deprivation is a dirty word

today is international no diet day. i didn't actually realise that such a momentous occasion was almost on us until monday - for a horrible moment there i actually thought that i'd missed it, that it had gone and passed me by last week, but no, i was safe, it was TODAY! 

so to celebrate my 21-month-old son and i headed off down to our local cafe this morning (the lovely Nourish in racecourse road, ascot) and enjoyed a cappucino, babycino and a delicious cupcake each (if you have never been to Nourish then I highly recommend, they actually bake and decorate the cupcakes each morning and the ladies are so lovely i could give them a hug and a kiss).

i love cupcakes, i also love sugar, chocolate, icecream (especially the new gold magnums!) and biscuits. in fact right now i'm enjoying a choc-chip shortbread with my cup of tea, its my second one today and i may even have a third.  it got me thinking - why do we need a special day just to feel like its ok to ditch the diet. surely the majority of us realise that DIETS DONT WORK?!!

i spent way too much brain power during my twenties on diets and my weight. only to realise in my early thirties that the best way to lose or maintain a healthy way is to not diet. if i ban certain foods then its the one thing that i really want.  now i think back and wish that i had of spent that valuable time doing other things, like ENJOYING FOOD and DRINK and LIFE.

i'm not advocating eating sweets and junk food all day but i think that we all need to enjoy life and great food and drink is just such an amazing thing i would hate to miss out.

life is so short, two things that happened in my life that really reinforced this for me was turning 30 and motherhood. 

if you haven't seen it already then i strongly suggest you watch this new ad from uk retailer John Lewis, its 90 seconds of beautifully pure emotive genius, it made me cry...ALOT.  the message really resonates with me as we approach Mother's Day.  a beautiful ad that really reinforces the brevity of life (i'm overlooking the whole 'spend it before you die part').


jen x