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Friday 25 February 2011

The end of week One.


It's Friday. I have now been on my regime for a week. As I wrote in my post on Accountability, I am posting a picture of my scales to show how I have done for the week. Regardless of how badly it went, the picture will get posted. It's one way of keeping myself motivated to do well, exercise every day and not cheat, because I know that come Friday, I have to come clean and post my results.

This past week has been the part of the regime called 'The Attack Phase'. It is a pure protein phase, meaning, only proteins can be consumed. There is a list of 72 of these pure proteins which include: lean beef and veal, reduced fat ham and bacon, offal such as liver or kidney, lean poultry, any kind of fish, all shellfish, eggs, non-fat dairy products and tofu.
You also must consume 1 1/2 Tablespoons of oat bran per day, drink a minimum of 1.5 litres of water and exercise by walking a minimum of 20 minutes each day. Salt use must be kept to an absolute minimum. I use exclusively in my cooking the naturally moist and grey Sel de Mer de Guérande, anyway, which has a stronger taste so I use much less. Just a few grains is plenty to season a dish.

I think what has been hardest has been trying to get the water requirement satisfied. I have found that I can't stand coffee without single cream, non-fat milk doesn't cut it, so, I have given that up for plain tea with no milk or sweeteners. That's helping, as I can easily drink 10 cups of tea per day. And the tea counts towards the 1.5 litre requirement.

You are allowed to use onion and garlic, tomato paste, herbs, spices, pepper, pickles, lemon, mustard and soy sauce as seasoning, so the meals haven't been boring. The oat bran is used to make a kind of galette which I eat with ham and eggs in the morning.

I'm pleased to say it's going really well for me. Therefore, without further ado, my weekly results:


I have lost 3.25 kg / 0.5 stones / 7 pounds

I'm very happy with this as it's slow enough to be healthy and significant enough so that I don't lose heart. I'll stay on this 'Attack Phase' through Monday, then switch over to the next phase of the Dukan diet, 'Cruise Phase' where you alternate days of protein and vegetables with days of pure protein. I can tell you, I'm ready to have my veggies back! There are 28 vegetables that are allowed; potatoes, sweetcorn and other starchy vegetables don't make the list. So, all total there are 100 foods one can consume without restriction, as long as you keep to the rules: no cheating with anything not on the list, 1.5 litres of water/fluids per day, minimum 20 minute walk every day and the 1 1/2 Tablespoon of oat bran per day. I expect that my weight loss will slow when I begin eating the vegetables every other day because they are not as much a diuretic as pure protein alone. And my metabolism is like a hydrophilic sponge, if there's water around, I'll retain it!

So, I'll give myself a pat on the back for the week's results and smile!
Go Team Kitty!

13 comments:

Unknown said...

Congratulations but....

Be careful! I don't want to have to award you the Anorexic of the Week Award at Garlic!

All the best

Keith

P.S. As it's only 2 hours and 7 minutes to Wine O'Clock - is wine fattening? I rather think it can't be?

Kitty said...

Thank you, Keith! I rather think I'm about 90 kg this side of being anorexic! No worries on that whatsoever. :)
Wine isn't allowed on this regime until after I get to my target weight, and then only a couple glasses a week. But that doesn't bother me; I stopped consuming alcohol a few months back. As I am diabetic, it does nothing for my blood sugar levels whatsoever and it is, to me, simply empty calories. So wine o'clock for me means I'll join you by raising a glass of sparkling water! Cheers!
Kind regards, Kitty

Kitty said...

Thank you, Annette! I quite satisfied with that amount lost. I know every week won't be as 'impressive' but to begin with, it's a great start! Now just need to get the rest of this water down my neck... ;)

Pip said...

Hi Kitty,

Kim and I started last Sunday. Both lost 10lb in five days.
Thank God veggies are back from today at least every other day.
20 lb to go.
Fed up with yoghurt,fromage frais and cottage cheese and longing for some fruit.
I guess the incentive is to keep at it and then they are allowed.
Good luck and keep going, you're doing great already.
Pip

Kitty said...

Pip and Kim: Wow! Well done you both! My weight-loss hasn't been too significant because for the first few days, I couldn't get non-fat milk or yoghurt, so had to use semi-skimmed and natural yoghurt. The fat content really does count! But I now have fat-free and have buckled down, so hopefully I'll lose another kg or so by Monday when I start on veggies, finally.
Thank you for stopping by, and good luck as well! Let me know how you both get on, ok?
Kind regards, Kitty

Blu said...

Hi thanks for the visit. Good luck with the regime, I hear success stories about this diet but as a non meat eater it would not suit me. I have chosen to almost eliminate cheese!

Kitty said...

Blu: Hello and welcome to the Blog! I (used to) eat an enormous amount of cheese, that's been one thing that has been so difficult to give up. Even though the book claims that vegetarians can follow this diet, I think I'd scream in frustration if I tried and was still eating veggie. I mean ONLY eggs, non-fat yoghurt, tofu and non-fat paneer, which you'd have to make yourself here in France... that would get real monotonous REAL fast. But as an omnivore now, it's ok. Thank you for the good luck wishes, I have a strong feeling I'll need them! :)

Deborah said...

Ah...another cheese freak. I have had to stop buying cheese altogether, at least the kind that I just like to nibble on. When I'm in France my weight generally goes up because of the cheese factor, well that, and the fact that MFB is a good cook and likes scheduled meals. In Canada I graze. Eat only when I'm hungry, and generally less. I have found it very hard to reduce my intake here, and have a lot more sympathy for anybody who wants to lose a significant amount of weight.

I mean to say here what I said on the last post - that this approach is quite interesting and seems pretty sensible. I'd be very in the protein phase! Keep up the good work, Kitty - you've got great attitude.

Kitty said...

Deborah: Hello again! The girls and I adore cheese, and up until now, we have eaten it after nearly every meal. I prefer it to dessert. At the moment, I have at least 10 different cheeses in the fridge! Heh, it's France, right? But it's really more important to me to get my cholesterol under control without resorting to medication.

Today was my first day to be allowed vegetables, I did a variation on my Tuna Mayonnaise, using a fat-free fromage fraise instead of the mayonnaise and skipped the grated cheese. It turned out really well! And I've never been so happy to tuck into a plate of just plain steamed haricots verts before in my life! What a treat! Tonight I'm doing poached fish on a bed of spinach, the girls are having Chinese stir-fried vegetable, spicy garlic tofu and rice pilaf. We follow Meatless Monday in our house, which I've had to give up for the time being, sadly; I just can't manage the protein requirement right now on tofu and non-dairy alone.
And the scales are still showing a gradual downward trend, which is all I ask!
Bisouxxx, Kitty

Pip said...

Keep it up Kitty.

You're so right about veggies tasting amazing after the layoff.
Yesterday we had asparagus, braised red cabbage and courgettes in tomatoes. Sadly it's only meat today.
Must admit I find this the most expensive diet created. Normally I would have 3 or 4 meals a week that were mainly rice or pasta with a small amount of meat or fish. But the protein only days means we eat a lot more of them on those days.
Still the weight is slowly still going down.

Pip

Kitty said...

Pip: You are sooo right about the expense! Meatless Mondays and Végétarien Vendredi means twice a week, we only eat plant-based foods. So, up 'til now, lots of rice, pasta, pulses and the ubiquitous Breton galettes! I snatch up half-priced meat at the local Leclerc and stash it in my freezer. I've been able to draw off this frozen treasure trove and save a bit of cash. Of course NOW all I have left is cheap pork and duck, not appropriate! At least my girls are eating well!

I'm basing most of the meat meals around filets of Panga or chicken poached in an herbal broth, which I then drink as a soup. A can of water-packed tuna mixed with fat-free fromage fraise, a crumbled vegetable stock cube and a splash of lemon. Bacon & eggs rolled up in that oat bran galette thing. Two 10% fat steak hachées. Or a ham omelette. Not wildly creative, I know, but I'll get more into recipes when I'm feeling a bit more inspired. At the moment, focussing on getting the water down my neck, staying away from anything that isn't on that list and getting the 30 minute walk in every day whilst dealing with the personal maelstrom swirling around me is about all I can manage.

Thank you for the nod of support, it's highly appreciated! Send my best to Kim. And, why aren't you two blogging about your weight loss as well, hmmm? :)

Pip said...

Hi Kitty,
Had my new version of spaghetti bolognese tonight. It was a protein and veg day, so I made bol sauce with minced beef etc., and served it with mangetout, haricot vert and asparagus which made a lovely green pasta if you used your imagination fully!!!
Kim's workmates were highly impressed when they saw the smoked salmon salad she had taken for lunch. They had to eat the usual sandwiches and fruit that they are given for a lunchtime meeting.
Kitty, I couldn't do a blog of my own. I have enough trouble keeping my website updated for summer events. We are away from home in France for about 11 weeks of the year and I don't go online while over there.
Makes the peace and quiet even more enjoyable.
Just saw Heston Blumenthal on TV saying a large bag of popcorn in the cinema had a third of a woman's daily calorie allowance.
Made me feel a whole lot more worthy!!!!
Take care.

Kitty said...

Today is my protein and veg day, so we're opposite :) The bol sauce with that veg sounds very yummy! I wonder if we are allowed spaghetti squash? It has the same caloric make up, basically, as pumpkin, and would make a great accompaniment to Bolognese sauce!
Today I am planning to do something Indian with cauliflower for myself. Big daughter is out for the day with friends and little one has a school friend coming over. For their lunch I'll probably do a poêlée Bretonne, which is sliced boiled potatoes, onions, carrots, cauliflower, haricot vert and lardons sautéed together with herbs du jour. And I always add a non-traditional layer of cheese to melt on top. It's one of my favourite dishes, however it'll be months before I'll have that again.
But I have my veg, I'm content! :)

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