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!