Day 80: The How To's of The Dukan Diet

Happy Friday My Friends,

Here we are sitting at day 80, I am down 25 pounds and I feel great!  I have become very motivated now that I have been successful with the first 25lbs but I know what this means and recognize that I will cheat if I don’t keep going.  So I have become more determined to lose the last 25.  It’s not going to come off as easily as the first, but I am hoping with more effort and more exercise I can become successful!  My goal is to hit the gym 2-3 times per week to get back into a routine, mixing it up with cardio, abs, weights etc.

I cheated two weekends in a row, the first was my best friends Bachelorette and Bridal shower.  I didn’t over indulge, I just had some cake and some nachos and some candy, and let me tell you in very small quantities.  This past weekend I had Gatorade and the icing off four cupcakes.  And I am done now, the ramifications of this are: 1. I have a headache today 2. I have not lost any weight and 3. I don’t feel good about myself.  So back on the strict band wagon I go and off to the races! 

Tairalyn and I have been very successful with this diet and we are fielding questions and requests, left right and center on how we did it, how to do it, how much does it cost, the list is endless.  SO, I thought I would dedicate this post to the How To’s of the Dukan Diet. (Check out Little Miss Mama's blog today for her tips and tricks)

Like most diets, they are a lifestyle change, just like quitting smoking; if you are not ready you will not be successful.  Trust me.  But Tairalyn and I were definitely ready for this and we read up and found recipes to help us through.  We used resources like Google and Pinterest.  The Dukan Diet consists mainly of cutting out all carbs including sugars and limiting the fat intake into your body, low fat milk products, no fruit, no breads, pastas, grains and no veggies (for the attack phase).

What Tairalyn and I did to prepare ourselves for this diet was to go on a cleanse for the first week.  We cut out carbs and sugars, mainly breads, candy, chocolate and drank THIS each day for the first 7 days.  After that we then started on Phase 1: Attack Phase. 

Like I have stated before PLAN PLAN PLAN! Tairalyn and I spent one whole day, 12 hours planning out every single meal including snacks, making every single meal including snacks and organizing each day.  We were beat, tired, bitchy, but we knew come Monday we would be successfully embarking on a new lifestyle and we were ready to welcome it with open arms.  Check out our PINTEREST here, here, and here for recipes used.  We did the attack phase for the maximum of 10 days, reasoning is that our goal is to lose 50lbs.

What is the Attack Phase?

High protein, basically only protein with non-fat milk and dairy, at least 3 liters of water a day to avoid overworking your kidneys and 20 minutes of light exercise a day!

Only allowed 2 egg yolks a day, unlimited egg whites

2 Tbs of Oat Bran every day, I mixed mine into my yogurt

Any seasonings must be sugar free 

NO VEGGIES - NO FRUIT - NO CARBS

It’s definitely an adjustment and you have to push through the cravings and the bad days.  Making sure you have an amazing support system will help for the low days and the high days!

What is the Cruise Phase?

There are different versions of this phase as to which days you eat what.  I followed the PP (pure protein) and PV (Protein Veg) alternating days.  But check out mydukandiet.com for the variation you feel will work for you.  You are still limited in the vegetables that you can eat but boy will you appreciate them more!

Approved Veggies:

1. Artichokes (Globe not Jerusalem)
2. Asparagus
3. Egg Plant
4. Beetroot
5. Broccoli
6. Cabbage (Broccoli and Cabbage are both a member of the Cole family and this allows you to eat a very wide variety of vegetables such as cauliflower, purple sprouting broccoli, red cabbage, white cabbage, collard greens, kale and brussel sprouts)
7. Carrots
8. Celery and Celeriac
9. Chicory
10. Zucchini
11. Cucumber
12. Fennel
13. French Beans/String Beans/Runner Beans/Mangetout
14. Leeks
15. Mushrooms ( all varieties including White Button, Shiitake, Oyster and Portabella)
16. Onions (Red, White, Salad or Spring)
17. Palm Hearts
18. Peppers
19. Pumpkins, Squashes and Marrows
20. Radishes
21. Salad Leaves (Of any sort including all types of Lettuce, Rocket and Watercress)
22. Sorrel
23. Soya Beans
24. Spinach
25. Swede
26. Swiss Chard
27. Tomatoes
28. Turnips

Now the possibilities are endless, it’s like a whole new world has opened up.  You can eat anyone of these however you like it.  Just remember to always check the ingredients to make sure there is no sugar, use skim milk products and try to add a little exercise into your diet. 

There are more phases to this diet but we aren’t there yet!Cost: Just a grocery bill.  As with many diets, when you start buying fresh foods you have to spend a little more but that is about it.

I have put together a list of the must-haves I have learned and wish I had known during the attack phase.  My secret tips and tricks that will help YOU be successful:

1. Go to shopdukandiet.ca and order some products here that will help seize those cravings you will have.  Promocodes youcandukan15 or youcandukan5
2. PUDDING.  Jello makes a fat free, sugar free pudding that you just add skim milk to; honestly it is better than sliced bread and a lifesaver.
3. Sugar twin.  The white sugar twin has proven its value in this diet as the best sugar replacement on the market.  We tried many varieties and found this one to be the best for baking and eating.
4. Greek Yogurt Lifesaver.  0% Greek plain yogurt, with some cinnamon and sugar twin, this will help you anytime, anywhere if you are having a craving.  Very satisfying.
5. Spend the money for the low fat cheese, it is worth it.  I have found that the marble is the best one that doesn’t lose much of the taste.
6. Mustard, the no calorie flavor booster
7. Save-On-Foods.  They have bulk foods and this is where I have found the cheapest Goji berries and bulk oat bran.

The internet is your oyster and Google is your best friend, use it to your full advantage to look anything up and become successful.

I hope this will help you on your way to a new better version of you.  If you have any questions please feel free to email me ohsolindz@gmail.com or leave a comment.  I would love to help each of you!

NOW, head on over to Little Miss Mama and read her secrets to success!

Have a fabulous weekend my friends!

Xoxo Lindsay

JOIN US: Okay come’on, we’re on day 80, I know there are a few of you that are lingering on the idea of jumping onboard! What are you waiting for folks? Buy your books {here or here}, plan and pin your favorite recipes from our weight loss journey board {here}, menu plan your attack phase, ensure you visit shopdukandiet.com {promocodes 15% off $100+ youcandukan15, or 5% off $50 youcandukan5}, and reach out to us letting us know you’re making a movement into health and happiness with us.

HASHTAG HANGOUT: Don’t forget to tag your posts with #youcandukan so Tairalyn and I can see the success of all of you, cheering you on along the way with great tips and tricks we have learned as we go.FIND US PINTERESTING?
My Weightloss Journey Pinterest Board Dukan Diet Recipe Pinterest Board
INSTAGRAM: I am constantly posting pics of my success and healthy snacks and meals add ohsolindsay for inspiration

UPDATE: Dukeing It Out With Little Miss Mama

Happy Wednesday My Friends,

Well this past week and a half hasn't been an easy one but Little Miss Mama and I made it through.  A little more of a struggle than I anticipated even though we were able to add veggies into our diet.

Day 15: Cruise Phase, Introducing Veggies

I was pretty shocked at the results of the weigh in, I didn't feel like I had lost any weight at all but my scale doesn't like, well at least I hope it doesn't! I didn't lose many inches which is to be expected when you don't exercise, I know if I put a little more effort into the exercise part I would see higher results which has now become my goal over the next few weeks as I know this will only benefit me.  Today I received the good news that we get to introduce protein & vegetable days!  Yaaay, oh happy day!  I was definitely starting to get sick of only protein day in and day out.  So how does this work?  During the cruise phase you alternate between pure protein days and protein and veggie days.  This breaks up the full protein days which is fantastic and opens up the meal possibilities exponentially.  We will stay in this phase until we have reached our goal weights, which looks to be about another 4-5 months, this is a lifestyle change after all and I am ready for it.

I must admit I fell off the wagon, on day 18 I was cranky, hungry and exhausted after a full day of training at my new job.  I came home and decided to nap, hoping that would help, nope.  It made it worse, so for the sake of my family and my sanity I ate a plain burger patty and a salad in hopes that would satisfy my hunger but it didn't so I had a cookie.  I had 6.  Homemade chocolate chip cookies that had been taunting me for a week but one of the key factors in a diet is being accountable.  Feeling defeated I messaged my bestie Little Miss Mama, without her I wouldn't make it through this.  Trust me when I say this, doing this with someone is the best way to do it!  The best way!  She talked me down from the binge ledge I was hanging on and gave me the support and encouragement I needed!  So what do I do from here?  Of course she offered to get together this weekend find some new recipes and prepare some meals so that we can be successful in this.

Day 22: Cruise, Cruise, Cruise

Well my friends I must say another successful week has come and gone and I am happy with the results.  I lost 2.5 lbs and 1.5 inches on my bust and 3 inches on my hips, I can't believe it!  I didn't expect to lose that much weight or lose any inches as I have not been super active, but I am pleasantly surprised!  I have to give credit to my bestie Tairalyn, without her and her support I don't think I would be this successful, when I am down she picks me up and this is exactly what I and someone needs when making such a change in life.  I am beginning to see some major differences in my upper body, fitting into shirts that were too tight to close and finding my bra's and shirts a little looser!  I don't see the changes day to day but when I look back on the photos I can see the differences, 22 days in and I am down 11 lbs!  I would never have imagined it to be possible but it is!  I must admit that I was a little unsure when Little Miss Mama told me we would be losing at least 10 lbs a month, I didn't believe her at all.  But the Dukan Diet has a rhyme and reason for everything and is turning out to be successful.

Planning; It is a huge HUGE part of this diet, without the planning of weekly meals I would not be successful.  It takes a lot of time but it is worth it in the end, even the cooking til all hours of the night, saves my bacon when I am starving.

A few hidden gems we discovered during the cruise phase, carrot cake muffins, fat free instant pudding and sugar twin.  I should actually be calling these lifesavers because without these I don't think I could keep myself sane without any treats.

Check out these delicious recipes we found and trust me I would eat everything on this list even if I wasn't on this diet!

Mongolian Beef

Sesame Chicken

Meatballs & Sauce

Thai Beef Skewers

Thai Chicken

Butternut Squash Fries

Zucchini Lasagna

Carrot Cake Recipes

Whoopie Pies

Have a fabulous day!

Athens at a Glance

Hi my friends, 

Today was our first full day in Athens and it consisted of a little fighting, just as sisters would do, going out and finding a wedding dress for my bride to be bestie at the Pronovias sample sale, touring the ancient city of Athens and finding me a winter jacket!!  A successful day if I must say so myself!!  Tonight we are trying to keep our waists slim as there is a wedding coming up soon, so we found this organic restauranunt with amazing prices and amazing food!  This day has renewed our faith in Athens as when we arrived our hotel wasn't ready at 530pm and Kristina frantically tried to use the internet as it is pretty slow for about 5 hours with no success.  

Who knows what the day will bring us tomorrow as there is more to see and buy here! 

Have a great day!