Dukan – Reflections of Spring

Posted on March 22, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wednesday was a PV day 🙂

Daily weight loss: 0.4 lb/0.2 kg
Total weight loss: 79.8 lb/36.31 kg

Wednesday started out at 39 degrees and rose to 57! And this afternoon(Thursday) it is a glorious 72!!! I’m sitting on the balcony basking in the sun 😀

Breakfast: 2 tea eggs
Lunch: grilled chicken breast
Dinner: Citrus Pork and a yummy mixed green organic salad.
Snack: FF Greek yogurt with Splenda and bran.

Spring is a time to clean things up and reflect… I have thought a lot about reflecting lately and today on the way back from getting coffee I caught my reflection in a storefront window and I’m starting to like what I see!

Eating right, exercising, running and a good attitude (most of the time) have brought me to this place.

Life is good.

Ciao!

Dukan – Day 214 – Cruisin’ Towards the End

Posted on March 21, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Tuesday was a PV day 🙂

Daily weight loss: 0.4 lb/0.2 kg
Total weight loss: 79.4 lb/36.11 kg

Tuesday was cold and dark, definitely ushered out winter in a harsh way! Started my day out by a nice 1 mile walk to work. I also did something I don’t do very often…
Breakfast… wait for it… Yogurt! 🙂 with Splenda and bran
Morning Snack: Tea egg
Lunch: 1/2 can tuna and 2 tea eggs

I then took a public bus (I know, shocking!) towards town and walked the remaining 2 miles to The Vineyard, which is run by a guy named Reuben from Boston. He cooks me Dukan friendly meals 🙂 How cool is that? I had naked chicken wings with hot sauce and a Philly cheese steak w/o the bread, with extra onions and low fat mozzarella, just a tiny bit.

I then walked 1.4 miles to a friend’s flat for a 2 hour visit and then I started walking home. I had my jeans on, my back pack and in my back pack I had stuffed a yoga ball… after 5 or 6 minutes of walking, I decided to run… I did a warm up of a 3 min run/90 sec walk/4 min run/90 sec walk… then I ran for 36 minutes… I really focused on pacing myself and breathing. Just when I thought I wouldn’t be able to keep going I’d get a burst of energy and just keep going… I ended my run by going up and over a bridge (just a little one, lol, but an incline none the less). I then walked the remaining way home, about 5 minutes. The total trip is 3.6 miles, I have no idea how far I ran in that 36 minutes… what I do know is that oddly, I wasn’t out of breath… my legs were definitely fatigued after all was said and done, but not too bad. I woke up this morning expecting to be sore, nada… I definitely felt some twinges, but really no pain… tonight is a “night off” from C25K… I’m going to make myself rest my legs 🙂

Ciao!

How Did That Happen??

Posted on March 17, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Tonight, while on Facebook a pic popped up on my friend Michele’s Timeline… it was a pic with both of us in it, taken by our friend Bernadette… This was Sunday, August 7, 2011, 13 days before I started the Dukan Diet… I will never, ever look like this again… How the hell did I get that big?? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way… I was lacing on my running shoes when I saw the picture and it gave me even more incentive to run tonight!!! Here it is…

Ugh!

And me mountain hiking last Sunday, March 11, 2012… 7 months later… yeah, I like this ME much better!

Much Better 🙂

What’s your incentive to stay on your program???

Dukan – Yummiest Pork – And a Day Trip

Posted on March 16, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Thursday was a PP day 😀

Daily weight loss: 0.4 lb/0.22 kg
Total weight loss: 76.6 lb/34.81 kg

Went in to work for an hour before embarking on a lovely day trip… left home at 0730 and didn’t get home until after 11 p.m…. late for me, but worth it!

My amazing driver Jerry showed up promptly (as usual) at 0900 to take me, Dana & Jenni (Steve’s family) and Tracy (Steve’s assistant) for our day trip. First stop the Taoguang Temple near West Lake in Hangzhou. We had a steady rain fall to deal with (all day) but I had on my water-proof hiking boots from Chaco and a rain jacket.

Best hiking boots ever!

Dana & Jenni

The first of many Buddhas we saw.

After spending about an hour exploring the temple and lighting incense and praying for the safe journey earthside for my two babies that I am waiting for, we headed over to Tea Mountain. This is an area on the north side of Hangzhou where the local green tea is grown. I only got one picture because it was raining too hard to get out of the car 😦

Tea leaves in the mist.

From there we took a 1.5 hour drive north to the town of WuZhen. It is known as the “Venice of China”. The homes are on the water, they use Chinese gondolas for transportation and it really was quite quaint. The BEST thing about visiting here was I had the YUMMIEST PORK EVER in this little village!! OMG was it to die for. The pork is wrapped in lotus leaves and tied up and then steamed in a soy sauce that is infused with Star Anise, Cardamon and Cloves. I can’t even begin to tell you how yummy this dish was!!! There was a lot of meat and I left most of the fat… I have to admit I ate two pieces, lol, soaked in that amazing sauce… nom, nom, nom!!!

Yummiest Pork Ever!

We also had Chrysanthemum Tea… hot water with little chrysanthemum buds in it… it’s quite tasty.

Chrysanthemum Tea

There were 4 or 5 museums and active manufacturing in WuZhen… the wood carving museum, the bed museum and the rice wine distillery were just 3 of the places we popped into.

Carved into a piece of petrified wood.

Clay vats for wine distilling.

Working with silk...

Soaked to the bones in the Bed museum.

Not sure what the squeezer was... but the sign is over massive bags of rice... I love the signs I find all over the world!

I also love doors!

Cabbage Truck 🙂

So that was the end of our day trip… I then had the absolute pleasure to go hang out with my 2 year old buddy, Soren. His mommy is 4 days past her due date and was achin’ for some alone time with her hubby, so they went out to dinner and I hung with the love bug. He’s a very cool 2 year old.

First, he had me sit on his little Big Wheel and pushed me around… LOL

Getting pushed around by a munchkin!

We then played with cars and trucks, read 4 books and sang Baby Beluga 3 times… I recorded it and I’m hoping the upload works 🙂 Oooops, nevermind… need a “space upgrade” to do that 😦 It was cute though!
Here’s another pic of the little man…

Long, exhausting but fun day!!! Now I’m off for a run!

Ciao!

Dukan – Day 208

Posted on March 14, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wednesday was a PV day.

Daily weight loss: Stay the same
Total weight loss: 76.1 lb/34.61 kg

Hmmmmm, tap foot… I guess no gain is better than nothing, LOL. Two nights dining out might be the reason and the fact I still haven’t, well you know 🙂

Breakfast: 2 tea eggs
Lunch: 2 tea eggs and 3 slices of ham
Dinner: Steak fajita w/onions and pepper and a TBS of guacamole & beef soup with carrots and zucchini in clear broth

Water: 2.3 liters
Additional fluids: 2 cups of coffee
Exercise:
Morning- 1 mile/1.5 km walk to work
Evening- 2.1 mile/3.2 km to dinner at Panchos
After dinner- 1.2 mile/1.7 km walk home
And then- 2.31 mile/3.7 km run in the neighborhood

I think I’m getting enough exercise 😀

I floated a napkin across the top to try to sop up some of the fat... it was still yummy!

Dukan – Day 207 – Scales up!

Posted on March 13, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Tuesday was a PV day.

Daily weight GAIN: 0.9 lb/0.40 kg
Total weight LOSS: 76.1 lb/34.61 kg

Well, after 4 days of a half pound weight loss each day, I’m up nearly a pound today. Not worried, it happens, but I did begin to question my own caloric intake and went to fatsecret.com and put in my food intake for Monday and it was quite low (less than 900 Kcal)… so I think I need to take my own advise and eat a little bit more!

Breakfast: 2 tea eggs, coffee, 500mL water
Lunch: 2 tea eggs, 700mL water
Snack: 1 tea egg, 500mL water
Dinner: Chinese restaurant… steamed fish w/ garlic and ginger, broccoli and a salad, that had yummy sesame oil dressing on it (and probably shouldn’t have had!) And a Coke Zero, my first in weeks!

No yogurt or bran in on Tuesday, although I probably could have used it, given I haven’t had a good poo in a few days 🙂 Not feeling constipated, at all, but a little “full” feeling.

Had a great walk/run, 3.21 miles, average 14:33 pace per mile, found out that I’m probably running a little too fast and need to learn to pace myself… as this may be the reason I’m getting winded so easily… will try that tonight.

I got a lot done at work today, created a comprehensive audit of the entire hospital system that will be done twice monthly and still waiting on 2 little babies to come earthside… Here babies, babies!!!

Ciao!

Doing It Your Way

Posted on March 13, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Every day, even here in China, I have at least one person tell me I’ve lost enough weight. Why is it that people can’t just let you be in regard to weight loss? I still have 12 pounds to be at Dr. Dukan’s very generous “True Weight” for me of 165 and 22 pounds to be at the 155 I set for myself.

My other favorite is people who tell me I shouldn’t be running… I’m going to tear up my knees… I got news for ya peeps… I’ve had 2 surgeries on the left and one on the right… I’ve got 2 screws in the upper part of my right tibia… I saw the orthopedist in January while I was home and he said my knees looked better than before! And encouraged me to keep running… he even said HE COULDN’T BELIEVE he was saying that… So I’m going to keep running, because it makes me feel good! 🙂

I feel so lucky to have the support from my family, friends and fellow bloggers. But there are a few people out there that have private messaged me (you know who you are…LOL) to tell me that enough’s enough. What the hell?

Do you have people in your life that try to derail you from accomplishing goals? Do you find that these are typically people that don’t achieve their goals and therefore aren’t happy to see others in their lives succeed?

Onward I go! Ciao!

Sensational Sunday

Posted on March 11, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wow what a Sunday I had! And the sun even peeked out for a few hours through the smog!

I started out early with Kitty meeting me downstairs and the driver taking us out of the city to a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) doctor. Something I’ve found funny and ironic is that China is the birthplace of acupuncture, but damned if I could find one! I personally know 4 acupuncture physicians in South Florida, none of whom are Chinese, and it would be far easier to get it there, than here!

Well, it was worth the early wake up call on my day off and the drive there! In the course of 90-minutes he gave me massage, acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic, cranio-sacral AND reflexology treatments all done on a massage table waterbed! The bed was HEATED and had the cut out for your face. I have never been so comfortable face down on a massage table. Worth it and a great way to start my day!

After the treatment, Kitty and I met Vivien at the bus stop and I rode the PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION system here in Hangzhou for the first time. And it wasn’t bad and it’s CHEAP. Vivien and I hopped off the bus to get a cafe latte…

Riding Public Transportation

Yummy Cafe Latte at 35mm Coffee Shop

Then off to the end of Gudun Road to pick up the trail! There is a gate next to a gas station that leads to as set of stairs that go up, up, up, up the mountains and then the trail takes you across the top of the ridge… we decided to walk for an hour and turn around and walk back… it is up and down for most of the walk and the views, while not so great in photos because of the smog, was spectacular. Steps taken going up, prior to leveling off 3754! Total walk that we did was 2.67 miles in just under 2 hours. It was awesome and I can’t wait to do it again!

After our nice hike I had a lovely dinner with one of my favorite families and play time with my buddy Soren… 2-year old wonder child! I then walked the 3.5 miles/5.6 kms home at a pretty brisk pace 46:17.

I took 2 days off from running and miss it. I think mountain hiking made up for it 🙂

Nice Sunday… I hope your weekend was as nice 🙂

Ciao!

Pics of the walk:

Have to have a shoe pic!

The views were stunning through the smog... LOL

ViviMokaLaka

Dukan – Day 202 – Lime Shrimp Recipe

Posted on March 8, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Cleaning up my blog and found a few posts that never went through… This one from February with a yummy recipe!!
Update post by the afternoon 🙂
Sandi

Thursday was a PV day.

Daily Weight Loss: 0.4 lb/0.20 kg
Total Weight Loss: 75.7 lb/34.41 kg

I only had to work half a day on Thursday because of International Women’s Day… which was kind of cool. I got to take the morning off and worked the afternoon. I got a promotion at work, which is kind of cool. I have been asking to do the work I will now be doing since I got there in September.

Walked home from work and straight to the gym across the lane from my building. I can see the people working out from my bedroom balcony, but didn’t want to start there too soon in my weight loss. Besides, I’ve been doing my own stuff, C25K, the swiss ball, wii yoga and the exercise bands. I tried to do C25K on the treadmill, but that ain’t happening. I felt confined and not in a good pace. So I did the machines and worked on my pecs, the back of my legs and my triceps.

Then home to make dinner. I thought I had chicken to make the Lime Chicken and Shrimp, but I didn’t, so I just made it with shrimp… Yum!

1 Tbs olive oil
As much shrimp as you want
1/2 onion, I chop mine in biggish pieces
A handful of fresh mushrooms
1 lime, cut in quarters
1 small chili pepper, diced small
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
A dollop of Fat Free Greek yogurt

I threw all of the ingredients, except the lime and yogurt, in a hot pan with the olive oil, stir fry 1 minute and then squeeze the juice of all 4 quarters of the lime on the cooking food. Throw the lime rinds in to the mix and stir fry all of it another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and plate. Take the rinds and squeeze the rest of the juice out of them… mmmmmmm, and then put a dollop of yogurt on top… YUMMY!

Lime & Chili Shrimp Stir Fry

Lime & Chili Shrimp Plated

After dinner, went out for a 35 minute run… in, you guessed it, the cold friggin’ rain… LOL

Ciao!

Dukan – Another milestone Bites the Dust

Posted on March 8, 2012 by flamidwyfe

Wednesday was a PV day…

Daily Weight Loss: 0.9 lb/0.44 kg
Total Weight Loss: 75.3 POUNDS! 34.21 KG

OH MY GOD! I screamed out loud on the scale… I got on, I got off, I got back on, I got off, I got BACK on and it said the same thing… I rushed out to my trusty weight loss spreadsheet created by Charlotte and put it in and there it was 75 pounds… GONE 😀

I am also under 180 pounds for the first time since 1988 AND I put on a pair of Size 12 pants that I have been holding off trying on… and they SLID RIGHT ON! I’m so happy I have no other words… glad I told you guys what I ate by posting recipes 🙂 I will say that it has washed the raining for a month blues away… I hope that lasts! So happy, I’m going to run extra tonight!

Ciao!

Quote of the day: Fall seven times, stand up eight. ~Japanese Proverb I’m standing up for good!

Vivien took some shots of me and my happiness today 🙂