OK so I said I was only going to write about useful stuff - not Daniela-gossip but I'm informed the gossip is interesting so here goes.

A week or so ago I decided to give Internet Dating a try. I signed up to a popular service that claims to have thousands of single men in my area. Most of them are actually in London which is actually about 100 miles away but never mind. I love London.

After interacting with a handful of men, I agreed to a date with a handsome 34-year old food critic. He said he'd visit me in Bath (obviously one of the many 'local' singles...) and I could be a tour guide but he'd have to be manly and insist on our lunch venue (Allium - at the Abbey Hotel). This sounded like fun! What could possibly go wrong with agreeing to getting taken out to a lovely restaurant, and walking round the World Heritage City of Bath with a young man?

Hah.

In short: it was stressful, terrifying, shocking, then fun, and finally, exhausting.

Let me explain.

Registration and 'weigh-in' was at 1pm at the Beck Theatre in Hayes. Actually, I wasn't weighed (though I weighed myself that morning; lowest ever - 47kgs / 103lbs!). I think the 'weigh-in' thing was for the other categories (body builders, etc.)

Once I had my UKBFF (UK Body Building & Fitness Federation) wristband I gained access to the backstage and women's dressing rooms. This is definitely where the fun happens. I thought that was just for rock concerts but apparently athletes are no exception.

As soon as I entered the dressing room I spotted a beautiful lean woman taking a swig from a bottle of whiskey. Just like that. It wasn't to get drunk; it was to look better on the stage. Apparently alcohol will dehydrate you and give some muscular vascularity. That's a good thing I'm told. I'm not convinced this is a good and effective idea, but if nothing else, it probably helps with the nerves.

There was one thing everybody in the room could agree on; we were all looking forward to a big meal. I'd only spent two weeks watching my portion sizes; and I didn't lower my carb intake till the second week. On the last day I had stopped eating solid foods, sticking to citrus fruit and whey protein (though I did eat one proper meal on the Saturday). From what I could gather, these ladies had been dieting for a lot longer than I had. Oops, no wonder I looked fat next to them!

My time in the dressing room consisted of undressing, applying fake tan (which I now know was nowhere near dark enough), putting on my bikini and high heels, and applying lots of eye-shadow. I could have done with curling my hair, but never mind.

Soon enough, it was time for 'Bikini Short' to line up back stage. This was the term for our category (bikini fitness, under 163 cm in height).

This is when I began to get nervous. I hadn't really known what to expect. I just thought we'd all parade out on the stage together, smiling. Apparently not.

I have been a gym-goer for a few years now. I'm no stranger to weights or horrible 'cardio' (which I avoid).

I have, however let myself go over the last few weeks. I was experimenting with various diets, including the Warrior Diet. (This one is fun, it takes all the stress out of meal times; you basically fast all day and eat everything you want at dinner time, keeping it reasonably low carb).

The warrior diet helped me stay in good shape, but I stopped exercising. I just couldn't be bothered. Then I started using it as an excuse to drink everything I wanted too.

The good news is, I stayed the same weight. The bad news is, I've gotten paler (through not getting out enough) and my stomach definitely looks bigger. So if I'm the same weight, but podgier, that means I've lost muscle. Oops.

This was a minor set-back, because it's Spring and the beginning of IFBB competitions. I actually 'bulked' (ate lots and lifted heavy weights) all winter for these upcoming competitions.

Last night I went with 2 friends to one of the catwalk shows for 'Bath in Fashion'. The show was held at a Grade I listed Georgian building; Bath Assembly Rooms. Absolutely stunning. We got a glass of wine on arrival, and soon after, the lights dimmed and cool dance music started blaring out of the speakers. Then a troop of beautiful, long young women started walking lazily but purposefully down the catwalk.

I think they were women anyway. One of them looked like an alien. They looked exquisite nonetheless.

The same cannot be said for the garments they wore! Bearing in mind it was 'Bath Fashion' (mostly clothes from Bath high street, basically) and not a high-fashion affair, it was pretty good actually. Still, some of the Debenhams frocks looked a bit cheap, and even the skinny clothes-hanger ladies could not make the Candy Kittens clothes look good. Props for trying though!

... Well, for the sheep and other local farm animals, that is! Not this heartless blogger. Muahaha 

But I'll be honest, last week I came close to thinking about getting a boyfriend. Very unusual behavior for me.

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We've nearly all bought supplements of some sort. Whether we're everyday 'normal' individuals taking a multivitamin tablet, or opting for 'fortified' foods, such as dairy produce with added vitamins or eggs with omega-3.

Then there are some pretty fun and fashionable extremes too. Such as taking creatine, pre and post-workout to get a few extra reps out of your weight-lifting session and build bigger muscles. Maybe some extra amino acids too. And don't forget the protein powder!

Protein powder needs a whole section of its own, there are so many types. Different forms of whey protein, then there are vegan proteins made from rice, hemp, soy, pea, the list goes on. If there is a food out there with any sort of compound that is beneficial for something, you can be sure there is a factory out there, extracting/isolating that compound to sell it as a high-potency nutrient.

What is our obsession with being slim? Well, it’s not as superficial as it seems.

Yes, it’s to appear more attractive to other humans. But why is a slim person more attractive than a ‘fat’ one?

It’s because having a low percentage of fat is an indicator that you are in good health.

You can only be toned AND have a low body fat when you eat (mostly) healthy, natural foods. Healthful food keep your whole body in good working order, not just the outer layer.

We all instinctively seek mates who are in good health.

There are some ‘slim’ types that are not that attractive, however. ‘Skinny’ and ‘skinny-fat’.

What are these and how do they differ to having a low body fat?

I am presently visiting my family in the US and recently got a very painful swollen area in the gum around one of my lower 'wisdom' teeth.

It's not the first time this has happened, but for the first time the pain got really bad and I was fortunate enough to be able to visit a dentist during the time of the pain and get it checked out...

Today I went to see the new flat I move into in 10 days time and found out the landlord/developer has opted NOT to put any phone lines, tv aerials, cable tv sockets or (obviously) internet! Umm okay. I actually told the estate agent I work from home ONLINE but I suppose she had no reason to check if there would be internet (I mean, it's 2013, people!).

I am a total workout junkie. I love it. I eat over and above what I would normally need, just to be able to workout 4-5 times a week (when time permits).

In any case, I can't remember the last time I didn't exercise at least ONCE every week - until October 2012.

At the beginning of October, I went to Spain to accompany my mother on a few work commitments - we also got to catch up with family. It was quite a fun 3 weeks but I definitely missed working out...

A wise woman once told me 'darling, don't mess with the help'. Okay, it was mummy and it may have been too late, but it was one of many lessons that taught me not to play with the hearts of boys with whom I had nothing in common.

This is important! Opposites do NOT attract. For long-lasting 'love' or togetherness, you need to find someone who matches you. Someone you can talk with. Someone with similar tastes in food, entertainment, style. And bedding! Someone with a similar sense of humour (or none if you don't have one). And, as much as it may sound old-fashioned, someone with at least a similar background and/or education.

This is a big shout-out and thank you to the person who caused/encouraged/helped me to get into this UKBFF/IFBB competition; my fitness coach Bradley Lye.

Bradley is a personal trainer and a walking encyclopaedia when it comes to nutrition.

Here's the story; I'd been keeping myself active, and had been enjoying lifting weights but couldn't seem to get the perfect body. I'd look at images of IFBB bikini athletes and wish I could look like that. If only I had decent legs! But alas, every time I lost weight, my legs looked horribly skinny. I put it down to my genetics.

Then one day when I was in the gym, Bradley suggested I try deadlifting. I was keen, but felt horribly self-conscious. Bradley put me at ease and just taught me, whilst making it fun! And the same with barbell squats. Well, and many others too (I'd been doing bicep curls incorrectly for years!).

My body shape started to improve dramatically with just that bit of professional coaching!

Now, with a bit of fat-loss (also big thanks to Bradley for preventing me from wasting time and just heading straight for HIIT), I'm in the best shape EVER!

It's definitely worth seeking advice from people around us who have studied in the fields we're interested in. Even just using the correct form when lifting weights makes ALL the difference.

If you'd like to get some training from Bradley, you can find him at Space Gym Bath.

Firstly, I'd just like to say that I've always been against 'fat-burners' or 'diet pills'. They have been known to cause all sorts of problems including addiction and dependency (to keep the unwanted weight off). Many of them work by suppressing the appetite which is not a good thing. They pretty much all contain caffeine.

Yay! It's the start of Bath In Fashion!

I popped along to the opening of Bath Fashion week today, which was was at Jamie Laing's shop 'Candy Kittens' at Milsom Place. It's a beautiful, girl-friendly shop filled with cute t-shirts, PJs, and... candy!

For those of you who don't recognise this young man, he is the heir to McVitie's and became quite famous playing himself in a structured reality TV series called 'Made in Chelsea'. On screen, Jamie is very fun and positive - and off-screen he is too! He's very down-to-earth, clearly hasn't let fame get to his head. He also seemingly has a lot of time for his fans. I like him even more now that I've met him :)

I thoroughly recommend visiting Bath between 13th and 21st April 2013 if you like fashion, and I also recommend watching E4 on Monday nights at 10pm if you're curious about young, wealthy socialites in London. So fun!

A couple of friends and I are going to one of the fashion shows this coming week, so I'll update then.

There's fun to be had everywhere if you just think of something you're interested in, and look for it!

Which one works?

Well, if you're extremely strict and can control cravings, and beat your body up, either of those options works for losing weight (note I said weight, not fat).

From personal experience, the low carb option seems to work 'best'. But to do low carb correctly, you have to increase your fats, and sometimes you're so hungry, you still end up eating too much or too frequently to lose any significant amount of weight.

Low fat is the least healthy because we need to eat fat with all our foods in order to absorb all the nutrients. Fat also performs vital functions in our bodies. However, going 'low fat' is normally an effective way to lose weight for a first-time dieter because they are suddenly consuming much fewer calories.

We've all heard it over and over; sugar is bad.

Yet we still accept it as a common ingredient. We'll even say 'I shouldn't, but...' as we reach for a square of chocolate with a cheeky smile.

We are becoming increasingly aware of how addictive it actually is. It is true that sugar is more addictive than crack cocaine. And yet we don't see it as a drug because it doesn't get us 'high'. I believe the only reason this substance doesn't make us high is because we've built up such a tolerance to it. Just as a coffee addict can't wake up with just one cup of coffee, we as adults in the western  would have to ingest a horrific amount of sugar in one go in order to get high.

I visited my (new) doctor last week and he checked my file. He also ‘cleared’ something up for me. I do apparently have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome; which I was ‘kind of’ diagnosed with a few years ago. I say ‘kind of’ because the previous doctors said I had all the symptoms except the obesity.

Anyway, Doc told me that yes I have it and PCOS is a metabolic disorder and I should be prone to easy fat-gain and find it virtually impossible to lose fat. He didn’t ask me about my diet and how I’m not fat.

In this video you'll see me WITHOUT MAKEUP! And I talk about non-comedogenic makeups and natural makeups

In the last few months I started to question everything we are brought up to see as 'food'.

I now choose foods because of their nutrient density and not how 'filling' they appear, or how common or normal they are. Don't get me wrong, I've had some very funny looks, refusing plates of pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, and sugar. What did I eat instead? Well, not the 200-300 calorie equivalent of celery &/or lettuce!

I literally ate (and still eat) generous helpings of nutrient-dense foods such as eggs, fish, nuts, full-fat yogurt, spinach and berries. My meals are extremely delicious, satisfying and most importantly, full of vitamins and minerals. Probably double the calories of those meals I've politely declined and yet my body fat percentage remains below 20. Effort-free! I used to count the calories back when I was eating grains because when I tried to 'listen' to my body and eat as much as I wanted, I gained unwanted weight.

So, is it natural for us to start our day with cereal?

Okay, it's not my kitchen but I  spend a lot of time here. It's my family's house (I can photograph the foods in my own kitchen next week!)

This is to show that 'organic' does NOT mean 'healthy'. Nor does 'protein'. Just to the left you can see a photo I just took of some of the 'foods' in my family's house.

All of the meals, meal replacements and snacks in this photo are very poor sources of nutrition. They may taste delicious (I have tried the 'protein' bars) but they offer nothing for your body's daily needs.

Just one 'serving' (3/4 cup) of that granola will provide you with 9 grams of sugar! Organic sugar is still sugar, and your liver still converts it to fat for your abdomen. (In contrast, there are only 4.2 grams of sugar in a teaspoon of refined white sugar) And who can dispense JUST 3/4 of a cup of granola into their cereal bowl anyway?