Or.... How to drop 31lbs in 9weeks
So.... 3 months ago I got to breaking point. I was a slob and hated what I saw in the mirror (Just over a year too late to make our wedding pics look good, but Hey! You can't have it all!). I was 14st 2lb and felt crap! I'd gone from 15st 7lb to 12st 4lb seven years and one marriage ago, and was ballooning again.
Someone had mentioned the Dukan Diet to me previously and I had already obtained the book, so I thought I'd give it a shot. My thinking was this... As far as food goes, my willpower is next to non existant. I struggle to just "cut down". I figured a diet that gives me a list of foods I can and can't eat would be perfect. Stick to the rule book and bish-bosh! Without boring you with the exact do's and don'ts of the diet (you could always get the book!), it's basically a 4 phase, high protein diet.
Phase one, the attack phase, consists of nothing but pure protein meats (chicken/steak/liver, etc.) and fat free dairy, and can last anything from 3 to 9 days. You chose the duration that suits you. I chose 7 days. As with every phase of the diet, oat bran plays a huge part. 2 tablespoons a day! I mixed mine in fat free yoghurt. It was hard going and I soon learnt that a tablespoon of branflakes each day would be a godsend! Pure protein does nothing for your plumbing!!! That said, I lost 3lbs the first day and a total of 9lbs that week.
Phase two, the cruise phase, consists of alternate days of pure protein (PP) and protein and vegetables (PV). Obviously no potatoes, fatty meats, alcohol, etc.
Theoretically, the only exercise required on the Dukan Diet is 20 to 30 mins of brisk walking a day. I decided to get back to the gym tho, and was doing 3 sessions a week, doing 45mins of cardio per session. This phase continues until you reach your target weight. My personal target was 12st. I'd also set a target of 9 weeks as I really didn't want to be on this phase forever. As you'll see below I hit a real wall on weeks 7 and 8, I seriously thought I wasn't going to lose any more weight. Was really disheartening, but I ploughed on and had a dramatic weigh loss on week 9. My final weigh in for phase 2 was 11st 13lb. I'd dropped a whole 31lb in just 9 weeks.
Phase three, the consolidation phase, is where I am now. Basically, every day is a PV day, you add small amounts of new foods (wholemeal bread, pasta, cheese, lamb, to name a few of my faves) you are allowed a treat meal (including an alcoholic drink!) once a week, and then twice a week in the second half of the phase. This phase lasts 5 days for every pound lost (so just over 5 months for me) and is designed to teach you to eat in moderation and keep the weight off that you've lost. I'm 4 weeks into this phase now and am steady at 12st, so all is good so far. The only other hard and fast rule for this phase is that every Thursday is a PP day. So if you do happen to put a pound or two on, your PP day should deal with it.
Phase four, the stabilisation phase, starts for me on 6th May. This is basically going back to eating normally, using the lessons and recipes you've learned over the previous 3 phases. And once again, every Thursday is a PP day. If you have a bad week and are feeling a bit chunky, you can always throw an extra PP day in. This lasts for life, and in theory, should maintain everything you've worked towards in the previous 3 phases.
In summary, this diet probably isn't going to work for everyone. The first 2 phases are hard going, I didn't have a beer for 9 weeks! But that said, the rewards are fast, and are enough to keep you motivated. And the compliments you receive from people are priceless :-)
Weight loss summary
Initial weigh in: 1st Oct 2012, 14st 2lb
Week one: 9lbs (attack phase)
Week two: 3lbs (cruise phase)
Week three: 3lbs (cruise phase)
Week four: 2lbs (cruise phase)
Week five: 2lbs (cruise phase)
Week six: 5lbs (cruise phase)
Week seven: 1lb (cruise phase)
Week eight: 1lb (cruise phase)
Week nine: 5lbs (cruise phase)
Final weigh in: 3rd Dec 2012, 11st 13lb