Weight concerns...

Weight blog
Ok so im doing this post about my weight, or should i say my lack of weight and why i am always this way.
This post isn't to make people feel sorry for me or to make other girls jealous, it is to show people that not every girl that is abnormally skinny has an eating disorder and not everyone wants to be stick thin.

Ever since I can remember I have been tiny. Small in height, small in shoes size, small in weight; pretty
Much just small in everything. Growing up my nickname was Minnie or titch as I was so small and my family always used to say, when you turn 11 or 12 you will put on weight, your brother filled out at that age. However when I finally got to that age, nothing happened.

Through secondary school I wasn't bullied for my weight but I was called anorexic* and bulimic* on the rare occasion! This didn't bother me that much because I knew it wasn't true, what was more hurtful was the fact I couldn't come back with an answer that would make these bullies stop thinking it, because I didn't know what the answer was myself. I was skinny, too skinny and I ate quite a bit for Someone my size, but I couldn't explain why I was the way I was.

The most weight I have ever been Is 7st but that was only for about a month and then I lost it again. My weight is pretty much opposite to most other people's in the sense I can drop weight at the click of a finger yet It will take me a long time to put on weight, and when it goes on all it takes is a little tiny illness or smaller amount of food and my weight will decrease again!

So why does this happen to me?

Until I was 17 no one knew. I had blood test after blood test which stressed me out even more as I hate the thought of losing blood, silly I know. I had prescription drugs coming out of my ears, you name it, I was on it, and I was diagnosed with anaemia, diabetes, bulimia! Again... You name it I was at some point diagnosed with it... But they were wrong.

One day I felt so unwell mum took me to hospital and finally I had loads of tests done on my body and they found out I had high calcium levels.
My calcium levels were the highest they had recorded in a young person for years. This meant I had to have a gland in my throat, the parathyroid gland, taken out as it was containing too much calcium.

Finally, after a month I had the operation and it went all o.k. Also I started to get more colour in my face and put on gradual weight. I went straight up to 7 stone from 6 in a month and managed to keep it for a while. I could eat without throwing up and I could actually enjoy food and the feeling of being full. It felt amazing.

To this day, I am so happy that I had that operation and that I don't have to deal with the symptoms of being sick and being so skinny anymore. I won't have to explain to people why I look so unwell without having a
Explanation as to why I look like that. I don't miss that at all.


I will always be small I think, I will never be massive but I look a healthier size than i did before hand. I am small frames anyway so luckily it suits my size, and I have filled out a little bit. The only thing I know have to deal with is when people don't believe that I eat a lot. But when they get to know me they realise I eat as much as the next person it just takes time for my body to gain weight.

I believe my story proves that just because one person is skinnier than another, it doesn't make them prettier, it doesn't make them healthier and it certainly doesn't make them more happy. Everyone has their own body and their own size and as long as they love it and are confident then other people will too.

It also proves that when someone Is underweight, it doesn't mean they always want to be that way. Just because someone is small doesn't mean they are anorexic, bulimic or are on strict diets. It could naturally just be the way they are. Just like overweight people may just have a condition or symptoms which makes them this way. Not everyone can control their health and their body size .

The Perfect Date?

What is your idea of a perfect date?

Dates, Dates, Dates!

Dates - the start of friendships, relationships and sometimes even love. But what makes a good date? What makes a perfect date? Is there even such a thing as a perfect date? In this article I interview 2 men, 1 woman and I also answer the questions myself to see how different peoples idea of a ‘perfect date’ really is and just how differently men and woman think when it comes to romance.

 The Men

Name: Joe

Age: 21

Interests: Rugby, Socialising and Music

Name: Lee

Age: 21

Interests: Football, PlayStation

 ,Technology.

Where will the date be/ what venue and why?

Joe:   Reasonably classy, that we could have a meal, but not too expensive. I would not want to seem like I’m trying to show off. However I would need to be nice enough to give off a good impression, and have a good atmosphere so the conversation can flow easily.

Lee:  Going for meal first somewhere not overcrowded which serves food we both enjoy which is neither too cheap nor expensive before going cinema. I don’t want to give off the impression that I’m trying too hard and not being myself. 

Who will pay and why?

Joe:  I would pay, however I would not like the girl to expect me to pay. I would pay because I would want to treat the girl as it was a date.

Lee:  I would pay, however if they wanted to split the bill between the two of us then I would happily oblige. I would like to pay as I want to treat the girl but if she prefers to split the bill then we shall do that.

 What will be the topic of conversation and why?

 Joe: I would not set a topic of conversation, would just get to know them better and try and make it relaxed so we could both feel comfortable and enjoy the date.

Lee:  I would maybe start with just getting to know her slowly and let her ask any questions she wanted to. I don’t want any fixed topic as I don’t want anything to seem awkward but instead for the conversation to keep flowing.

What would be the best thing that your date could do/say during the date?

Joe: Just enjoy the night and smile a lot. Making a girl laugh would be important to me but if they were able to open up in a more serious way it would be amazing as well.

Lee: Would like to see that she is smiling and laughing in my company and that she is enjoying the time out with me.

 What will be the end result/ what will happen at the end of the date?

 Joe: Drive the girl home, walk her to the door and say goodbye with either a hug or a kiss on the cheek. If was more of a kiss it would be good, however I would not be overly bothered.

Lee: Would walk her home and say that I hoped she enjoyed herself and if she wanted to maybe do something again sometime soon before saying goodbye, give her a kiss on the cheek or a hug. If it was more than a kiss on the cheek I wouldn’t be too bothered but would still be happy.

When asked ‘what is your idea of the perfect date?’ most people instantly answer with a venue or a place…do you agree that this is the key to the ideal date and why?

Joe-Lee:  Not at all, being with the right girl is much more important than where you go. Can still have a great time regardless of the location or how much you spend.

The Women

Name : Catherine

Age: 21

Interests: Socialising , Football and Arts/Crafts

Where will the date be/ what venue and why?

Catherine: A sociable restaurant or bar, where we can get to know each other, have good conversation and enjoy some good food.

2) Who will pay and why?

Catherine: I will offer to split the bill. I do not like men paying for me, and believe it’s fair to split the bill.

3) What will be the topic of conversation and why?

Catherine: Anywhere that the conversation leads, as long as it flows. I would like to talk about our interests and see how much we have in common.

What would be the best thing that your date could do/say during the date?

They would have to have a sense of humour and probably make me smile. If they can make me smile and make me laugh then I will have a good date.

What will be the end result/ what will happen at the end of the date?

Catherine: I would say goodbye to him with a hug or kiss if the date went well and we would arrange a second date.

When asked ‘what is your idea of the perfect date?’ most people instantly answer with a venue or a place…do you agree that this is the key to the ideal date and why?

Catherine: Definitely not, I believe that it is a combination of common interests, a spark and good conversation. It doesn’t matter if we are on a beach or in a bar, as long as we can communicate well it would be a good date for me.

Mount Kili Interview

Last month one of my close friends Olivia Dand was one of 34 out of 40 students who climbed and reached the top of Kilimanjaro for charity.  I interviewed Olivia shortly after her trip to learn about her best and worst parts of her climb, what it felt like to finally get to the top, and the question I’ve been dying to ask, where do they actually go to the toilet?

So Olivia, you climbed Kilimanjaro last month with your University (The University of Southampton), was this a compulsory trip or did you choose to do it yourself?

Yes, I chose to do it myself. There were six universities that did it overall; it was with a company called Student adventures. The trips run all summer so when 1 set of Universities come back another 1 goes. There are constantly people climbing the mountain back and forth.

How did you train for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro?

You can’t really train for altitude as there’s nowhere in the UK high enough where you can feel that kind of altitude. I just made sure my fitness was good, if I was going to fail on reaching the top I would have wanted it to be due to altitude not because of my fitness. I trained at the gym constantly up to the date of the climb and just a week before I did the London to Brighton cycle.

So how long did it actually take you to reach the top?

It took us 6 days altogether. 4 and a half to go up, that was including the summit and 1 and a half to go back down.

And how was the summit for you?

It was the best and worst experience of my life. It was brutal. You’re just so exhausted with all the walking for 6 hours in the pitch black but when the sun finally rose it was great.

Sounds amazing! Congratulations on reaching the top.

Was the descent much easier than the ascent?

I found the descent harder than the ascent because I was constantly putting pressure on my knees. Going up the mountain is so slow that is exhausting but not painful, whereas coming back down was painful. I was so dizzy and exhausted from the first few days I felt like I was drunk, I had to be piggy backed from the top back down to base by one of the porters that worked in the mountains.

How funny!

 And what was the weather like?

We were so lucky with the weather, it was beautiful.  As you are so high up you go through different weather systems. The first dsy was very humid and sticky, then by the second day we were above the clouds. You go through so many levels of clouds so it gets very cold, very quickly. As soon as your above the clouds it is extremely cold.

I bet it is, and was there any bad weather at all?

On the third night there was a hurricane. We were camping in Baranca camp and suddenly some of the tents were flying everywhere. Also, the roof of the toilet flew off and nearly hit our head guide, so we were told to stay in our tents whilst the guides put rocks on our tents to ground them.

Was it scary?

I was quite scared yes. You could hear the wind getting closer and then further away, there were periods of it so you were just kind of waiting for the next bit of wind to hit. My friend and I just decided to stay in our tent and sing songs.

Good idea. Did you get any injuries or sickness during the climb?

Yes, I got really bad altitude sickness. On summit night I was passing out and being sick, I was practically dragged to the top by a mountain porter.

So where did you go to the bathroom and how did you dispose of your rubbish?

Ha-ha. We went to the toilets at each base camp, there were portable toilets and as for our rubbish, none of it could be left. You weren’t allowed to leave traces of yourself so the porters and the guides disposed of your rubbish or you kept it with you until the end of the trip.

I had to ask ha-ha. So, what was the feeling like when you finally get to the top of Kilimanjaro?

Surreal!  After preparing for a year and finally standing there at the highest point of Africa it felt so surreal. It was crazy I could see the Earth curve around. I felt relieved and overwhelmed and the views were amazing, but then it dawned on me I had to go all the way back down.

Wow! And what was your best memory of the whole trip?

All of it was amazing even the worst times, but my highlight was the summit night. It was freezing and even our bottles of water had frozen and with 6 long hours walking in the pitch black it was tough but when the sun rose at 6am and you could finally see where you was walking it was an amazing feeling. It was overwhelming and emotional, even some of the boys cried. I think it was just where everyone was realising they were nearly at the top and the sights were just so beautiful.

How much money did you raise and for what charity?

The charity was the Meningitis Research Foundation and as an individual I raised £2,500.

That’s incredible! And finally, would you do it again and also would you recommend other people to do it?

Definitely! I have got a lot of other things planned that I would like to do such as the Great Wall of China and the Everest Base Camp Trek so I am not in a rush to do it again but I would love to clim Kilimanjaro again one day. It has inspired me to do many more things which I am looking forward to but I would definitely recommend people to do it. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

Well I think that’s all thank you Olivia, Congratulations in raising that much money for charity and for reaching the top and good luck with your future experiences.  

 On the Kilimanjaro trip the students made over £110,000 between them for the Meningitis Research Foundation as well as achieving a massive personal experience of climbing a mountain and witnessing the highest point in Africa. Sadly, 6 students didn’t reach the top however still raised a lot of money for charity and will have the memories with them for the rest of their lives.

Congratulations, all.