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Showing posts from 2012

StevieNicks-off

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There was a StevieNicks -off on tonight's episode (season premiere) of NBC's Up All Night . Reagan is packing up her office, playing " Edge of Seventeen ". Suddenly, she hears the same song coming from Ava 's office. They're in the middle of a spat. She stares at Ava. Ava shoots her a dirty look, cranks the volume, and throws down: Not to be outdone, Reagan turns her volume up even louder, and holds up the speakers: I love it so much.

moving on to phase 3

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I've made great progress in the diet, reaching my goal weight (205 lbs) nearly 2 months ahead of schedule. I was able to stick to it... pretty much. There were days when I had some extra oat bran: snacky times when I was staring down a sleeve of saltines, and (wisely) opted to have some yogurt and oat bran instead. On the Victoria Day long weekend, I gave in and had some alcohol. Luckily, I didn't seem to do much damage. Onward to the consolidation phase . which I'll be on for 237 days (5 days for every pound lost). I'm off to the grocery store to get some apples, whole grain bread, and cheddar cheese. BODY STATISTICS, END OF CRUISE PHASE weight 205 lbs ↓ (47.4 lbs) 19.7% body fat ↓ 61.5% water weight ↑ 38.7% muscle mass ↑  4.0% bone mass ↑ body statistics, 3 June 2012

phase 2 update

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Doing well! Made it through Easter weekend without having any candy or chocolate (or wine). People are starting to really notice the weight loss. I need to buy some new pants. Above all else: I feel fantastic. body statistics as of today

phase 1 complete

Dukan recommended 6 days of attack phase for me; I ended up doing 8. I simply ran out of time to go shopping for the allowed vegetables. I'm still feeling pretty good. It was a long work week, and (as usual) I was quite tired by the end. I did have a couple of cravings for something sweet & processed... something easy and boxed. I chalked it up to lack of sleep, and stuck to my guns. I started the cruise phase yesterday. I almost can't believe I've gone 10 days without eating bread, pasta, or starchy vegetables! I don't think that's happened since I started eating solid food as a baby. This is awesome. I know there may be difficult times in the next few months... times when I really want peanut butter or an alcoholic beverage. But the end of July will be here before I know it.* If I can keep my eyes on the prize (205 lbs by the end of July), I'll be fine. BODY STATISTICS, END OF ATTACK PHASE weight 245.8 lbs  ↓ (6.6 lbs) 26.8% body fat  ↓ 56.1%

oat bran quandary

I'm no worse for my choice of oat bran. From page 54 of The Dukan Diet : "If the bran is not thoroughly sifted, it is not sufficiently pure and contains too much flour. [...] ...it is after it has been sifted for a sixth time, B6, that oat bran has negligible fast carbohydrate content." Fast carbohydrates: a scary concept for someone trying to kick his carb addiction. So, I wrote the manufacturer of the oat bran I bought. Their response assures me that I'm not ingesting the equivalent of bleached wheat flour. Now I'm feelin' so fly, like a B6. STATISTICS, BEGINNING OF DAY 6 weight 247.4 lbs  ↓

hello-o-o ketones

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DAY 4: I feel great. Felt great yesterday, too. Hopefully, I'm through the worst of the carb withdrawal. Dr. Dukan says it's all due to the ketones ... in some dieters, the effect can be euphoric. My system has also adjusted in other, um, important ways. Yesterday, I was beginning to feel a bit like Nibbler . You see, I was a day late starting the oat bran component of the diet. In last week's preparatory shopping, I couldn't find a product with milling & sifting properties listed in the book . Being prone to rule-following, I spent most of Saturday morning in a resumed search for oat bran. (It's why my first meal on Saturday was delayed.) From what I can tell by trolling the Web, I'm not alone. More on this in a future post. To summarize: I bought oat bran on Saturday, and "things" are better today. STATISTICS, BEGINNING OF DAY 4 weight 248.6 lbs (no change)

thou shalt not skip meals

DAY 2: Although I didn't intend to, I ate breakfast very late today... it was more of a brunch. I had a nap this afternoon, and then ate a full dinner (leftover steak, albacore tuna, a kosher dill pickle, and fat-free yogurt). I spent the evening reading more of the Dukan book , but I was feeling... off . And then I re-read the part where Dr. Dukan talks about the protein needs of the human body. 1 g of protein per 2 lbs of body weight. So I audited my protein intake for the day. Sure enough, it fell short: 109 g instead of 125 g. Important stuff. If we don't get enough protein in our diet, our bodies have a nifty way of taking it from places we may not want it to... like our muscles . A big tall glass of skim milk, and I was back on track. I honestly felt better afterward. STATISTICS, ONE DAY UNDER MY (CONSIDERABLY LARGE) BELT weight 248.6 lbs ↓ 27.3% body fat ↓ 55.7% water weight ↑ (proving that my lost weight isn't water)

starting the Dukan Diet

After a long weekend of immobilisé (and a life-long battle with emotional eating, I decided to take action: I embarked on The Dukan Diet . I began making preparations earlier this week. I sought advice from a friend who lost 50 lbs on Dukan. I purchased the book, an electronic scale, and some kit items to bring my attack & cruise phase lunches to work. After reading the first couple of chapters, I had enough information to go grocery shopping. (I'm such an assimilator .) I began the diet this morning. I'm not hungry, and I feel fine... for the most part. (I briefly daydreamed about freshly-baked bread with butter, and when a coworker announced they were going on a coffee run, I jokingly put in an order for a mixing bowl full of doughnut holes, a quart of homogenized milk, and a big spoon.) That's the problem, right there: I'm a carb & fat addict. I realized this over Christmas, when I read The End of Overeating by Dr. David Kessler. I've put in an