Dukan – Day 181

Posted on February 17, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Thursday was a PV Day.

Daily Weight Loss: 0.44 lb/0.20 kg
Total Weight Loss: 69.1 lb/31.41 kg

This one is going to be short. Normal day here in China, still grey, cold and rainy, but my mood is lifting. I’ve taken to “sunning” in my guest bathroom under the UV lights for an hour a night.

It’s toasty warm and makes me feel good 🙂

Breakfast: 2 tea eggs
Lunch: Beef slices w/cilantro, garlic stems and sautéed mushrooms
Dinner: Stir-fried pork with onions and mushrooms

Had my groceries delivered from Shanghai today, got some fresh organic veggies that I’m going to use in some recipes.

I hope everyone is having a fun Thursday… The weekend is almost here!

Ciao!

Quote of the day: If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page
– Mark Houlahan –

Stop Quitting!

Posted on February 16, 2012 by flamidwyfe

No truer words than these. There have been days during this journey where it would have been WAY easier to throw in the towel, but instead I stuck it out and persevered. The only good thing I ever quit, was smoking cigarettes… Quitting Dukan? Ain’t gonna happen…

Stop quitting!

Dukan – Day 180 – Lovin’ the Whoosh

Posted on February 15, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wednesday was a PV (Protein/Vegetable) Day.

Daily Weight Loss: 1.5 lb/0.70 kg
Total Weight Loss: 68.7 lb/31.21 kg

NICE 🙂 My first post-vacation whoosh (not counting the one from last weekend, since I was flying for 2 days on a plane and that truly was water loss). I knew the morning weight in was going to be good, because I snuck a peek on the scale last night and I weight 0.10 kg less than the morning, and that was after a fantastic dinner 🙂

Early in the mornin’: 4 oz cup of yogurt with splenda and bran
Breakfast: 2 tea eggs
Lunch: 2 slices of ham + 2 tea eggs
Dinner: Beef sirloin burger with bacon and a small amount of mozzarella cheese (without the bun) + a salad with tomatoes and cukes with a splash of olive oil and sea salt… yum.

Had dinner at The Vineyard with Kitty, Chiara and Joe. Feels “normal” there because it’s an American restaurant, and I feel a bit at home. I looked at their appetizer of fried onion rings, fried calamari, fried mozzarella and chicken wings and thought how awful that food would make me feel. I did pick up one onion ring and smell it… LOL

In regard to my blog… I am reaching between 150 – 200 readers per day, which is awesome! I am humbled that people would spend time reading my words and commenting. My blog has reached nearly 16,000 views. Makes me happy. 😀

Well… off to get ready for work. I hope you all are having a fabulous week… mine is looking up!

Ciao!

Quote of the day: “For what it’s worth: it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

Be In It For The Long Haul

Posted on February 15, 2012 by flamidwyfe

When I started the Dukan journey on August 20, 2011 I didn’t think that I would be nearing the 170’s in February. I thought about what a daunting task losing 90 pounds would be. And that 90 pounds would only bring me to Dr. Dukan’s “Ideal Weight” for me, not MY ideal weight.

But, start I did. And what a fabulous journey it has been. I’m down 67 of those 90 pounds already. That is more than 30 kgs! I’ve lost more than 25% of my body weight in less than 6 months. And I’ve done it by eating WELL and eating RIGHT. That is one of the things I love about the Dukan diet over any other program I’ve been on. It’s a LIFE TIME plan. It doesn’t take you to your ideal weight and leave you there. It’s a change in your life style and it helps to get you there and stays with you. It is also healthy eating. Low fat and low carb. A perfect life time diet for me, as I’m committed to staying off of wheat and gluten for the rest of my life.

So no matter what your future plans are… losing weight, learning something new, taking on a gym program, complete the Couch 2 5K… the year will pass anyways, whether you start and/or accomplish your goal or not…. So take a chance and be in it for the long haul!

Dukan – Day 179 – Just Blogging Along

Posted on February 14, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Tuesday was a PP Day.

Daily Weight Loss: Stayed the same.
Total Weight Loss: 67.1 lb/30.51 kg

It’s a new morning and although the sun isn’t shining (still)… I played the song “Here Comes The Sun” on the walk to work to cheer me up! I have heat lamps with UV lighting in my guest shower and spent a couple extra minutes basking in it this morning, as well 😀

Breakfast: Tea Eggs
Lunch: Steamed fish with onions and chili peppers and spicy spices!
Dinner: Stir fried sirloin with lots and lots and lots of Italian herbs on it and garlic stems.

Water: A little more than 2 Liters.

I wore my new Levis “skinny” jeans that Terri talked me into buying. I’m not use to wearing clothes that hug my body, but with the pinches and pokes I received today from the doctors (they’re all ladies) I think I pulled it off… LOL. It is very cool wearing “normal” sized clothes. I believe it was the late 80’s the last time I wore clothes smaller than size 16 (for those of you that aren’t from the States, size 16 is an 18 UK, and the first “big girl” size).

I taught a class today in the afternoon… International Patient Safety Goal #5: Reduce the risk of Hospital Acquired Infections. It was well received and most of them paid attention. Challenging teaching people that don’t speak your language. I have to trust that my personal assistant Kitty is translating what I say. I do, for the most part.

I am still trying to get over the jet lag, I’m now able to stay awake to nearly 10 p.m. Woo hoo! I hope everyone is having an amazing day!

Ciao!

Quote of the day:

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

~ Buddha

Just Don’t Give Up!

Posted on February 14, 2012 by flamidwyfe

I saw this saying today and it really struck a chord! It is so easy to give up and much tougher to see the light at the end of the tunnel and stay on track.
Months ago I would think “Well, I’ve lost 25 pounds, but I still have 65 to go” and think of excuses to not carry on. But I persevered and kept going and today I’m proud to say I’ve lost 67 pounds and ONLY have 23 pounds to go! Don’t make excuses! Don’t give up! You are 1 pound closer to your goal and tomorrow you’ll be even closer!

Dukan – Day 178 – At least it’s warming up!

Posted on February 13, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Today was a PP day (Pure Protein).

Daily Weight Loss: 0.4 lb/0.20 kg
Total Weight Loss: 67.1 lb/30.51 kg

Woke up in a bit of a funk, but happy to see that the temp was actually over 40 degrees!!! Yay! After the walk to work and handover, I had 2 tea eggs for breakfast. I also drank nearly 1000mL of water with grapefruit Crystal Light in it. I’m really enjoying having the flavored water. I find I can drink down half the 1.5 Liter bottle and refill with water and it’s still tasty!

Meeting with the CEO mid-morning and then a walk to the halal restaurant for lunch. Beef slices with cilantro and garlic stems with chili pepper… phew they were hot!

Afternoon filled with writing policies and PowerPoints and then on my walk home I decided to walk to the mall to pick up a few items at the grocery store. I was in the elevator, having an OVERWHELMING urge to pop into the PIZZA HUT for a pizza… seriously, this is the FIRST time I’ve craved carbs in nearly 6 months!!!! when my iPhone rings and it’s Velina and she’s inviting me to dinner at the Mexican restaurant… divine intervention, for sure! So I walked the further 1.3 miles down to the restaurant to meet them… I had Beef fajitas with extra onions and without the fajitas… crisis diverted. I know it’s about wanting comfort food, and DAMMIT I will not fall into that trap! I’ve been gluten free since August 20th and plan on staying that way 😀

Power walk back jamming to lots of different tunes, mood lifted, feeling a bit better, shower and facebook and bed… Things are looking up 🙂

Ciao!

Quote of the Day: A photo quote…

Dukan – Day 177 – Trying to Shake the Blues

Posted on February 12, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Sunday was a PV Day. It was suppose to be Day 3 of 4 of PP days, but I had lunch with friends at a restaurant… More on that later 🙂

Daily Weight Loss: 0.4 lb/0.20 kg
Total Weight Loss: 66.7 lb/30.31 kg

Morning started off better as I slept until 5 a.m. And that made me happy 😀 I had a pot of yogurt with bran and Splenda and a cup of coffee to start my day. Then off to work in this lovely (not) rainy, dreary, cold weather. A stop to pick up my daily allotment of tea eggs. My 1 mile/1.5 km walk is now down to about 12 minutes. When I started walking everyday to work, nearly 5 months ago, it took 17 minutes. I work on the 4th floor of my building and after clocking in I take the stairs up. I realized yesterday that I’m no longer out of breath AT ALL by the time I reach the top… How awesome is that?

After morning rounds I did some lactation consulting (just when I give up on helping women here breastfeed, there always seems to be a couple of women who request it, funny how that works… I’m not a quitter, but so passionate about breastfeeding, that sometimes I must take a step back, throw in the towel and not allow the circumstances here consume me!). Both ladies were very grateful for the help.

I then had a lovely 6 hour prenatal visit with Velina and Robin 😀 Just like the old days when I was a home birth midwife. They came at 10, we lunched from 12 – 2 and they left around 4. It filled my day with some sunshine 🙂 Lunch for me was T-bone steak, broccoli , cucumbers and raw red cabbage.

Then the bad news of the day – Whitney Houston died. She’s MY age, born a few months before me, how does this keep happening? What demons cause these remarkably talented people to head down the path of drugs, alcohols and bad behavior?? I sobbed watching the video of her singing The National Anthem at the Super Bowl in 1991. What a waste of amazing talent.

Dinner: Chicken chunks stir fried in soy sauce with cumin and garlic cloves.

To bed at 9, trying to shake the blues, fighting the urge to pack up and go home, come on sun, I need ya buddy, the grey skies are wearing thin and I need some sunspiration.

Ciao!

Quote of the day: I believe that children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. – Whitney Houston

Pic of the day: Robin, Velina & Me

Dukan – Day 176 – Jet Lag and Walking on Thin Ice

Posted on February 12, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Saturday was a PP Day 2 of 4

Daily Weight Loss: 1.1 lb/0.50 kg
Total Weight Loss: 66.2 lb/30.11 kg

Happy to see the scale continuing to drop. I’ve been drinking more than 2 liters of water the past 2 days to help flush out the water I’m retaining from 21+ hours of flying.

I was up at the unGodly hour of 303 a.m., having crashed around 800 p.m. Friday night. This wouldn’t be so bad IF I didn’t have to work and think. It’s nice getting up 4.5 hours before you have to work, I got a lot done 🙂

I had a pot of yogurt with bran and Splenda before I left for work and picked up tea eggs at the vendor downstairs. Before getting dressed in the morning I always check the temp outside to see how layered I’m going to have to dress. This was the forecast this morning…

Shouldn’t there be a rule that you update the weather when the low is actually 5 degrees lower than the forecast?!?

I then picked up my tea eggs and took this picture of the dreary morning…

I then promptly fell on my not so cushioned anymore ass! See the black shiny tile? What a great way to start my morning! 😀 At least is was a graceful fall and I didn’t hurt myself, nor was it witnessed by anyone… LOL

Work was work, bathing babies, seeing prenatal patients and assisting women with breastfeeding.

Lunch at the halal restaurant with some friends was sliced beef with cilantro and a couple of mushrooms and a tea egg.

Afternoon creating a power point, posters and policy for reducing the risk of falls (ironic given my fall this morning!) and at 3 pm I felt like I had hit a brick wall. Jet lag is no fun, seriously! I did some yoga and jumping jacks to infuse some energy and finished the day with a walk home in the cold rain.

Dinner was beef stir-fry with curry and cumin and garlic stems. I have no onions and miss them. I will order food online for delivery on Thursday and be stocked up, once again.

I busied myself with downloading iOS 5 update for my iPad and went for a walk to keep me up until at least 9. Bed at 915, left the update running 🙂 Still working on getting my bearings again. Missing home a lot after this visit for some reason. Trying to reason savings plans for the future vs. being at home with family… I’ll be better when the sun comes out, inshallah 🙂

Ciao!

Quote of the day: Picture Quote…

What’s on your playlist?

Posted on February 11, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Name 5 songs on your play list in the comments, I might add them to mine!

Here’s 5 of my favorites, currently on my play list:
1. How To Save a Life – The Fray
2. One and Only – Adele
3. Numb – Linkin Park
4. Conspiracy, Time To Reflect & Endurance – Trevor Jones – G.I. Jane soundtrack
5. Chasing Cars- Snow Patrol

Come on… Tell me what yours are 🙂