159.6

Exercise: None :'(

Ate:
Sesame bagel w butter n jelly
Iced green tea
Iced coffee
Water
Tiny bit of chicken Alfredo
Ravioli w asparagus & gruyere
Oatmeal w apple cinnamon chia goodness
Big bite of spaghetti stuck together

What a relief that I didn't see the 160s today! One thing I've improved on re: dieting is that I refuse to let my weight control my mood or make me have a bad day. If it's up, it's up...I'm still the same person and God is still there, controlling it all. In the end, weight is not worth it.

But it's a good long-term goal. I know I'm happier and more comfortable at a lower weight, and it shouldn't be too hard to lose while I'm bf'ing and since it's 10# over a weight (150) that's been relatively easy to maintain.

Next week will be harder while at my Mom's, but I'll try to control myself. If I don't go off the deep end, I'm usually ok. The deep end is multiple bowls of sugar cereal or standing at the washer in the back room eating 1 bakery cookie after another. ;-)

158.4! So good to see that 5!

Exercise: Ran around like a crazy woman at full speed, chasing my boys around the circle in Logan Square. They are FAST!

Ate:
Iced coffee usual
Frosted mini-wheats w fruit in the middle
Almond milk
Water
Iced green tea
Veggie burger w lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle & jalapeño mayo
A few sweet potato & regular fries
Potato chips w blue cheese
Chips & guacamole
Flavorice
BBQ wings w blue cheese
1 piece pizza wo cheese
Zillions of Froot Loops

We ate at Dunlay's Bar & Grill in Logan Square. It was delish! LOVE their homemade veggie burger. We went to LS bc we wanted to play the arcade games at Logan Hardware, but it was closed!!! We were so bummed.

I'm craving junk so badly. Hope I can hold off since that was a huge lunch and I'd really like to stay in the 150s this time!!

I wrote that before the wings and pizza. Lol. Oh, and the cereal. Okay 160s, I guess I'll be yo-yo'ing back up tomorrow!

160.4 - 150s I miss you!! :(

Exercise: Nada :(

Ate:
Fried eggs n toast
Iced coffee
Iced green tea
Chicken pot pie
2 bowls of Life cereal w Truvia & soy milk (the Life is gone now - what a relief!)
Celery n peanut butter (we've run out of pb too! What am I gonna eat tmo?!)
Water

I craved peanut butter all day today and finally broke down in the early evening. I've gotten my 4-yo addicted to spoonfuls of it, so he helped finish it off. I at least had celery with mine!

Baby STILL has diarrhea. :( But she seems to feel fine. She's eating and p'ing normally, so I think it just needs to run its course.

I'm boring today. Just a day in the life!! I've got one kid asleep on my belly and one snoozing beside me...better get them in their beds, so I can be alone for a tiny bit before passing out myself!

160.2. Blah.

Exercise: NONE! :(
Ate:
Vat of oatmeal w raisins & macadamia nuts
Uncrustable (remind me to never buy these again)
Iced coffee usual
Water
A few apple slices w peanut butter
Sesame bagel w PB&J
Life cereal w Truvia & almond milk
Life cereal w sugar & almond milk
Bites of spaghetti
Iced green tea - 2

Why am I addicted to peanut butter??? I'm slowly but surely slipping back into my carb rut. I don't have enough other, better food around the house. I don't want to go to the store bc I'll be out of town next week (visiting my superb mommy!!!). I don't even know if I can call this a diet anymore! It's hard right now. :(

On the plus side, I started back to work today. Baby took a long nap so that was nice. It was a good workday! It wasn't hard to sit and work for 4 hours, but I barely made a dent in my 2000+ emails!!

160. Down is good.

Exercise: walked ~6 blocks and played tennis w/big sis1 (We lost, but we'll get 'em next time! We're just warmin' up.)

Ate:
Peanut butter n jelly on 2 rolls
Eggs n whites
Sourdough toast
Chipotle burrito bowl w barbacoa
Red mango yogurt w twix n Reese's
The rest of Res' red mango
2 iced coffees - one super duper delicious by fab big sis2!
Diet coke
Water water water
Microwave Popcorn

Baby had diarrhea last night and today. I don't know why. So I was up twice last night, feeding more than usual. I drank a ton of water today to make up for that. Sometimes, it seems like water is almost more important than food for breastfeeding.

I wish I could've resisted the candy on my froyo but I just could not! CANDY FIEND!!!!!

Big sis2 left today and took Awwsomme nephew with her. :( We'll reunite in a week though, at my Mom's house.

I start back to work tmo!!! Aaaaack! I don't know if you'll ever hear from me again!!!!!

160.4 (156, it was fun while it lasted!)

Exercise: pushed strollered baby all over soccer fields; walked 30' w/2 big sisters (I <3 them.)

Iced coffee (usual)
Starbucks venti unsweetened iced coffee w/Equal & a splash of milk
Clif Builder's vanilla almond protein bar
Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Water
Italian Beef on rolls
Romaine lettuce
Poppy seed dressing
Flavorice Popsicle
Apple
Peanut butter
A few bites of everyone else's Italian ice

Of course I gained after yesterday's frenzy. Eating when you're not hungry is definitely a no-no! Weekends are so hard, but they're even more so with company. I wouldn't trade a visit from fab big sis2 for ANYthing, tho!!

I also ate pita chips yesterday - my current weakness. They're just too good! The bag is gone now tho, so I just have to avoid buying them again. Or maybe just not buy the massive Costco bag!

Today was better. Only thing I sort of lost it on was the peanut butter. I may be able to get away with that while nursing - time will tell.

My 8-yo won a sportsmanship medal for hardest worker in soccer today. So proud!! We are both working hard. :)

156.6!!!

Exercise: Walked 40' w/baby, fab big sis1 & awwsomme nephew!

Ate:
Fried eggs & egg whites
2 pieces dry sourdough toast
Chicken Alfredo pasta
Grapes grapes wonderful grapes
Iced coffee usual
Water
Apple
4T peanut butter
Nachos
Hummus & pita
1/4 BLT
Pita chips
S'mores Goldfish
Bites of stale BK Cinnabon
TWO Coke Zeros (BAD!)

I am shocked that I lost weight! It must be baby's feeding schedule. She has to be in a growth spurt bc she's eating like a newborn again. She'll get up only once at night (sometimes twice) but once 5-6 am hits, she wants to eat every half hour until about 8 am. Crazy!

Tomorrow I surely won't be so lucky. Fab Big Sis2 came into town and insisted on going out for appetizers! I wasn't even hungry but I dug right in!!! Dang it! Oh well, it was fun. :) And she bought!!

159.0(2)

Exercise: nothing really, but I took 4 kids 3 places & after getting in & out of the car 3x, I'm ready for my nap

I ate:
Fried eggs from my NEW frying pan!
Trader Joe's gluten free granola
Soy milk
1/2 Potbelly pizza sandwich (shared w/my 4-yo -- see pic of him rubbing his belly bc it was sooo good!!)
1/2 small bag salt & vinegar chips
Coke 0 + a splash of Cherry Coke
Small Red Mango cake batter froyo w/M&Ms & Butterfinger (I weakened) (while the froyo was awesome, it was really just a vehicle to get the candy into my mouth)
Iced coffee (the usual)
Water
Life cereal w/Truvia (DANGER ZONE - I've been known to eat a whole box of Life in 1 day.)
Soy milk
Cocoa Puffs Brownie Bites (I've gone off the deep end)

Ugh. Today turned into a carb binge. :( I hope I can do better tomorrow.

I'm glad I didn't gain today bc yesterday seemed high calorie. I'm trying to let hunger be my guide but it's getting harder to be "good." After Red Mango today, who knows what tomorrow holds!! And the problem is, I want more when I eat junk. More and more and more. It doesn't do to have a little! So I hope I can stop now. But we HAD to go to RM, bc it closed in Indy and Drew has to get his fix when he visits!! We even went before lunch so we wouldn't ruin our dessert appetites. ;) I blame eating the Life, too, on Drew. I normally don't allow it in my house!!

159.0

Exercise: Walked to/from kids' school (a measly 6 blocks)

I ate:
Iced coffee w/Truvia & skim milk
1 bite of a cranberry white chocolate chip cookie (WOW)
1 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch hi-protein cereal
Vanilla soy milk
Caesar salad w/croutons
Italian beef w/Hawaiian rolls
Apple
3.5 T chocolate peanut butter (lost control - finished it off!)
Blackberries, raspberries & strawberries (my fab nephew keeps rinsing and serving the berries, making it very easy to eat them!!)

I really like Truvia! It's probably not as good for you as stevia, but its consistency is like real sugar. That's really important when it comes to things like cereal. I should probably just use stevia in my coffee though, since I like the taste and I'm just dissolving it. I wonder if you can bake with Truvia?

I was able to resist Husband's cookies last night!! Yay!! But this morning he was mourning the fact that I couldn't at least taste the delicious, new flavor (cranberry white chocolate chip) - so I had one (rather large) bite. He was right - they ARE fabulous!! Jewel has some goooood cookies.

I had gluten in all 3 meals today & I think it made me sick. I've got to try to avoid it tomorrow!

159.4

Exercise: Walked all over Shedd Aquarium and to/from car. Looooong walk!

I ate:
the chicken out of leftover Chicken Lo Mein (again, someone has to clear out the fridge)
Tons of grapes (I LOVE grapes. I once wrote a poem about them.)
Iced coffee w stevia & skim milk
Venti iced coffee from Starbucks with equal & skim (CRUCIAL to surviving today's visit to Shedd)
Clif Builder's Protein bar (vanilla almond - my current fave)
Apple
2T chocolate peanut butter
Cilantro lime shrimp
Chicken Alfredo (pasta - aaack!)
2-3 strawberries

Husband just got home from a trip & keeps saying he wants a cookie. I'm praying I can resist that once he breaks down and makes a run. He seems to think if he says it enough times, I'll go. He's wrong. In case you're wondering, he's no longer on the diet!

I'm exhausted. Baby was up at 3 am. Then awesome big sister1 (see pic) & I took 4 kids to Shedd. We managed to avoid the crappy (I assume), overpriced food -- a huge accomplishment!! Shedd was really nice. I was so excited to finally see the Jellies Exhibit. Jellyfish are awesome. They're 95% water and they eat and poop through the same opening!! I know that's gross but hey - I hang out with boys all day.

Day 10 - 159.6

Ate:
Fried eggs - 2 yolks n a few whites
2 Iced coffees w skim milk n stevia
Small apple
2T peanut butter
Triple Delight (Chinese)
36 oz water
Uncrustable (what can I say - trying to clear out the freezer!)

I am down 3.5# since Friday! What an accomplishment, since I traveled & went to a wedding & grad party. I tried mostly to not overeat and not eat the junk. I had A piece of cake + a few bites. A piece of fruit dunked in chocolate. I wanted to park myself by that chocolate fountain and at the time, it actually seemed important to my happiness. ;-) But I knew how badly I'd feel and how mad I'd be at myself later so I didn't do it!! Yay!

Day 7 - Sweet Apple BBQ Grillburger?! Whaaaat???

Weight: 163
Exercise: None. :( but I parked really far away from the stores when I went shopping. :)

I ate:
2 fried eggs
2 pieces sourdough toast w/spray butter
Iced coffee w/stevia & skim milk
Side salad w/Lite Italian
Sweet Apple BBQ Grillburger wo cheese (from DQ)
Diet Vanilla Pepsi
Lotsa water
Pork tenderloin
Potatoes
Cooked carrots
Fresca

I'm traveling so I'm eating worse than usual. But I'm still trying to be good! I got a side salad instead of fries!

I'm really annoyed that I gained again. What???? Now I'm only down 2# instead of 5. :(

I'm off Dukan bc I can't have dairy. Hoping to still lose. We'll see!

Day 6 - How Can I Dukan without Dairy?!

Weight: 160.2 (GAINED!) :(
Exercise: Walked up a few flights of stairs w/Baby Bjorn. That's IT!

I ate:
2 fried eggs + a bunch of egg whites
Iced coffee w/stevia & skim milk
Lite string cheese
Celery
97% fat free hot dog (GROSS)
sugar free ketchup & mustard (I think I'm over sf ketchup!)
Laughing Cow Cheese
Iced green tea w/lemon - at least 64 oz
2 slices sourdough toast w/spray butter & stevia
Black coffee
Watermelon
Ham cold cuts
Apple
2T peanut butter

I'm going to have to cut out dairy again. I thought my baby would be ready to tolerate it since she's 3 months, but her gas has suddenly started really acting up again. Sudden screams of pain, legs stiffening, grunting, straining, etc.

Without dairy, I don't think I can be on the Dukan Diet. But I'm still going to diet and keep track of what I eat. Being accountable here will help me. I've definitely changed what I was eating - for the better. I needed to get out of my carb rut and develop some new routines. Eggs for breakfast is so much better than cereal (oh, I just LOVE cereal!). Please share any other high protein breakfast ideas!

In my previous post, I mentioned something about green tea being a slimming secret. Today I started drinking it in mass quantities. I really enjoyed it iced w/lemon & stevia. Looking forward to seeing if it helps the weight loss efforts.

Day 5 - Cravings REALLY ARE better! I'm less hungry -- WOW!

Weight: 159.6 (GAINED! But only .4)
Exercise: Walked 40 min w/my big sis!

I ate:
Fried eggs
Iced coffee w/stevia & skim milk
Lite string cheese (<5% fat)
Celery
Dill & Garlic Dip (1/2 c nonfat plain yogurt, 1t minced garlic & 1T dill. Delish!) (from http://mydukandiet.com/recipes)
2 cheeseburgers (fat free cheddar, lean beef)
sugar free ketchup & mustard
Bread & butter pickles (cheat - couldn't resist)
a zillion grapes (too many)
Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Cheese
Water - at least 48 oz
Nonfat yogurt w/oat bran, stevia & cinnamon

I found 97% fat free hot dogs (Hebrew National). They do have some modified food starch added, but I'm going to eat them.

I also found out you only need to limit egg yolks if you have a cholesterol problem. I don't, but Husband does.

I haven't eaten much today. I'm not as hungry as usual and am eating more for survival. I guess my cravings are really down!! This is a new experience for me! I'm also getting a little sick of the allowed foods. I've eaten more cheese today. And I've been busy -- but that's never stopped me from eating before. ;-)

I rediscovered Laughing Cow cheese at Strack & Van Til. There are a ton of flavors, and the Light is <5% fat! I'm not sure if it technically qualifies but it seems like a safe bet to me. I did not find low fat bacon there. I'm giving up that search. Please let me know if you find it in Chicago!

Have you ever reached a "dieting plateau", where you've been doing well but you just can't seem to lose any more weight? Well, today I read about a possible remedy...a "slimming secret". It was on a blog - dukantopia.wordpress.com who had seen it on Dr. Dukan's site. It recommends drinking green tea and only green tea all day for 3 days. It really worked for dukantopia! Looking forward to testing this out.

Day 3 (Last Day of Attack Phase) - It's Getting Easier!! Eating Galettes.

Weight: 159.4
Exercise: Rode my bike around the house a few times w/Kid2 - he's only 4 so it was pretty slow! Should've done more but hey - I'm a brat in 90 degree weather. AND, my tennis match got canceled!

Today was easier. It doesn't hurt that I've lost almost 5 pounds in 2 days! But really, I felt less deprived today. Maybe the cravings really are subsiding, like Dukan said they would!

Here's what I ate:
Fried eggs - 2 yolks & several whites
Reduced fat bacon
2 slices sourdough toast w/Splenda sprinkled on top
Water - ~32 oz (slacked a bit today)
Iced coffee w/stevia & skim milk
Dukan Oat Bran Galette (see below)
1 Apple
Hunk of cheddar cheese
Grilled steak
Grilled chicken
1/2 slice yogurt cheese (this was a cheat)
Coke Zero
1 "bunch" of grapes

I LOVE the Galette! I finally broke down and made them for Husband and myself. It's really simple/easy (also see pic):

1 egg white (beat until foamy, then mix w/the rest of the ingredients)
2T oat bran
2T fat free plain yogurt
1 t sweetener suitable for cooking (I used Splenda)

You just cook it like a pancake. It's soooo good! Very satisfying. Dukan says 1/day but you can have more for up to 2-3 days if you're really fighting cravings. No more than that bc too much oat bran can prevent nutrient absorption.

Can't wait to weigh tomorrow! I have already been able to wear my medium shirts. I was only able to wear larges when I started the diet!

The Whole Dukan Plan and an Atkins Comparison

Here are the 4 phases of the Dukan Diet. I thought I'd already laid these out, but I can't find it in my past posts. Sorry!!

1. Attack Phase - short phase where you eat only lean proteins and nonfat dairy. Lose weight fast during these few days - very motivating! Eat all you want of the 72 allowed foods. (I'll post the allowed foods separately.)

Nursing moms add daily:
2 servings of fruit
2 slices of whole wheat bread
1 slice of cheese
2T oat bran instead of 1.5
All allowed vegetables

As a nursing mom, I didn't think I'd lose fast with all these add-ons, but I've lost 5# in 2 days!!

2. Cruise Phase - longest phase; lose the bulk of your weight. Alternate pure protein days (as in Attack Phase) with protein + vegetable days.

3. Consolidation Phase - lasts 5 days for every pound lost; Eat as much protein and vegetables each day as you want.
Add:
1 serving of fruit/day.
2 slices of whole wheat bread/day, with low-fat butter.
1 serving of hard cheese/day.
1 serving of 'starchy foods'/week in the 1st half, increasing to 2 servings/week in the 2nd half.
Eat 1 celebration meal (Eat whatever you want!) a week in the 1st half of the Consolidation Phase. Eat 2 celebration meals in the 2nd half!

4. Stabilization Phase - Eat whatever you want! But use the basic tenets of the Consolidation Phase as a base.
Pick 1 day/week - for the rest of your life - when you eat nothing but protein. This is what allows you to eat normally for the other 6 days of the week without putting any weight back on.
Never take elevators or escalators again!
Eat 3T of oat bran a day.

ALL PHASES:
Drink at least 48 oz. of water.
Walk for 20 minutes a day.
Eat 1.5T of oat bran a day.

COMPARISON TO ATKINS
Dukan is much healthier than Atkins and it has a plan for keeping the weight off. For a Dukan v. Atkins comparison, click here: http://www.dukandiet.com/The-Dukan-Diet/The-Dukan-Diet-vs.-Atkins.

Keep the questions coming!

Dukan Day 2 – Lost 3#! But can I really do this?!

Weight: 161.2
Exercise: Walked 45 min

I ate:
Fried eggs - 2 yolks & 1 white
2 slices sourdough toast
1 c strawberries
Grilled Filet mignon
Nonfat yogurt w/stevia, cinnamon & 2T oat bran
Grilled hamburger w/fat free cheddar
Grilled steak (not sure what kind)
Sugar free jell-o cups
Water
Iced coffee w/stevia & skim milk

Today was hard. It's hard to only eat meat, and I really like steak. I know I could make all sorts of fabulous recipes, but I'm not a cook. I'm also tired & busy right now. I have 3 kids. Two are wild Indians and the other is 3 months old!!

I feel too restricted by the food list. You can eat as much as you want but the choices aren't exciting me. Except for the filet - I've got to get more of that! I miss fruit, and I'm even allowing myself 2 servings a day bc of nursing.

It's motivating that I lost 3# and Husband lost 2. I'm going to keep trying. I know it's hard for H too, and he's a HUGE protein eater. Time will tell what we end up doing. Maybe this will just be a springboard to healthier eating. But we really need structure, and I know I'm better off without all those carbs bc of the gluten. My digestion is waaaaaay better!!

Dukan Day 1 – Not Super Easy!

Weight: 164.2
Exercise: Walked 25 min

I ate:
Fried eggs - 2 yolks & 1 white
Bacon (reduced fat bacon is allowed - see below for pics of what I found)
Fat free cottage cheese
Iced coffee w/Stevia & skim milk
2 pieces dry sourdough toast (an add-on for bf'ing) (I read that your body processes sourdough similarly to whole wheat.)
Watermelon (an add-on for bf'ing)
Roast beef slices
Low fat ham slices
Filet Mignon grilled w/Trader Joe's South African seasoning
Hamburger grilled w/a little mustard & sugar-free ketchup
Plain yogurt w/stevia, cinnamon & oat bran
"Skinny" water
64 oz water
Coke Zero
1 sugar free jell-o cup

Husband is really glad he can have eggs & bacon. :) I'm thrilled I can have my iced coffee! I got our water ready in big containers this morning so we won't forget and can work on it all day.

It wasn't really that easy. I'm used to eating cereal and pita chips! I enjoyed the filet tho!!! Sugar free ketchup is something to get used to. I did find a great dessert - yogurt, stevia & cinnamon -- delish! There are a lot of recipes online but I don't really cook. But when we start eating vegetables I'll make a dip recipe I found - just garlic, yogurt & dried dill.

We didn't eat all of the cookies last night, and H says he keeps thinking about them. I've got to go throw them away!! Late-night bingeing could occur!!

Can't wait to see if we've lost any weight tomorrow!

Diet Starts TOMORROW!

Weight: 164(!)
Exercise: Officially: None (Unofficially: Walked around school carnival w baby in Bjorn)

We start tomorrow! I gained weight today. Ugh. I hope this will be the last of THAT!

I was reading Dukan's book (The Dukan Diet) yesterday and I found a couple of quotes I really liked:

"...what overweight people most hate and simply cannot do is decide for themselves when and how they are going to deprive themselves of food."

"For big eaters, the very idea of having to ration their happiness [i.e., food] is preposterous."

We always say we're turning over a new leaf, but how quickly we go back to our old habits without some structure. Often the very same day!!

I've been in a carb rut lately. Cereal (one of my all-time favorite foods), pita chips (LOVE!), regular chips (My 8-yo got mad at me for finishing off the bag yesterday. My defense: "I LOST CONTROL!"). Partly bc I'm nursing and the baby can't tolerate a lot of foods, like dairy and a lot of vegetables. But I'm going to try to reintroduce a little of each thru the diet. She's 3 months now -- maybe she's ready for it!

10:20 pm Just went to my 3rd grocery store. Think I'm finally ready. Couldn't resist some treats tho!

Actually Reading the Book. Starting Saturday!

Weight: 162.0
Exercise: Walked 40 min.

Husband & I are starting Dukan on Saturday! I read that people always start on Mondays and that you should pick a different day bc Mondays suck already. We picked Saturday bc it's a holiday weekend so that'll give us 3 days at home/together to establish some habits. H is especially worried about sticking to the rules at work. He hates bringing his lunch and needs an outing midday.

A friend loaned me the book (The Dukan Diet by Dr. Pierre Dukan), so I'll start reading it today. I think learning the physiology / reasoning behind the plan will help motivate me. I'll share the highlights as I learn.

Later!

Procrastinating the Diet Start Date?

Weight: 161.2
Exercise: Walked 20 min.

My weight is fluctuating bw 161-163. Right now I'm a size 10. Can't wait to wear an 8 and maybe someday a 6 again!!

I still haven't started the diet, but I walked 20 minutes today. I also had my iced coffee without milk...thought I was going to have to get used to that, but then I realized I can have skim milk! Hey -- better than nothing! And I use Stevia in the Raw as a sweetener, so that's a change I won't have to make. Whoopee!

Gearing up to lose weight while nursing - Dukan Diet - 1st Steps

I had a baby about 3 months ago. My 3rd. I'm 41. I was in my 30s for the other 2 pregnancies, and while it has never been easy to lose weight, I was able to get my baby weight off without too much of a fight -- those 2 times. But when I got pregnant this last time, I was NOT expecting it and I was about 10 pounds over my ideal weight. I'm 5'6" and my ideal weight is 140. That's a size 6 for me. At that weight, I feel great -- healthy and "light." Now that I'm post partum, I weigh 163. I haven't seen the scale move in a few weeks, so I think it's time to diet.

I've been hearing a lot about the Dukan Diet. It sounds similar to Atkins, but healthier and more realistic. I know a few people who have had success with it. I didn't think I could do it while nursing, but I found a modification that is supposed to still allow you to lose weight while providing enough nutrients for your baby.

I should also mention that I loooooooove sweets. I was nicknamed the "candy fiend" when I was little, and the name still applies. If I could eat anything I wanted, it would be cookies and candy. And cake. And just about anything I can find with tons of sugar. I never really want to eat healthy foods. I also am often very lethargic (big shock, huh?!). (Although God has been helping me a lot with that!!) Since Dukan is supposed to help reduce sweet cravings and increase your energy, it seems worth a try.

Dukan has several phases. The first is the Attack Phase. You lose a lot of weight during this phase (up to 10#!) and it lasts 3-10 days depending on the person. Mine will last only 3 days. I'm using a free app on my iPhone -- iDukan -- to help track my progress. (DID I MENTION THAT I'M ALSO TRYING TO DO THIS ON THE CHEAP?! There's a lot of free info out there, so I'm utilizing as much of that as possible.) iDukan helped me figure out how long my Attack Phase should last. You can do this at http://www.dukandiet.co.uk/.

SO...THE BASIC RULES...

Eat as much as you want from the allowed foods list.

Drink at least 1.5 quarts of water daily.

Eat at least 1.5 Tablespoons of oat bran daily.

Walk 20 minutes a day.

THE ALLOWED FOODS...

Unless otherwise stated, the foods should be les than 5% fat.

Lean beef, veal or rabbit (avoid ribs)
Chicken and turkey (except skin and outside part of the wings)
Ham (low fat and lean)
Beef, veal, or chicken liver
Any fish (except canned in oil or sauce)
Shellfish and crustaceans
Eggs (up to two per day, unlimited egg whites)
Dairy products (low fat, below 2% fat)
Sweeteners (except fructose based)
Vinegar, mustard, spices, herbs, garlic, onion (as spice), lemon juice (only as spice, not for drinking)
Sugar free chewing gum
Coffee, Tea, any drink with 0 calories

I'm not ready to start the diet yet. I still need to shop. But I'm SO ready to not feel like a sausage in my jeans!!! Once I get started, I'll post my daily weight and what I eat, etc. I also plan to post pics - maybe minus my head!! I also plan to get my husband on the diet and I'll post his progress too. But he's shy, so no pics of him!

My progress will be slower than typical, bc I'm nursing. Oh yeah! That reminds me...here are the

ADDITIONS / MODIFICATIONS FOR NURSING MOMS:

eat all of the protein you want (from list)

eat all of the veggies you want (from list) (below)

2 T of Oat Bran per day

one slice of cheese per day

two slices of whole wheat bread

two servings of fruit

1 1/2 quarts of water per day

walk 25 minutes per day (I HOPE I CAN DO THIS! It's hard with 3 kids and usually no sitter, and not sleeping much at night!!)

APPROVED VEGGIES:
Artichoke
Eggplant
Asparagus
Cabbage - all types
Beetroot
Broccoli and Purple sprouting broccoli
Carrot
Chicory
Courgette or Zucchini
Celery/ Celeriac or Celery Root
Cucumber
Leek
Fennel
French beans - String beans
Mushroom
Onion
Palm Heart
Pepper
Pumpkin - Marrow - Squash
Radish
Rhubarb
Salad leaves
Soy Beans
Spinach
Swede
Swiss chard
Tomato
Turnip

Thats it for now! I hope you'll follow along, and feel free to cheer me on!