I have set myself up for a challenge this week....and the many weeks to follow. After pondering my navel for way too long (I know it's down there somewhere!) and getting zilch results with my current lifestyle of generally healthy eating and regular trips to the gym at ungodly hours of the morning I decided that it is now time for affirmative action.
I've always been a sceptic of high protein diets and although not a huge carb eater....more of a carb drinker which is my largest hurdle, I thought it couldn't hurt to give it a go. It's not that I don't believe that high protein diets work, it's just the fact that eating pure protein, even if for a short burst, couldn't be good for anyone's kidneys....or plumbing for that matter!
So after some extensive research (google, of course) I came across a "diet" that I felt I could stick to without too much effort and would give me the instant wham bam results I was after. Pierre Dukan is the man, it seems, when it comes to knowing how to melt away that unwanted, unhealthy flab; and this is his book, well one of his many books:
The theory is to get the body into a state of ketosis whereby we use fat as fuel instead of glucose. On the
Dukan Diet Website you are asked to answer a series of questions to assess what your "true weight" should be. The first phase of this diet is the Attack Phase....fabulous name.... and depending on how much weight you need to lose determines how long you will be in this phase; for some, up to 10 days but luckily for me it was only 4 days. I'm up to day 3 as we speak. During the Attack Phase you are to eat pure protein including most meats, chicken, fish, eggs and low fat dairy....nothing else!! Oh, yes, one other thing: one and a half tablespoons of oat bran daily. I was a bit daunted by this as I'm someone who loves nothing more than a huge salad with most meals and surprisingly even after 2 and a half days I'm not overly craving the salad and certainly not even feeling like carbs. I don't know if that's because I don't eat alot of carbs or whether I have finally found the determination to stick to this with the hope of losing a few kgs by Easter.
So what have I eaten??? First 2 mornings I had natural yoghurt with the suggested amount of oat bran. No problem. Lunch has been a tin of tuna, some cottage cheese and a sprinkling of mint (herbs are allowed), yesterday was leftover mince with some more cottage cheese and some tuscan dried herbs. Dinner the first night was mince with two poached eggs and last night was stirfried chicken with chilli, mint and a spritz of lime juice. This morning was fabulous.....two poached eggs with smoked salmon YUM!! and lunch was leftover chicken from last night. In between all of this protein I have been drinking copious amounts of water; Pierre (see we are on first name basis already) suggests at least a litre and a half per day and up to 3 litres of fluid per day in total. I've found this part easy also because I do drink alot of water and for some reason this diet has made me thirstier.
Aside from the inconvenience of late night urges to go to the loo I have felt fine on this eating plan but my only concern is the dreadful taste in my mouth!! Apparently this is to be taken as a sign of success and that the diet is working as all the toxins and the acetone (which is a ketone that the body doesn't need and is produced during ketosis ) are released both "downstairs" and through the mouth. Hmmm.....now a giant wad of chewy and I are attached at the hip. Being the week end, in particular late Saturday afternoon, I am looking for my usual sundowner but I'm staying strong and having yoghurt with oatbran instead....I'm serious!!!
Stay tuned as Monday sees me enter the "Cruise Phase" and hopefully I will be able to report a weight loss post the Attack Phase! Putting all my trust in the Frenchman.
xxMs.K
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