MID DIET THOUGHTS

I have been struggling with the weight loss for the last month and seem to go up and then down but can not get any lower. Oh no it is not this diet! This diet works.....but I am fooling around with it and that is not acceptable. Monday to Friday I am right on it but weekends it seems a light goes on and says  "Eat like there is no tomorrow" "Eat all those things that are non Dukan"  I must dispose of this stinking thinking and get back to the real world that I live in.  It is so reflective of an alcoholic , who falls off the wagon and then can not stop drinking again. 
On a better thought, I have been riding a bike a bit this last weekend.... Now that is great exercise but the thing is that I have not rode a bike for more than 50 years at the least and maybe something someone my age should not be doing .......
This past week I just had to go and buy some new clothes and I bought 2 sets of clothes in a much smaller size and was blown away by the costs.  When I wore a size 22 or 2x or 3x  this same amount of clothes would have cost me 4 times as much.....what a rip off for large size people......they really take advantage of the plus size to over charge them......

5 Easy Ways To Add Taste To Your Menu

Adding taste and flavour to your recipes, is a very important part of losing weight. It is not just that the same old boring food can sap your motivation and may lead to you giving up the Dukan diet. The sensation of taste helps you to feel full and satisfied quicker. Tasty food with strong flavour sensations is more satisfying than bland food which can become a chore simply to eat. In this post, I’m going to be looking at five quick and easy ways of adding taste and flavour while still sticking to all the allowed foods.

1. Use herbs and spices freely when putting together a recipe

It is easy to be too strict with yourself when starting a new diet. The Attack Phase of the Dukan diet is supposed to be tough, it is not called an ‘attack’ for nothing, but it doesn’t have to be taste-free, bland, experience! When you are preparing your food don’t forget to add things like chillies, parsley, thyme, garlic, cinnamon, onion, spring onion, chives, mint and so on. When I when on my Attack Phase, I was way too strict not even allowing myself onion – this made things much harder than they had to be!

2. Replace sugar with sweetener, vanilla, cinnamon, etc.

You are not allowed to add sugar when you are on the Dukan diet. However, you are allowed to add sweetener. Now some people are worried about using sweeteners, having heard that there are risks to using these artificial flavourings. The belief that there is a link between sweeteners and conditions like cancer, diabetes, lupus, etc. is widespread due to a very effective internet hoax. The hoax has been debunked by such organizations as the FDA, The American Council on Science and Health, Reports in The Lancet, and the affair has been written up in Time Magazine. You can add more deliciousness to your sweet Dukan diet recipes by adding vanilla (essence and pods), cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. Dill pickles and pickled onions

Chopped up and sprinkled onto Dukan diet friendly food, dill and onion pickles to add some tangy deliciousness to your food. Caution: While you can add a small amount of these to food during the Attack Phase, you can not munch your way through loads of gherkins or onions – if you do they count as vegetables. A bit diced, is my guide to using them as a condiment – any more than that and you are eating them as a vegetable.

4. Vinegar

As far as I am concerned, vinegar is an essential Dukan diet condiment. All vinegars are allowed, for a real treat, use balsamic vinegar – it’s delicious. You can simply add the vinegar directly to your food or you can make delicious sauces with it. A simple, delicious dressing can be made from:

• Vinegar
• low-fat yogurt
• A small amount of French mustard

Mix them up and enjoy!

5. Mustard

Mustard can be used to add flavour to your meats. You can enjoy French or English mustard. Although it isn’t mustard, it’s like a mustard in that it comes in pot and is hot, you can also use horseradish to add some heat and taste to your food. Like Japanese food? You can flavour your food with wasabi and ginger – both allowed on the Dukan diet.
http://dukan-diet.info/

JUNE IS NATIONAL STROKE MONTH

We all need to look into the mirror and see if we are candidates for a stroke.....
Get off the extra weight, get your body moving, lower your blood pressure, GET YEARLY Checkups, quit smoking and excessive drinking, eat healthier foods, lower your stress levels, because I can tell you, no one ever completely recovers from a stroke, but you can avoid it.....
A stroke does not just take your freedom, it changes the life style of everyone in your family......and that is not a gift you want to give them.
Our niece Kathy is in her 5th month of a locked in syndrome due to her massive brain cell stroke. If you could spend 1 hour with her you would understand why it is so important to get onto all the warning signs early so that you are not robbed of the life you have now......

DR DUKAN TALKING TO ME???

Oh dear, I think Dr. Dukan was talking right to me this morning......and yes I had better start listening.......

If your body's tightly controlled existence involves going from your bed to the chair, then from the lift to your car seat, from your office chair to a chair in the restaurant or canteen, with a drive back in a car with its power steering, electrically operated windows and automatic windscreen wipers... then in the evening back to the dining room table, sofa with a TV tray and remote control, electric toothbrush...
If this classic scenario is at all familiar to you, then you are a truly sedentary person!
And don't tell yourself "I'm normal as all my friends, neighbours and colleagues live like me".
No, you are a completely sedentary person who is living below the minimum threshhold of human corporality.

And for physical, metabolic and psychological reasons, being so sedentary is toxic and as dangerous and harmful for your health as smoking 10 cigarettes a day. To get out of this state and its risks and cross the threshhold, all you have to do is stand up for one hour per day or walk for 20 minutes or run for 10 minutes.

Follow my advice and become human again!

A FEW THOUGHTS

We can reverse years of damage to our bodies by deciding to raise our standards for ourselves, then living differently. Old wounds heal, injuries repair, and the whole system improves with just a few changes in what we put into our bodies and how we move them.

Anything is possible, It's your choice whether or not you choose to make IT happen.

If you want what you do not have, you must do what you have not done.
Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.

The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Strengthen Your Desire! Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.

STABALIZE

I have spent the last 3 weeks just maintaining my weight with no losses until today. Actually I was content to maintain during the summer months and then in the fall start the losses again but I guess if more weight comes off that is a bonus. I have also been trying to figure out how to change my blog so that I can move all the recipes off the blog and onto the Recipe section on the right hand side of this blog. It should have been easier to do but I am stuck on linking and labeling so I will continue to try........I also want to update some of the recipes that were put on some time ago and that I have made minor changes to make them better...
Yesterday, on "Favorite Blogs" I removed some that have now left the Dukan diet and are trying other things and added a new one with great recipes....
I will try to update a bit more often but if the rain ever stops and we get some sun and summer like weather, I will be out side more as well, walking and gardening. Hopefully that will shake up the darn little fat pockets to get them moving on and out a bit better.
This diet does work if you stick to it and is something one can adjust to as a life long eating plan.

STRUGGLE

I had a bad fall on the weekend, not a physical fall, but a diet fall. I was away from home and ate in fast foods and then a real dessert explosion on Mother's Day. I have no idea, why my ability to say NO to forbidden foods seemed to melt away and cause the fall.  The next day I was up 6 pounds. Now in no way I consummed enough food to gain 6 pounds in body fat......It has come off some but I am still 2 pounds to get back to my lowest weight....
For some reason ,spring and summer seemd to be harder, but I think it will work it self out. I have not lost my determination to lose the rest of the weigh to get to my goal, even though some people are already telling me I have lost enough. Only my body can determine that time.
One of the hardest things to get use to is that my clothes are loose. After spending a lifetime of wearing tight clothes, both for the reason that I was always gaining and also that I felt tight clothes held in the fat better.
I really would like to buy a tight pair of jeans for comfort reasons but I do not want to waste the money as I WILL lose more.

MISSED IT

I was hoping to hit the 50 pound loss today, but went straight to 51 pounds off. Usually when I hit a new low target number I jump off the scale and give aloud "WHOOPIE", but as it took place at 2 am as I rose to watch the Royal Wedding of William and Kate, I had to do a silent "whoop". That means I am now 19 pounds from  my goal.  I don't have any qualms that it will not come off with spring finally arriving and getting out walking to boost the effort.... A winter of sitting on my butt at the computer or my craft table probably made this loss a bit slower but as the diet is so simple to follow and appetite satisfying, I really have no hurry to lose the weight. I know I must follow this eating pattern to some extent for the rest of my life......  A life time of dieting has taught me one thing, once you stop the diet, you will gain the weight again....I have lost and gained hundreds of pounds. I must be diligent in abstaining from certain deadly foods if I want to get to my goal and stay there.

STILL AT IT

I can not believe I have not posted for 9 days....For some reason with no weight loss, I tend to not post.....I could be putting on recipes etc but with spring, I have been busy with plants and outside more....
I have not been eating wrong, but neglecting my water and still fighting off the water retention from Easter Ham and ham leftovers, leftovers, left overs....
I also have started walking everyday and that tends to retain at first, but I hope tomorrow am I can post that I finally have a new weight loss.... but like the weather these days, it can change unexpectedly..

WEEKEND REPORT

I think I handled my weekend retreat very well. For brunch I ate the scrambled eggs with cheese,some bacon, a sausage, and 2 poached eggs. I did not touch the crepes, breakfast pizza, muffins, potatoes, desserts, and dozens of other carb laden delights. I did not feel good after the brunch as there was just too much grease in my proteins but ate what I felt was the less of the evils. For supper I ate chicken breasts, roast beef and a few dry ribs with lots of salad with no dressing and carrot medley vegetables. No other carbs or fruits or desserts. While others were munching during the day on chips, cookies, cakes and candies, I took a large container of raw veggies and a bought dip.  I ate lots of the veggies but did have a bit of the dip....I brought home a lot of it so I don't think many others ate much of the healthy stuff.
For late night in my room I had my yogurt and goji muffin and diet soda.
Now even though I thought I did excellent with what I had to work with, I was up 4 pounds but it is coming off fast.... I did read that eating all that raw veggies does retain fluid somewhat so hopefully in a few days it will be gone..

ANOTHER CHALLENGE

I have now lost what I had put on a week ago and now down to my lowest weight in a long time. I have lost 49 pounds and really excited about hitting the big 50.  Now if that was just my age it would be even more exciting but hey I am old, but I am healthy,happy and a lot more fit than I was when I was 50.
I am off to a weekend retreat of crafting where meals are made for us and everyone brings munchies for during the day....I will not eat the snacks , I will choose the best I can for meals, I will drink lots, I will eat the veggie tray I am taking and also the goji muffins, turkey bites, and FF cheese I will have in my cooler.
There I have made the commitment, now to put it in action. I want that 50 pound loss so much that I think I can do it. I may even diarize every thing that goes into my mouth all weekend and report here as another incentive to keep on track.

SLIP AND FALL - GET UP AND SHAKE IT OFF

I have been away for a few days and I always find that I do not stay as strict on my eating plan as when I am at home. Oh it is possible but stinking thinking takes over and I can convince myself that it is ok to eat things that are not good for me. The result was a 4 pound gain of which I am sure some is just fluid as I did not drink my water limit at all while away. I had one really bad slip and it was not in my mouth for more than 15 seconds and really not worth the slip. I will not confess what it was as it is over and done, but I can tell you it was thought out and planned and could have been stopped if I had worked harder at it.
Another part of my gain was due to just over eating on "as tolerated foods."
Because the Dukan bread and muffins are Dukan, I some how convinced myself that it was ok to eat them morning noon and night  in excess as "well they are DUKAN".
NO, we are allowed 2 Tbls of oat bran a day, not 20 Tbls in the form of muffins or bread.
So I am back on my eating plan for 24 hours and doing fine. I am down nearly one pound today and I know I will soon get back to my lowest weight and keep on....I have no fear that I can not do it......
I feel so much healthier by eating right and the mental freedom is great too.
Confession over!

IMAGINE

Recall the things that have held you back. And imagine how you now can get beyond them.

Think of the problems that have frustrated you so. And imagine how you can now rise above them.

Look at how far you've come. And imagine how far you can now go.

Think of all that you've learned. And imagine what you can now do with that knowledge.

Consider all you've done in the past year.
And imagine what you'll now be able to do.

You're now in a better position than ever to imagine the very best. And what you can imagine will lead to what you can be.
-- Ralph Marston

ATTEMPT AT HOMEMADE KETCHUP

Yesterday I attempted to make homemade Dukan friendly Ketchup..... It still needs some work but is not too bad...I did make some mistakes so will work on those and post the recipe when I think it is better. I am sure I can never match Heinz but if I can get a bit closer I will be happy.......stay tuned

LAZY EXERCISES FROM DR DUKAN

The B.A.T. secret

How do you burn up calories in any place or situation and especially if you work sitting down....

B.A.T this is: Buttock Muscles, Abdominals, Triceps. Buttock muscles: whilst seated on your office chair, squeeze your buttock muscles for 6 seconds in a row and repeat this 10 times without a break.

Half an hour later, repeat the exercise so that your buttocks don't get crushed on your seat for too long. Remaining immobile and compressed very quickly weakens this large muscle which is responsible for your buttocks' posture. Abdominals: whilst seated, in your mind concentrate on your abdominal muscles and contract them without moving your trunk.

Keep this position for 6 seconds and start the operation again 10 times in a row. As with the previous exercise you can repeat this every half hour. Triceps: whilst seated, with your arms bent and your palms pressing on the arm rests of your chair, push down on your palms so that you stretch your arms until your body is raised from your chair and then lower yourself down slowly.

Try to repeat this movement 10 times and repeat the same thing every half hour. All in all, 30 movements which only take one minute but which use up a lot of energy.

CELEBRATIONS

I always like to celebrate the loss of another pound when it is a ten number like 20, 30, 40 etc. But today I hit the minus 45 pound mark and maybe it is time to celebrate the 1/2 ten marks...  As the losses are much slower it will be nice to recognize these points in my recovery.
Ok you ask.."How will you celebrate"
I will not celebrate with food as that is what got me into all of this in the first place. I have celebrated every day with food for the last 50 + years. Food was meant to sustain us and to give our body energy to work hard..  Somewhere along the time line we changed the role of food and decided to use it when we were happy, when we were sad, when we worried, when we were angry, and for every type of family holiday, food played the biggest role of all.
Why do we feel we need to serve food or even drink when company arrives, if it is not meal time. I know I need to change my thinking about the role of Food in my life and remember it really is only for sustenance. Good healthy quality food when my body requires it, not something gooey, sweet, or salty that I can not control the amounts I will consume.
 It is not my stomach that tells me what to eat, it is my mind that says" Oh you can eat just one, just this time" My stomach would be happy with just nourishing pablum....lol.

Ok back to the question.."How will you celebrate your 45 pound loss today Cheryl"
I plan to finish reading a  book that is calling my name, I plan to read something motivational as brain food, and I plan on staying in this present moment and enjoying today for what it is, a celebration and not dwell on the past or the future as I can not change the past and there is no future to think about as it has not happened yet. One day at a time and enjoy each one for the progress I have made.

MISTAKES HAPPEN

I had written the following on a fellow Dukanier's blog comment who was having trouble with chocolate Easter eggs and thought I would share as I imagine others are having same type cravings.

Mistakes happen….they are not right or not even acceptable but shake it off and do not let yourself even be close to such things as chocolate if you can not say NO.
An alcoholic would not put a glass of vodka in front of themselves and expect to be able to say NO……He would stay as far away as he could while he is trying to heal his addiction,, We need to do the same and realize that you may never in your life be able to eat chocolate eggs etc….if you want to stay slim and be healthy….Accept the real facts of addictive personalities..I know this is true of myself

SLOW LOSSES

My losses are very slow these days and I know that it is caused by just too much "as tolerated foods".
I have been trying new recipes and using a fair amount of corn flour/starch to thicken sauces, too much soya sauce to make things taste better as well as extra skim milk powder and cream cheese. Yes these are all tolerated foods but the word I keep missing is "AS".  I guess I am not tolerating them very well and will cut back a bit and use these only for maybe one meal a week or celebration or having company....
I will continue to post the recipes I have tried and that we like, but use with discretion...Limit them and do not let them become every day eating..

TODAY'S HINT

 Those of you who have dieted many times before, it is common to think that the less you eat, the more you will lose. On the Dukan diet it is important to eat and eat until you are full as long as you are eating only what is acceptable food for the particular day PP/PV. You never want to be hungry and if you stick to this plan , you will get to the time where you are never hungry and eat only because it is necessary for your energy and life.

On the Dukan chat yesterday this is the comment.....

"You really have to eat enough and especially proteins as it takes more energy for your body to digest them and it takes this energy from its fat stocks."

THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY

The only time it's too late to change yourself is when you're dead.
Until then, you're simply making excuses or lying to yourself.

"If we defend our habits, we have no intentions of quitting them."

Start doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly you'll be doing the impossible!