End of March update

Weight; 12st 9lb


Total loss - 25lbs.


No loss for 2 weeks.

I am still not going up in weight but I have been feeling REALLY hungry for a few days now, nothing seems to satisfy me.  I can't figure out what I need, but I need something.  Chocolate probably and not the healthy dark kind :o)

For the most part the Dukan Diet has been relatively easy to stick to.  I don't miss pasta, rice and potatoes.  I don't even miss sugar that much, I just have sweetners or cinnaman instead.  But I've noticed this month that I'm starting to get a bit lazy and predictable.  When I first started, I was really happy to make lots of new recipes, especially sauces.   Now I just eat easy, simple and boring! 

Also, I haven't stuck to a few important rules.  I don't drink enough water, I hate water and I find it a struggle.  I have started having freshly squeezed lemon & lime in a pint of water.  That has helped.   I'm also eating things that I shouldn't be, like HONEY :)  Local, organic honey.  For health reasons and also because I'm not convinced that eating tons of sweetner is the way forward, despite Dr Dukan assuring us that it's safe.  There are many side effects, and I've been getting some!  So I'm cutting right back on Splenda and I've also bought a new sweetner based on the Sevia plant, which is natural.

So, in short, I am pleased that my weight has been going down, but I have a long way to go and I really need to start kicking this diets ass if I am to get to my goals.   It's time to get creative again and to start following the diet more closely again I think.....

Update; Week 7 weigh in...

Drumroll please.....

I am now '12stone something'!


Weight 12st 12lbs
Loss 3lbs
Total loss 22lbs

I'm delighted with this loss.  This is the least I have weighed since before my nearly 4 year old was born, so people are really starting to notice now and I am feeling so much more confident about my body already.

My goal this week is to incorporate specific exercises for my arms (Tracy Anderson) and some ab exercises which my partner has done for me (he is a personal trainer!).

My next mini goal is to get to 12st 5lb before my daughter's birthday weekend, which is Easter.  So I have a bit of work to do, but I know that I can do it.

Update; week 6 part 2

I achieved the goal of losing another 2lbs this week and I'm now 13st 1lb (as of Thursday 23rd Feb).  That's a total loss of 19 lbs in 7 weeks.  I'm really pleased with this result and I keep hitting my mini goals, which is very motivating.

My next main mini goal is to have lost another stone (to take me to 12st 3lb as I set this goal last week) by my daughter's birthday on 4th April.  It will actually be the 5th April as Thursday is my weigh day, but as long as I am at that weight on the 4th or 5th April OR LESS :) I will be very happy.

The girls in the office have now noticed my weightloss so the secret is out and now the pressure is on to stick to the plan of 1-2lbs loss a week.  My family have known for weeks, but now everyone seems to have guessed that I'm dieting.  I hate being the centre of attention, so doing a twirl in the middle of the office (one of the ladies was impressed with my weighloss so insisted that I did a full twirl!!) but it was really embarassing :)

Anyway, I'm delighted that I'm still losing weight and the past two weeks has been without any exercise apart from walking due to my trapped nerve in my arm, but as that is now better I will be able to start exercising again soon. 

Update; week 6

Tuesday 21st February 2012

Weight; 13st 3lb 
Loss this week 1lb (plus 4lb's since my last post)

Total loss; 17 lbs
BMI has reduced to 35 

It's been quite a few weeks since my last post and although I'm sticking to the Dukan diet, my resolve has wobbled a little bit.  I am still motivated to lose weight (probably more than ever) but I am so bored with eating the same stuff that I've noticed little things have been creeping in.  Not drinking enough water is the main problem, and too many sweet treats like yogurts etc.

However, as from weigh day (Thursday) I'm going to start a few days of Attack again to start me on the right path.  I am also going to produce a little menu for 7 days containing as many ideas as I can think of which will help me to feel inspired again about the foods I'm allowed.

But... on a more postive note;

Just over 1 month ago I weighed 14st 6lb.  My heaviest weight ever.   I now weigh 13st 3lb (probably less as I'm only 2 days away from this week's weigh in) and I am slowly but surely losing weight and visably losing size.   I look better, feel better and most importantly I now know that this diet plan works for me and I CAN lose the weight.  It's given me the motivation I need to keep going.

It feels great to finally be in control and I am now on the right path to sculpting the body of my dreams.  Previously when I thought of food, I felt depressed or out of control, but now I feel much more positive.  How quickly things can change!

 

Daily update; Day 19

Tuesday 24th January 2012

Weight; 13st 9lb 
Loss this week 2lb (plus another 1lb just after my last post)

Total loss; 11 lbs
BMI has reduced from 38.1 to 36.1

I haven't posted for over a week as my weightloss has slowed right down (it's now approx 2lbs per week) and I didn't have much to report.  I'm sticking to the diet fine, I've not had any setbacks really.  But this week I've decided to move to a 4 day PP (mon-thurs) and the PV fri to sun.   This will help with meal planning as I am work Mon-Thurs and my partner works in the evenings, but we eat together on Fri-Sun.  So I'm happy with this.

I'm also adding in more exercise including the Tabata method* which I am going to do for 4 times a week (I'm doing jumping stars but you can do any form of aerobic exercise I think).
This should help the fat to melt away :) and I am also going to start doing some workouts which will help to tone me up.  The wii fit is ok, but it's a bit boring after a while, so I'm looking forward to the change.

Hopefully I should start to see the benefits of this intensive exercise soon.  I'll report back here.

It's now rapidly approaching the 1st February which was my first mini goal (to lose 1 stone by the 1st Feb).  Can I do it?   I still have 3 lbs to go....

Tabata Method

A popular regimen based on a 1996 study^[2] uses 20 seconds of ultra-intense exercise (at an intensity of about 170% of VO₂max) followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated continuously for 4 minutes (8 cycles). Tabata called this the IE1 protocol.^[3] In the original study, athletes using this method trained 4 times per week, plus another day of steady-state training, and obtained gains similar to a group of athletes who did steady state (70% VO₂max) training 5 times per week. The steady state group had a higher VO₂max at the end (from 52 to 57 ml/kg/min), but the Tabata group had started lower and gained more overall (from 48 to 55 ml/kg/min). Also, only the Tabata group had gained anaerobic capacity benefits.

Moroccan Chicken

Moroccan Style Chicken

Suitable for: Attack Diet & Pure Protein

Ingredients:

• 1/2 brown onion diced
• 1 chicken breast diced
• 2 slices of lean bacon diced
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons of extra light cream cheese

Method:

1. brown chicken in a lightly oiled pot on high
2. reduce heat then add bacon and onion and cook for 1 minute
3. add all herbs, chicken stock and cream cheese, stir well
4. On low heat place a lid on the pot and simmer covered for 10mins

I originally got the above recipe off another Dukan website, but I didn't add bacon (I didn't have any) and I also added less cream cheese (I added just 1 x dessert spoon full) as I wanted to make sure I didn't eat too much dairy that day.  It was absolutely delicious without these additions, even my super-fussy 3 year old loved the gravy!

This recipe makes enough for one person for a main meal, but the gravy/sauce is enough for more so if you are cooking for 2 or 3 just add more chicken and more onions.

Daily update; Day 9

Saturday 14th Jan 2012

Weight; 13st 12lb
-2lb
Total loss = 8 lb

Well the day started better than the last two days :)  I got my first compliment from my partner today when I told him the mysterious 2lbs had come off again, he said that I am 'definitely strinking' and my stomach looked much smaller.  Later when he gave me a hug he said that he could feel that my waist and sides were slimmer.

I managed another long walk with the family today, up and down hills as we take the dog to a local wood.  We have a 3 year old so the terreign there is just about perfect, not too hilly, but hilly enough to get the heart rate speeding up.  I intend to go on the Wii fit after writing this blog post as the house is so quite now, nobody will laugh at me if I fall over!

Check out the new recipe that I am just about to add; Morrocan Chicken.  It was absolutely delicious.