So, after much research, deliberation, trial and error with numerous other diets (none being mentioned but all are 'commercially' available) -and after seeing the success of a very good friend (you know who you are!) - I finally took the plunge and began my Dukan journey this morning.
What is this Dukan plan I hear you say?! Well, apparently the French women swear by it and nutritionists believe it works so I thought hey, why not!
The principles of the Dukan plan are based on scientific fact that the body uses more calories to burn protein than it does fat and carbohydrate. After a specified 'attack' phase eating purely protein (for me this is 6 days!) the cruise phase begins. This phase alternates days of pure protein with protein and vegetables from a specific list.... this I have yet to read, that will no doubt be tomorrow's job. Following on from that is the consolidation phase, still to learn more about this but a calculation is made based on the amount of weight lost and returns you to 'eating normally'... whatever this may be! The final phase is the stabilisation phase which helps to keep the weight off for good.
All's well and good but how can I find out more? Where do I sign up? What's it going to cost?! All very important questions and all ones which I can easily answer... kind of! To start with, I ordered the books from Amazon - the Dukan Diet book and an invaluable recipe book! These cost about £7 to buy but I am sure you'll be able to get downloadble versions and copies on other reputable websites. After reading the books, I used the freebie bits of the Dukan website (found here) to 'calculate' the amount of weight I should lose in the 'attack' phase, 'cruise' and 'consolidation' phases as well as being able to calculate my 'true weight' - otherwise known as the weight I should be able to maintain with the lifestyle changes learnt during the programme. As another aid (fickle purchase perhaps) I downloaded the iDukan diet tracker from the iTunes app store (other apps are available) and inputted the data from the website. This will hopefully just help me to keep on track by reminding me what I should be doing and where I am in my journey.
So, by following my pre-planned menu this morning I enjoyed my cup of tea with a couple of boiled eggs. Washed down with a pint of water I began preparing lunch! Home made 'mayonnaise' and another boiled egg followed by peppered steak. Couldn't manage the yogurt I was supposed to wash it down with though. Following lunch, I began preparing dinner... yes, I have spent the day in the kitchen! After making the custard (successfully and with a little improvisation for the bain marie) I prepared the tandoori chicken and sauteed herb shrimp (read tiny smart price prawns). All in all, absolutely delicious! I have not had so many fantastic smells coming out of my kitchen in a long time! Managed so far 5 pints of water (only need to drink 3 as part of the programme) and have another one to hand! Not been off the loo all day but I'm sure I'll get used to it! Just think, peeing all the fat away!
So, that was day one. Probably nothing quite so exciting tomorrow... although, I am going to tile the kitchen but that's another story all together!
Ciao for now...
No comments:
Post a Comment