articulating it and all aspects of my beliefs. There are many more scientific studies which prove we use our consciousness to create everything. Everything is just vibrating energy. 

Many people think they need to see something to believe it, i.e. the saying, "seeing is believing". But I have always been open to believing things even if we can't physically see it, or science hasn't proved it yet.  When you walk into a room where two people have had an argument, you feel the energy or atmosphere, you can't see it. They can be the best actors in the world but if there's a bad vibe you will sense it. Your feeling the vibration.

Also I think there are a lot of things we aren't told about or are made public. Not necessarily aliens or ufos, but just in general. I am amazed as to why there hasn't been much fuss made over some of the major scientific findings in the past hundred years.  It's quite laughable what news we are fed.  But understandable when you realise who is running the world and media.

I have been consciously practicing the law of attraction on and off for years. Sometimes unconsciously and not to my benefit, but other times when aware, it never fails.  I've always said. If you say you can, then you can, if you say you can't then you can't. Both of these statements are the truth. I really get annoyed when people say they can't do something because of this and that. They use excuses. Everyone uses excuses. I'm the same. But I do find when I want something bad enough, nothing will stop it from materialising. 

I see evidence of it everywhere. Rarely for the good I must say. I often listen to people who are full of the 'poor me' syndrome as I call it.  I've have many friends and family I know are struggling with life and have tried to help them. They moan about this and that and when I think I'm helping by suggesting a better choice, they say 'I can't because'. And the because is just an excuse. Everyone has excuses. This frustrates me and the trouble I have is that the older I have got the less patience I seem to have with people, family and friends.  So rather than offering my advice lately, I tend to just listen and be an ear.  

What I really want to say is... you are creating this drama, this illness, you can create a different reality if u choose it, you are attracting exactly what you are getting. 

I don't have all the answers, I can only go on my own experience. I have pretty much been through most things so when I hear a friend moan about being in debt or being overweight or suffering with mental illnesses or anything I have experience with, I feel I should try to offer advice. But it's hard to make people believe that they are creating their life circumstances by the law of attraction. But what other explanation is there? 

Cognitive SEO Free Trial Review Scam/Con

All I seem to write about lately is dodgy companies. Beware if you planning on signing up for the free trial at Cognitive SEO. Cognitive SEO Free Trial is a Scam or Con.
http://cognitiveseo.com

I thought I would see if their tools had improved so went for this. They claim you get a 14 day trial for free and then only $99/month. No Obligations. You can Cancel Anytime.

 So I went for it and put a reminder note on my calendar to cancel before the end of the 14 days.

 It stated I had till the 9th of November to cancel. But they took money on on the 24th October for 97.25.

I contacted them to complain and they then offered me a so called special deal and refund the difference.

Well on the same day they refunded me 75.53, but also took out another 133.83 which only today I have noticed.

Conning buggers! I have emailed them to ask what they are playing at. I will update when I know more.

They better refund me or I will shout louder.

My Son could be a Tommy Shelby Look Alike

Everybody says my son looks like Cillian Murphy who plays Tommy Shelby in the hit BBC series Peaky Blinders. He does have the same high cheekbones, similar eyes and mouth and when wearing a cap you can really see the likeness.  I think he could easily pass as a Tommy Shelby look alike if he was dressed in the full gear and clean shaven.

Below are some pictures of my son Shannon:

Tommy Shelby - Cillian Murphy - Peaky Blinders

For those that haven't see the series you are missing a treat. It is crime drama based on the Peaky Blinders gang who operated in  Birmingham, England in the late 1800s. The TV series though is set in 1919 just after the First World War.  The drama is based around the gangs leader Tommy Shelby who is played by Irish actor Cillian Murphy.  He is a real lovable rogue and natural leader.  Ruthless and ambitious he is the most feared Peaky Blinder. He is very much a family man and determined to make their lives better.  The character was a former soldier who fought in the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of Somme and whom received a number of medals of honour after the war. The war left him with ongoing nightmares and the determination to make a better life for himself and his family.

The first series was shown on  BBC Two on 13 September 2013 and ran for six episodes. The second series started on 2 October 2014. We had to wait a little longer for the third series as it was premiered on 5 May this year.

It was written by Steven Knight who came up with the idea years ago.  It is based on stories told to him by his parent who grew up in Small Heath in Birmingham. Lots of people believe the name 'Peaky Blinders' derived from the gang sticking razor blades into their flat caps to use as weapons.  This can be seen in the TV series but in reality that probably wasn't the case.  In reality the real peaky blinders were causing mayhem around the 1890's when razor blades were a luxury and expensive item according to historians.

The filming of the drama was carried out in Manchester, Leeds, some at the Black Country Living Museum but mainly in Liverpool. The street where the Shelby family lived was actually the street where the Beatles Ringo Star grew up in.  You can see the street and other location on this Peaky Blinders Location tour here.

I wont go into the series details and give spoilers but the show was an overnight success so well worth a watch.  I normally hate anything gangster related, but I loved this show, not just because everyone kept saying my son looks like Tommy.  However that was the reason I got interested in it.  You can watch series 1-3 on NetFlix or you can buy the series on DVD or Blue-Ray from the BBC website here. Earlier in the year it was revealed that the BBC have commissioned two more seasons and Cillian Murphy told the Birmingham mail that he thinks they start shooting the next series in March 2017.  This means we should get to see series 4 around October of the same year.  Cant wait.

Any lookalike agents wanting to get in touch with my son Shannon, or event organisers please get in touch with me on 07813 257386.

Since writing this post he has done some work. Read this post here.. 19th March 2018

I am also in the process of setting up a website.: www.tommyshelby.com

"You don't need to lose weight" makes me want to scream

Whenever I mention to folk I want to loose a few pounds I always get the response "You don't need to loose weight".  If I was cheeky enough I would reply "You haven't seen me naked".  I get it though, I have always been tall so I can gain a stone and nobody but myself can see it.  But the trouble is that as I am 1/2 an inch off 6 foot, when I gain a stone or even just half a stone I can't fit into a size 12.  Size 14's just dont fit me.  They may fit around the waist, but they are ill fitting elsewhere. So for the past couple of years I have been living in leggings.

What annoys me is that many people over the years have called me skinny.  But I have not been skinny since I was a teenager when I was first living in a bedsit at 16 and partying too much and not eating enough.  Calling someone skinny is as much as an insult as calling someone fat.  I guess people make comes based on what is relative to them.  If they are quite a bit overweight, then even when I am overweight I would be thin or skinny to them.

Being tall isn't that great to be honest, clothes dont fit unless I am a size 12 and I get a lot of jealously from women. As a young woman I hated it and wished i could chop some of my legs off.  I hated being taller than boys and standing out like a sore thumb.  But over the years I have learnt to live with it.

The weight has crept on since I started working from home back in 2009.  Not having to walk anywhere and being able to get biscuits and the like from the kitchen next door hasn't helped.  Also from time to time I suffer with depression and anxiety which has stopped me keeping up my exercise.  I used to always be a member of a club or doing some form of exercise but resent years this seemed to had dwindled.  I have been pushing my artwork so spending most evenings creating my flower people. But I haven't been happy so I decided to so something about it.

I have since joined BodyFit in Wellington and have been going to regular classes.  I did join a year or so ago with a friend but when my friend stopped going so did I.  I decided this year that I missed her classes and saw on facebook the club had moved and they run a clubbercise class.   This sounded right up my street as I love to dance and looking at the videos it looked so much fun, plus they do it to all my favourite dance tunes.  So I took my daughter-in-law along and started the classes.  When my daughter-in-law stopped going, so did I for a bit until I thought why am I not going just because she isn't..  So I got brave and went on my own. Best thing I ever did.  The lady who runs the classes is Elisha and she is just a bundle of energy and a lovely girl.   She is young so with that as her job has an enviable figure.  I think just because we reach our 40's doesn't mean we have to put up with the middle age spread as my mum calls it. Recently Elisha has been selling the Forever Living products which I have come across before. She had a talk about the products and mentioned the C9 detox and thought this might be worth a try.

In the past I have lost weight using Slimming World which I do recommend, and to be fair I do follow the diet to this day but also forgetting it and pigging out at the weekends, hence not loosing.  Being a target member I could have gone back to Slimming World, but fancied the sound of this detox.  In fairness I only did it because I wanted to give back something to Elisha, she works so hard and I know that you really have to sell a lot of Forever Living products for her to make any real profit.  So it was part to kick start my weight loss but also part to support her.  I only have about half a stone to loose and after hearing that weightless is a added bonus to this detox I decided to give it a shot.

Now many people believe that you need to do exercise to loose weight.  I totally disagree with this.  A few years ago I gained a couple of stone and I lost it in a few months by going to Slimming World and not doing any exercise.  It was when I was in my lazy period.  So I know that you dont have to up the exercise to loose weight. When we are overweight it is simply because we are eating too much of the wrong foods.  On slimming world you end up eating more of the good stuff, fruit and vegatables and just a few snacks or syns. Also remember the more we put into our body, the more the body has to work.

Exercise for me has always been about boosting my serotonin levels.  If you dont know about serotonin levels, there are many researchers who believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels may influence mood in a way that leads to depression.  I whole heartily believe this because the only time I get down is when I am not getting regular exercise. Since joining body fit and going to classes each week I haven't felt down at all and in fact have felt better than I have in a long time.  It was just the fact that I was still eating crap at the weekends that stopped the weight coming off.  So here is my review of the C9 Detox which I completed this Saturday.

C9 Detox Review

You are supposed to drink 8 glasses of water a day and can have free feeds such as strawberries and other fruit and veg in moderation.  My bladder didn't know what had hit it!
Before you start C9 you measure your waist and stuff.  Here were my measurements:

Weight 11.4
Chest 93cm
Biceps 28ch
Waist 93cm
Hips 96cm
Thighs 56cm
Calves 34cm

Days 1 and 2

On days 1 & 2 you only have what comes with the programme but are allowed some free foods in moderation.  Also you are only supposed to so low impact exercise like walking.  I just walked the dog a couple of times a day.

Breakfast 
 2 x Forever Garcinia Plus Softgels
120ml Forever Aloe Vera Gel
1x Forever Therm Tablet

Snack
1x packet forever fiber

Lunch
2 x Forever Garcinia Plus Softgels
120ml Forever Aloe Vera Gel
1x Forever Therm Tablet
1x Scoop Forever Lite Ultra

Dinner
2 x Forever Garcinia Plus Softgels
120ml Forever Aloe Vera Gel

Evening    
120ml Forever Aloe Vera Gel
250ml of water

I stuck with this and just had an apple and some strawberries each day.  I found it quite easy but they do say the first two days are the hardest.

Days 3 - 9 

Your supposed to step up the exercise which i did a bit not most majorly.  I just walked the dog and went to lots of classes at BodyFit. Food wise you can now add a 600 calorie meal. The full plan you eat is below:  

Breakfast 
 2 x Forever Garcinia Plus Softgels
120ml Forever Aloe Vera Gel
1x Forever Therm Tablet
1x Scoop Forever Lite Ultra 

Snack
1x packet forever fiber

Lunch
2 x Forever Garcinia Plus Softgels
1x Forever Therm Tablet
1x Scoop Forever Lite Ultra

Dinner
2 x Forever Garcinia Plus Softgels
600- Calerie Meal

Evening    
250ml of water

Again I just snacked on apples and strawberries as they were the only things I really like out of the free food list.

On day four I had a tired spell but in general i felt great all the way through it.  My energy levels were rasied and by the end of it I could see and feel the results. I didnt loose as much weight as I'd have liked however they do say that the amount of weight loss depends on a number of things.  For me I wasn't that much over weight.

This is what I dropped to at the end of it:

Weight 11.0
Chest 93cm
Biceps 26cm
Waist 91cm
Hips 94.5cm
Thighs 52cm
Calves 33cm

However I'm not sure if these measurements are accurate as I only realised the tape measure doesn't start at the very end of tape. So they could be 2 cm out. Can't remember whether I realised this on first measurement or not.  I also used my scales to check fat, bmi etc:

Fat 23.5- 22.8
Body water 56.0-56.4
Bone mass 6.5-6.3
BMI 22.1-21.6

The only thing I missed on this detox was a cup of tea and salt.  I am a big salt fan I must say and do put it on everything.   Below are some before and after pictures:

 

Below is a side view but the ones with the same jeans didn't come out well so showing some other jeans which I can now fit into.  But you can see the difference.

 

Below is me trying on an old pair of size 12 jeans.  Yay they fit. Feeling fab!

So overall I am happy with the outcome.  Since it has ended I haven't wanted to revert back to my old ways of eating.  I am sticking to the slimming world healthy way of eating. With just a few treats, NOT the whole packet of biscuits like before. Also since it ended this Saturday I  have noticed that now I really can tell when I am under hydrated, so I am keeping up with the water drinking, plus it fills you up and stops you wanting to eat unnecessarily.  If I feel thirsty I force myself to drink a whole glass of water, then refill it and take it back to whatever I am doing.  I am having a cup of tea in the morning, but that's it, not more during the day, maybe one if I make one for a visitor.

Also I have noticed my fitness levels have increased.  Most Sundays I bike ride to my mums house which is only and 3 miles.  Its down hill on the way but on the back its mainly uphill.  Normally I have to stop about three times,  however this Sunday I didn't need to stop once and it took me 10 minutes less than normal. Plus i can now do two classes at BodyFit rather than just one.

If you have done the C9 detox or are thinking of doing it, comment below. I would recommend it, however at £108 it can be expensive for most.  If cost is an issue for you I recommend just doing your own form of detox by just eating fruit and vegetables for a week and drinking plenty of water.  It should give you the same results.