DINNER FOR FAMILY

We have travelled to spend the weekend with family in another city and to visit with their daughter who is described in my DEDICATION on the right hand side of this blog. They are all doing the Dukan diet as well as us and with hospital visiting all day it is hard to make the right things, so I decided to bring the supper to them.This allowed me to experiment with recipes to Dukanize them....

This is what I made and the recipes will follow soon, as everything turned out well

Sauteed Chicken Breasts in Creamy Chive Sauce
Sweet Nutmeg Acorn Squash
CauliRice
Pumpkin IceBox Dessert
Chips and Dip (late night snack)

CAULIFLOWER SUBSTITUTES

I have added two recipes to the RECIPE file on the right hand side under Pages.
One is for simulated mashed potatoes and the other for substitute rice. I make the mash often but have not tried the rice yet. Will let you know on that one.
NO they are not potatoes or rice but when you have not had either for months they sure taste good with Molly McButter and salt and pepper or soya sauce on the rice...All it takes is your imagination.

LOVE FOR THE ZEROS

Why are the numbers with a zero so much nicer than other numbers?
Today I hit the 40 pound loss and feel so much better than when I had lost 39 pounds.  Maybe they are like birthdays, a time to celebrate good things.
My friend Brianna is just a couple of pounds from losing 100 pounds and I think I am more excited for her....Long Live Dukan!!

MORE "AS TOLERATED" FOODS

Remember that these tolerated foods are just there for if you need them to make different recipes and must never have more than two a day of the complete list. Also if you are not losing cut ALL TOLERATED.

I will add these to the other "tolerated" and put on a page on the right hand side of this blog

1. You are allowed 2 Tbls of skim milk powder a day . Great for baking.

2. You are allowed to have a PINCH of Parmesan starting from your cruise phase.

3. For special occasions, in order to avoid lapses, you can indeed swap a PP day to a PV day - but do not do that too often. After having done two consequent days of PV please do 2 days PP as well, so that you get back to the rhythm.

4. Yes you can have goji berries during all your diet. On cruise you can have two TB spoons on PV and one on PP.

5. 1.5 tsp of flax meal a day if tolerated.

WHAT A NEAT KITCHEN IDEA

http://www.thermomixcanada.ca/demonstration-video.htm

I just found this demo video on a fellow Dukaneer's blog. It looks like it is very well known in Europe but only just hitting Canada..It is a combination, blender, food processor, mixer, and steamer/cooker.
Neat idea, but who has room for another kitchen counter appliance. It will be interesting to see if it becomes well known in Canada

DR. DUKAN'S SLIMMING SECRET Monday Feb 21/11

Green tea to break through a plateau

You are following our diet "apparently" normally, you feel as if you are not having any lapses and yet your weight is stagnating.

You are stagnating? Oh Don't worry, this always happens to "dieting" men and woman. I don't know of anyone who has lost 20 pounds without having experienced at least once a plateau lasting over 6 days. Beyond that we call it a "pause".

In this situation there are lots of things you can do. Do make extra sure that you haven't made a mistake, that it's not to do with water retention because of the pre-menopause or because a period is due ... But among the panoply of ideas to suggest there is one that I particularly like and this is green tea. For three days, don't drink any more water only drink green tea in the morning, throughout the morning, at lunch, at tea-time, in the evening and even during the night if you are getting up to go to the toilet. Cold, hot, with ice, as a sorbet, however you like it just as long as its NON-STOP GREEN TEA and if you keep up with the diet(as well as minimum physical exercise) you stand every chance of breaking through this plateau.

RECIPES

I have taken my recipes off the posting pages and moved to the Right hand side below PAGES and then RECIPES.
Just click on recipes and you will find them there
I have not figured yet how to put them in alpha order but I may one day....

WHY DO WE FEEL WE CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT CARBS?

Why do we feel like we are entitled to carbs?

Imagine that you are talking to a person who is obese (for example, me last year). It doesn’t seem to matter if the person is 50 pounds overweight or 250 pounds overweight. The person proclaims that he or she would like to lose weight. So you say to the person, “well, if you would cut way back on carbs, chances are you would lose weight. You might even try eliminating carbs completely and see what happens.” Depending on where the person is on the dieting spectrum, the next question might be, “what are carbs?” And the answer is, anything with sugar, flour or starch in it: Cookies, cakes, ice cream, soda, breakfast cereal, pizza, pasta, rice, potatoes, milk, fruit juice, etc.

The reaction almost inevitably is, “Are you kidding? I can’t live without ___.” Pizza might fill the blank, or Oreo cookies, or whatever. You might even hear, “I would commit suicide if I had to give up ____. There would be no reason to go on living…” or something similarly hyperbolic.
So you say, “But look at yourself. You are 80 pounds overweight. You are a heart attack waiting to happen. You are probably pre-diabetic, and diabetes is a nasty disease. The carbs are addictive, and they are killing you.” That doesn’t seem to matter. Carbs are more important than health, even if the lack of health is obvious to everyone in the form of blubber.
I still lust for carbs when I see them (although I can now completely control the lust, and if I don’t see the food I no longer lust for it). However, I doubt I will ever be able to eat carbs again – I now know exactly how addictive they can be and how dangerous they are to my health and well-being. If I start to eat them again, I fear, it might be like a reformed alcoholic drinking a beer.
What is different about carb addiction? For example, the vast majority of people can drink alcohol without becoming alcoholics. But I think carbs are somehow different – more like nicotine – based on the fact that more than half of the country is now overweight. I have had people say to me, “It’s not carbs – it’s just the fact that Americans eat way too much.” But I really think it is the carbs. Now that I am not eating carbs, I no longer eat too much. I no longer pig out, or binge. I simply do not eat bowl after bowl of cottage cheese in the same way I would eat bowl after bowl of frosted flakes. There is definitely something about carbs that is different. I think I am “normal” in that, rather than “abnormal”, based on current statistics.
And the idea of entitlement and necessity that goes with carbs is quite bizarre. Why do people feel like they can’t live without carbs? This idea that we “deserve” the treat or reward of an ice cream cone or a piece of cake is weird. So is the idea that we would “die” without pizza (or whatever) in our lives. Is it purely psychological, jammed into our brains at the youngest age by birthday parties, Halloween, Christmas candy, lollipops at the doctor’s office and a Twinkie after every soccer game – Along with a million commercials for carb-containing foods? If so, how would we as a society go about deprogramming all or that in order to improve the nation’s health?
from Marshal Brain blog

SAT WEIGH IN DAY

We actually weigh in every day, but Saturday is our day to record it with cash. We have a jar on the cupboard where we put in $1 for every pound we lose, and when we are finished, we will give each of our grandchildren that amount. It is not really about the money but a way of saying, we are getting healthier so we can be around to enjoy them all for a long time.

Well, today the can did not grow, as we have not lost over the last week. Oh we have, but also gained it back. We have not been doing our pure protein days and we have eaten out a bit too much. We were in Medicine Hat for a couple of days and we did stick pretty good as far as having protein and vegetables but no guarantee that they were not cooked in oil etc. We did stay away from anything that converts into sugar in our systems but we ate a lot of salty things too.
We had a free voucher for the buffet breakfast and I had scrambled eggs, a couple of sausage and 4 slices of bacon. I chose these as everything else was fruit, bread, or potatoes. About half way through , I felt really sick, the grease was just not something I was used to so I left half of it.
Then yesterday, while babysitting the twins, we ate buns, pretzels (easy bake oven treats of Mya's) and one cookie. We did not have to falter, as I had brought cottage cheese and low fat ham but I think winter weakness just set in and we did not bother to eat properly..... Needless to say, these were not large deviations but enough to not have any losses. We certainly could have done much worse by eating chocolate, or other things that cause us to crave more.
We will wipe the slate clean and today, back to eating what we are allowed and I will do 2 days of Pure Protein to kick start my system. Better days ahead.
Did I blame the snow, cold and long winter on our missteps, well it deserves it....Spring can not be far now....can it?

DUKAN'S SLIMMING SECRET TODAY!!

Dr Dukan has a new slimming secret each week on his website and this was today's article.....What in the heck is Purslane???

Slimming secret of Dr Pierre Dukan

Purslane - a great secret

Considered as a weed for a long time, purslane is packed with goodness.

You've finished your attack phase so here you are in the cruising phase where you are allowed vegetables and AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE. So now the moment has come for you to discover purslane.

As far as I am concerned and I'll say this quite openly purslane is a phenomenal food. Not only do I suggest that you eat it but that you grow it too. Buy a few seeds from a local nursery and off you go. Very soon you'll have enough to make a salad. You just have to keep cutting it and it'll grow back as quickly as couchgrass.

You'll find that in salads its like lambs' lettuce but thicker and more naturally rich and juicy, so an exceptional salad ingredient. You can also try it in soups like watercress. Purslane contains solubles fibres just like oat bran and apple pectin and can therefore help you lose calories.

What's more it's very rich in omega 3, excellent for fighting stress and encouraging sleep and because of this it cuts down on the need to comfort eat due to stress. If from today you get into the habit of eating it regularly, you can expect to reach a slimmer figure and a riper old age.

Ok I googled it and it is of the Portulaca family and a well known Canadian weed or also called "pig weed"


So I guess, we stop putting weed and feed on our lawn and start  making salads from the little devil weeds.

A NEW SCALE

This is our new scale and what an improvement it is to our mental weight loss. The old one only showed pounds and so we could weight for days and never lose. Now at least, it will show if we are down 3 oz, or 10 oz etc. So knowing we are down helps us to stay motivated for that day. If we are up 5 oz , we know that is not much, but on the old scale it would jump to the next whole number and defeat us a bit.
We can imput each of our goal weights and that will always show and as well it will show how much we have gained or lost from our last weigh in.

By the way, that is not either of our weights shown in the picture. I stole the picture from some web site.

DUKAN WEB SITE

My Facebook friend Brianna, made it onto the front page of the British Dukan web site.
She has done tremendous in her weight losses and motivates me so often. She has lost 95.5 pounds and is looking and feeling so good.  I am so proud of her and I have never even met her and though we are mega years apart in age, so many things about us are the same....


If you want to read her story, here is the linkhttp://www.dukandiet.co.uk/en/346-the-community/vid-of-the-week.html

Protein Day 2/13/11 (Sunday)

Breakfast
Oatbran porridge with vanilla, sweetener and skim milk
Large cup of Bavarian Chocolate coffee with sweetener

Lunch
2 hard boiled eggs mashed with Dukan mayo, green onion, fresh dill, s & p
1 glass of Crystal Light iced tea

Supper
4 meat balls
Sliced pork tenderloin ( no it is not allowed on diet but it is as low fat as chicken breast)
1 slice of FF cheese
cottage cheese with fresh dill, gr onion, garlic salt
Pumpkin pudding

HARVEY UPDATE

Harvey has lost 33 pounds and is now moving on to the next stage (Consolidation).
He will start tomorrow and add 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 1 fruit and 1.5 oz of cheese each day and as well once a week he will have a potato or pasta etc as well as one celebration meal of what ever he wants to eat....( yes even his apple pie)  He will watch his weight and if he starts to gain we will see what to remove.

He also must buy some new pants, it is very funny looking at him from the rear.....

Tomorrow we also go for our blood tests so we will see if this diet has improved the blood sugars, cholesterol etc or harmed it.  Will keep you posted here

BAD THINGS ABOUT LOSING NEARLY 40 #'s

1. You need to use more water to fill the tub when bathing. ( and we are on a septic tank)
2. You have more energy and almost feel like going out and shoveling snow ( I did say..almost)
3. Your pants get baggy and you look like a baby with a full hanging diaper
4. You need to buy new clothes and mentally can not yet look at lower sizes.
5. You start looking in full length mirrors again.
6. Your grandchildren play more with your "Bingo Wings". (For the younger ones, that is the hanging fat and skin from old ladies upper arms.
7. You keep crossing your legs, just because you can.

TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE

This what I put on my Facebook status today and it is so appropriate for those of us that are trying to change our lifestyle to something healthier...

When you let go of life as you know it, you are making room for an even more miraculous life...........

Your imagination is a preview of life's coming attractions. So take some time today to relax and visualize yourself achieving your goals. Feel and experience it as your clear reality!

MY PV DAY 2/12/11

Total Loss        - 38 lbs
Body Wt Lost  - 16.96%
Dist from Goal  - 33 lbs

Breakfast
Large coffee
Oat Bran porridge with skim milk
Multi Vitamin

Lunch
Chicken, Hard boiled egg, lettuce, gr onion, celery, red pepper, cuke, Dukan Mayo (salad)
Diet Cream Soda

Supper
Stir fry - chicken breasts, mushrooms, red peppers, celery, broccoli, onion,  Dipping sauce (last post) and a tsp of corn starch. I did not have the stirfry sauce made up and thickening the dipping sauce worked well
Evening

Decaf Hazelnut coffee with sweetener and skim milk

As you see I do not often eat between meals or at night any more. I did for the first couple of months as I snacked often but I no longer require anything.

CANCER QUESTION

The French journalist Jean Pierre Elkabbach had the excellent idea of inviting me to the Senate (the upper house of the French parliament) to take part in a television programme about food and dieting. This very important programme also featured Professor Khayat, France's leading cancer specialist campaigning for a way of eating to prevent and cure cancer.
There before me was a leading international cancer expert and someone who knows all there is to know about the links between this dreadful disease and how we eat. So I took the opportunity of his being there and of his authority to get him to say exactly what he thinks about some of the pernicious rumours that have been circulating for years, confusing anyone concerned by their weight and health.

"Mister Khayat, can you answer as clearly as possible whether proteins in general and meat in particular play any role whatsoever in the onset of cancer, are they in any way responsible?"
His reply was: "NO! Just avoid any overcooking on the barbecue and over direct heat as this is carcinogenic."

As for myself, I have built my method for fighting against weight problems on the fact that men were hunters of meat and women gatherers of vegetables for the first 50,000 years that our species was on earth and that we are still programmed physically and mentally to eat these foods. All nutritionists know this full well however, some either because they have a particular belief or some personal interest, pretend to forget about it as they cleverly cast aspersions on proteins.

The French are by bugged by another question to do with aspartame. So I again asked Professor Khayat about this:

"Is aspartame carcinogenic or not?" His reply to this was just as categorical as it was to the first question: NO and NO!

However, it has been clearly proven that BEING OVERWEIGHT is carcinogenic. Many international studies show that both breast cancer for women and prostate cancer for men are both directly related to being overweight, as adipocytes secrete male and female hormones that play a role in the onset of cancer.

WHO REALLY KNOWS WHAT WE SHOULD BE EATING

See yourself as a hunter gatherer

Did you know that the first modern men, the Homo Sapiens from the Dordogne who lived around 40,000 years BC had the same genetic programming as us?

So, it is that a cro-magnon baby adopted today by a Western family would become a perfect Westerner. When the Homo Sapiens lived, the men hunted and the women gathered. In groups, the men hunted animals for their protein. Women gathered whatever they could find, green vegetation, some fruit and any wild seeds that the birds had overlooked.

Proteins and vegetables which are the components in the Dukan slimming programme are therefore not a nutritional or emotional punishment. They are the very foods that we are most attuned to, both as far as our metabolism is concerned (proteins being the only vital nutrient) as well as emotionally.

It should also be noted that all the vitamins present in fruit are also found in vegetables. But the real similarity is to be found in the statement accompanying the foods you allowed to eat: AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE.

Primitive man was only restricted by external necessity or satiety, but never put any limit on what he ate. Therefore each day you diet, when you are swallowing down some fish, meat or poultry ... see yourself as a hunter who has caught his prey and especially if you are a woman as a gatherer exchanging her vegetables for this meat.               ~Dr.Dukan

ONE DUKANER'S STORY

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1355019/Womans-Hours-Jenni-Murray-lost-3-stone-3-months.html

1 stone = 4 pounds

Success stories of others always add to our motivation