Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' Rawhide!

Hey Folks,

Sorry it's been a long time! Dukan has been a wonderful companion on what has been a pretty bollocks start to 2012.  Did I say start? Is it June already? Man...

So no, no I'm not dead and no I haven't fallen off the Dukan wagon. I've just been engaging in some serious navel gazing.  Things are largely ok, I have my health and my wonderful boyfriend, friends, family and gorgeous cat (meow!) but my job situation has been dire (working hard on intern wages, hating the job, being stuck in terrible job market with niche skills) so I've been poor, overworked, overtired, overstressed, etc. Other metaphorical clouds are lifting - the housemate who hated everyone has finally moved out - hooray!  I think everything has been feeding into a rather negative mind space - job searching and being hated is so soul destroying and bad for the self esteem!

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can

Hello Dukaners! Gosh, day 77 of my dukan adventure; 2½ months on – lets review where I am.  I’ve been away for a few days and have been really successful at sticking to the plan, largely thanks to my understanding family who just let me get on with it without making me feel weird and said all sorts of encouraging things about how they could really tell it was working, etc.  Before I left London (4 days ago) I had a BMI of 23 – amazing to think that just 2½ months ago I had a BMI of 28.  That’s 5 BMI points down, from being a stones throw from clinically obese to 2 points under the ‘overweight’ threshold (yes – I am ‘normal’!! – finally!!)

Off roading it, my very un-Dukan Holiday...

Hello Hello,

Hope you all had a gorgeous Easter?  I had a BLAST in Glasgow for a friends wedding.  I used to live in Glasgow for about 4 and half years.  I left in summer 2007 and have only been back briefly for New Year 07/08 since then, so there were LOTS of people to catch up with and it was great fun.  The downside being that me and the bf had so many people to catch up with we were going from pub to pub, going 'drink drink drink, taxi! going the next pub, drink, drink, drink, etc. '

The sticky issue of get stuck and having your weight stick during Dukan Diet weight loss

So hello my lovely bloggies,

Sorry I've been so slack at blogging recently - February was a brutal month work-wise, I thought March would be better and by and large it has, but it's still been a mission to keep on top of things.  So here is a quick blog about how I'm getting on and then I'm off for a long weekend which will be the first holiday (excluding a few days at Christmas) I've had since September - phew!

How my measurements have changed - ONE MONTH REVIEW

So, I haven't done any photos - which is shame because I loooove before and after photos... just not of my fat arse!  So a quick blog today about how my measurements are shaping up.  I measured myself first on 15th Feb, one day after starting Dukan and measured myself yesterday on 15th March.  The results are in!

BOOM! One month down & How I lost my cat...

Hey Folks,

It's true... I lost my cat doing the Dukan.... Sorry I haven't blogged in a while... I won't go into detail, suffice to say work is dire.  I'm tired of being sad about it and I'm exhausted of being exhausted and there's nothing more to say than that really, other than the end is in sight when I finish this contract at the end of June... Roll on summer!  On the plus side, I've lost my cat...

Cluck, Cluck, What to do when you can't face eggs for breakfast!

So I woke up this morning feeling a bit queasy.  We're out of milk and the b/f made the tea too strong AND the drains are wonky again this morning so the whole house smells like egg.  Bleurgh.

I have, for the most part, been eating eggs for breakfast, almost every day.  I have them scrambled with mackerel (yummy but strong) and since learning to fry them "over easy" I've been doing this as I love a runny yolk.  Eggs, eggs, eggs.  On PV days I stick a couple of baby tomatoes in as well.  I do eggs with garlic and herbs (green eggs), I have eggs on spinach (very yum), I have them with lean ham that I've crisped up (faux bacon) and by and large I am happy with eggs... But...

Week 3 Review; Combatting Blue Mondays & Results

Good morning all!!  So far today, from lying in bed and hammering the snooze button every ten minutes for an hour, to staring at todays work schedule for 40 minutes and deciding I'd rather go on twitter instead, I have been trying to convince myself that the Monday Blues are simply a matter of attitude.

What are Monday Blues?  Monday Blues are an occasional and unwelcome aspect of Monday mornings, they are variable in content but their component parts usually consist of; regretting I didn't have enough 'fun' on the weekend, regretting I didn't do enough admin to make the week run smoothly, dreading the long haul until the next weekend and feeling a bit sick at the prospect of all the work that needs to be done between now and then.  Monday Blues have evolved from Sunday Blues when the b/f managed to convince me that Sunday Blues are a waste of the weekend and infringe on precious relaxation time.  The Blue slipped out of Sunday and took up residence on Monday morning instead.

Slow down, you move too fast, you got to make the morning last...

Hello All,

Happy Friday!  I had put off writing for a few days as I was feeling a little bit sad, but was inspired today by (finally) turning my calendar over to March and this was the picture:

From the Sydney Morning Herald 2012 Calendar

Let it go. Let it out.

Let it all unravel

Let it free and it can be

A path on which to travel

First Gold Star

I have my first Dukan Gold Star.  Awarded by me, to me - well done me!!

Do you think it's chocolate under the foil?

It's was awarded for courage in the face of danger.  By danger I mean cheese, butter, sausages, sugar, ice-cream, high running emotions and peer pressure.  Phew.

Psychological Progress and Dining Out Anxiety

Hello there! Long time, no blog.  In my defence I have been pretty ill - not seriously ill, but just frustratingly coldy, watering eyes, both nostrils totally blocked, dry skin and exhausted.  Added to which I have been massively busy with work as well.  I work three contracts at the moment and the one that needs most work and I enjoy least is coming up to it's deadline - so hooray it'll soon be over, but boo, I still have loads of work to do.

Week 1 Review of Dukan Diet

So It's not a proper blog today.  I have a heinous cold and am snotted up good and proper.  It is totally the b/f's fault.  I shouldn't have been so nice to him when he was ill and should have made him sleep in the garden shed.  I do take multivitamins but slightly wonder if my resistance would be higher if I'd had some fruit and fresh veggies in the last 6 days...

Me

Anyway, since I'm feeling a bit grim, I thought I'd do a little review of what has happened over week one of the Dukan.

CEASE FIRE, end of ATTACK phase

So attack is finally over. Phew. Honestly, there were moments when it was really hard going but I'm super pleased I persevered.  This morning I weighed in 76.1kg (12 stone) which I am pleased about.  I was meant to be 75.8kg (which would have pushed me into the 11st 13lbs range and psychologically I REALLY want to be not weight 12st something) But I'm not, so oh well. Though that said, I have lost 5lbs, which it what was predicted and I'm not as low as I should be because I was 1lb heavier when I started than when I worked out the calculations.  See the graph below

ATTACK! Day 4 & 5

So on day 4 I felt quite dizzy in the morning, I'm sure it's not lack of fluid, man I have been drinking a lot! I think my body (and mind) must be having protein fatigue.  Honestly, I'm still so new to this diet that I still catch myself unawares with things like, "oh, I'll just have an apple... dammit."  However, the weight is still coming off, so I can't complain too much.  I should be down 6lbs at the end of attack, can't wait!!

ATTACK! day three

I'm still amusing myself by yelling "ATTACK! phase"  Today marks the half way point of attack, three days down, three to go.  Still bang on with the weight loss this morning, less dramatic than yesterday, but still a whole lb down!

I am still resisting eggs & ham but thought I would have some this morning.  However, when rootling about in the fridge I found the b/f's mackerel.  Mmmmm.  So I beat up two eggs, a tbs of quark and shredded some mackerel in. It was fab!  Eggs & quark can be quite rich so the mackerel lends a really nicely decisive smokey fishiness to the whole things which makes in extremely palatable.  Two thumbs firmly up for the this fish dish.

Day Two ATTACK

Hello again!! So, this morning I weighed in at whole kilo lighter, that's a TWO lb. lighter!!  I don't know how or why, but I was thrilled to be on track with the first weigh in after starting the Dukan.  I had a few moments of feeling daunted on the second day, but this is how it panned out:

Day One Down

ATTTTTAAAAAAACK!!! I have to say every time someone says 'Attack Phase' I see this in my minds eye:

So, day one went well...

For those curious to know, I had:

Bye-Bye Bread; Attack Day 1

"Do you want to do a special last meal?" That's why the b/f kept asking and I said "No, I don't want to make a big thing about it..."

Anyway, because I had initially wanted to start Dukan about a week ago but put it off until today, inevitably I had some time and stomach room over the weekend to reflect on that choice.

D-Day is Set

Just a quick one tonight...

Was going to start Dukan this weekend, but then our house just became very overbooked.  Grumpy Housemate claims she had booked out the spare-room months ago, whilst the b/f has asked one his friends to stay because he thought it was free. Nice housemate had agreed to lend her room to b/f's friend and stay elsewhere, but now she knows who who his friend is, she is refusing.  It's all very political.   So it will largely be a full and rowdy house this weekend.  Not great.  So I am starting on Tuesday, after Grumpy Housemate leaves for holiday for three weeks (yes!)

Secrets & Shame

I don't know if anyone else has the same thing I do about weight loss?  I find I can't tell people I'm on a diet, I totally freeze up in a way that a Victorian might if you tried to discuss sex!  If I try to broach it the words just get stuck in my mouth!  I have been reading through Dr D's book and I think he captured it for me:

People do not become overweight by accident.  The pounds you have gained that you now want to get rid of are a part of you that you deny, but a part that is a reflection of your nature, of your psychology and, therefore, of your identity

KEEP READING FOR FATTY CONFESSIONS...

But motivated!

Hooray!  I now have The Dukan Diet book and some electric scales!  I'm almost all set.  I also did a little online shopping with Holland & Barret and am having more supplies in preparation for D-Day (diet day!)

I have bought:

Lazy

Goodness it's cold in London today.

Just a wee update for this morning.  I thought I'd explain why the blog is called "Anything Dukan Do" and yes, it is totally because I am planning on doing the Dukan Diet!  I haven't got there yet - the book and bathroom scales I ordered in still in the post and I want to get prepared before entering the attack phase.  The title though is to goad me; do you remember the song? Anything you can do, I can do better, I can do anything better than you....  Ahhh, silly I know, but I long for the day I can pull off a red ball gown and not look like a telephone box.  I sort of what to compete with the fat girl inside of me, the one who gives up and says not to care, I will do better than her!

Fat

I am fat.  No, I really am.  Excuse me if you think I am trying to persuade you of something that is so plain to see, but it's really myself I needed to convince all these years.  You see, I didn't used to be fat (not that I was ever what I would call 'thin') but I've been slim, with curves and always a flat stomach.  So what went wrong in the last 10 years?