Dukanista's Diary: Part III!

[Maintainer]

Glad your system unblocked! haaaaa! (As did mine, but result were NOT reflected on my scales, sniffle!!).
With your "hump day", I thought you were recommending a totally different form of exercise altogether! Go for it in your next Exercise Challenge thread !! Being late for work must be a great motivator to move faster!
I'm not a yoghurt fan unfortunately. I eat it, cos it's better for me than other desserts I might want otherwise, but dairy just isn't my thing so no yoghurt maker required for me (one gadget less to put in my cupboard for a few years to later put in my car boot sale!)

 

[Dukanista]

Hahaha (snorting into my morning coffee!). now THAT would make a fun exercise challenge, but maybe not to share with the group

Yay, scale is down to 57.05 (hovered briefly on 57.00) this morning so that's almost 700g off this week so far. Woopwoop! Of course it said 58.6 when I first jumped on - maybe it just needs to wake up first? Scary to think that the first reading could be the true one - but I stepped on and off 4 more times to verify the 57!

Went up a massive hill yesterday and the legs are feeling it, but I think I'll try one more cycle today and make my target of 3 times a week.

So looking forward to this weekend and making some freezable lunches for next week. Gorgeous sunshine here today, wishing you all blue skies, sunbeams and good news on the scales!

Cx

 

[Dukanista]

Managed to cycle today for the third time this week, so about 50 miles total - will have earned a rest this weekend!

Didn't have time to prepare lunch again, but I had some chilli chicken slices and cottage cheese in the fridge at work. I grabbed a half pack of konjac noodles on the way out the door and hey presto! Creamy chilli chicken pasta! My colleagues told me it smelled delicious, and it took all of 2 minutes to make. But it's still an emergency option, and the plan is to do some proper prep this weekend.

Dinner was spicy tofu with ham and the rest of the zero noodles. And choc mint yoghurt dessert

That's it for my attack, and I'm looking forward to 2 pv days this weekend. And experimenting with frozen yoghurt in the ice cream maker!

Well done all you losers Cxx

 

[Dukanista]

56.95kg this morning! V.excited to be over the 57 mark. But I am going pv this weekend and I'm waiting for the totm gain, so don't really expect to go lower than this for now.

Happy weekend everyone

 

[Paulinegin]

Under the 57 mark, you mean Caro!

Good stuff, darling and great to have you back

P x

 

[Dukanista]

Haha - too true lady P. mixing my metaphors: I was thinking of being 'over the hurdle', but yes, very definitely UNDER the mark!

Lovely to be back and to see so many others back on the dukan bus. It's creaking under the weight but getting lighter every day

Cx

 

[Dukanista]

Think I just died and went to heaven...

Had spicy tuna rice (konjac rice) with tomato and cottage cheese sauce for lunch, followed by homemade choc mint frozen yoghurt! First experiment with the ice cream maker and it does take some getting used to, but the final product was well worth it! I cheated a bit and used 2 or 3 spoons of Options Belgian chocolate with a spoon of unsweetened cocoa and some peppermint essence. I think it would be fine with just low fat cocoa, no extra chocolate powder. The base was total 0% yoghurt and some semi-skimmed milk; I think next time I'll use more milk, or maybe a different yoghurt, as the mixture was a little thick. Or maybe some sugar free jelly? Hard to pour into the funnel and a lot of it ended up freezing to the sides of the bowl. I didn't make too much: 2 small bowls (1 of which I ate!) and 4 ice lollies for later in the week.

Now I'm looking forward to the next flavors to try! I don't suppose there is a dukan friendly version of salted caramel or pistachio??

 

[Dukanista]

Woohoooooo!! TOTM but I'm still losing! Weighed in at 56.2 this morning so a total drop of 1.5kg in my first 6 days back on dukan.

OH wanted to cook dinner last night (creamy hake with spinach, onion with cream and white wine sauce), but I avoided most of the sauce. He is trying hard to cook healthier options (he is the main cook in the house) so that we don't have to eat separately all the time, but I really struggled with the decision. Should I insist on eating only what I'm 'allowed', or bend the rules to keep the peace at home? He loves cooking and it really hurts his feelings if I turn down his food: doing dukan long term is so tough on family life and both sides need to make compromises if its going to work. I guess I'd like to get to the point where I'm eating well 80% of the time and then have the freedom to eat 'normally' with friends and family.

We're heading out this morning for a nice long walk, and then I'm planning an afternoon of cooking up meals for the week: quorn bolognese and beef burgers for a start!

Cx

 

[sididd]

Caro, your food sounds so delish, I need to start cooking more as I have fallen into the same boring foods week after week xxx Happy Sunday xxx

 

[Dukanista]

Thanks Sid! Well, it's one of the good things about restarting dukan - you dig up all those wonderful meals from the last round! Plus it's so much easier to find good ingredients in the UK than it was in China

 

[chinababe]

Woohoooooo!! TOTM but I'm still losing! Weighed in at 56.2 this morning so a total drop of 1.5kg in my first 6 days back on dukan.

OH wanted to cook dinner last night (creamy hake with spinach, onion with cream and white wine sauce), but I avoided most of the sauce. He is trying hard to cook healthier options (he is the main cook in the house) so that we don't have to eat separately all the time, but I really struggled with the decision. Should I insist on eating only what I'm 'allowed', or bend the rules to keep the peace at home? He loves cooking and it really hurts his feelings if I turn down his food: doing dukan long term is so tough on family life and both sides need to make compromises if its going to work. I guess I'd like to get to the point where I'm eating well 80% of the time and then have the freedom to eat 'normally' with friends and family.

We're heading out this morning for a nice long walk, and then I'm planning an afternoon of cooking up meals for the week: quorn bolognese and beef burgers for a start!

Cx

Dukanista, I'm totally feeling your dilemma. men don't really seem to understand the dukan philosophy. xxx

 

[Dukanista]

Thanks china! But then again, a lot of people don't get dukan. Eating carbs is just such a way of life, it's unthinkable for some people to change. I find it easier not to talk about it anymore, rather than trying to convert them My husband is pretty good, usually. Since I started dukan last year, he's changed many of his own bad habits, and has even been dispensing advice to the guys in his office who are trying to stay in shape!

Had a nice afternoon cooking up meals for the week. Ended up doing 2 batches of shirataki bolognese: one with quorn, one with lean beef mince. Burgers for another day. I added the noodles to the mix as they soak up the flavor nicely but don't get soggy like regular pasta. I used about a cup of chopped tomato and onion for the quorn mix so strictly speaking it should be for my pv days, but I might get away with it for pp

Lunch: chicken tikka salad with lettuce, romano peppers and cottage cheese dressing; vanilla egg custard
Dinner: rib-eye steak (yumm!), green beans and carrot salad; vanilla yoghurt and a cup of choc mint options (naughty)

Sweet tooth and hunger pangs are hitting me today: TOTM is rearing it's ugly head!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend, and crossing fingers for those doing a weekly wi tomorrow morning!
Cx

 

[Maintainer]

Your meals really sound delicious! I really ought to dig out some old recipes too (one rainy day when there's nothing else needing to be done in the country!). One problem with two homes is that the weekend one always needs me to do boring things so, when the weather is good, the likelihood of my staying in and doing them (when the veg plot and my friends there need me too!) is slim!! Perhaps we should rekindle a "my favourite recipes" thread to help lazy people like me to find them again easily! haaaaa!

Your hubby does sound lovely! It's probably harder still for him to fully comprehend as you are so close to target and so not really overweight like some of us here. It's interesting to see that you had a good loss despite your icecream which must have brought you out of ketosis, surely? (Did you mean semi skimmed milk?).

I'm in admiration of your two minute tasty lunches created in the microwave too!

 

[Dukanista]

Hey Jo,

I think that was part of the problem: I've been so busy the past few months that I just didn't have time to eat properly. I've finally had some 'me' time the last 2 weeks and been able to do some shopping, cooking and kitchen prep, and luckily the results have been quick. So hopefully I'll be back on track soon and be a little more vigilant about not getting out of control!

I know I don't have as much weight to lose as many people here, and I've been grateful that everyone has been supportive and helpful all the same. I've been a lot heavier in the past (closer to 70kg) and I do struggle to maintain a good weight. Like most people I don't have a 'full' switch and can eat and eat without stopping when I'm bored or upset, and if I'm not careful the weight can come back super quick.

Hubby is lovely but annoying sometimes On the one hand he obviously noticed I'd put on weight, with a few gentle comments here and there (he never said I needed to lose weight in the first place, but was proud of me for doing it). But when I do get back on Dukan again it has consequences for him, so he's been grumbling about me not sharing a glass of wine with meals, having a fridge full of fat-free dairy, having to cook without oil, salt, etc. Men! Want to have their cake and eat it

The 'ice cream' was fat free frozen yoghurt with some semi-skimmed milk, peppermint essence, hersheys unsweetened cocoa and splenda. The only bad ingredient was the 2-3 Tbs of Options low cal hot chocolate, which was about 2g fat and 12g carbs in total for the whole batch. So almost sin-free! Next time I will try a mocha variety with some espresso, cocoa and gelatine. Going to run out of freezer space soon, though!
Cx

 

[Dukanista]

Official Monday morning WI was up slightly as expected, but not much: 56.4kg. So total loss in week 1 = 1.3kg, just over 2lbs (sorry, been in the UK for 8 months now and I'm still a metric girl!)


The tentative plan for the week is as follows: Mon, Tues pp, Wed pv, Thurs, Fri pp, and then pv weekend. I think you're supposed to do more pv days than pp in a week, but I like having the routine and would prefer to do this quickly. Last year it took me 3 months to drop 5kg and I never reached my goal of 54, ending up settling for 55. This time around I think it's better to have that extra kg as a buffer, so that if I fluctuate slightly I can get back on track more quickly.


Let's make it quick and painless! So if I aim at half a kg a week, I should be done by the end of September / beginning of October.

 

[sarafvrm]

Caro, you're doing great and sound really focused. Keep posting and you'll be there by the end of the month, easy! xx

 

[Dukanista]

Hi Sara,

Thanks, I love your optimism! Yes, I am focused now. I'm doing the same as last year, with the advantage that I have only half the weight to lose, and I'm armed with all the knowledge I gained last round (especially the accumulated wisdom of this forum!) and everything seems much easier. Plus if you know you've done something before, you know that it's possible.

I do wish I was exercising more, and I really miss the gym and my body pump classes, but I honestly won't have the time this year with the house buying going on. But if I can just stick to my cycling target I'll be happy for now.

Cx

 

[Maintainer]

I thought the UK went metric back in 1971!! I used to convert my weight into pounds and stone but I ended up getting myself far too confused (doesn't take a lot!). Plus, in kilos, we see teeny tiny changes on the scales with our 0.1K losses!

Smaller losses are just as difficult, possibly harder still, because the temptations are greater to have just one of this or that. I understand what you say re your husband too. My OH announced this weekend that he was returning to Dukan. I convinced him not to, and to join me rather, but to cut back on fruit weekdays, and particularly his fruit snack just before going bed! (What a waste of calories!) Last night there were nearly tears at the usual plum snacking hour. I reminded him that on Dukan he'd not have been able to have his lunchtime banana so that appeased him slightly!

Remind me where you were living before?

 

[Dukanista]

Hi Jo,

I changed the title of my diary when I restarted - should probably have started a new one! It used to be something about 'cruising in shanghai'.

I'm from South Africa but a bit of a drifter! Lived in France and Italy for a bit, then went to China and ended up there for almost 15 years, mostly in shanghai. Met the man there a few years back - he's a Scandi - and we moved to the UK together in Jan this year. Phew, sounds like a lot of air miles when I put it that way

 

[Dukanista]

Blech, weight is up slightly again today so I'm going to stop weighing until the weekend or it might demotivate me.

I'm also taking a leaf from sander's book and listing challenges for the week:
- totm water gains
- work events: big anniversary celebration with wine and canapés tonight, and a half day meeting including lunch (sandwiches) and possibly drinks later in the week.
- finding excuses not to exercise!

Solutions:
- stop weighing during totm!
- advance prep: eat before the events, and drink soda water / diet coke.
- post weekly exercise goals and recruit some fitness buddies!