Vicki's Dukan Blogging: Does the Dukan diet work?

Month 2 Stabilization: "Forks Over Knives"

2012-01-12T19:14:00.000-06:00

Today's weight: Still more than 5 lbs above goal weight (will post weight after April's Biggest Loser weigh-in)

Length of time in Attack: 5 days (started June 2, 2011)
Length of time in Cruise: 92 days
Length of time in Consolidation: 90 days (5 days x 18 lbs lost; goal weight = 110 lbs)
Length of time in Stabilization: 1 month (started Dec 6, 2011)

Breakfast:
Quest protein bar

Lunch:
Cashew date bar

Snack:
Mini bell peppers, edamame

Dinner:
Steamed broccoli and cauliflower, grated parmesan cheese

Snack:
Quest protein bar

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

Last night I watched a documentary called "Forks Over Knives," which presents evidence that eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet can help combat (and in some cases, reverse) certain diseases and promotes health & longevity. I thought it was really thought-provoking. Although I've read books like "The China Study" (T. Colin Campbell) and "Healthy at 100" (John Robbins), watching the documentary somehow made it hit home a little more.

I have to admit that in the past, I've usually taken my health for granted. Now that I've entered this new decade of my life, however, I'm starting to re-think my priorities. Yes, I still want to lose a few pounds & get closer to my goal weight -- but now I would choose being healthy (and perhaps heavier) over being thin.

Please don't misunderstand me: I'm a big fan of the Dukan diet and believe it can be healthy -- particularly once you reach Consolidation and can add a little more variety to it. And I DEFINITELY think the diet is effective in losing weight.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I feel like I got a wake-up call that I need to be better about what I eat. For example, Dukan wisely encourages eating vegetables -- but now that I'm in Stabilization, I rarely eat them. After watching last night's documentary, however, I was motivated to run out to the grocery store this morning & buy some veggies...now I just need to put my conviction into action...

Quest Protein Bars

2012-01-10T13:46:00.003-06:00

Product name: Quest Protein Bars
Allowed on: Consolidation (as part of celebration meal); Stabilization
Rating (out of 5 stars): 5 stars

Review:

So I know that Dukan does not approve of protein bars, and that technically they're not allowed on this diet until you reach Consolidation (when you can have them as part of your celebration meal) or Stabilization. In real life, however, I know that many people on the diet (including myself) have eaten protein bars now & then during the Cruise phase -- usually as a back-up when there aren't other Dukan-allowed foods handy.

While on this diet, I discovered Quest protein bars & am now addicted to them. If you are a strict Dukaner in Attack or Cruise, please know that Dukan doesn't allow protein bars during those phases. If you're in Consolidation or Stabilization, however, read on... :)

Quest has two lines of protein bars: Their original line uses sucralose as the main sweetener, while their all-natural line contains stevia & erythritol. (One note is that unlike other products containing sugar alcohols, erythritol doesn't seem to upset my stomach.) Each bar contains 20 g protein, along with 4-6 g non-fiber carbs.

Thus far I've tried nine of their flavors (two aren't pictured above):

Vanilla Almond Crunch (original line): Out of all the bars in the original line, this one's my favorite. (In fact, I'm eating it right now as I'm typing this up.) It's got a faint vanilla flavor with a nice nutty texture.

Peanut Butter & Jelly (original line): This one really does taste like peanut butter & jelly. Another winner.

Peanut Butter Supreme (original line): For some reason, all of the Peanut Butter Supreme bars I've had (and I've had plenty) are really hard, which I don't like. After microwaving it for 10 seconds, however, the bar tastes great (it has a strong peanut flavor). If I'm not near a microwave, though, I'm out of luck.

Mixed Berry Bliss (original line): I like the berry flavor of this bar, but it contains pieces of dried blueberries & strawberries, which I'm not a big fan of. If you like dried blueberries/strawberries, however, you'll probably like this.

Chocolate Brownie (original line): Very chocolatey and pretty good overall. If you heat up the bar for 10 seconds in the microwave, it tastes like a tootsie roll.

Apple Pie (original line): I had a feeling I wouldn't like this bar (since I don't like apple pie), and I was right. It tastes like apple pie. For some, this is good. For me -- not so good.

Cinnamon Roll (all-natural line): For some reason I always feel like I can taste coconut in this bar -- although coconut isn't listed as an ingredient. In any case, this bar is really good -- cinnamon-y with a nice, soft texture.

Lemon Cream Pie (all-natural line): Along with the Chocolate Peanut Butter bar (see below), this is one of my favorites. Whenever I eat this, I feel like I'm eating a soft-baked lemon cookie.

Chocolate Peanut Butter (all-natural line): Another favorite. This is truly hands-down delicious.

The only bad thing about these bars is that they're expensive -- approximately $2 per bar. I feel like they're worth the price, but I know there are lots of other protein bars out there that are cheaper.

Still, I would highly recommend Quest protein bars, and I don't think you'll regret checking them out.

Month 2 Stabilization: Calorie-counting & Dukan

2012-01-09T21:10:00.000-06:00

Today's weight: Will post weight after April's Biggest Loser weigh-in; goal = 110 lbs

Length of time in Attack: 5 days (started June 2, 2011)
Length of time in Cruise: 92 days
Length of time in Consolidation: 90 days (5 days x 18 lbs lost)
Length of time in Stabilization: 1 month (started Dec 6, 2011)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, protein bar

Lunch:
Cashew date bar

Snack:
Jalapeno string cheese, protein bar

Dinner:
Turkey chili (made with ground turkey, tomatoes, kidney beans, seasonings)

Daily water intake:
2.5 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

One of the things that first drew me to the Dukan diet was the fact that there's no calorie-counting involved. In the past, I've tried other diets where calorie-counting & portion control were the main strategies, and inevitably I failed because I was always left feeling deprived and hungry.

I can understand how calorie-counting would be unnecessary during the Attack & Cruise phases (when all you are eating is protein or protein + veggies). I can also see how calorie-counting may not be critical during Consolidation (since you are still primarily eating a protein + veggie diet). However -- and Dukan might disagree with me here -- I think it's a good idea to track (or at least have a sense of) the number of calories you consume during Stabilization -- particularly if you stray from eating a protein + veggie diet.

I say this because I recently signed up on My Fitness Pal at the recommendation of my sister. (It's a free site that allows you to track your weight, food intake, exercise, etc). In just the past five days, I ranged from eating 1,182 calories per day to eating 2,368 per day. Ideally I'd like to stick to eating 1,200 - 1,500 calories/day, so finding out that I ate 2,368 calories/day was a little shocking (and definitely eye-opening).

Again, I don't think you need to count calories if you're still in the first three phases (unless you want to), since your diet is mainly protein + veggies. It can't hurt, though, to keep track of your calorie consumption every now & then -- particularly if you're floundering around in Stabilization like me...

Month 2 Stabilization: Thoughts after the first month

2012-01-06T20:19:00.001-06:00

Today's weight: Will post my weight after April's Biggest Loser weigh-in (goal weight = 110 lbs)

Length of time in Attack: 5 days (started June 2, 2011)
Length of time in Cruise: 92 days
Length of time in Consolidation: 90 days (5 days x 18 lbs lost)
Length of time in Stabilization: 1 month (started Dec 6, 2011)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, jalapeno string cheese, protein bar

Lunch:
Cashew date bar

Snack:
Protein bar

Dinner:
Beef brisket, ribs

Daily water intake:
1.5 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

It's been exactly one month since I've been in Stabilization, so I thought I'd take a minute to assess how things are going...

Thus far, I haven't done very well in this phase. My motivation was already waning during Consolidation, and by the time Stabilization began I was in the mood to eat, eat, eat. Then we were off to Korea, and with my birthday, Christmas, and lots of family get-togethers, dieting was practically a lost cause.

Looking back, I know I could have done a (much) better job of sticking to low-carb foods and avoiding sugary snacks and desserts. I also should have been more vigilant about my portion sizes. In addition, there were many times when I slipped back into my old habit of emotional eating -- mindlessly stuffing my face when I was tired, stressed out, anxious, bored, etc.

With the start of the new year (and with my family's Biggest Loser competition), though, I feel re-energized. I'm still more than 5 pounds over my goal weight, but I'm slowly getting back down... :)

Day 30 Stabilization: Biggest Loser (family edition)

2012-01-04T21:38:00.001-06:00

Today's weight: Will post my weight after April's weigh-in (goal weight = 110 lbs)

Length of time in Attack: 5 days (started June 2, 2011)
Length of time in Cruise: 92 days
Length of time in Consolidation: 90 days (5 days x 18 lbs lost)
Length of time in Stabilization: 30 days (started Dec 6, 2011)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, jalapeno string cheese

Lunch:
Ezekiel English muffin, protein bar

Snack:
Cashew date bar

Dinner:
Meatballs, protein bar

Snack:
Turkey jerky

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

Thanks so much to everyone for your recent comments! I was in Korea (Seoul) over the holidays, which is why I haven't posted in a while. We rented out a studio apartment while we were there, but didn't have wifi in our room. As a result, my Internet opportunities were somewhat limited (and for some reason I can't post from my phone). However, I'm back home now -- still feeling a little jet-lagged and tired, but slowly getting back into the routine of things. :)

I had initially planned to stick (mostly) to the Dukan diet while on vacation, but after a day or so, I really wanted to be able to enjoy Korean food while I was in Korea. Thus, I pretty much threw dieting out the window. I did gain a few pounds while I was away (which I'm still trying to lose), but I'm motivated to get back on track now.

One big reason for my motivation? My brother, sister, brother-in-law, and I have embarked upon a Biggest Loser competition (our initial weigh-in was on Mon, Jan 2). Our final weigh-in will be in April, and the winner will be the person with the greatest percentage weight loss.

Although I only want to lose 5-10 lbs at most, I still wanted to be in our competition (even though I probably won't win), because I felt like I needed that extra boost of motivation. My food consumption in Korea was pretty much a free-for-all, and I don't want to slip back into the habit of eating carelessly now that I'm home.

Because of our Biggest Loser competition, I probably won't post my weight until April (after we have our final weigh-in). I still want to blog regularly, though, as well as report (in general terms) how my weight is doing. Because I know that the Dukan diet works, I'm planning to stick to Dukan principles to get my weight back down.

Below is a photo of me on my birthday (in Korea), enjoying a bowl of ja-jang-myun (noodles with black sauce) and mandoo (potstickers)... :)

Day 14 Stabilization: Still figuring out Life After Consolidation

2011-12-19T19:58:00.001-06:00

Today's weight:115 lbs (goal weight = 110 lbs)

Length of time in Attack: 5 days (started June 2, 2011)
Length of time in Cruise: 92 days
Length of time in Consolidation: 90 days (5 days x 18 lbs lost)
Length of time in Stabilization: Two weeks (started Dec 6, 2011)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, smoked salmon

Snack:
Quest protein bar

Lunch:
Hot dog

Snack:
Turkey jerky

Dinner:
Meatballs

Snack:
Quest protein bar

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; diet coke)

Well, I must confess that I've fallen into a pattern of completely pigging out on the weekends, followed by eating low-carb during the week. I don't mean to make excuses, but it's been really hard to eat healthy this month -- particularly with all the Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, get-togethers with family and friends, etc.

And when I say "pigging out," I really do mean pigging out -- I've eaten cookies, brownies, cupcakes, white bread, chips, pasta, fries, ice cream, etc. I definitely need to find some kind of balance between what I eat on the weekends vs weekdays.

Given my crazy eating, though, I'm feel lucky that I'm only 5 pounds above my goal weight... :)

Day 3 Stabilization: Better

2011-12-08T21:00:00.003-06:00

Today's weight: 114 lbs (goal weight = 110 lbs)

Length of time in Attack: 5 days (started June 2, 2011)
Length of time in Cruise: 92 days
Length of time in Consolidation: 90 days (5 days x 18 lbs lost)
Length of time in Stabilization: 3 days (started Dec 6, 2011)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, Quest protein bar

Lunch:
Protein bar, jalapeno string cheese

Snack:
Turkey jerky, jalapeno string cheese

Dinner:
Meatballs

Snack:
Jalapeno string cheese (I am addicted!)

Daily water intake:
1.5 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

I think as long as my weight ranges between 110 to 115 lbs, I'll be happy. :)

Day 2 Stabilization: Damage control

2011-12-07T21:47:00.001-06:00

Today's weight: 115 lbs (goal weight = 110 lbs)

Length of time in Attack: 5 days (started June 2, 2011)
Length of time in Cruise: 92 days
Length of time in Consolidation: 90 days (5 days x 18 lbs lost)
Length of time in Stabilization: 2 days (started Dec 6, 2011)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, Quest protein bar

Snack:
Hard-boiled egg, sausages

Lunch:
Quest protein bar, low-fat provolone cheese

Snack:
Turkey jerky

Dinner:
Beef, mushrooms, cabbage, snow peas, carrots

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; decaf coffee)

Ummm...yeah...

As mentioned in a previous post, I've been living it up (food-wise) for a while now -- moving from thinking: "Well, I'm almost in Stabilization so I might as well eat this..." to thinking (as of yesterday): "Well, I am in Stabilization so I can totally eat this!"

However, all those indiscretions have caught up with me, and I'm now 5 pounds above my goal weight. In the big picture, this doesn't bother me too much (part of me thinks that 115 lbs -- rather than 110 -- should have been my goal from the start). However, after I've exerted all that effort to reach 110 lbs, I feel a little alarmed that I seem to be moving further & further away from that number.

Thus, today I went back to a more Dukan-friendly way of eating (although I know Dukan would not approve of all the protein bars I ate), so hopefully in a few days the scales will go back down. In the meantime, I need to learn how to be vigilant about my eating, while still enjoying Stabilization.

Day 88 Consolidation: Going out with a bang?

2011-12-03T14:20:00.001-06:00

Today's weight: 114 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 2 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon

Lunch:
Protein bar, apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Dinner:
Celebration meal (am posting this before dinner, so not sure what we're having yet)

Daily water intake:
1.5 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water) -- as of 2 p.m.

Earlier this week I had toyed with the idea of spending my last few days of Consolidation doing PP days, so that I could end this phase on a high (or low, actually) note. However, I'm going to a friend's b-day dinner tonight, and to another friend's house for dinner tomorrow night, so it looks like I'll be having celebration meals both today & tomorrow.

Sure, I guess I could still have a PP day tomorrow (it's too late for today -- I ate an English muffin at breakfast), but now I'm liking the idea of ending this phase by having my celebration meals. I mean, the Attack phase was focused on restraint, and Cruise was still somewhat strict, but Consolidation is all about making the transition back to "real life" -- and real life means I'm going to be eating more than just turkey bacon & turkey sausages. :)

Day 86 Consolidation: What to do, what to do...

2011-12-01T20:56:00.001-06:00

Today's weight: 114 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 4 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Hotdogs, 1 chicken nugget

Snack:
Apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese), turkey jerky

Dinner:
Meatballs, chili with brown rice

Snack:
Protein bar

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; decaf coffee)

I've been thinking lately about what diet (if any) I'm going to follow once I hit Stabilization. For those who aren't familiar with Stabilization, the guidelines are fairly broad. In a nutshell, you can eat whatever you want for six days a week, with one PP day per week.

By nature, I much prefer eating carbs to protein, so I know I'll need to fight my tendency to overindulge on carbs. I wish there was a high-carb diet out there that worked -- but sadly I don't think it exists. Thus, my plan at the moment is to stick to a low-carb lifestyle -- but allow myself to have healthy carbs (and celebration meals) here & there.

We'll see, though...still not sure what to do...

Day 85 Consolidation: Five more days to go!

2011-11-30T20:48:00.000-06:00

Today's weight: 114.5 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 5 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Snack:
Hard-boiled eggs, string cheese

Lunch:
Protein bar, apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Dinner:
Meatballs, few bites of chili

Snack:
Protein bar

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; decaf coffee)

First, thank you to Melly-Sue for your message earlier today! :)

Next, it's confession time: Although I still have five more days of Consolidation, lately I've been living like I'm already in Stabilization. :P I had a celebration meal on Thanksgiving (ate lots of bread, stuffing, potatoes, etc) -- but then I kept on eating celebration-type meals in the days that followed.

However, I'd like to finish this phase strong, so my plan is to blog everyday (or almost everyday -- I'm not that great at blogging on the weekends) and focus on eating low-carb foods. Although I'm at my highest weight since reaching Consolidation, I'm actually pretty happy with it (which I think is part of the reason why I haven't been diligent with my eating -- no sense of urgency about losing weight).

The countdown is on...

Day 77 Consolidation: Back to reality

2011-11-22T20:59:00.000-06:00

Today's weight: 114 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 13 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Turkey jerky

Snack:
Chicken sausages

Dinner:
Meatballs

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; decaf coffee)

Thanks so much to everyone for your comments on my last post! I had a wonderful time last weekend -- very relaxing & fun. In fact, I think my schedule on Saturday went something like this: Breakfast, hot tub, steam room, sauna, lunch, massage, facial, haircut, happy hour, dinner.

Eating-wise, I ate and ate and ate. Although I tried to stick to eating low-carb during the day (with celebration meals in the evenings), I didn't quite follow through. One of my biggest temptations on the trip was the awesome cheese. I mean, let's face it -- Wisconsin is famous for their cheese, right? So how could I not partake? :)

My plan for yesterday was to have a PV day, but after a weekend of indulgent eating I wasn't in the mindset to be "good." In fact, yesterday I slipped into one of my previous bad habits: Finishing off my son's leftovers -- which meant that I ate crackers, pasta, and part of a granola bar.

Today, though, I stayed true to having a PP day, so I'm feeling better about my eating. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

Day 73 Consolidation: Early b-day celebration

2011-11-18T13:12:00.000-06:00

Today's weight: 112.5 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 17 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Snack:
Apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Lunch:
Meatballs

Dinner:
???

Daily water intake:
1.5 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

Although my birthday isn't until the end of next month, my dear friend Suejin & I are going to Kohler, WI this weekend to celebrate. I've never been to their spa before, but I've heard really good things about it. (Plus, this b-day is a big one, so I might as well go all out!) After everything that happened this week, I really need to get away... :)

I'm posting this a little early because I won't get a chance to blog over the weekend, but wanted to encourage anyone reading this who might be on the fence about starting the Dukan diet. I've been on the diet now for almost six months, and in my experience it really does work. I admit it was definitely daunting in the beginning; all I could think about was: "No carbs?!!" However, if you stick with it (and even if you have a few cheats here & there), I really believe you'll see the weight drop off.

Ultimately, though, whether you choose to do the Dukan diet or some other diet, the most important thing is to commit to it, and just do it. Today.

Day 72 Consolidation: PP day

2011-11-17T21:36:00.000-06:00

Today's weight: 113.5 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 18 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Turkey jerky

Snack:
Chicken sausages

Dinner:
Meatballs

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; decaf coffee)

Since I missed my PP day on Tuesday, I figured I should have it today -- especially since I'm going out of town this weekend & will DEFINITELY be having some awesome celebration meals. :)

The past couple days have been tough for me, but I'm hoping that this weekend will help me shake off the blues and be thankful for all the good things in my life.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Day 70 Consolidation: Random eating

2011-11-15T21:35:00.000-06:00

Today's weight: 113.5 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 20 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Protein bar (Quest), surimi

Snack:
Cashew date bar

Dinner:
Meatballs, protein bar (Quest)

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; diet coke)

First, many thanks to Little Miss Contrary, Kath, Moonday, and Melly-Sue for their comments on my previous post! Things have been busy lately & I haven't been good about blogging -- but it's definitely something that I want to keep up with. :)

In light of everyone's kind words, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that my food choices today weren't exactly Dukan-approved. Normally I try to do a PP day on Tuesdays, but my schedule got thrown off today so it ended up being a bit of a free-for-all in terms of my eating.

I have to say that now that I'm eating two celebration meals per week (along with the two weekly starches), it's getting harder for me to be strict with my diet. Initially I had assumed that having the celebration meals & starches would make it easier to stick to the diet -- and in the beginning it did -- but lately it's been making me feel more lax (hence today's food choices).

Day 66 Consolidation: Celebration meals are awesome

2011-11-11T20:59:00.000-06:00

Today's weight: 112.5 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 24 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Hotdog

Snack:
Apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Dinner:
Celebration meal: Fries, turkey burger, few bites of mac-n-cheese, glass of riesling

Daily water intake:
2.5 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; diet coke; riesling)

I LOVE celebration meals. Love them. There's just something so...fun...about letting loose & indulging in good food & and not thinking twice about it.

Of course, I realize that eating a turkey burger isn't exactly at the height of indulgence, but it was pretty darn good. :)

Day 63 Consolidation: SlimC's oat bran bread

2011-11-08T20:53:00.000-06:00

Today's weight: 113.5 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 27 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, SlimC's microwavable oat bran bread (see below)

Snack:
Chocolate scrambled eggs

Lunch:
Chicken sausages

Snack:
Turkey jerky

Dinner:
Turkey meatballs

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

My weight was up this morning, thanks to several days of (Dukan-allowed) indulgences: Celebration meal #1 on Saturday, celebration meal #2 on Sunday, and starch #1 yesterday. Sure, maybe I could have done a better job of spacing things out, but hey...I was on a roll... :)

On another note: SlimC was kind enough to share her recipe for microwavable oat bran bread, which I tried this morning:

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp oat bran
1 Tbsp wheat bran
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg white
1 Tbsp fat-free yogurt or quark-type cheese
Seasonings/spices as desires (e.g., garlic powder)

Directions:

1) Mix the dry ingredients in a microwave-safe, rectangular container (so that it comes out like a thin slice of bread), then add the egg and yogurt.

2) Mix everything well, and add a pinch of salt.

3) Cover with plastic wrap, then punch a couple holes in it with a fork. Microwave (on max power) for 3 minutes.

4) After 3 minutes, take it out, flip it over, cover, and put in the microwave for 1 more minute. Then take it out and leave it on a grill-type surface (so that it has air all around it) until it cools down.

5) Toast it before eating.

I took a small bite of the bread after Step #3, and it was so good that I just skipped Step #4 and went directly to Step #5. After sitting in my toaster oven for a couple minutes, the bread tasted just like a piece of toast -- yum! Eating this really felt like a treat -- especially since today was a PP day so I didn't have my usual Ezekiel English muffin.

Thanks so much, SlimC, for sharing your awesome recipe!

Day 60 Consolidation: Two months down, one to go

2011-11-05T21:28:00.000-05:00

Today's weight: 112 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 30 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Turkey meatballs

Snack:
Apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Dinner:
Celebration meal: Cream of chicken soup, BBQ ribs/chicken, fries, brownie a la mode

Daily water intake:
1.5 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; decaf coffee)

As of today, I've got one more month of Consolidation (my last day is Dec 5). :)

Now that I've been on this diet for the past five months, it's hard to imagine eating beyond the safety of its constraints. I'm a little worried that I might go carb-crazy in the beginning of Stabilization, but we'll see...

On another note: Tonight's celebration meal was fantastic. I ordered a BBQ ribs & chicken platter with fries:

I ate half of the meat but ALL of the fries (as well as some of my son's fries -- yikes!). Feeling a little guilty, I then split the dessert (brownie a la mode) with my husband, but believe me -- I fought for every bite I could get... :)

Day 58 Consolidation: Microwavable oat bran bread

2011-11-03T22:42:00.000-05:00

Today's weight: 112 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 32 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon, microwavable oat bran bread (see below)

Snack:
Apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Lunch:
Chicken sausages, mini bell peppers

Dinner:
Pulled pork

Daily water intake:
2.5 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; diet coke)

I've gotten into the (lazy) habit of eating my oat bran as a microwavable cookie every morning, so I thought I'd try out a new recipe for oat bran bread (posted on the U.S. Dukan facebook site):

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp oat bran
1 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp egg white
1 Tbsp yogurt
Spices to taste

1) Mix, then microwave for approximately 1 minute.

For my bread, I added one Splenda packet and decreased the amount of baking powder to 1/4 tsp instead of 1 tsp. (I was worried that the flavor might be too bitter if I used a full tsp). While the finished product didn't exactly taste like bread, I still thought it was pretty good. It sort of tasted like an egg-y, sweet crepe.

I'm guessing, though, that using 1 tsp of baking powder would have given it more of a bread-like consistency. I might try making this again, but will experiment with the amounts of baking powder and seasoning...

Day 56 Consolidation: No more candy, please...

2011-11-01T21:05:00.000-05:00

Today's weight: 113.5 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 34 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Chicken sausages

Snack:
Turkey jerky

Dinner:
Turkey meatballs

Daily water intake:
1.5 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

I had a 1.5-lb gain this morning -- which I guess shouldn't be a huge surprise, given that I ate candy for dinner last night. I realize I'm still not very good at controlling myself once I start eating carbs -- e.g., I always overeat during celebration meals, and I definitely ate too much candy last night.

Day 55 Consolidation: Halloween

2011-10-31T21:18:00.000-05:00

Today's weight: 112 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 35 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Beef tenderloin, broccoli, hard-boiled eggs (whites only)

Snack:
Apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Dinner:
Candy (see below)

Daily water intake:
1.5 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

Thanks to Moonday for her suggestion of setting aside the candy pieces (just my favorites) that I'll let myself eat today -- and then no more candy after that. Here's what I chose this morning from the bag of candy we gave out:

However, we took our son trick-or-treating in the afternoon (mainly to say hello to our neighbors), and he actually scored quite a bit of candy. Among his loot were mini Heath bars and 100 Grand bars -- and I ate one of each.

Thus, I had 8 mini chocolate candies today. It was more than I expected to eat, but trust me -- it could have been (a lot) worse. I asked my husband to take all the Halloween candy with him to work tomorrow, so I won't be tempted to eat any more candy.

Thank goodness tomorrow is a PP day...I am stuffed...

Day 53 Consolidation: Candy on my mind...

2011-10-29T21:14:00.002-05:00

Today's weight: 112 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 37 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Hotdog

Snack:
Apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Dinner:
Celebration meal: Miso soup, sushi, chocolate povitica (cake bread) with vanilla ice cream

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

Earlier tonight, as I was happily eating a slice of chocolate povitica, my thoughts drifted to Halloween. The more I think about it, the more I really want to eat some candy on Monday. (I know, I know...candy is bad...but I am weak.)

Yesterday I bought a huge bag of candy at Costco to pass out to trick-or-treaters, and every time I pass it by I can't help but stare at it & daydream about eating some chocolate.

On another note: Today was a really lovely day. In the morning our CG volunteered at a local food pantry, and a few of us stayed back to watch the kids while the adults packed food. Afterward I had lunch with a friend, then later went out to dinner for my celebration meal.

I thoroughly enjoyed tonight's dinner...sometimes I forget that eating is such fun... :)

Day 51 Consolidation: Looking forward to the weekend

2011-10-27T20:53:00.000-05:00

Today's weight: 112 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 39 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Beef, broccoli

Snack:
Apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Dinner:
Turkey meatballs

Snack:
Weekly starch #1: Ezekiel English muffin

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; diet coke)

I know that having an English muffin as one of my weekly starches isn't very exciting, but I was really craving it (and besides, there wasn't really anything else to eat). :)

I'm excited about this upcoming weekend, because for the first time I'll be able to have TWO celebration meals in one weekend. Mostly likely I'll have one on Friday night & the second on Saturday night -- but then again, Monday is Halloween and I'm not sure I'll be able to resist eating some candy that day.

Twix...Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...Snickers...Twizzlers...Kit Kats...Butterfingers...Tootsie Rolls...

Sigh. Monday is not going to be an easy day for me. :)

Day 50 Consolidation: Goal weight vs "true weight"

2011-10-26T19:25:00.000-05:00

Today's weight: 112 lbs
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 40 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon, oat bran cookie

Lunch:
Bibimbap (no rice -- ate beef, pork, spinach, bean sprouts, egg)

Snack:
Apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Dinner:
Crab sticks, turkey meatballs

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water; decaf coffee)

For the past 50 days, my weight has been fairly stable (no more than 2 pounds above my goal weight), which I've been pretty happy about.

However, I should clarify that 110 lbs is my personal goal weight -- not my "True Weight" as defined by Dukan. When I first started the Dukan diet, I actually didn't calculate my True Weight because I already had a specific goal weight in mind (110 was my weight when I was 18 years old, it was my weight two years ago, etc).

The other day, I went to the Dukan Diet website and, out of curiosity, calculated my True Weight (putting down what I would have written had I calculated it back in June). According to the site, my True Weight is 125 pounds. Ironically, that's what I weighed on Day 1 of Attack (though I had lost a little weight right before starting the diet).

So...

The reason I'm writing all of this is because weight is such a loaded issue -- not only for health reasons, but because society puts so much pressure on us to be thin & fit. Yes I want to be thin, but at the same time I don't want to make myself crazy trying to stay at a weight that might be a little too low for me. And I definitely don't want someone who's reading this blog to push him- or herself to lose an inordinate amount of weight because they see me being crazy with my weight.

For now my plan is to keep going with Consolidation, but I think I'm going to give myself a little more latitude in terms of what I'm eating. The nice thing is that since I'm now in the second half of Consolidation, I can have two starches per week & two Celebration meals per week (thank so much, Kath, for reminding me!). :)

Day 48 Consolidation: Chocolate mug cake

2011-10-24T21:40:00.000-05:00

Today's weight: ???
Goal weight (reached on 9/7/11): 110 lbs
Number of days left in Consolidation: 42 (90 days total = 5 days x 18 lbs lost)

Breakfast:
Ezekiel English muffin, turkey bacon, chocolate mug cake (see below)

Snack:
Apple, 18 raw cashews (in place of daily serving of cheese)

Lunch:
Chicken sausages

Dinner:
Turkey meatballs, (forbidden) barbeque sauce

Daily water intake:
2 L (Ice Mountain sparkling water; regular water)

I was gone all weekend (with no scale in sight), so this morning I actually forgot to weigh myself before breakfast. Thus, I have no weight to report (since of course my after-breakfast weight doesn't count)... :)

I tried a new recipe today for a chocolate mug cake posted on the U.S. Dukan facebook page. Below is the recipe (I ended up tweaking it a bit):

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp oat bran
2 Tbsp skim milk powder
1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
Sweetener to taste
1 egg
3-4 Tbsp skim milk

Directions:

1) Beat the egg and skim milk in a very large mug (note that the batter rises a lot during the cooking process).

2) Add the oat bran, milk powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, and sweetener; mix very well. (It should be quite liquid. If necessary, add another tsp of milk.)

3) Microwave for 3 minutes on high.

I used 1/4 tsp (rather than 1 tsp) of baking powder, 4 tsp of sweetener, and 3 Tbsp of skim milk. In addition, I microwaved the mug cake for 2 (rather than 3) minutes.

The chocolate mug cake didn't taste the way I expected: There was hardly any chocolate flavor, and it wasn't sweet at all (though the lack of sweetness was my fault, since the sweetener was "to taste"). I would say that the predominant flavor of the cake was the skim milk powder. If I were to make this cake again, I would definitely use more cocoa powder and sweetener.

Still, it's always nice to have a lot of different recipes for oat bran, since we need to eat it everyday... :)