Gonna Cruise to Lose!

So this is the night before the morning after, been "here!" too many times before - the night before the "big life changing diet" starts only to fail and be disappointed. So learning from past experiences I know that I do best if I keep a diary and soley focus on the diet as if my life depended on it but before it didn't - this time it does. I've had an awful year health wise and it isn't getting any better, if I don't bring myself in hand and concentrated fully on myself I'm going to be very ill or much worse. Yet it has still taken me months and months to get to this stage of enough is enough - so why tonight and why Dukan? I've been looking at this diet on and off for ages now but found it cost prohibitive - I didn't know that you could simply buy the book until I saw it in Tesco's tonight or maybe I had seen the book but been "blind" to it but anyway I got the book and I already had stocked up on proteins as I was going to low carb anyway (I did the metabalism miracle diet last year and did well until the doctors told me to stop to see if that was the cause of the heart problems).

So tonight I have read the first half of the book which is all I need to read for the time being - the second half is for way way way down the line. I've also been onto the Dukan website and got their chart setting out the various phases. It says I need to do attack for 7 days so starting from tomorrow (Tuesday) I will do 7 days of pure proteins and nothing else. I'm ready for it mentally - we have eaten so much over the holidays that I really am over faced with so much rich food and really ready to do something (anything)!

The Dukan website said that I should be at my ideal weight of 10st 5lbs by 14th September and that really doesn't feel like a long time away at all. In fact quite the opposite - we normally go away end of September/beginning of October and so the thought that I may be at my ideal weight by then is very appealing and it also gives me something great to aim for.

So here I am the night before the morning after - looking forward to starting and planning when I can nip out to pick up those last few things I need to get started SUCCESSFULLY.

I will start the day with scrambled eggs and take it from there but fully intend to keep this diary up to date as I go as I know it is a key tool in keeping me motivated!

Oh yes I guess I'd better put my start weight in - I'm thoroughly ashamed to say 15st 12lbs - how on earth did I get to that???

So 5st 7lbs to lose! Not a lot if you say it quickly ....

Never mind how you got there, although I am sure that you know.

Great to have you on board lajlaj! I am sorry to hear about your poorly year, but rememeber that this is a new one! One that you sound determined to succeed.

This site is great and the diet too. You will meet lots of people to help you along the way and share your journey with. Have a look through the recipe thread and post on the daily menu thread too. It's always good to see the variety that others are having. Variety is the key I find to not getting bored.

Good luck for tomorrow and lovely to meet you.

Bren
X

Well done taking the first step.

It's totally doable, I've lost almost 4 stone in just over 6months, so 5.5 in 9months is possible, it might take more, or less depending how good you are.

Good luck, good willpower and good planning.

Thank you both for saying hi. Jaqys that is a really great weight loss, well done - truly inspirational! I'm just about to have my first water of the day and make scrambled eggs (I'd make omlette but find it impossible to keep it in one piece!).

Feeling inspired and motivated by all the stories on here - had a good read through the forum last night.

Lots of water hun. Good planning like Jaqys mentioned and with the motivation you will do this!

Oh and how about exercise, Dukan recommends about 20 mins of walking everyday. Im sure that's correct?

Bren
X

Hi Bren

Yes 20 mins of exercise plus some toning exercises which I'm about to go and do. Walking may be difficult today because of yet more snow (it takes me all my time to just stay upright in it) but I figured maybe a 20 minute walk round a supermarket may be a good compromise? I've just asked one of my friends who lives round the corner if she will take me out for a walk every day! I know this is one element I'm going to struggle with!

Good girl. What about the toning exercises and renting a piece or buying an exercise bike?

Bren
X

lajlaj - I'm so sorry to hear about your heart problems. Hopefully, losing weight will make a big difference to how you feel. It also gives you a really important impetus for sticking to the diet; everytime you're feeling a bit tempted, just remember why you're doing it.

As for exercise, I'm not sure whether certain forms of exercise are not recommended for your condition, but you can get "in-home walking" DVDs. I know that sounds weird, but they're brisk walking, which includes various exercises - and, best of all, they're great for using on cold, icy days as you don't need to leave the comfort of your house. Two I know and can recommend are by Stott Pilates (The Complete Secret to Weight Loss - parts 1 & 2) and Lesley Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds Complete Collection (has 1, 2, 3 and 4 mile walks).

Another ramble to keep me going! Almost done the first morning, am hungry and can't concentrate on work - I will go and have a protein snack and get some warm water down my neck that may help a bit - not done well with the water so far, need to really kick this up a notch.

I also need to get a wiggle on and get some work done - reading the book and forum all day is not an effective use of my time ;-)

Thanks for all the tips and hints etc, these are so useful.

You can have herbal tea, tea, coffee to help get your liquid intake up.

I tend to keep a bottle on my desk and make sure I drink the contents in the morning and refil and drink in the afternoon and hope I get some more in me at home later.

But it takes time to get in the habit and there are a lot of changes to make in attack and the start of conso.

Keep going, you'll get there.

Herbal teas are a god send. Oh and don't forget gum.

I have to go shopping later - herbal tea, gum, oat bran and more proteins to eat and snack on. Just had some sliced cold meat and a can of diet coke plus a mug of hot water. I'm a big coffee drinker but want to try to cut down because I know I go ott then can't sleep so want to use this as an excuse to cut right back on that too.

So far so good, I've low carbed several times before with good results so know what to expect although I think that this is possibly the most drastic no carbing diet I've done to date - the others in the past have allowed for some veg in the first week - this is the first time I've done absolutely no veg! I know the first couple of days are going to be hard but I also know that once I'm in ketosis I usually sail along with no problems until I blip then I fall off the wagon big style (no half measures with me!)

Thanks for encouraging me and motivating me and all the hints and tips.

They'll be no wagons this time hun! Lol

Xx

Absolutely, Dukan is the last diet you'll do!

Hi, welcome and good luck. I also wanted to lose weight for health reasons (although to avoid, not because I'm already ill). That must be hard, I hope the weight loss goes a long way to resolving your health problems.

I'd stay your target is realistic - I lost the weight Dr D said I would but took an extra month, HOWEVER, I was on holiday for 10 days and had a lot of invites out at weekends (so probably wasn't in ketosis very often). That didn't stop me losing every single week though. So, if you stick to plan,then absolutely possible and more importantly, probable.

Shout if you need help - great, friendly bunch here and usually someone around (during the week, at least).

Yeah end off attack you'll be bonkers for some greens.
Although some here prefer pp to pv days.

Good luck with the shopping.

Ahem... has anyone mentioned potential constipation issues during such a lengthy attack period? <why oh why does it always have to be me?!!>

You mention having just had some cold meat - was that cold meat you cooked? or packaged stuff? Just wondering...

I'm a bit sleepy today, day 2, but more cold+sore throat oriented than diet I'm sure...

Off to the wc again... I'm wearing down the office carpet between here and there...

I know all about the constipation lol! I've low carbed before! I'm supposed to do 7 days of attack according to the dukan website but if I get bad I'll do just 5!

The meat was from a butcher - they roast and pack it but it contains no preservatives or anything else. Just pure beef.

I hope you aren't in for the dreaded flue everyone seems to be coming down with it right now.

Got the detox headache from hell (all ready!), onto glass of water number 5 - just got some ginger which flavours it beautifully and will help me massively.

Dinner was salmon with a Galette (which I made with fat free yoghurt rather than fromage frais as I didn't have any(!) and also a slice of mackrel and a slice of smoked salmon! Wasn't so keen on the Galette - I put some salt and pepper in but really it was tasteless. Maybe it is because I made it with yoghurt and not fromage frais??

I'm still hungry (not really but hey this is a first day of a diet so my mind thinks I am) so I'm going to have a spoon of low fat cottage cheese and a slice of smoked salmon soon and a muller light with a glass of hot water and ginger.

Thanks again to everyone for their support today. Few more hours and I've done one of the worst days, another one like today and by the third day I should be slipping into ketosis.

and so ends my first day! Feeling sicky, very indigestiony, very very headachy and alround bleugh but I've done the first day. Now to load the dishwasher and head to bed hopefully without eating anything. For my own benefit here is what I ate today:-

* 2 scrambled eggs for breakfast, black coffee
* Couple of glasses of hot water
* Can of diet coke and a couple of slices of beef as a snack.
* Lunch was the remainder of the beef(!) with another glass of hot water.
* Snack when I got in - glass of hot water with ginger & two small mackrel strips plus a toffee muller light.
* Dinner glass of ginger beer (sugar free), a pancake thingy made with oatbran and yoghurt, a slice of smoked salmon, a strip of mackrel and a piece of oven baked salmon.
* Glass of ginger water and a vanilla muller light

Can't stop weeing but going to have to take indigestion tablet or won't be able to sleep.

Gah, gah gah! I hate the first few days and this is particularly bad because I had literally over dosed on carbs over Christmas - I've not cooked a meal since boxing day I went on strike and we either ate out or had take aways (I usually cook everything!!)

Thanks for keeping me sane through today and I'm sort of looking forward to tomorrow!

Well done getting through day 1.

You've had quite the variety of proteins already.

Hope you get into ketosis and out of bleurgh quickly.

Feel better fast and goodluck for day 2.

Thanks jaqys! Just made myself a hot water with mint and am going to go find the strongest pain killers I can find and climb into bed! Part of my new years resolutions is to get to bed before midnight every night - did it last night but couldn't sleep. Exhausted though.

Sleep well and thanks again for all the support today.