Updates!

     Okay, so I'm going to continue to post on my progress, but let me tell you that it's now 3 months in and I have to post photos; especially for those who are following me. So I started on March 23, 2012 at 248.4 lbs. To date, at 3 months or June 24th, 2012 I've lost 42 lbs! So excited and you can tell in the photos how much of a happier person I am! NOTHING has ever worked this well for me and is so easy! My husband lost around 30 lbs and is now doing the Consolidation phase. He actually is still losing in spite of adding most foods back into his diet in limited quantity! I also know several others who started the diet after me and have lost, 10, 12, 20, 25, 30, 35 lbs in just a couple of months! This is so easy to do!
     I have to tell you though that I had to be in the place mentally and spiritually to do this and I totally get that it does take being in the right head space. Twenty-four years ago I became a Born-Again Christian and changed my life drastically from that of an alcoholic drug user to giving up all of those vices and living for the Lord. My boyfriend and I got married and gained custody of his daughter and together we had 2 girls. At that point in my life and for the first time ever, I began to gain weight. It was sad to me that such an exciting and happy turn around in my life was marked by this change. I struggled with depression and was very unhappy for many years and probably switched from self medicating to medicating with food. I also had someone in my life from this point that was very much in control of my life and my family. For twenty years I was under this person's influence and could not escape. I feel that my weight gain was a form of protection from him. Recently he was removed from my life permanently and I felt my body give a deep sigh of relief. This coincided with the same time I started this diet. I feel as if I have missed so much in being overweight for so many years and it definitely limited what I could do and affected my relationships. I also believe that I had to be in the right place spiritually to have the strength to do this. I also feel that it is an act of obedience and that I was a poor testimony as a Christian in my previous state.
     My weight loss journey has only really just begun but for the first time in my life I feel that I actually have control of it and I'm so excited for the changes that I'm going through! I really have no desire to cheat and now that my weight is down a bit, I want to step up my exercise and work on my fitness. I'm starting back into derby and have goals to accomplish in my skating skill level!
     Lord willing, I will continue in my journey-I'm 2/3 of the way there! Thanks for all your love and support-it feels great to have so many behind me and giving me support evey week!

Day Seven-Veggie Day!!!

     So I'm into the Cruise Phase of the Dukan diet. Protein one day, then protein and veggies the next. So excited! 240.8 lbs today so almost 8 lbs down on Attack. For breakfast I made my asparagus, mushroom, red pepper, onion and ham omelette. First I cut up the asparagus and steam slightly in a bit of water in a non-stick pan. When it's done I drain it and set aside on a plate. In the meantime I cut up the red pepper, onion and ham then cook that for a few minutes in a light spray of oil (I switched to home made Pam spray-cheaper and healthier!) then add to the plate. I beat 2-3 eggs for each person in a bowl with a Tbsp of water and spray the pan again. Pour the eggs into the pan and cook the omelette part. If you've never cooked omelettes, you need to swirl the egg around the pan, then as it starts to cook, gently push the cooked egg into the center of the pan and let the uncooked egg run out to the edge and cook. Just as it's almost set in the middle I sprinkle with salt and ground pepper, add the veggies and ham to one half, then slide the remaining half of the omlette over top of the filling. If I wanted cheese on it, I would sprinkle grated cheese over the meat and veggies before flipping the omlette half over. Then slide the whole thing out onto a plate and cut in half and serve. It was totally yummy but I could only eat half of my portion...Dolph was eyeing it but I saved it for my lunch!

     After breakfast I began to feel spacey, lethargic and cold. For lunch I made dip from non-fat sour cream and Epicure Guacamole dip mix and cut up some raw veggies to have with my omlette. I still felt very drained so I went to bed for an hour! Later I forced myself to do a half hour of Just Dance.
For supper I cooked T-bone steaks with mushrooms and asparagus....Yum! Then my husband and I went out to watch Hunger Games! lol

Day Six-Last Day of Attack!

     Today is the last day of attack!! Down a total of 7 lbs! I was hoping for 10 lbs on attack but I'm ready to have some veggies! Usual breakfast of eggs, galette, peameal bacon. Today I added ground flax seed to my galette...I'm hoping it will help the....ahem...diarrhea situation. I'm afraid to leave the house! For lunch I had turkey deli meat rolled up and dipped in mustard. Starting to feel good-have lots of energy. So far no negative side affects to my brain and actually, I'm feeling pretty clear up there...clearer than I have in months...who knew? Marshall Brain of How Stuff Works has a very funny blog post on what people say will happen to you when you eat a high protein diet. Like no culture has ever lived completely on protein....Eskimos? Yeah, they built igloo greenhouses so they can grow vegetables and grains!
     For supper, I make huge meatballs for Dolph and I.
                                       

                                                                Meatballs

1 lb of ground beef

1 Tbsp oat bran, 1 Tbsp horseradish, 1 tsp Sirachi (Asian hot pepper sauce), 1 tsp Tabasco sauce, 1 egg, 1 tsp sesame oil and onion powder. Mix all together, mold into 4 meatballs and cook in a non-stick frying pan, turning once. Use a meat thermometer to check internal temperature 150-160'. Serve with sauce made with dollops of Buffalo sauce, soy sauce, sugar twin and sesame oil.

     The kids got Shepherd's Pie...and it must last 2 days! We are off to Youth and Small Group. I take pickles, yogurt and turkey bites for snack....and a little heat for what I'm doing from some in my small group, one of whom tells me that carbs build muscle and that I'll lose muscle if I don't include them in my diet?? I have studied alternative medicine and nutrition for many years...I'll take my chances! American Idol! Bed! Veggies tomorrow!

Attack Day Five!

     Fourth day of attack and it's going to be a busy day! Down 1 lb today! Same breakfast as usual: 2 eggs, peameal bacon, galette, coffee, diarrhea! What? Yeah, my bowels have not been acting normally on this diet...which is to be expected if you are dramatically reducing your fiber consumption. Today I'm taking 4 of the kids to the orthodontist which means driving 20 minutes to pick up oldest son at school and then driving another 25 minutes to the University for their appointments. After the dentist, rushing the oldest back to school, grocery shopping, then picking the 2 oldest up at school....more shopping and then home at 4:30. Almost pooped my pants at the grocery store...so be prepared! Going to take some Benefiber and acidophilus tonight to try and firm things up a bit! Lol So glad to be home finally!
     Ever since my concussion, grocery shopping is a real chore. I shop with cash and usually shop at least 2 stores with a meal plan and list in hand. It now takes 2-3 hours and is very stressful so now I do it at the same time every week. Before, I found that I shopped at different times during the week and if the store was busy or we would be running out of some things because more than an exact week had passed then that was too much stress for me. I usually drive the boys to school at 8 am, then hit the store by 8:30-so quiet and empty!
     I took a cooked PC Turkey Burger for lunch and Dolph and I had a repeat of the Curry Chicken dish for supper. Kids got snack wraps with whole wheat wraps and chicken nuggets!
     Yesterday I took my measurements and I've lost 2" off my waist (plus another 1" today!), 1" off my hips, 2 1/2" off my left thigh and 1 1/2''s off my right thigh! Water, you say? WELL, I'M REALLY GLAD TO BE RID OF IT!!

Attack Day Four!

     Today is attack day 4 and Monday morning. Today I am down 5 lbs! My husband is finished his attack as he only has 20 lbs or so to lose...and you know how quickly men lose weight! Woke up wide awake at 5:30! Made scrambled eggs, galette, and peameal bacon for breakfast. Dolph usually gets up at 6:30. I'm having to get his lunch ready as soon as breakfast is done. I put in a hamburger patty, salad with Kraft Calorie Wise Balsamic Vinegrette, rolled up sliced roast beef with mustard, Pillers Turkey Bite and yogurt. So jealous that he can have veggies! Why does food have such control over me? Then minutes later I read in my Bible reading today: Job 23:12 "I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food." ESV Yikes! Okay, pull the knife from my heart!

     Okay, interject a funny story from years ago. My friend was staying over with her 2 young children and as they watched me pack my husband's lunch in the morning, Sarah, who was around 5 asked: "Mrs Van, why are you packing a picnic lunch?" My husband is a big guy and takes a cooler full of food. He calmly responded: "Sarah, that's my lunch and where I'm going it ain't no picnic!"

     I'm trying to get back into exercise after being off for so long with my concussion, so a few weeks ago I ordered Just Dance for Wii. Today I did 2 intervals-15 min in the morning and 30 min late afternoon. I'm not that great but I'm moving! Until recently exercise has given me a headache. One of my worries is that this diet will affect my recovery from the concussion. I still have some symptoms, usually pressure in my head from prolonged screen use or driving for more than an hour. Also, I tire easily and need to be free from stress and get minimum 7-8 hours of sleep! In 2011, I was told repeatedly by specialists that my brain needed carbs to function and recover properly, but in late November I saw an new neurologist who told me that carbs and specifically, sugar are my enemy and I need to eliminate them as much as possible. In the past year, consumption of sugar or carbs would give me immediate relief of some symptoms. Is it possible that my symptoms have been rebound symptoms similar to blood sugar highs and lows? Time will tell. If you haven't read about my concussion experience, you can read about it here.
For dinner I made Island Curry, which is authentic Jamaican Chicken curry served with rice. For Dolph and I, I made 2 chicken breasts with 2 Tbsp of the Mr Goudas Curry Powder and 1 tsp seasoning salt. I piled the spices on top of the chicken breasts and added a little (1/2 cup?) chicken broth to the pan. The spices filter down to the broth and give it a great flavour. We had the chicken breasts with Shiritaki noodles. Dolph got to have green beans with his! Let me tell you about those noodles. They have no carbs and are made from a type of yam I think. They come in a package with liquid-you rinse them and dip them briefly in hot water to warm. Do not boil! They are like eating elastics. They have no flavour but are filling.They also contain a type of Fiber which is great for weight loss! You can but them at most Indian/Asian food markets. I got mine at the Asian Food Market on Oxford St W in London.

So for the fish course...lol...we cooked up 6 pieces of Sole with onion powder and seasoning salt. I made a mustard sauce for the fish. 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, a sprinkle of sweetener and maybe 1/2 tsp of Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs. I love these tubes of herbs, which I buy at Superstore. They keep them in the veggie section and they are a great way to have fresh herb flavour on hand without trying to keep fresh herbs from wilting in the fridge. The tube lasts for several weeks after opening. So after mixing up the sauce, I warmed it in the micro and spread out on the fish. I'm not a huge fish lover but it was pretty good.

Before bed I took a serving of Calm Magnesium Powder. You can read about the benefits of this mineral which we are all pretty much deficient in. It really helps with restless leg syndrome, muscle tightness, stress and insomnia to name a few. Had a great nights sleep! BTW-all the links are for your info. I'm not getting any reimbursement for them.

Chicken Breasts Island Curry Style