Bad pun.
Anyway, the past two days have been devoted to getting as much inspiration as possible for continuing with my weight loss regime. For the past month, I've been devoted to the Dukan diet. Apparently, it's a big celebrity diet right now, reputed to be much more manageable than Atkins, and it doesn't limit any sorts of portions whatsoever. I first heard about it at one of my jobs, bought the book, and started the first phase the next morning. Probably not the smartest idea, because it was right when David and I were moving in, but there's never a really good time for a diet, a baby, or exercise.
There are four tiers to the program:
1. Attack
2. Cruise
3. Consolidate
4. Stabilize
The first phase lasts anywhere from 3 to 10 days, based on how much weight you need to lose. I completed the first phase in 8 days about a month ago now. During the first phase, you are only allowed to eat lean proteins, drink lots of liquids, walk 20 minutes per day, and eat one and a half tablespoons of oat bran per day.
During the Cruise phase, you alternate days of just protein, and protein with vegetables. You aren't allowed all vegetables (for example, starchy veggies high in sugar like corn and peas are strictly verbotten) but for the most part, you aren't very limited. Some people do the cruise phase alternating five days of pure protein and five days of protein and vegetables, but the book recommends the one-one ratio for lasting weight loss. How long you stay in the Cruise phase depends on how much weight you have to lose.
Dukan's website offers a free service wherein he calculates your "true weight," which takes into account your habits, bone structure, past weight loss and diet plans, previous pregnancies, and spits out a number that's supposed to be attainable and manageable for the rest of your life. Dukan doesn't recommend that you lose weight beyond your "true weight," but let's face it: with a history of encouraging dieting behind you, when you finally reach your true weight, it's superhuman to expect anyone to stop.
I've been in the Cruise phase for over three weeks now and I'm honestly getting sick of eating the same thing over and over. At first, I was excited to try new recipes from the book, but now I'm just sick of losing maybe one pound per day, three or four per week. If this keeps up, I'll be in this phase for another two months to reach my true weight, and of course my goal is lower.
I'm about 17 pounds away from the true weight set for me by the website, but the fact that my scale now tells me my weight in kilograms means that my weight loss is much more mystical than it was previously. Also, I'm not fitting into my clothes as well as I was hoping I would at this stage. He does prescribe exercise daily, which I was getting pretty good at until I sprained my foot biking to the grocery store.
Now, I'm crippled (dramatization, but valid, I swear), and eating my feelings, and protein isn't very good at keeping away the sad.
I've already lost almost half of the weight I wanted to lose, and with another two pounds, I will be solidly at the halfway point. However, I'm definitely losing a bit of focus, as well as motivation. There are just always so many things to do, and so many people to do them with, and food is almost always included in activities, and it's just difficult to say no.
I feel like I'm always obsessing over food, one way or the other. I'm either obsessed with eating as much as I can, or as little as possible to punish myself for the times that I indulge. It's important to find a balance if I want to maintain the weight I lose. I suppose that's what I should work on above anything else.
Made crab cakes the other night, which turned out very well. I've also been exploring the wonderful world of Boca burgers and tofurkey as alternatives to omelets every single day and fish when I can afford it. I also go through epic portions of nonfat yogurt, and I've been to frozen yogurt more times than I care to count.
It's a small indulgence, but it means a lot, especially when I can't have sugar added to anything. Not that I'm complaining; Stevia is pretty delish; but I'd like something normal.
Last night, David and I went to his mom's to pick up bandages for my foot, and she made me a boca burger without the bun and hesitatingly gave me a tiny glass full of a smoothie she blended especially for us. I ate the burger even though it probably isn't on the list of approved burgers, but sat with the drink in front of me for the entire night. I can't believe I didn't even sip it; she must think I'm one of the craziest people she's ever encountered.
With Nanowrimo lurking around the corner, I'm also getting a little terrified of the challenge. 50,000 words in a month. I did it last year, but who's to say what I'll do this year? Maybe I can make it, but the amount of ideas I've had have been dwindling. Aside from a pretty terrifying dream I had about the Demonic Male Theory last night, my creativity has been limited to color schemes for the kitchen and bathroom. Maybe that'll change within the next few months.
Somewhat frustrated,
Maria
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