Exciting times

It was my daughter Lucy's 18th birthday yesterday and as she had just past her driving test a few weeks ago, all talk in our house had been of what car she would buy. The key word here is 'she' as she had been saving from her weekend job to buy her own car. But with a bit of extra cash coming my way this month I talked her dad into us buying the car for her birthday and keeping it a secret from her.

I am rubbish with secrets. Not through any desperate need to blab, but I just get too excited. Two years ago, we planned a surprise party for Lucy, and I successfully managed to ruin the whole thing by blurting it out a week before the event. Not good. Not good at all. My other daughter, Imogen, the feisty one, had organised the whole thing, and I did fear for my life for a few days. 

We went and got the car last Saturday and I wasn't sure how I was going to keep quiet about it for a whole week. Imogen and Archie were told, but wouldn't even talk to me about it in private just in case I opened my big mouth at the wrong moment. I'm not known for my subtlety or my hushed, quiet tones. 

The birthday weekend kicked off with a pamper party at home for Lucy, Imogen and me with manicures and pedicures all round. Imogen and I had spent the morning making a big birthday cake, cupcakes, sausage rolls and other party delights which I wouldn't be able to eat. I realised I may be taking things a bit too far when I caught myself spitting out cake mixture and butter icing which I had inadvertently licked off the spoon.

But it was all worth it as at Sunday's weight-in I had lost another 2lbs taking my total up to 11lb. It has really started to be noticed. I'm getting lots of compliments at work and am able to wear lots of clothes that I had consigned to the back of my wardrobe. But I am now really annoying people with my willpower, especially as I have now cranked my exercise up another level, running 5km on Friday and the 4km on Saturday.

Dukan highlights of the week have been a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon at a nice restaurant on Friday and then a yummy prawn stir-fry for dinner. But the main event was watching Lucy get her car (http://bit.ly/ymUWcP) and then her lovely party. I was able to resist all the lovely party food and even the wine, which is usually an absolute necessity when my family and my estranged husband's meet. I think I must have been taken over ALIENS!

Nine pounds lighter

Sunday mornings have turned into my weighing day and I'm please to announce that I think i've lost another 2 pounds. Think being the operative word here because as I am home alone today, I had no-one to check the little lines. I may treat myself to a more modern set of scales, but then again I think I have better things to spend my hard-earned cash on.

I actually managed to go out this week, for the first time this year. It's true I have become a hermit. My Dukan inspiration, Glenda, cajoled me to the pub, and as I knew she wouldn't pressure me to drink anything else but diet coke, I accepted. We had a great old Dukan chat. Just as well we were on our own – we'd have bored the pants off anyone else. She has managed to keep all the weight she lost off and was merrily quaffing white wine, much to my dismay. I did feel a bit of a failure as well when she told me she had lost a stone and a quarter in five weeks! I'm on week 4, so that is really not going to happen for me. Never mind, I need to learn to lose gracefully.

There are now a few fellows Dukans in the office and I seemed to have become some kind of official figure in what people can and can't eat. Oh the power! I think the key really is to mix things up so you don't get bored and try new things. This week I had a go at making turkey burgers which I served on  grilled portobello mushrooms (it was a protein/veg day). They were really nice, especially with a few gerkins, tomatoes and Dukan mustard mayo. Here's the evidence, although you can't really see the burger for salad.

Another event to celebrate this week is the fact that I started running again. Up to now I've been a bit concerned about my energy levels, oh and an ankle injury that I picked up falling down the stairs at the Christmas party. I ordered a spanking new pair of runners and I was off. I felt great.

I'm really not sure if I'm ever going eat carbs again you know. Last night I felt a few periody cramps, so I checked my diary and it was lo and behold it was time for the monthly event. Normally I would have been really bloated and a right miserable cow at least a week before my due-on day, but I didn't even know it was that time again.  Now there's a revelation...

A good day

I woke up this morning with an expectant feeling in my tummy, and it wasn't the laxative I took last night. It was time for my next weigh-in and I was feeling uneasy about it. I do feel slimmer and have had many compliments from people to that effect, but what would the scales say?

Over the years I haven't paid an awful lot of attention to lbs and oz. Having started training with weights when I was about 12 and knowing that muscle weighs more than fat, things have always been a bit out of kilter for me in this area. In fact, even when I went down to a size 6 (not a pretty sight) I would have been classed as overweight, if not obese. Crazy! According to my friend Debs I am The World's Strongest Woman a label I'm not sure I like, especially when my children liken me to Mrs Trunchbull from Matilda!

Anyway...to cut to the chase I have lost another 3lbs and was very happy. The sun was shining and it was a protein and vegetable day so I made some pumpkin squash soup which was yummy and had a roast chicken dinner with roasted veg and spinach and broccoli. The biggest test for me was looking at the last roast potato on the serving plate that the kids didn't want. You'll be pleased to know that I resisted and it went into the dog's bowl.

I think I must have been playing the martyr card on the weekend because not only did I cook roast potatoes for the kids, but chocolate brownies, sausage rolls and a cake (I'm just boasting now). I must admit the smell of the cake was a little like torture, but I must look to the positive and the fact that I managed a spin class today without dying is a very good sign.

Sorry, not pics today. I was in too much of a rush to eat the roast dinner....

Life is always greener

I never thought I'd ever be so excited about eating vegetables. Maybe I've just stubbled over a cure for parents who have children who won't eat veg – feed them just meat and eggs for a couple of weeks then they'll be begging for some of the green stuff. I bought salad for lunch and then had salmon with a whole bag of spinach and broccoli for dinner. It was bliss. The only come down is that nothing 'came down' this morning. I think I'm going to pop a few more constipation tablets tonight to get things on the move again.

My team think I've gone a little crazy and are slightly unnerved by my continual buoyant mood. When I told them  before Christmas that I was going to do the Dukan in January I could see the fear in their eyes. I am known as quite a happy person, generally, but also suffered a few down moments too, especially on Mondays. I have also stopped smoking and drinking alcohol, so that combination did not make for a very happy January in my world. I had also read that the Dukan Diet can lead to depression due to a lowering of serotonin. Not me. It has actually has the reverse affect. I haven't felt so positive and energised in a very long time. But if I weigh myself on Sunday and haven't lost any more weight, it may be the end of Happy Jo.

I was back on protein only today and had a go at making salmon and tuna fishcakes with an egg and good old oat bran (what would I have done without this?) and they were very nice. Here's a pic. They don't actually look that nice but tasted good.

Welcome to the Cruise

This is the last day of the attack phase of the diet and I must admit I feel a bit sad it's over. I could go on longer, but I really do think I do need a bit of greenery to get me going, as it were. I actually bought some constipation tablets this morning and at this point colonic irrigation sounds like an acceptable beauty treatment.

For the next 29 days, or for how long it takes me to reach my target weight, I can eat certain veg with protein one day and then pure protein the next. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to eating broccoli and spinach. I can actually have a chicken salad for lunch tomorrow! Wow. I did text Glenda, who I've named Mrs Dukan, to get any tips for the next phase. Can I still eat a packet of ham in one sitting, or should I scale that back to one or two slices now that I'm adding green stuff? She's yet to get back to me. She's crap at replying. Her excuse is that she actually does have a life and doesn't live by her mobile (unlike me). Anyway I'll keep you posted on the quantity question.

I'll leave you with a pic of my dinner last night. Prawns with garlic and parsley cooked in white wine. Very nice if I say so myself. And the best thing about it is, it's very quick and easy to make.

Dizzy chicken

I hit Sainsbury's yesterday, thinking it would take me no time at all. After all, I don't have a very wide choice of what I can eat. It actually took me and hour and a half and I have no clue what I am going to cook my kids or give them for lunch! I did indulge it what my colleague, Emma calls a Dizzy chicken (below) and tucked into it for lunch. Wasn't quite the same as I couldn't eat any of the skin, but it was good nonetheless. For dinner I decided to try an omelette - eggs, milk, ham and seasoning, with a spray of oil for cooking. It was actually very nice, especially with a bit of cottage cheese and the last of Dizzy.

Dizzy

Chicken, omelette and cottage cheese

This morning I thought I should weigh myself again. Big mistake. I think I've only lost another pound. Mind you it is difficult to tell. I've got a set of old-style scales and I can't actually see the tiny lines. I'll need to get one of the kids to help me next time or fork out for a digital set.

Feeling a bit despondent I decided to go for a swim. At first my legs felt like lead weights, but after warming up a bit I felt better and managed my normal swim. Afterwards I was starving and came home and cooked some savoury galletts, that I had with smoked salmon and cottage cheese. Yum. Although I couldn't have eaten it all over again.

Oat bran cookies

I am officially obsessed with the Dukan. After going to an early showing at the cinema, I spent the rest of the evening looking through the book or going on the website and seeing what I could make. I spotted a recipe for Oat Bran Cookies - and they looked nice. I whipped up a batch and they did look nice, but they taste less so. In fact, they taste of absolutely nothing! Oh well. I might try the lemon cheesecake next. It's chicken (again) for dinner, but as I'm sitting writing this, all I can smell is the lasagne I'm cooking for the kids, and it smells sooo nice....

Lost it

This morning I thought it was time to brave the scales - just to see whether eating chicken, ham, eggs and fish had actually shifted any pounds. I had to admit I was quite nervous. As is my way, I have been quite vocal in the office about my diet and the shame of having to admit it wasn't working did worry me. Well. luckily my anxiety was groundless - I have lost 4lbs in five days. Not a bad start. It even inspired me to make some fresh oat bran galettes before work this morning (below). They are made from an egg, the required daily dose of oat bran (to stop you from getting bunged up), no fat fromage frais, sweetener and cinnamon. They do taste quite nice and it means I can nibble on them for most of the morning.

I did also brave the gym last night. A 20-min power walk on the treadmill followed by 10-mins on the cross trainer did leave me feeling quite light headed, but I did feel oddly energised on the free weights. I did come home ravenous and tucked into two chicken breasts in Cajun spices for dinner. I am slightly confused by how much of the allowed foods I can eat in this Attack phase. In one part of the book it says any amount, don't go hungry and then in a section called suggested breakfast/lunches it says 1 slice of ham! One slice? I've been scoffing a whole packet. Today for lunch I brought in one of the pieces of chicken I cooked last night and had ham, turkey and cottage cheese!

I'm still getting lots of questions about what I am eating. This bowl of yogurt and oat bran did cause a lot of mirth in the office - one of the designers likened it to tile grout! It did taste nice though. I also had a bit of a scare when my friend Hannah asked me if I could have tea and coffee. She said it would bother her if I couldn't have anything that brought me 'comfort'. I casually said yes, as long as it's with skimmed milk and then panicked that I couldn't remember seeing it in the book. But a quick google later and I was put at ease.

OK. I'm off to cook my steak. I won't include a picture of this as I think you all know what steak looks like!

Attack, attack

My weight, or rather my size, has always featured quite heavily (no pun intended) in my life. Being a short-arse, I've lived my adult life being very careful not to look like a Weeble (Google it if you're under 30) and over the years have done Weight Watchers, calorie counting, and the Atkins as well as exercising to within an inch of my life in a bid to stay in shape. Last year I did notice the spread of middle age creeping up on me. Drinking copious amounts of white wine most nights didn't help and by the end of the year I had thrown in the towel and was stuffing my face recklessly.

At the end of the summer I met up with my very good friend Glenda, who told me she was going to do the Dukan Diet. I scoffed and had another glass of wine, questioning her sanity and ability to eat just lean protein and no carbs for the next few months. I saw her about six weeks later and was stunned by how much weight she'd lost and how good she looked. Despite congratulating her I was secretively very jealous.

It took me a few weeks, but once I got my head round it, I decided I was going to Do the Dukan in January. I borrowed the book from Glenda, stocked up on ham, eggs, chicken and no fat yogurt and cottage cheese and strangely looked forward to New Year's Day.

The day dawned and as usual I had a stinking hangover. Standing, or rather swaying, in the kitchen that morning I did question my decision to start the diet that day, but thought if I didn't do it now, I never would. It was a bad day.

I am now on Day 5 of the Attack phase and all is well in my world. The funniest thing is everyone is fascinated by what I am eating. My three children simply laugh when I sit down with my plate of chicken to their burger and wedges and my workmates quiz me constantly about what I'm allowed to eat and even if I've had a poo! (we're very close!). So I've decided to write a blog about the diet and keep people undated about how it's going, what I've eaten and how much weight I have or haven't lost.

So I'm just off to eat some ham. I'll post again tomorrow...