Some ups and downs...

So let me just start off by saying this....being on a diet and being on your period DO NOT MIX!! I have had the WORST carb cravings since I have been on my period.  I cheated.....I admit it!  I have had a couple of bowls of organic oatmeal (maple and brown sugar flavored too!) ....they were the best bowls of oatmeal i have EVER HAD! LOL  Seriously I am considering doing a reset to the diet again...starting all over from scratch.  I guess we will find out after I get off my period and see what the weigh in is.  Speaking of that........I told myself I would only weigh myself once a week after I got to Phase 2....FAIL!

A little background into the scale....its a serious addiction of mine.  I haven't owned a scale for over 3 years.  The first year I got my lap band I was so obsessed with the scale I would weigh before and after every meal, after every bowel movement...everything just to see the ounces go up and down.  Very bad for me!  I am finding myself starting to do it again.  This morning I weighed myself and I was 277.8...had a potty break...weighed myself again and was 275.6.  Seriously something has got to give..I am going to self destruct this diet if I don't quit!

So my goals at this point are to regroup with my sister this weekend..see how she is doing on the diet.  Tell her about my cheating and see if she thinks I should do a reset also.  I am hoping to have an official weight on Sunday as that will be a week to see where I am truly at in a week. Hoping to post some pictures also!

Updates

So Saturday was suppose to be my last day on the Phase 1 part which is nothing but protein.  Well my sister and I decided to make a shopping trip to Bloomington with the girls for the day.  As soon as we got into town all you could smell was food............and good, fatty food if you know what I mean.  The girls were ready for lunch and so we decided we could do this..we could eat out and make healthy choices.  We went to Logan's Roadhouse..basically we followed the smells to the best place!  Right away I pointed out the healthy menu portion and started scanning away.  Everything looked so good on the menu so my sister and I before long were just wanting to be bad and order what we want.  We took a deep breath and she reminded me of what phase 2 was and said you know if we are going to "cheat" lets just move to phase 2 and incorporate veggies into our meal!  Great idea!  I ordered the smoked salmon with a grilled mushroom skewer and veggie skewer.  The food was to die for!  We also have been carrying along with us those MIO water enhancer drops...LOVE THEM! Can't say enough about how awesome they are!  So anyways, long story short I am cruising right along in Phase 2 and super excited!  My treadmill got delivered yesterday, hubs put the punching bag up for me also so tonight I did quite a hefty workout...will for sure be feeling it in the morning.  So just to summarize up a few things....in this phase I plan to only weigh once a week so not to get discouraged.  I also plan to incorporate alot of exercise and increase my intake of water!  Overall, this diet ROCKS! 


Starting Weight: 286 lbs
Current weight; 275.8 lbs!!!!!!

Down 11 lbs!!!!!

Phase 3

So once you finish the Cruise Phase 2 you go onto the Consolidation phase which helps you steadily reincorporate regular foods and treats in limited quantities while maintaining your new sleek physique.

1. Drink 1.5 quarts of Water a day minimum
2. Take a high quality Multivitamin daily
3. Eat 2 Tablespoons of oat bran a day
4. Exercise for 30 minutes a day If you reach a plateau increase to 60 minute walks for 4 days and then go back to 30 minutes a day
5. Pick one day of the week example Thursdays that you will only eat pure proteins on (the Phase 1 foods only)
6. Eat as much as you want of allowed foods – no limit on all days except your designated protein day.
7. Follow Phase 3 five days for every pound you have lost
8. You may use a few drops of oil to prepare food but no more than that, Pam is not allowed
9. You may use up to 15 sprays of I can’t believe it’s not butter spray, but no other butter substitutes allowed.
10. For the fist half of your time you are allowed to have in addition to allowed foods:
    1. 1 serving of fresh fruit per day except bananas, dried fruits, grapes, and cherries and nuts
    2. 2 slices of 100% whole wheat bread / day
    3. 1.5 oz (40gm) cheese per day
    4. 1 servings of starchy foods per week (pasta, rice, potatoes, lentils, couscous, beans, etc)
    5. Lamb, roast pork, and ham are allowed now 1-2 times a week
    6. 1 celebration MEAL per week ( free to choose anything you want including alcohol but no bingeing)

11. For the second half of your time you are allowed to have in addition to allowed foods:
    1. 1 serving of fresh fruit per day except bananas, dried fruits, grapes, and cherries and nuts
    2. 2 slices of 100% whole wheat bread / day
    3. 1.5 oz (40gm) cheese per day
    4. 2 servings of starchy foods per week (pasta, rice, potatoes, lentils, couscous, beans, etc)
    5. Lamb, roast pork, and ham are allowed now 1-2 times a week
    6. 2 celebration MEALS per week ( free to choose anything you want including alcohol but no bingeing)

ALLOWED FOODS

12. LEAN MEATS – can be cooked with just a few DROPS of oil – do not exceed 10 % fat content
    1. Beef - avoid types that are too fatty like ribs and ribeye – all others allowed – cut visible fat off
    2. Veal – any but chops and lamb
    3. Buffalo and Venison
    4. Pork – avoid ribs – cut visible fat off
13. ORGAN MEATS
14. FISH AND SHELL FISH – any and all allowed – if canned has to be in brine, water, or tomato sauce only
15. POULTRY - any without skin except duck and goose – may cook with skin on but remove before eating
16. LOW FAT HAM, SMOKED TURKEY AND CHICKEN, DRIED BEEF – must be between 2-4% fat or less – deli ham and smoked ham not allowed
17. EGGS – prefer whites limit yolks due to cholesterol
18. VEGETABLE PROTEINS - tofu, seitan
19. NON-FAT DAIRY PRODUCTS
    1. Milk
    2. Yogurt – natural or flavored (like lemon, vanilla) – fruit yogurts limit to one 8oz cup a day
    3. Sour cream
    4. Cream cheese
    5. Cottage cheese
20. BEVERAGES - tea, diet sodas
21. OTHERS –
    1. artificial sweetners
    2. Spices
    3. Herbs
    4. Vinegar
    5. pickles (without sugar)
    6. lemons for flavor only (don’t eat them and no lemonade)
    7. mustard and salt in moderation
    8. ketchup only if sugar free and low sodium
    9. sugar-free chewing gum
22. VEGETABLES – raw, cooked, steamed from frozen or fresh (canned allowed in moderation low-sodium)
    1. Tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, spinach, asparagus, leeks
    2. Green beans, cabbage, mushrooms, celery, fennel
    3. All types of lettuce, eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, peppers
    4. Carrots and beets are allowed in moderation
    5. You can make these vegetables with your meats, separate, or as a soup or salad

Phase 2

Continue eating all the foods from Phase 1 and following the rules with changes in bold

1. Drink 1.5 quarts of Water a day minimum
2. Take a high quality Multivitamin daily
3. Eat2 Tablespoons of oat bran a day
4. Exercise for30 minutes a day If you reach a plateau increase to 60 minute walks for 4 days and then go back to 30 minutes a day
5. Eat as much as you want of allowed foods – no limit
6. Follow Phase 2 until you reach your goal weight or your true weight (seewww.dukandiet.com to calculate)
7. You may use a few drops of oil to prepare food but no more than that, Pam is not allowed
8. You may use up to 15 sprays of I can’t believe it’s not butter spray, but no other butter substitutes allowed.
9. Alternate days of just pure proteins, and days of proteins and vegetables.
   1. Alternate can be 1 day of proteins and 1 day of proteins and vegetables
   2. OR 5 days of proteins and 5 days of proteins and vegetables
   3. OR if you have a little to lose 2 days of proteins on Mondays and Thursdays and proteins and vegetables the rest of the week
   4. OR if you have a little to lose and want to battle cellulite 2 days of proteins on Mondays and Thursdays and no particular diet on the rest of the week

ALLOWED FOODS

10. LEAN MEATS – can be cooked with just a few DROPS of oil – do not exceed 10 % fat content
    1. Beef - avoid types that are too fatty like ribs and ribeye – all others allowed – cut visible fat off
    2. Veal – any but chops and lamb
    3. Buffalo and Venison
    4. Pork – avoid ribs – cut visible fat off
11. ORGAN MEATS
12. FISH AND SHELL FISH – any and all allowed – if canned has to be in brine, water, or tomato sauce only
13. POULTRY - any without skin except duck and goose – may cook with skin on but remove before eating
14. LOW FAT HAM, SMOKED TURKEY AND CHICKEN, DRIED BEEF – must be between 2-4% fat or less – deli ham and smoked ham not allowed
15. EGGS – prefer whites limit yolks due to cholesterol
16. VEGETABLE PROTEINS - tofu, seitan
17. NON-FAT DAIRY PRODUCTS
    1. Milk
    2. Yogurt – natural or flavored (like lemon, vanilla) – fruit yogurts limit to one 8oz cup a day
    3. Sour cream
    4. Cream cheese
    5. Cottage cheese
18. BEVERAGES - tea, diet sodas
19. OTHERS –
    1. artificial sweetners
    2. Spices
    3. Herbs
    4. Vinegar
    5. pickles (without sugar)
    6. lemons for flavor only (don’t eat them and no lemonade)
    7. mustard and salt in moderation
    8. ketchup only if sugar free and low sodium
    9. sugar-free chewing gum
20. VEGETABLES – raw, cooked, steamed from frozen or fresh (canned allowed in moderation low-sodium)
    1. Tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, spinach, asparagus, leeks
    2. Green beans, cabbage, mushrooms, celery, fennel
    3. All types of lettuce, eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, peppers
    4. Carrots and beets are allowed in moderation
    5. AVOID – potatoes, corn, fresh or dried peas, beans, and lentils, avocado
    6. AVOID – rice, quinoa, barley, wheat berries, millet, and other grains
    7. You can make these vegetables with your meats, separate, or as a soup or salad

SALAD DRESSING RECIPES:

Basic Vinaigrette 1 –

1 Tbsp mustard (Dijon works best)

5 Tbsp vinegar (balsamic, apple cider, plain) or 4 Tbsp wine, sherry, or raspberry vinegar or 3 Tbsp champagne vinegar

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional: 1 large garlic clove and 7-8 basil leaves

Put all ingredients into a clean empty jar, cover and shake vigorously before serving

Yogurt Dressing –

6-8 oz nonfat plain yogurt

1 Tbsp mustard (Dijon works best)

Dash of vinegar

Salt, pepper, and herbs of your choice to taste

Mix yogurt and mustard together until consistency of mayonnaise. Add vinegar, salt, pepper, and herbs.

You can expect to loose about 2 pounds a week or up to 6-7 pounds a month at least during this phase

Phase 1

Rules:

1. Drink 1.5 quarts of Water a day minimum
2. Take a high quality Multivitamin daily
3. Eat 1.5 Tablespoons of oat bran a day (see recipe below)
4. Exercise for 20minutes a day
5. Eat as much as you want of allowed foods – no limit
6. Follow Phase 1 for the prescribed amount of time
   1. If you have less than 10 pounds to lose follow for 1 day then go on to Phase 2
   2. If you have between 10 – 20 pounds to lose follow for 3 days then go on to Phase 2
   3. If you have 20 – 40 lbs to lose follow for 5 days then go to Phase 2
   4. If you have over 40 lbs to lose follow for 7 - 10 days then go to Phase 2

What to Expect:

1. May be tired first 1-2 days

2. bad breath and or dry mouth at times

3. constipation after day 4 if you aren’t meeting water requirements

4. no feelings of constant hunger after day 3

5. lose 2-10 pounds

Allowed Foods:

1. LEAN MEATS – can be cooked with just a few DROPS of oil – do not exceed 10 % fat content

a. Beef - avoid types that are too fatty like ribs and ribeye – all others allowed – cut visible fat off

b. Veal – any but chops and lamb

c. Buffalo and Venison

d. Pork – avoid ribs – cut visible fat off

2. ORGAN MEATS

3. FISH AND SHELL FISH – any and all allowed – if canned has to be in brine, water, or tomato sauce only

4. POULTRY - any without skin except duck and goose – may cook with skin on but remove before eating

5. LOW FAT HAM, SMOKED TURKEY AND CHICKEN, DRIED BEEF – must be between 2-4% fat or less – deli ham and smoked ham not allowed

6. EGGS – prefer whites limit yolks due to cholesterol

7. VEGETABLE PROTEINS - tofu, seitan

8. NON-FAT DAIRY PRODUCTS

a. Milk

b. Yogurt – natural or flavored (like lemon, vanilla) – fruit yogurts limit to one 8oz cup a day

c. Sour cream

d. Cream cheese

e. Cottage cheese

9. BEVERAGES - tea, diet sodas

10. OTHERS –

a. artificial sweetners

b. Spices

c. Herbs

d. Vinegar

e. pickles (without sugar)

f. lemons for flavor only (don’t eat them and no lemonade)

g. mustard and salt in moderation

h. ketchup only if sugar free and low sodium

i. sugar-free chewing gum

Moving towards the next phase...

Today is Day 6 of my attack phase.....tomorrow starts the next phase where I get to incorporate certain vegetables into the diet.  It pretty much works like this...one day pure proteins and then one day of proteins and veggies and repeat.  My sister sent me some really great breakdowns of the diet phases so I will post those next!  I am going to hold off on writing what my total weight loss from this phase is until tomorrow.  I can tell you I have had ups and downs so it has been a rough journey but I am still very confident in myself and feeling positive about the overall goal and feeling I can reach it! 

True weight

So my sister told me that on the official Dukan Diet website there is a true weight calculator and it is suppose to tell you what your true attainable goal weight is and how long it will take you to get there if you follow the Dukan Diet.  I decided to give it a try.  I plugged in my starting weight of 282 lbs.  My goal weight is 175lbs.  Here is what it told me:

My True Weight is 191 lbs.
I should do the Attack Phase for 6 days and I will lose 5.68 lbs.  (I planned on doing it 7-10 days as suggested so now I am going to do it only 6 days)
I will then move into the Cruise Phase and by OCTOBER 2012 I will be at my true weight!  But then for 409 days I will have to follow a Consolidation Phase to keep my true weight. 

I will let you know what phases I am on and little tid bits about them as I move along. 

Seeing that tonight though jump started me again....could I really be under 200 lbs by OCTOBER?????????  Clock is ticking!!!!!!!!!!