Consolidation Dukandebut's Trying to Stay the Same Diary
- Thread starter dukandebut
- Start date
dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
That's exactly it, scrumper. It's like taking a leap of faith and I really don't want to mess up what I've achieved so far. I kind of like being able to breathe properly and being able to wear nice clothes again.
Thanks so much for the kind words. We're all in this together, really, and all going through the same thing at one time or another. It's good to know that there's always help and support with this Dukan lark here in the forum. :grouphugg:
Maintainer
** Chief WITCH **
My opinion, for what it's worth, is that while I've encouraged DD to increase her carbs more wholeheartedly than she has been doing - which has resulted in her 5lb loss since in Conso (I think that's right) - I don't see a problem with staying at full Conso (ie 2 x starch and 2 x gala) for life if that's comforting. I expect most "normal people", with an healthy eye on their weight, wouldn't have many more of either in a week.
"In my day", Conso was as above from the outset - so you can well imagine how that caused frightening weight gains from day 1 - but now, with the slowly slowly approach, particularly for someone like DD who's still not having full rations and has lost weight on Conso, soonest onto full rations the better in my humble opinion... and then stay there for as long as she like.
I have yet to find comprehensive rules for Stab... and so, for those of us who prefer a rule book to follow, Stab will always be a scarey place!
"In my day", Conso was as above from the outset - so you can well imagine how that caused frightening weight gains from day 1 - but now, with the slowly slowly approach, particularly for someone like DD who's still not having full rations and has lost weight on Conso, soonest onto full rations the better in my humble opinion... and then stay there for as long as she like.
I have yet to find comprehensive rules for Stab... and so, for those of us who prefer a rule book to follow, Stab will always be a scarey place!
dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
Thanks, Jo. I always appreciate your sensible, honest and well thought-out advice.
After 2 weekends away, during which time I've gala'd my socks off, I'm pretty worried about weighing myself, so my first weigh in for about 3 weeks will be next Saturday. This is in order not to freak myself off with the results, giving myself a bit of time to maybe recover a little from the excesses.
As is the case with you, diets tend to work best for me when I have rigid rules to follow. When those rules are no longer supposed to apply, I can all too easily flounder and sink beneath tides of chocolate and other lovely snacks.
You have no idea how incredibly comforting your words are when you write that you see no reason why someone can't stay on full Conso for life if necessary. I shall use that as my life-raft, I think, holding it in reserve just in case I ever need it. Good to know that it's there.
After this weekend's weigh in, I think I'll see where I stand in terms of moving forward onto full Phase II yet. Those 2 weekends of galas were much more than I'd normally eat so I'd prefer to recover fully from them first if necessary. Having said that, I did have those extra 5lbs in reserve so they may have soaked up any damage.
Don't worry, though, Jo. I have absolutely no desire of losing more weight. Apart from anything else, I don't want to look like a haggard old prune! ;-) So I'll move onto full Conso as soon as I can.
Thanks again to both you and scrumper for helping to feel better and more positive this morning. I was on a bit of a downer about it all yesterday, I think.
Anyway, on to today's menu - for which I'm having my Gala dessert only (part of my weird and complicated plan for this week - normal service should be resumed next week):
B Yoghurt with oatbran, medium glass of apple juice
L Cheese, mushroom and spring onion omelette with salad, followed by yoghurt
D Courgette and mint soup with big dollop of crème fraîche and bread, followed by my gala dessert of 6 of my favourite chocs in the world
(Jo - I think my choc snack consumption was starting to get out of hand, giving me what you so aptly call "head hunger", so I'm taking your good advice of limiting them to a gala dessert instead. If I make that into a solid rule, then I'm hoping that will be easier to follow. Any shortfall in calories per day will henceforth be made up of Dukan-friendly foods.)
After 2 weekends away, during which time I've gala'd my socks off, I'm pretty worried about weighing myself, so my first weigh in for about 3 weeks will be next Saturday. This is in order not to freak myself off with the results, giving myself a bit of time to maybe recover a little from the excesses.
As is the case with you, diets tend to work best for me when I have rigid rules to follow. When those rules are no longer supposed to apply, I can all too easily flounder and sink beneath tides of chocolate and other lovely snacks.
You have no idea how incredibly comforting your words are when you write that you see no reason why someone can't stay on full Conso for life if necessary. I shall use that as my life-raft, I think, holding it in reserve just in case I ever need it. Good to know that it's there.
After this weekend's weigh in, I think I'll see where I stand in terms of moving forward onto full Phase II yet. Those 2 weekends of galas were much more than I'd normally eat so I'd prefer to recover fully from them first if necessary. Having said that, I did have those extra 5lbs in reserve so they may have soaked up any damage.
Don't worry, though, Jo. I have absolutely no desire of losing more weight. Apart from anything else, I don't want to look like a haggard old prune! ;-) So I'll move onto full Conso as soon as I can.
Thanks again to both you and scrumper for helping to feel better and more positive this morning. I was on a bit of a downer about it all yesterday, I think.
Anyway, on to today's menu - for which I'm having my Gala dessert only (part of my weird and complicated plan for this week - normal service should be resumed next week):
B Yoghurt with oatbran, medium glass of apple juice
L Cheese, mushroom and spring onion omelette with salad, followed by yoghurt
D Courgette and mint soup with big dollop of crème fraîche and bread, followed by my gala dessert of 6 of my favourite chocs in the world
(Jo - I think my choc snack consumption was starting to get out of hand, giving me what you so aptly call "head hunger", so I'm taking your good advice of limiting them to a gala dessert instead. If I make that into a solid rule, then I'm hoping that will be easier to follow. Any shortfall in calories per day will henceforth be made up of Dukan-friendly foods.)
Maintainer
** Chief WITCH **
Anja's gonna kill me... just that I can't be as restrained and lucid as she is around food...!
dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
Me, too, Jo!
I'm really hoping that I'll be fine on Stab, but Full Conso is a good safety net or refuge to have just in case.
Damn the existence of chocolate! (I don't really mean that.)
anjuschka
Dukan Ancestor!!
Woohoo what a brilliant discussion! Of course I agree with all you said, what prompted me to query it was your original post:
Of course if you feel safer (and I agree completely) sticking a plan resembling conso then that's fine. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't think you HAD TO extend it because you have extra losses or were going slower etc. As Jo said, we want you to get to 'full conso' as soon as possible. The time of conso is supposed to be the length of time it takes our bodies to relax out of starvation mode which makes it extract a higher nutritional value from all foods while carbs (or all nutrition?) are withheld. So we have to get the carbs back into our lives, gradually, or we will never be able to come out of full diet mode without huge gains as soon as we so much as look at a plate of pasta!
Perfect sense! No problems just wanted to make sure you were not imposing additional restrictions that didn't have ot be there. If you feel better going slow then stick with it! After all I sort of extended my own conso into the end of Jan just because I needed to find my feet after Christmas and settle into a controlled conso-stab.
Exactly - there are hardly any rules that's the problem so Conso is the closest we'll get to it! Some people can, in theory, go to 'unplanned' healthy eating, whereas most of us need to refer back to the Conso rules to keep us on the straight and narrow!
Right and now I think I have long answers to write on our Stabilization diary too!
Thanks for the compliment, not sure I deserve it though - you have no idea how hard it is to maintain this last vestige of restraint!
And yes Conso's got to be my life raft too - kicking into action as we write!
Of course if you feel safer (and I agree completely) sticking a plan resembling conso then that's fine. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't think you HAD TO extend it because you have extra losses or were going slower etc. As Jo said, we want you to get to 'full conso' as soon as possible. The time of conso is supposed to be the length of time it takes our bodies to relax out of starvation mode which makes it extract a higher nutritional value from all foods while carbs (or all nutrition?) are withheld. So we have to get the carbs back into our lives, gradually, or we will never be able to come out of full diet mode without huge gains as soon as we so much as look at a plate of pasta!
Hope that makes sense.
Does that sound sensible, or do you foresee problems with my plan? Any advice would be very gratefully received!
Also, I am so incredibly terrified of Stab.
Perfect sense! No problems just wanted to make sure you were not imposing additional restrictions that didn't have ot be there. If you feel better going slow then stick with it! After all I sort of extended my own conso into the end of Jan just because I needed to find my feet after Christmas and settle into a controlled conso-stab.
Exactly - there are hardly any rules that's the problem so Conso is the closest we'll get to it! Some people can, in theory, go to 'unplanned' healthy eating, whereas most of us need to refer back to the Conso rules to keep us on the straight and narrow!
Right and now I think I have long answers to write on our Stabilization diary too!
Thanks for the compliment, not sure I deserve it though - you have no idea how hard it is to maintain this last vestige of restraint!
And yes Conso's got to be my life raft too - kicking into action as we write!
dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
Thanks so much, Anja. I understand what you mean now - but never fear, I won't extend the Conso due to the extra pounds lost as they're extraneous; my reasoning behind it is to make sure that I complete the full 70 days for the official weight loss on Phase II. As you say, it's incredibly important to re-introduce those carbs properly before moving on.
You know, the further I progress, the more I'm beginning to understand (I think!) what Dr D meant when he wrote: "...keeping the consolidation foods as your safety base and platform." Whilst he probably didn't mean staying on Conso for life, he really seems to understand the psychology behind all of this.
Also, thanks for the tip-off re the wholewheat noodles. It took me a while to get hold of them because my local Sainsburys was out of stock for a few weeks, but finally got them and am using them today.
PV Carb:
B Yoghurt with oatmeal, medium glass of apple juice
L Large bowl of courgette and mint soup and fromage frais (this is delicious!) with cheese and spring onion toasted sandwich, followed by yoghurt
D Five-spiced steak with stir-fried veg and wholewheat noodles, followed by crème au chocolat
You know, the further I progress, the more I'm beginning to understand (I think!) what Dr D meant when he wrote: "...keeping the consolidation foods as your safety base and platform." Whilst he probably didn't mean staying on Conso for life, he really seems to understand the psychology behind all of this.
Also, thanks for the tip-off re the wholewheat noodles. It took me a while to get hold of them because my local Sainsburys was out of stock for a few weeks, but finally got them and am using them today.
PV Carb:
B Yoghurt with oatmeal, medium glass of apple juice
L Large bowl of courgette and mint soup and fromage frais (this is delicious!) with cheese and spring onion toasted sandwich, followed by yoghurt
D Five-spiced steak with stir-fried veg and wholewheat noodles, followed by crème au chocolat
dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
You certainly can, Em.
I'll post it in the recipe thread. Since there's little (or possibly no) protein in it, I usually add a huge dollop of fromage frais in the middle - gives it a lovely creamy taste, too. You could always eat some meat slices or pieces for the same meal to up the protein levels a bit more.dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
I think I need a brain transplant since it obviously turned to mush when I did my weekly shopping last Friday night. I ended up missing out a few things and having to change plans.
Tonight's main meal was going to be PP-friendly chicken tortillas, but has since changed into lean steak mince. Sigh.
PP
B Yoghurt
L Turkey rashers with chive cottage cheese, followed by yoghurt
D Galette with lean minced steak cooked with a tiny amount of onion, stock and herbs, followed by crème au chocolat
Tonight's main meal was going to be PP-friendly chicken tortillas, but has since changed into lean steak mince. Sigh.
PP
B Yoghurt
L Turkey rashers with chive cottage cheese, followed by yoghurt
D Galette with lean minced steak cooked with a tiny amount of onion, stock and herbs, followed by crème au chocolat
dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
Not to worry, Laura, I actually really love mince (just as well as I eat loads of the stuff).
Just annoying because I'm usually prepared to within an inch of my life. ;-)
Good luck with your PP day. Boring, aren't they? Especially when compared to the lovely variety you can usually have on Conso and Stab. Still, worth it if it keeps us nice and slim, eh?
Just annoying because I'm usually prepared to within an inch of my life. ;-)
Good luck with your PP day. Boring, aren't they? Especially when compared to the lovely variety you can usually have on Conso and Stab. Still, worth it if it keeps us nice and slim, eh?
anjuschka
Dukan Ancestor!!
Ah good
I just wanted to make sure...Yes and no. What annoyed me most is that initially we are promised by the book 'in phase 4 you can eat what you like' when really it is the same as phase 3 - you can eat what you like (ie Gala meals) but you need to remain vigilant all the time about not overdoing it. One day of PP is not going to pull you out of too many excesses... However, it is useful that I have learnt about what I can eat and STS, and also how to pull quite easily (I hope, we shall see this week!) back when I HAVE overdone it...
Ah good! I though they tasted very 'raw wheaty', even compared to normal WM spaghetti. At least nobody in my family complained so I may stick with them.Also, thanks for the tip-off re the wholewheat noodles. It took me a while to get hold of them because my local Sainsburys was out of stock for a few weeks, but finally got them and am using them today.
Oh boo - don't you just have it when that happens! Well I have kept my options open - I have prawns defrosting if I need ot make a quick omelette, but I also have some chicken marinating (with mustard - is that allowed on 'white' PP days - probably not!), and it comes up really nice skewered and grilled. This way my lunch tomorrow is also sorted!
I should explain - our Thursdays are complicated because DD1 goes to ballet, but DD2 can't wait with her tea till she gets home so we eat in 2 shifts...
dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
Yes, his words certainly were a bit misleading in that respect. As you say, there's no way that you could really eat what you like (if you're me, in any case!
) with his "few simple rules". I do also agree with you, however, that I feel I have learnt more about eating within my means on this diet than with any other.I rather like the wheaty taste, but must admit that I prefer the texture of the wormy-shaped Sharwoods medium egg noodles. It's wonderful to be able to have noodles on my carb days, though, so I'm definitely not complaining.
Thankfully, I have an obsession with keeping some food in reserve for just such occasions. So even though I may have to change plans occasionally, I know that I have something in stock as a replacement. In fact, you can usually come up with some fantastic adjustments to recipes when substituting missing ingredients for something else.
I love my husband and family, but they don't half complicate things when you're on a diet, don't they? My poor husband probably wonders why I smile so brightly at the news that he's going to be away overnight. It's not because I've got a secret man stashed away or anything - but because the cooking is SO much simpler!
dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
Kept awake by an allergic cat last night, then woken up early by some serious hedge trimming, so feeling a little tired this morning.
Back to PV today:
B Yoghurt with medium glass of apple juice
L Large bowlful of courgette and mint soup (if it's still okay) with ham and tomato sandwich, followed by yoghurt
D Galette, homemeade burger, homemade ketchup, grilled onions, gherkin and cheese, followed by crème au chocolat
Back to PV today:
B Yoghurt with medium glass of apple juice
L Large bowlful of courgette and mint soup (if it's still okay) with ham and tomato sandwich, followed by yoghurt
D Galette, homemeade burger, homemade ketchup, grilled onions, gherkin and cheese, followed by crème au chocolat
dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
Don't worry, scrumper. Ignore all of my panicky moments. Conso's actually really great. The idea of Stab is scaring me at the moment, but it's the fear of the unknown more than anything else, I think. I'm probably really over-complicating things.
dukandebut
Goat herder(ess)
Unfortunately, I have somehow managed to lose another 3lbs during the last 3 weeks. Not sure exactly how as I've eaten to excess during the galas over the last couple of weekends.
Must admit that I was a bit upset about this at first. I'm usually fairly chilled, but was actually shaking a little when I saw the figure on the scales. (I think TOTM is making me more emotional than I would normally be. Sorry about the embarrassing soul-baring.) Still, I've seen away of pulling this around and turning it into something positive.
I'd previously been very worried about reaching Stab, scared that there was no way I'd be able to maintain my weight. Whilst this recent weight loss is unwanted, it gives me hope that I may actually be able to succeed with Stab. It certainly has rid me of my fears re going onto Conso Phase II, which I shall begin immediately, instead of the more gradual approach I'd planned on taking.
Since it was too late to change my menu and shopping list when I weighed myself this morning (was in a big rush), I bought a lovely cheesey garlic pizza bread to have with one of my meals this week as a second gala meal (I had been planning on 2 carb meals and only 1 gala). I've been craving one of these for ages and will definitely enjoy it - as Anja would say, without guilt!
There are two things I've been wondering:
1) Maybe the weight loss is because my body has now adjusted so well and adapted my metabolism to Phase I of Conso. That would be very encouraging and gives me the courage to move onto Phase II straight away.
2) Are the recommended calorific intake levels too low on myfitnesspal? Most of my time is sedentary, with the exception of my fitness sessions - which I always input into the myfitnesspal site. Apart from a very few days which take me under my recommended level (PP days), most are around the recommended level and some (galas and carbs) are sometimes considerably in excess of this. Yet I'm still losing weight. The recommended level for me to maintain a higher weight (8st) than I am currently at is 1,390 calories per day - which increases when I have an exercise session. I wonder if anyone else has experienced something similar with the myfitnesspal recommended levels?
Okay, here's today's menu. This is my first Gala meal of the week:
B Yoghurt with oatbran and medium glass of orange juice
L Ham and tomato sandwich, followed by yoghurt
D (Gala) Gammon and veg baked tortillas with cheese, followed by homemade dark chocolate brownie. Hopefully, washed down with a nice glass of cider (if there's any left).
Must admit that I was a bit upset about this at first. I'm usually fairly chilled, but was actually shaking a little when I saw the figure on the scales. (I think TOTM is making me more emotional than I would normally be. Sorry about the embarrassing soul-baring.) Still, I've seen away of pulling this around and turning it into something positive.
I'd previously been very worried about reaching Stab, scared that there was no way I'd be able to maintain my weight. Whilst this recent weight loss is unwanted, it gives me hope that I may actually be able to succeed with Stab. It certainly has rid me of my fears re going onto Conso Phase II, which I shall begin immediately, instead of the more gradual approach I'd planned on taking.
Since it was too late to change my menu and shopping list when I weighed myself this morning (was in a big rush), I bought a lovely cheesey garlic pizza bread to have with one of my meals this week as a second gala meal (I had been planning on 2 carb meals and only 1 gala). I've been craving one of these for ages and will definitely enjoy it - as Anja would say, without guilt!
There are two things I've been wondering:
1) Maybe the weight loss is because my body has now adjusted so well and adapted my metabolism to Phase I of Conso. That would be very encouraging and gives me the courage to move onto Phase II straight away.
2) Are the recommended calorific intake levels too low on myfitnesspal? Most of my time is sedentary, with the exception of my fitness sessions - which I always input into the myfitnesspal site. Apart from a very few days which take me under my recommended level (PP days), most are around the recommended level and some (galas and carbs) are sometimes considerably in excess of this. Yet I'm still losing weight. The recommended level for me to maintain a higher weight (8st) than I am currently at is 1,390 calories per day - which increases when I have an exercise session. I wonder if anyone else has experienced something similar with the myfitnesspal recommended levels?
Okay, here's today's menu. This is my first Gala meal of the week:
B Yoghurt with oatbran and medium glass of orange juice
L Ham and tomato sandwich, followed by yoghurt
D (Gala) Gammon and veg baked tortillas with cheese, followed by homemade dark chocolate brownie. Hopefully, washed down with a nice glass of cider (if there's any left).
