Dukan – Celebration Sunday & Mountain Hike

Posted on September 3, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Sunday was Consolidation Day 114 of 500.
Today’s Weight: 145
Goal Weight: 155

Sunday is my Celebration Sunday day on Dukan. When you enter the third phase of Dukan, the Consolidation Phase, you get one celebration meal a week. You can eat whatever you want. This is in the first half of Consolidation (mine is 500 days long and the rule applies until I hit day 250). In the second half you can have 2 celebration meals a week.

I’ve chosen to remain wheat, gluten and sugar free, so my celebration meals usually include something like french fries (i’m not eating white potatoes) or lots of fruit! That was the case today.

I started the morning out with a 2 egg omelet with onion, asparagus and garlic. I then went on a 5.59 km mountain hike with my friend Tatiana. This is the trail that I try to hike every Sunday morning when I’m in Hangzhou. I have to say that during yesterday’s hike up I realized that I was really going to miss this part of living in China. Moving back to Florida (which I love more than any place in the world) won’t include mountain hiking!

Burned off breakfast and then some!

runkeeper, mountain hike, hangzhou, china

286 meter = 938 feet… not a bad climb 🙂

Tatiana

mountain hike, west lake, hangzhou, china

And I wore shorts… in public. You can see West Lake in the background. It’s a beautiful view from the top of this mountain!

And this was my reward… a fruit salad for lunch, along with a iced cafe latte with Splenda and a TON of water… like 2 liters.

I shared this delicious fruit platter with Tatiana. So fresh and cool after a long hike in the heat.

My driver Jerry met us at the restaurant and took us to the wet market. I’m going to have to go back and get pictures… I’m always so busy picking out my stuff that I don’t pull out the iPhone and take pics! The wet market has the freshest veggies, fruits, meats and live poultry and fish to choose from. I get my veggies, pork and beef there. The stands that I purchase my pork and beef from both have range free farms. The meat is butchered the day before and I can pick my cuts. Tatiana picked out a 1/2 kilo of live jumbo shrimp to make us a late afternoon snack.

We got home, I separated out all the meat and spent time reading for a while. Around 4 Tatiana simmered the shrimp with fresh ginger, sea salt and pepper corns. I made a wasabi & tamari mix and we had some yummy shrimp!!!

Didn’t have dinner, as I was stuffed. I had a couple of bites of cheese and a handful of almonds to round out my evening.

What did you do on Sunday? Were you active?

Ciao!

Dukan – Consolidation Day 86 – Sunday Runday

Posted on August 7, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Sunday was an awesome day… food wise, Dukan wise and exercise wise!

Daily weight: 148 lbs/67.2 kgs
Goal weight: 155 lbs/70.5 kgs

I started my morning early with a half hour of yoga and some housework. Then at 0900 out for a walk/run. It was HOT! Here’s how hot…

Feels like 101F… bring it on!

So I did this route… which the GPS is off a bit… I walked along the little river, across the bridge and back… so just move my route (in your head) down a bit… LOL

And these are the scenes along my walk…

The path leaving my complex going towards the river.

The construction site has taken over 1/2 the Buddhist Temple and torn it down… they moved the Big incense burners across the walking path to the river side.

The construction site hasn’t taken the temple half… yet… I sure hope they don’t!

A real working lock!

Guarding the lock.

I could smell a funky smell, like manure, and couldn’t figure out where it was coming from!

This lovely lady was fertilizing the lush greenery along the river walk… Thank you! You make my walk much more beautiful!!!

Continuing on…

I then crossed over the river to come back on the other side.

Incoming barge… an old way of transport with all new construction in the background!

Close up of the wake from the barge.

As I crossed over the bridge once more, I got wolf whistled at… LOL. That made me feel good and gave me the energy in the melting heat to finish…

Out of the 1:20 I only ran 35 minutes. It was just too darn hot… but it gave me the chance to slow down and enjoy the scenery!

Food:
Brekkies: 2 tea eggs… good protein fuel to get started!
Snack when back from walk/run: 2 ounces of an amazingly good aged cheddar that crumbles when you bite it… Mmmmmm and some Jerky… thanks, Suzanne for bringing that!
Dinner at 430 p.m. at Surbhi and Andy’s… OH MY GOD!!! My very favorite Indian dish, Palak Paneer, made just for me! Yummy, authentic Indian food. I am SO grateful for the people I have met on my 4 years of living abroad! I also had a little bit of rice, dal and aloo! Of course this was a celebration meal 😀

When I got home from my 1 hour 20 minute bus ride… standing (now that must have burned some calories) and dancing to my own tune (Rocking out to Rock of Ages soundtrack in the bus… smiling and dancing, sure makes the locals give me a little space) I opened my email to this picture…

Yummy, juicy, delectable Helena… who is almost 5 months! I am SO lucky that I get to be there when these little cutie patooties are born! Can’t wait to make a trip to Boston to cuddle you!

And before bed a pot of 2% Greek Yogurt with Splenda and flax seed meal. Yum!

Awesome day all around… How did your weekend go?

Ciao!

Dukan – Consolidation Day 60 – Two Months!

Posted on July 10, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been 2 months since I reached Consolidation Phase! Two months and I’ve actually lost weight, not just maintained. Which says a lot about this amazing lifestyle change… it’s for the long term. It doesn’t abandon you once the weight is gone.

A former colleague, Rachell, is on Dukan and has lost 19 Kgs (nearly 42 pounds). She looks AWESOME! One of the comments under the picture she posted that she was on Dukan and one of the people commented back, ” I must look into it, do you eat anything?”… This is the general mentality we have about diets… that you must not eat… well I’m here to tell you that on Dukan you eat and eat and eat… but you eat GOOD, HEALTHY FOOD. Nourishing food. It’s a lifestyle change and if you stick to it, it continues to keep you fit and healthy… while you eat and eat and eat! 😀

Daily Weight: 144 lbs/65.45 kgs (yes, mother, I know… lol)
Goal Weight: 155 lbs/70.5 kgs.

So, this is something interesting. When I started the Dukan Diet way back in August of last year, Dr. Dukan asks what you think your weight should be. I said 145. He said 165 was my True Weight based on age, # of pregnancies, menopause and other factors. So I agreed to set my goal at 155. Which is what I reached 60 days ago. I am now 11 pounds below that goal and just 1 pound below what I thought my weight should be. I feel good. I’m eating and eating and eating (you get the point)… but my exercise has increased from being a couch potato 10 months ago to running 5K five times a week, yoga 2x a week, mountain hiking on Sunday mornings, walking a mile to and from work every single day, etc. I have increased my calories, as well. Trying to match my motion burning energy 🙂 So, in all actuality, I’ve lost 111 pounds… what a cool number that is!

For a glimpse into my typical Sunday… here we go…

Up at the crack of dawn… no alarm, drives me nuts, as I’d love to sleep in just a little, teeny bit, but nope, my body goes to sleep at 10 pm and wakes up just before 6 am every morning, work or not!

Breakfast: FF Greek yogurt with Splenda and 2 Tbs. Flax seed meal, cup of coffee and 750 mL water with Crystal Light. Strap on my hiking boots and off I go to catch bus #900. Towards Guyuan Park, where I get off to walk to the entrance of the mountain hike.

Along the way to the mountain gate there are many paths to choose from to get there…

And then, as I came out of the park to cross the road to the gate, I encountered this…

No end in sight… but the construction workers waved me over, moved the walls and let me pass through… YAY!

More paths to choose from 🙂

There are 838 steps to get up to here…

West Lake in the background… the view is stunning in person. I drank another 750 mL water while on the hike.

And this is the path I take, thanks to Runkeeper!

838 steps up, 483 ft elevation… nice climb! I paused up at the top for pictures and about a 25 minute guided meditation.

After finishing the hike, I walked down to the first traffic light in front of the University to meet my driver Jerry and found Teresa’s… how in the WORLD had I not found this place in the past 10 months is beyond me!!! I texted Jerry and told him to meet me there and we had brunch… it was Mmmm Mmmm good. The iced coffees were a perfect way to cool off after the long hike!
Brunch: Avocado & Bacon salad. Two tea eggs (smuggled in). 2 Iced cafe lattes with splenda and about 500 mL water.
Groovy restaurant…

Then Jerry took me to the mall to do a little shopping… I was able to find 2 bras that FIT, which is a score here in the land of little women! And after a few hours of shopping, we ended up for a late lunch at The Vineyard… Jerry wanted to know how I could eat so much… YES PEOPLE… YOU GET TO EAT ON DUKAN!! WOOT!
Late lunch: Philly Cheese steak with grilled peppers and extra grilled onions, no bread please and no french fries… side salad instead and several glasses of water. Jerry had french fries… I sniffed them, no appeal, whatsoever!

Then Jerry dropped me off at home. And around 730 p.m. I made the deviled eggs from yesterday’s recipe and while making them, I had salmon shashimi with wasabi & gluten free soy sauce (Tamari). I also ate 6 halves of the deviled eggs… YUM! Drank another 500 mL water and took a 2 mile walk around the complex after dinner and then fell into bed at 10 p.m…. wonderful day. I love being so active!

What do you do on your days off from work???

Ciao!

Dukan Recipe – Goat Cheese & Bacon Deviled Eggs

Posted on July 9, 2012 by flamidwyfe

These are amazingly yummy! I got the idea from Health-Bent and modified it for my own needs. This recipe is good for PP, PV, Consolidation and Stabilization Phases of Dukan. PP and PV if you take out the bacon… there are NO carbs in the recipe, but the bacon has fat. I allowed myself 2 days of bacon a month the entire time I was on Dukan… I lost my weight 🙂 So it’s up to you. The bacon MADE the recipe… just sayin’ 😀

Goat Cheese & Bacon Deviled Eggs
Servings: 2 (I ate some last night and the rest for breakfast this morning!!!)
Prep & Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
6 eggs – Hard boiled *Instructions below
2 ounces of goat cheese
4 ounces of bacon
3 Tbs. Dukan mayo **Instructions below
Few pinches of Paprika
Salt
4 scallions, thinly sliced

Hard boil the eggs.
Cut your bacon width wise, into very thin strips and cook them until they are crispy in a pan. Place on paper towels to soak up the grease and let sit.
Peel your eggs, cut them length wise and scoop out the yolks into a bowl.
Mix together the egg yolks, Dukan mayo, goat cheese, 2 pinches of paprika and salt.
Use a spoon to scoop the egg mixture back into the egg whites.
Sprinkle with a bit more paprika.
Sprinkle with green onions.
Sprinkle with the bacon.
EAT… nom nom!!!

Check out my pics below. I want to preface the pics by saying I don’t have a camera. My Canon broke and these are iPhone pics… I’m also not a photographer, LOL… so these will have to do!

*How I hard boil perfect eggs:
Put 6 eggs in your pot. Put in cold water, just enough to cover. Put on the stove on High. Once it begins to boil time it for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and start running cold water over the eggs for 2 minutes. Allow to set for 5 minutes, then peel. The peels should come right off!
**My Dukan Mayo:
2.5 Tbs of Fat Free Greek Yogurt, 1 Tbs. Dijon Mustard. Stir… Simple… I love simple!

LOL… I forgot to mention that I ate salmon shashimi while cooking it… Mmmm, Mmmm good!!!

My Dukan Mayo

Lick the spoon… it’s worth it!!!

Holy Goat Cheese, Batman… these were GOOD!

Dukan Consolidation – Day 8

Posted on May 20, 2012 by flamidwyfe

So, this is my first official Consolidation Phase post. I’m so used to starting with:
“Today was a PP or PV Day” That I’m going to have to come up with something else!

I decided to make my Consolidation Phase start date May 12. I fasted for surgery on May 10 and was clear fluids only May 11. I had my first piece of fruit on May 12… Mmmmmm 🙂

So Saturday was Consolidation Day 8 out of 500! That might seem daunting to some of you, but Dr. Dukan explains in his book why it is so important to do 5 days for every pound you’ve lost, thus for me it’s 500 days. He says to rest your laurels now is very dangerous, and he’s been right about everything else, so I’m believing him! I like this quote, “Get rid of the illusion that you’ve at last finally taken care of your weight problem and can go back to your old ways. That would be catastrophic”. This phase is to “reset” your body’s internal weight level. My body needs to learn that this is my true weight, not 250+ pounds. I’m in this for the long run!

So here’s the stats:
Today’s weight: 154.7 lbs/70.3 kg
Goal weight: 155 lbs/70.45 kg

I’m still a bit bruised and still sore, but getting better. I’m also still quite swollen in a few places. Didn’t take any Tylenol on Saturday. I am taking a calcium supplement as I’ve been getting a funky cramp in my left foot. I had a lovely foot massage to help with that on Saturday night, as well.

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with onion and chives cooked in 1/2 tsp coconut oil
Lunch: tin of tuna, two tea eggs and a small container of low fat cottage cheese
Snack: 1 ounce of Edam cheese… I missed cheese!
Dinner: Stir fry steak with onions, green peppers and curry spices, green salad
Snack: FF yogurt with flax seed meal and Splenda

On Friday night me and the Guangzhou girls went to dinner at the Arabic restaurant that I love! We spent 3 hours eating, chatting and laughing. I kept it Dukan friendly (not hard with mixed BBQ) and we talked about weight. As it turns out Jenny only weighs 43 kgs and I LOST 45.9 kgs! So we took this pic to compare…

This shot really put things into perspective for me… I lost a WHOLE adult person!

On an exercise note, I walked home from dinner Friday night 1.5 miles. So, so hard not to run. So, so weird to say that, lol! I miss running and I’m living vicariously these two weeks through my running blogger friends! I’ve also decided that in the fall, I’m going to start training to do a triathlon next spring! I’m also looking at 10Ks to run in the late fall.
I’m also back to taking the stairs (I’m staying on the 8th floor of the hospital). Going up, no problem, going down hurts in my upper midline abs area. Not sure why, but sucking it up, supporting with my hand and doing it nonetheless! And I get to start back at yoga tomorrow (Monday!!!).

How is everyone else’s weekend going? Later today I’m going shopping for shoes and a new pair of jeans… I deserve them 😀

Ciao!