I'm breaking all the rules now anyway...since I'm going to hell...

Yes...yes I did just quote twilight.  But I am pretty sure those exact words came out of my mouth last night too...

After a bad day emotionally, I showed up at the wine tasting with absolutely no will power.  So along with lots and lots of wine I had a delicious meal of spinach pie, sweet & sour meatballs, bruschetta, ravioli, tortellini, and sesame chicken.  And lets not forget the delicious morsels pictured above. So day 12 was a total and absolute failure, but since I was going to fail I was going to do it thoroughly and I enjoyed all of it. That is the beauty of a buffet, you get to sample everything until your heart is content. And sample I did. 

One of the interesting things I noticed was how quickly I was full. A few weeks ago I would have been able to eat a whole plate of food and more, last night I was full after half a plate!  My stomach is definitely shrinking...

Today, Day 13, required me to be back on the plan.  I think if I had allowed myself a second day off the diet I would have had one hell of a time going back whether it was Sunday or Monday...the longer I wait the harder it would be. 

So despite the fact that I was sad and didn't feel much like getting out of bed, I made sure to watch what I was eating.  The emotional eater in me reared her ugly head, and though I was craving a trip to the store to get chips or chocolate, I  ate what I had.  Dukan meatballs, turkey burger patties, yogurt, and vitamin water.

Overcoming my tendency to emotionally eat is going to be a big struggle on my Dukan Diet journey.  Perhaps learning to conquer this particular demon will be one of the great long term successes.

Day 14 tomorrow! Happy Dieting!

Another average Dukan day...

That picture pretty much summarizes every day I had this week.  Oat bran muffins, a full Nalgene, an endless supply of legal pads, and Pandora Radio. 

Today was Day 11 - Cruise Phase - Pure Protein. Running late this morning so I had to skip my coffee and just grabbed an Oat Bran muffin and a full Nalgene as I ran out the door.  I might have said this before but the muffins are the best way to get my daily oat bran. Everything else gets a little hard to swallow. 

Like I had mentioned yesterday I had grilled chicken for lunch and perch for dinner.  I broiled the perch with lemon juice and cilantro and dipped it in a fat free sour cream chive sauce.  I was surprised by how much I liked it. I am so used to fried perch that simple broiled perch was a light and fresh change of pace. Ended up eating over my daily allotment of 2 TBLS oat bran, there was a left over tiramisu cup in the fridge and I it either had to be eaten or pitched, and I hate throwing away food. So today was a 3 TBLS of oat bran day. Hopefully it won't throw off my whole week.

Tonight I treated myself to a manicure and pedicure. It was such a nice pampering vacation from my busy week.  The one thing that drives me crazy though is that every time I go to this particular nail salon the ladies comment on my 'thick eyebrows.' Are my eyebrows a little Camilla Belle or young Brooke Shields? Sure, but I like them. It isn't like I am a Frida Kahlo look-a-like. Sheesh. Here is a pick of my mani/pedi. 

Tomorrow evening I am going to a Special Olympics wine tasting fundraiser.  I am going to eat my dinner before going and offer to DD, hopefully that will keep me from slipping. I know the friends and family I will see there will help to keep me accountable. I am honestly more worried about running into my ex...

Good luck tomorrow! I will keep you posted on my progress at the wine tasting. Happy Dieting!

Enchilada Chili

Just posted a new recipe page for Enchilada Chili!

Check out the recipe here Enchilada Chile. YUM YUM!

Gimme My VEGETABLES

Day 8 - May 16

Never in my life have I looked forward to vegetables more.

Green peppers, cucumbers, broccoli. All raw. All were delicious. 

I didn't cook any of my vegetables the first day, just consumed them in mass raw quantities. 

I thought my enthusiasm for all things green would get me through the day, I was wrong.  I had my first Dukan stumble. 

While helping make dinner at my sister's house, I was tempted by the aromatic wonder of fresh homemade rolls with garlic basil butter hot out of the oven. While I had planned ahead and brought a dinner of Oat Bran and Beef meatballs with raw cucumbers and green peppers on the side. Yet, in a moment of weakness I ate one and it was fantastic But the guilt I had afterwards helped me get back on the wagon the next morning.

Day 9 - May 17

Nothing remarkable about another pure protein day.  Tuna salad for lunch. Turkey Burger for dinner.  Lots of cooking baking and prep in the evening.

I tried the Tiramisu recipe I found on MyDukanDiet.com and it was okay.  Will post the recipe and my review later.

Day 10 - May 18

An oat bran muffin with coffee was a perfect breakfast and I think the oat bran helped me make it through the big gap I had between breakfast and lunch.

I discovered my favorite snack for Protein and Vegetable days. Lean fresh lunch meat from the deli with a scrape of fat free cream cheese wrapped around a slice of green pepper.  Crunchy, savory, yummy and perfect. I had probably ten by the end of the day.

Dinner was another success.  I adapted a recipe  of my mothers for spinach and beef enchiladas.  I have decided to call it Enchilada Chili. It was probably the best thing I have had to eat since I have been on the diet and I am SO excited to share it!

Tomorrow is Day 11 and pure protein....I am thinking grilled chicken for lunch and perch for dinner.

A Summary of the Attack

Day 1- May 9

The first day of a diet is always the easiest in my opinion. The excitement of starting a new adventure and all the possibilities of the potential weight loss fuel the fire of my motivation.  I picked up a Nalgene so I could better track my hydration...hot pink with a black lid and green splash guard...very cute. Dinner was lots of grilled chicken, a savory pancake, and lemon yogurt.

All in all I OWNED Day one.

Day  2 & 3 - May 10 & 11

Day two started off well, I think I carried the momentum from day one with me into the next day. But towards the end of the day I got a bad sinus headache and didn't really eat much of a dinner, though I did keep my hydration up. The headache turned into a migraine which through off day three for me.  I didn't fall off the wagon but I didn't eat either.  I know starving yourself isn't the answer, but sometimes you just can't eat.  I don't think it through off my plan too much as my metabolism never really got a jumpstart to start burning that day anyway...

Day 4 - May 12

Day four I felt the exhaustion and constipation kick in.  I think a long day at work and a family birthday party hurt me as well.

It was this afternoon that I realized I hadn't had a BM since Monday morning...that problem was solved by about midnight though.

The hardest part about the day was going to my Grandfather's 80th Birthday party.  It was at a bar and the greasy fried food was everywhere. Nachos, chicken wings, cheeseburgers, beer...the list goes on and on. I came prepared with a little cooler hidden inside my giant Kate Spade purse.  I had some cold shrimp, curry chicken (recipe will post later) yogurt, Oat Bran muffins and my Nalgene.  This along with the fact that my mother was telling everyone I was on a diet kept me from even being tempted to cheat.  It is hard to cheat when everyone is watching you.

The hardest part of the hardest part? The cupcakes. 

My mother used to own a cupcake catering business and makes some of the most mouth watering desserts around. These aren't boxed or bakery cupcakes that can be easily written off.  By ignoring one of these confections I knew I was missing out on pure taste bud nirvana.  Watching everyone eat their cupcakes with a scoop of dairy fresh ice cream really twisted the knife as I ate my oat bran muffin and Key Lime Greek yogurt.

Day 5 - May 13

Today I still felt the exhaustion. I really dragged my tail at work and my volunteers and colleagues noticed the difference. 

More curry chicken and a frozen turkey burger were the culinary highlights of the day.

Day 6 - May 14

I noticed an energy pick up the moment I woke up, and I was thankful for it.  Making sure I ate plenty and had my nalgene with me kept me from being tempted to have popcorn and candy at the movie theatre.

*side note* Bridesmaids is HIGH-larious. Melissa McCarthy steals the show and Chris O'Dowd is adorable.

Day 7 - May 15

I had tickets to the Tiger's game and was ready for a Dukan friendly trip to the ball park, but the game got rained out. So 'The Best'(my Best friend) grabbed lunch and went grocery shopping.  I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich without the bun and felt good about my first dukanized journey to a restaurant.  Grocery shopping with the best was an adventure and should be done more often, makes the chore much more fun!

I got lucky with family dinner that night.  My mom made steak (woo hoo! Dukan friendly) and corn and mashed potatoes ( meh not so much.) But I was able to chew on some steak and feel like I wasn't being deprived of the whole Sunday dinner experience.

Post Attack Weigh In: -6 Lbs.

And So It Begins...

Or began a week and a half ago.  I wasn't going to record my progress on this diet but I have found there is a lot of support online and want to be a part of it. So let me introduce myself...

Hi, my name is Lauren and I am a Dukan Dieter.

I intend to use this blog to post recipes I have found, adapted, liked, or even hated.  I will shall my  struggles, my mis-steps, and hopefully lots of my successes.  And maybe, just maybe I can help out some fellow bloggers as much as my favorite Dukan blogs have been helping me.

Happy Dieting!