Having been on 86,456 diets previously, I really didn't hold out much hope for my ability to stick with this one. But summer's acomin' - and the days of hiding my ever-expanding girth behind jackets and sweaters are about to come to an end.
I happened, by accident, to hear about the Dukan Diet while watching the Royal Wedding. I googled it and got the basic information. I then ordered the book from the library (years ago I made a promise to myself that I would not spend another penny on a "get-thin" scheme - -this includes joining a gym, buying a treadmill, signing up at Weight Watchers again, buying a bunch of jitter-inducing pills, purchasing the latest diet fad book), however, borrowing a book from the library is okay. Anyway, it's easy to find any information online (which I did) and then I luckily saw an interview with Dr. Dukan on Cityline (I'd never heard of the diet and now I seemed to hear or see something about it everywhere I looked). So, back to the diet. I printed off the 72 items permissible for the "Attach Phase", as well as the general rules, and gave it a go. The first day, I won't lie, was hell. Headachey, miserable, hungry, lethargic (okay, like most days - but worse). But I stuck it out. Day two - much easier. Day three - I was beginning to think I could do it. Day four - I was a convert! Six pounds lost in 4 days!
Now I know all the health conscious zealots, nutritionists and dietitians will tell me that this is water weight, that it's too much, too fast, etc., etc., etc., But really? I don't give a rat's ass. To not only lose six pounds but to actually FEEL the loss (tummy feels less bloated, jeans aren't so tight, one of my chins seems smaller), well - anyone who knows the pain and agony of weight loss understands. Oh, and by the way, I'm 58 years old, so it isn't as if I'm a 20 year-old with a rockin' metabolism who can lose weight in an hour. And - the only exercise I did was to walk to the library one day (about a 30 minute return journey)
I live in Canada. And even though I am less than an hour from the US border, where every conceivable type of diet food is available, we can't get any of it up here. So it always seems that when a diet book is published, and everyone is raving about it, we Canadians can never get some of the ingredients or products touted by the diet plan. I'm not talking about bat droppings or eye of newt, but "normal" things like fat-free cheese, fat-free buttermilk, fat-free yoghurt in something other than our basic 6 flavours, fat-free cream cheese. Most Canadians (well those that have struggled with their weight) know what I'm talking about. But, even so, I have found it very easy to cook and prepare the correct foods and lose weight.
After reading the list of permitted foods, one would think that the attack phase would be 10 days of steamed, skinless, chicken breasts with maybe an egg thrown in here and there. But look more deeply. Use your imagination. Experiment. This diet also calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons each day of oat bran, and all you want of fat-free yoghurt, fat-free cheese (we can get fat-free cottage cheese up here in Milk Marketing Hell), and skim milk. Oh, and the good doctor recommends making a daily "gallette" (actually a crepe) with the oat bran, an egg and some skim milk. You'd be surprised at how good this is and how many ways you can adapt it (sweet or savoury).
Anyway, this is what I had for the first four days of the diet (this is day five and I'll keep this blog up-to-date with my progress)
For breakfast I'd have yoghurt (and lots of it). Liberte yoghurt (made and available in Canada) now produces a 0% fat plain Greek yoghurt. It is absolutely out of this world. It's ridiculously priced - but I can tell you that it is definitely worth it. I mix it with some Splenda and then some sort of flavour essence (vanilla, lemon, coconut, almond). It is sweet, creamy, custardy and a real "girl food". I hadn't heard of it until last week - now I'm addicted.
Okay, for lunch, I'd make the aforementioned "gallete" adding a teaspoon of Italian seasoning to the batter. I'd top that with some cooked ham, chicken, salmon, or whatever meat I had leftover from the previous evening's supper. Sometimes I'd make the gallete sweet by adding Splenda and cinnamon and then top it with the habit-forming Greek yoghurt.
For supper I'd have salmon or chicken (cooked by wrapping the meat in a piece of parchment paper, adding some lemon slices and fresh herbs and baking for 20 minutes).
During the day, when I'd get hungry, I'd have a snack of one of the legal foods. But one of the best things I ate was a "cheesecake" that I'd make in a big batch. This was basically fat-free cottage cheese, some fat-free flavoured yoghurt, a couple of eggs, some Splenda, cinnamon, and some flavouring (vanilla). I mix all that together in a food processor, fill up some ramekins which I then put in a roasting pan filled half way with hot water, and baked for about an hour. Let the ramekins sit in the fridge overnight and then eat, topped with some Greek yogurt. Absolutely yummy! Absolutely legal! Tomorrow I'm going to make it again, but this time adding some 95% fat free Philly cheese and I'll add some lemon essence and coconut flavouring. I'll post the recipe later in the week.
I also drank a couple of cups of a herbal laxative tea each day. Anyone whose ever been on a high-protein diet knows how constipating it can be. Drink the tea. Drink lots of water. Go for a walk now and then (and eat the yoghurt). You'll be fine.
