Week 3 - Cruise

	PHASE	CRUISE	Week 3
	Weight	21-Jun	123.5
		29-Jun	121.2
	LOSS for week		(2.3)
	Days on Dukan		29
	Loss to date		(9.7)

So another week on Dukan – wow I must confess that the time does seem to be flying by. I do find it amazing that in just 1 day away from having been on the diet for a full month.

I am at a personal new low weight at the moment. 121.2kgs – so awesome after being up in the 130s for so long in life. Hoping to maintain it into tomorrow but not sure given that I had an 8km run last night which would have helped tip it in the right direction.

 So keen to see 11x.x again. That is it…the next goal…to get under 120kgs…certainly haven’t seen that for quite some time.

Been a bit of a yo-yo effect on the scales this week.

22/06 (0.3) Loss

23/06 1.1 GAIN – Boo

24/06 (0.6) Loss

25/06 (1.5) Loss

26/06 0.3 GAIN

27/06 (0.4) Loss

28/06 (0.0) Same…

29/06 (0.9) Loss

So what is with the huge swings. Well – I know (fairly certainly) that it was salt intake that caused the huge uplift. That was the last day of the conference I mentioned last week and the dish I had for lunch has cheese baked into it and it was very salty…so I take solace in it being water weight….

The loss on the 25^th – I had an AWESOME run the day before. Went for a 12km run and broke two personal records including for the first time ever running 10kms in under 60 mins (PS I beat my baby sister too - *insert evil laugh* J)!!! Mega chuffed.  So again, pretty certain it was majority water BUT the fact that I am still in the 120s means that there has been some fat loss too…woo hoo…

Three different people at work at different times comment on my weight in one day…clearly need to wear that shirt more often J It was a great boost. As someone who has for years preferred to wear baggy shirts (untucked) it really is such a boost to hear from people that they can see a change – especially people who effectively see you on a daily basis that would not normally notice the changes. Trust me I am not out shopping for skinny jeans and European cut shirts (hmmm – not the image I can pull off) but it was definite positive reinforcement for the week…extra plus…am wearing size 40 jeans (previous were 44s…didn’t even know I owned jeans like this…and there is a little bit of room in here too J)

I am not sure about any of you but I must confess to still having occasional doubts about the diet. I mean I have tried many diets in the past and they have failed mainly because I have gotten bored, it has gotten too hard, lack of results, forgotten to stick to it, etc etc so in the back of my mind I am always wondering when this one may fall by the way side. I feel reassured by the other people that I see travelling along this path and the trials and tribulations that they too suffer and at least I know that I am not alone. To all of you fellow travellers along this journey I say thank-you. Based on the rant I had in my previous post, a lot of the success of this diet/plan relies on changing mindsets that have been established/brainwashed/bred in us. This is the first steps in attempting the change.

Aim for the week ahead….

·         More weight loss….kind of a prerequisite of the journey I would say

·         Continue with the half marathon training

·         Try  mix in two cardio sessions at the gym

·         Find the positives/silver linings in the week – positive reinforcement helps more than we give it credit for!

                                               

PS – having a little tug of war with my beautiful wife at the moment. She prefers me to have a little “meat” on my bones and wants me to call it quits at 115kgs…(she says that it fits with the 15 years we have been together) however, I want to get down to 105kgs (Dukan recommended). It is all in good nature and I know that I have her full support and I am sure that once I can put a little definition on the bod she will realise that there are perks for us both J.

Keep smiling everyone and hope you have an awesome week!  

Please excuse this below - I can't get rid of it......aaaarrrrgggggghhhhhhh......

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	PHASE	CRUISE	Week 3
	Weight	21-Jun	123.5
		29-Jun	121.2
	LOSS for week		(2.3)
	Days on Dukan		29
	Loss to date		(9.7)

Brace for mini-RANT…

Holy cow there are a lot of food adverts around…Maybe it is because (definitely because) I am on this diet I am more conscious of the adverts. TV, radio, paper, internet and bus stops just to name a few.

Last night, driving home, I saw an advert for some new flavour “grain wave” crisp thingie….I didn’t pay much attention to it (I can, however, recall the advert on the bus stop – it was green so I have to assume chive or some such flavour) but further down the road I found myself thinking about crisps…..now I haven’t had a craving for any for most of the month to date but I was right then…

I also heard (several times during prime time radio) adverts for the MacDonald’s (flavours of the Games range)….I found myself thinking about popping through the drive through….again, until now no real cravings but I found myself thinking about the burgers! When I got home it was then a chore to resist the left over couple of pieces of pizza that were in the fridge from the night before (not my dinner please note J)

SIDE RANT : [Drive through – are we that lazy/in a rush that we cannot park and walk up to a counter to ask for this “fast food”…I mean really – you then end up eating in your car, spilling it on yourself, cramming it in with one hand  whilst driving – hmmm spot the hazards here! Sure is “fast food”]

We have been brainwashed, I am sure of it, by the brilliant minds in advertising/marketing. Or maybe it is just me and the junk fuelled life I was leading…I mean, the association of a green packet of crisps with chive flavour, hearing a Macca’s advert and thinking of the “golden arches” and how easy it would be to go through the drive through….my 5 year old already associates MacDonald’s with “Happy Meals” and playgrounds…at FIVE! I mean really – if he has one once a month then it is a lot but it just goes to show how well ingrained they have made themselves in day to day life.

And where is this rant going…nowhere really I just felt the need to get it off my chest. I am not even sure I have been that coherent with it but I do feel better for beating the little keys on my keyboard for a little while. In truth, if this helps me process the desire for junk food or carbs…there may be a few more rants to come…

Thanks for sticking with me this far. Big smiles everyone.

Cheers

Week 2 - Cruise

Cruise Phase - Week 2 - June 15 - 21
Starting weight for the week - 125.8kgs
Ending weight for the week - 123.5kgs
Loss -  2.3kgs
Loss to date - 7.4kgs
Dramas - yup - weight gain, birthday dinner and 3 days of conference.

Well, this week started with me thinking that the 178 days that the Dukan website tells me that I should be on the cruise phase for was rubbish and that at this rate early August it would be all over bar the shouting......hmmm.....not so much!

Week started really well with losses of 0.5 an 0.9kgs so I will admit to being pretty stoked about that. Nothing too radical by the way of meals. Pretty much standard Oat Bran Muesli and Greek Yoghurt for breakfast in the morning (sometimes with the daily coffee for the drive to work). Lunch usually consists of the leftovers from the night before, with a green salad or left over veggies, can of tuna if peckish and then dinner. Will confess to using a BBQ recipie book for inspiration for ideas on what to cook and marinade it in. Pretty fussy over the marinades and anything that looks like it is salt intensive or sugary/surupy doesn't make it onto the BBQ.

Portion sizes, these by my standards have shrunk....considerably. It was nothing for me to demolish a plate full of food, sniff around for seconds and squash that too all before my wife had even finished her first portion...not proud of that, is just a fact that I was always hungry, or at least always thinking I was hungry. Not so much on this diet - I find that I eat enough to feel full and can track without giving it another thought until the next meal time and there have even been points where I have to remind myself to eat.

So this week started on a high and I actually looked forward to getting on the scales...shock and horror. Then let the fun and games commence....I had a gain on Tuesday - 0.5kgs WHAT, WHY, HOW - WHO caused that!!! Someone spiked my food surely...well no but it did mean that I over analyzed the day before - nothing identified - put down to water retention. Horrors - next night was a birthday dinner for my brother-in-law to be. My sister had cooked a roast leg of lamb with all the trimmings. [Point to note - apart from my wife no one knows I am on a diet...personal choice here - don't want the comments/questions/remarks yet until I feel ready for them....] Lamb - not on the Dukan checklist. Well I had some, scrumptious, and just veggies and no chocolate cake for pudding...phew - that was the toughest rejection of sweets so far! probably assisted by the fact that I had a gain this morning and had guilt complex from the lamb ;)

Begin 2 consecutive weigh ins of ZERO -  ZERO loss ZERO gain...I know that I should have been happy with no gain but after a few weeks now of movement everyday no movement had me looking at my tool set and at the scale - hey, how hard can it be to fix the clearly broken scales??? This lack of movement I attributed to being at a conference for three days. No personal movement (being talked at) and catered foods. I avoided all of the morning and afternoon tea treats and just stuck to the salads and where possible the meat products without the carbs mixed in. In a desperate attempt to generate movement I actually took a change of clothes with me and jogged home from the station one of the evening.

The week in summary, it was another good week on Dukan once returned to business as normal with a loss for the week recorded. I had a person that I haven't seen in a while comment that I was looking thinner in the face and sides. It is a huge lift to be told something positive like that. For years the comments have been more in jest/fact about "holy smokes you're a big guy!" It was a big boost to hear one in the opposite! I will remember this week to pay a little more respect to the diet and not try to forecast my predicted end date with such arrogance again :)

Until next week...

Week 1 - Cruise

So here we are. The start of being allowed to bring vegetables back into the mix. Woo hoo. Wasn't missing veggies but like the idea of bringing them back for a little more variety.

Week 1 - Cruise - June 8 - 14
Starting weight - 126.8kgs
Ending weight - 125.8kgs
Loss - 1kg.
Dramas - gained 0.9kgs & had to travel to site for three days....

So this week was eventful. Not only had I started on a diet that was pretty restrictive and was changing my whole outlook on foods and intake but I was two days into this new phase and I gained nearly a whole kg!!!! 0.9kgs. This was not a happy moment for me. How did I overcome....I went for an 8km run. There was no way I was taking a gain like that without some kind of fight.

Really must admit that I liked the fact that seeing a gain made me angry enough to reach for my runners rather than for the fridge! Maybe there is something in this diet. A week of gradual but definite losses has instilled in me the desire to see more and more so the desire to fight for more.

I had not done much/any exercise in the first seven days as I was allowing myself to adjust to this shock to the system of not having any bread, potatoes, pasta or rice so this run was the first and was actually a really nice outlet. It was 6 am and peaceful and gave me a chance to vent and forget everything apart from the next few steps and the next couple of kms till home...

Well I was rewarded the next morning with a loss of 1.5kgs! Woo hoo - back on track. Bummer it was at 5am and I was up getting ready to go to the airport to fly to one of the mine sites under my remit. Well, three days on site, limited control over my food and no scales....brace yourself.

For those that have never been to site, it is an experience. The accommodation is clean and comfortable (at least at the sites I am fortunate enough to travel to) and the food is fantastic. There is everything you can ask for...pasta, rice, potatoes, fries, curries, roasts, steaks, veggies and puddings.....and LOTS!

I restricted myself to only Dukan veggies (mainly green ones) and food that had no sauce. Something that surprised me - I noticed how much salt was on the food. The person I was with said that it all tasted fine to him but to me...I could taste that the food was pretty salty. Not sure where this heightened taste came from but I knew it would cause me to pay when I got home. Well - three days on site and the scales showed 0.1kg drop. Woo hoo - a drop a least no matter how small - it was a victory! Celebration run the next morning! What!!!

Week 1 - Attack Phase

A quick confession. I have only just decided to write a blog so the first few weeks are more of a recap than a day by day. That said it may stay as a week by week account but will be on a more upto date basis - promise!

June 1 - 7

Well, we (wife supporting) decided that Friday June 1st would be a good day to start the diet. Friday so that I would be relaxed and would also then have a three day weekend (Monday is a holiday) to get through the carb frenzy cravings.... ;)

WE bought steak, chicken breasts, turkey breasts, prawns, fish, cooked ham, cooked roast beef and oat bran. Who knows who we were planning on feeding all that to but we were taking no chances of me getting the slightest hunger pang!

Friday, we made up chicken kebabs the night before (with a little too much chilli and garlic because when I took the lid off my lunchbox boy did the office know about it!). Good news - I made it through a work day without ripping the lid off the cookie jar and chomping the contents. Plus, contrary to any concerns - I was lucid all day and did not actually feel that hungry. Probably drank about 4 liters of water and was going to the loo like a race horse!

The weekend. Well we avoided the family invites to dinners, lunches and picnics and pottered around the house. Despite the longing, loving looks I gave to my son when he was munching on an afternoon tim tam (nemesis) I managed to remain strong. Eventually the weekend passed without event and in truth by the Monday morning I was feeling pretty good.

For the first time in my life I had tried Greek yoghurt and actually liked it. So for breakfast Monday - Friday I pretty much have a cup of plain, low fat Greek yoghurt with a spoon of oat bran muesli mixed in. Also, truthfully, I was not hungry. Whether the portions were still too large or not I am not sure but honestly, I wasn't sniffing around for more like I normally was after breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Work - I find that the easiest to get through (apart from the job) as I think I find it the easiest to have the structure. I also know the temptations, where they are and how to avoid them. First week - attack phase - easy, lunch box filled with meats (various) eat when peckish and escape unscathed from the kitchen and the bags of salted nuts, mixed fruits and biscuits...oh and the tray of muffins that some sadistic, evil person brought in to share "cause they'll only go waist at home".....be gone evil muffins......probably really doughy in any case!

Total loss for the 7 day attack phase - 3.6kgs!!! Holy smokes. Apart from a gain of 0.1kgs on day 4 (no idea why - unimpressed though) this is great. Did a 7 day attack rather than 6 as I liked the symmetry of Friday to Friday....Saturday morning weight - 126.8kgs

Before D Day

Date: 1 January 2012 - arrival of my heaviest [remembered] weight (I have heard that the mind blocks traumatic memories and I am sure that if i tipped the scales more than 135 it would be pretty traumatic so...) 135kgs.

Decisions time....LOOSE SOME WEIGHT! Sounds sooooo easy doesn't it. Just loose some weight. Go on a diet. Burn more calories that you consume. Everything in moderation. Set small goals. Etc etc etc. Wow, if only reading about and knowing all of the catch phrases helped you to loose weight.

Decision made. I will get fit and at the same time loose weight!
Challenges (must have challenges or I will get bored).

• HBF Run for a Reason - 14kms - MAY
• Perth City to Surf - Half Marathon - 21.1kms - AUGUST
• Cape to Cape Bike ride - 240kms over 4 days off road, mountain bike trails - OCTOBER

Running - YUCK. I am not a runner....can you guess. 135kgs trundling along the road is not the prettiest of sights BUT it is something that I will do when I have a challenge to aim for and have paid for it (am a bit of a tight arse you see). So with that in mind, January saw me sign up and pay for all three events...commitment - check!

HOLY COW WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?!?!?!?

 
Well I have done it now. Committed (or more like I should be committed). So here goes nothing, training and weight loss, hand in hand right. Start the running and the weight will fall off right.

WRONG.

Well, some of it did. Fast forward 6 months, patching commitment to running and suddenly it was the end of May and my baby sister and I are lined up with 21,000 other people for a gentle 14km run around Perth city. I finished the run (1 hour 33 mins) and vowed to be better prepared for the Half Marathon...plus my baby sister beat me - unimpressed!

So 5 months has passed right, training for the run and focused on shedding the pounds right. Well, not really. The HBF run was my final event before the start of the Dukan Diet as up until then I had shed a whole 3 kgs!!!

The reason for waiting until after the HBF run...the fear that no carbs would lead me to be a blubbering wreck incapable of coordinated movements...plus this Dukan thing was going to be a bit of an experiment...or was it.....

I had read about, bought the book and googled "Dukan Diet" so many times over the weeks leading up to (and including) June 1st that I felt I knew all there was to know about this diet and well I was skeptical and thought that "Oh well, I will give "this one" a go and see what happens this time!".

Now before we go on I need to recognize a blog that certainly had me captivated and assisted in convincing me to go forward with this and for that I am grateful.
http://www.marshallbrain.com/dukan-diet.htm  - this blog is fairly old but was a great account of the first two stages of the Dukan Diet.

So May 31st weigh in 130.9kgs. the Dukan website tells me that I need a 6 day attack (2.4 kg loss) followed by 178 days (WHAT!) of cruise (23 kg loss) to achieve the suggested weight of 105.5kgs!

Cool - here goes nothing....

An introduction

Hello out there....

So today marks the first step I am taking in the world of blogging. For years I have read other blogs, laughed, sympathized and agonized along with the people I have never met. Yet I feel that in some way I have connected with them all through the world of blogs. I thought it about time to set up and start my own. What better way than to try to share my perspective on the Dukan Diet.

Why might you ask do I a) want to write a blog, and b) about dieting of all things!

The answer is simple (ish).
* In my basic view by putting my thoughts, trials and successes on the internet (whether someone else reads it or not) I will be putting a little more commitment into this diet.
* When I was researching the Dukan Diet I uncovered a wealth of blogs and opinions (some of which I will reference and hope to do justice to) the recurring theme was that it was more widely talked about by the ladies, I hope I am not the only man to be doing this but in case I am, here is my perspective.
* Finally, if you will permit me, this will also be a form of therapy....

So, before I get into the actual diet side of this blog...about me!

I will be 35 in October and am married to a beautiful, supportive and understanding wife. I have a 5 year old son that I adore more than the air that I breathe and we have another on the way.

I am 195cms (6' 5" in old money) tall and have never been "small" by any stretch of the imagination. We live in Western Australia and love it here but did not start our journey here. Both my wife and I were born and grew up in Zimbabwe. We left Zimbabwe in July 2000 for the UK where we spent (nearly to the day) 10 years. During that time we married, qualified, bought houses and had a child. 10 years passed in a flash. When we left Zimbabwe all those years ago we had a laugh by all taking turns climbing on the baggage scales to see our weights. As mentioned, never been small. As a 22 year old male, pretty much almost at my fittest I tipped the scales at an even 100kgs.  Fast forward 10 years, a broken ankle with 12 pins and 2 plates (my excuse for lethargy) and emigration to Australia we find me tipping the scales in January 2012 at 135kgs!!!! My personal recorded heaviest ever.

I decided that I really did need to do something about the weight. I am tired of the comments about how big I am and not being comfortable trying to buy a pair of trousers and more so, I want to set a better example for my sons and be more of the man that my wife deserves (even if more of means that there is physically less of me :) )

So thanks for sticking with me so far. I hope you bear with me on this roller-coaster ride and that I can give hope, inspiration or at least a smile and laugh to you as the days pass by...