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!!!!!!!!!!

Getting tough!

So today is Day 4......this morning I weighed myself as usual and I gained 0.6 lbs.  It was rough to take in but I knew before I got on that scale that I was not going to lose.  I didn't drink enough water yesterday and my digestive tract didn't move much if you catch my drift.  I felt a little bit discouraged so it has made for a rough day.  It was so beautiful outside so I took the girls on a car ride to get them a special dinner.........at Culvers.  I know...when you are trying to be healthy you have to stay away from places like that.  I didn't put any shoes on them so I wouldn't be tempted to go inside and then have to eat with them.  I went through the drive thru and ordered their dinner.  2 chicken tenders with fries and a double scoop of the flavor of the day.....mint oreo.  Dear lord am I asking for trouble!  I got home and cut up their tenders, put their fries on the plate, ate two fries and then immediately put the rest down the garbage disposal and turned it on.  I am pretty sure that video if captured could have been on AFV.  Maybe even won the $10,000 prize! LOL  So here I am sitting and watching the girls eat dinner, got our fish cooking in the oven for dinner and those 2 scoops are chilling in the freezer.  Heres to hoping I can feed it to the girls only!!!!!!!!!


Current Weight: 277.6 lbs
UP 0.6 LBS :(

Days 1 & 2

So I would like to first off start off by sharing my exciting news...I AM DOWN 5 LBS IN 2 DAYS!!!!! Talk about a kick start to a diet!!!!! 

Current Weight: 277 lbs!!!!!!

I don't know about anyone else out there but everytime I am trying to lose weight I always celebrate my achievement by 10 lb increments.  To explain this....I was in the 280's range when I started this diet...so getting into the 270 range was a HUGE SUCCESS to me.  Can't wait to see the 260's!!!! For some reason looking at it that way in small 10 lb increments has always helped motivate me and keep me stronger will powered!

Okay so I will share with you my meals for the last 2 days..........

Day 1
Breakfast
3  scrambled eggs (2 egg whites & 1 whole egg) mixed with 1% skim milk  and a small handful of mixed cheese
5 slices turkey bacon
1 glass of 1% milk

Snack
Dukan Cinnamon Bran Muffin

Lunch
Ground 92% lean hamburger
shrimp

Dinner
Turkey Burger with cheese, reduced sugar ketchup, mustard
1 reduced sodium pickle



Day 2
Breakfast
3 scrambled eggs (2 egg whites & 1 whole) with cheese
4 pieces turkey bacon

Snack
Dukan cinnamon muffin

Lunch
Grumbled 92% lean hamburger with reduced sugar ketchup
1 pickle

Snack
1 reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese stick

Dinner
Salmon filet
Flounder filet

As you follow along I do plan to include some of the good Dukan recipes that I have tried and liked or maybe even created on my own. 

That is all for now!!!!

Signing off feeling LEAN AND MEAN :)

Day 1

So now that you know a little bit about my history and such I am just going to jump right into Day 1 and post all my stats and my pics that I had hub take of me too (Kind of wish I would have taken a shower and done something better with myself but I figure it's going to make for some really memorable before pics!).  Today went pretty good as far as eating the right food but I didn't hardly drink anything all day so here is to hoping for a better couple of days ahead of me.  I have a treadmill being delivered next sunday and set up.   I bought a punching bag and some weights.  At this point right now I think those are enough exercise pieces for me starting out.  For the past 17 months running after twins and taking them on lots of walks has been the extent of my exercising so this will be a good start for me.

CURRENT STATS:
Height: 5'8
Weight: 282.2

The photo that started it all!

A few weeks ago the hubs and I along with family took the girls to see Santa for the first time ever since they have been born.  Suppose to be such a memorable day with lots of photos....or so I thought.  Well I had my sister take a pic of me and hubs with the kiddos and that picture is the very reason I am on the journey I am on.  Here it is in all its glory.........yeah I am talking about ME!

I thought I was doing pretty good this last 17 months since the girls have been born.  I have lost ALL of my pregnancy weight and even 16 pounds since then.  Let me tell ya...after having kids...the weight just shifts into places I never expected! 

A little history about me...in 2005 I had the Lap Band Procedure done.  I am 5'8" and I weighed in at 298 lbs the day of the procedure.  Within 6 months of the procedure I had lost 103 lbs and man did I look fabulous.  I went from a size 24 pants to a size 14 and those were getting loose.  I have always carried weight in my tummy.  I am apple shaped as they say not a pear!  I maintained that weight loss until 2008...I put on around 20 pounds that year.   In 2009, after our first round of failed IVF I had put on another 30 pounds.  We went through the second round of IVF and the day I found out I was pregnant I weighed in at my original weight of 298 lbs.  I only gained 18 pounds up until week 31 of my pregnancy.  I was then diagnosed with Pre eclampsia and was immediately hospitalized.  From there the water weight just piled on.  The day of delivery I weighed in at 348 pounds!!! I was mortified when I stepped on that scale but at the time the health of my babies far exceeded my needs and wants.  Shortly after having the girls and going through the whole NICU experience, life with twins, new mommy hood and all that jazz lets just say that at my 8 week check up I dropped down to 286 pounds!  Doctor was very impressed that I had lost all my pregnancy weight and then some in less than 8 weeks and I was on cloud 9!  I have maintained the loss since then and am currently down to 282.2 pounds......but I have a long road ahead of me and I am hoping by journaling the progress it will help me and maybe others who struggle so much with weight.

I know alot of you are probably thinking about my Lap Band and if you know anything about it then you know I can just go into the office and get it tightened and be on my merry weight loss way right?  Yeah I went a few months ago and did that before my doctor got out of network with my insurance and I have had no restriction since then with food.  I also had a really bad history with it...lots of complications.  I may write about some of that along the way but just to set things straight I am really trying to do this on my own because of the issues from the past with the lap band. 

So on that note....HERE WE GO!