Stumble trip....

I stumbled. Not literally. I ate 'lolly cake' and yes that is as bad as it sounds!!! The next day the scales shot up up up :-( but after two intensive days of being very careful,  it's dropped again. Whew.

I find being on Dukan that my weight does drop fast, but when I introduce carbs or sugar, I also gain very fast.

I went out running this morning. Well I tried to. I got the stitch half way through. I really wish I could work out what causes it. Normally it's something I get only after food or later in the day, which is why I try and run as soon as I get up in the morning.

This week I'm trying to keep the fridge full of Dukan friendly foods that I can grab on the run when I need to. I find myself eating too much cheese some days as it's so easy just to cut off another slice. It is kind of like my treat food now I'm avoiding sugars and carbs.

It's almost the weekend - yay. See you all on the other side
ZG

Week 2 - Success!!

Week two into Constance's challenge and I had a 'very very good' week. 2kg loss (4+ pounds) YAY. But I know from experience, that the weight loss this week is the whoosh from starting Dukan again and next week it will be much harder to get a good loss, but I'm going to try.

I was at a kids birthday yesterday and didn't cheat at all, even though there were some very tempting things.

I also got up early yesterday and went for a run. Planning to do that at least 3 times a week, although I don't believe running for 40 mins has much effect on weightless, for me it's all about the food I eat.

Anyway how have you other challengers gone?
ZG

Challenge week 1 - FAIL :-(

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Week one of Constance's weight loss challenge and I GAIN weight... sigh! It was a tough week with lots of stress and food around. On the bright side, I've already lost my gain and hopefully heading for a good number this week. I'd love to top the weight loss chart this week :-)

My husband and I just cooked up a lot of chicken for the next few days. It really helps when he is on board too. I've also pulled out my protein powder for those times that I just can't find some protein to eat.

@Angel: I totally hear you about wanting to find balance and be able to eat a few carbs/fruit and NOT gain weight. That is my ultimate goal. I hope that one day I will find that balance, but at the moment I know my weaknesses and as soon as I let one bad thing in, it's like an avalanche and all the bad foods fall back into my diet and I gain gain gain... One day...

Off to work tomorrow. Apparently there is a box of chocolates sitting on my desk. I feel strong. I'm going to resist and give them away.

A challenge!

Grrrrr I've been losing and gaining the same few kilograms for the past month. I'm so over not getting anywhere!! Anyway over at becomingshehulk Constance is running a challenge and I'm all in. I need the motivation! Check it out at: constancesweightlosschallenge the more the merrier!!

How do you guys find the slippery slope to Christmas? Super busy and crazy or relaxing and fun??? In New Zealand it's the end of everything wrapping up all in the same month. College, school, work, Christmas: it all happens at the same time, plus the start of summer. It's crazy busy.

My biggest hurdle right now is, I'm sick of cooking meals and on dukan, almost everything has to be cooked, unless you like raw meat - ugh... What do you guys eat with yoghurt to make it edible without the sugar?

ZG

Holidays are great but hard

Thanks for everyone's comment on my last post :-) Some really helpful ideas there!

I've just been away with my family for a few days. I brought all my food along, had it all planned but somehow I still cheated a little. I seem to get SO hungry when I'm away from home. I wish I'd read 'ANGELS' comment before I went about telling off my weak self. That might have worked. But for some reason a packet of potato chips and teeny tiny biscuits and chocolate seemed more yummy than a tin of tuna... :-( So disappointing.

Plan for tomorrow:
1. Buy/make myself a bracelet that reminds me of my goals and what I'm trying to achieve
2. Find my inner dominant voice and practice telling off the cheating me
3. Don't allow self to get so hungry that cheating becomes too easy

Sometimes I dream about hiring a cook that is only allowed to make me food from the 'allowed' list... then I wouldn't have to prepare meals all the time and come up with new ideas... dreams are free :-)

ZG ;-)

When I'm good, I'm very very good

When I'm bad I'm wicked!

Today was a good day. I went to my nephew's 1st birthday. Surrounded by cakes and biscuits and lollies etc... what did I eat? carrot sticks and sausages. I'm so proud of myself.

On a sad note, I tried on my skinny jeans and they are a bit tight right now... how could I let myself put so much weight on again? Why why why? Someone please tell me the answer, I seriously need to send my brain in for reprogramming. I don't want to backslide again. I really really really want to reach my goal then be able to maintain it.

Sadly when I'm having a bad day/week/month, my brain just doesn't care.
I put crappy food in my mouth and don't care.
I remind myself I won't fit my skinny jeans and I don't care...
Wish I knew what to do about that. Wish I could kick that 'me' in the butt and tell her to stop being so stupid! When I find the answer to all these problems I'll write a book :-)

Hope any of my readers that are left are doing well. Write to me. I love to hear from you!
ZG

The scale

I have a love hate relationship with my scales.
They seriously jump up and down every day.

I hate the way they effect my mood, especially if I've been really good with food. I don't understand them at all. I know I have a choice and I could NOT stand on them, but if I don't, I tend to cheat with food. Standing on the scales keeps me accountable even if I hate the number sometimes!

This week my hubby has been really unwell and the Dr's don't really have an answer for us, which is a little stressful. Despite that, I've been doing really well and not cheating too badly (my only cheat has been a few raisins).

I'm meant to be running in the morning, if the rain stops...
Must go running.
Must go running.
MUST GO RUNNING!
zg

Don't ya hate it...

Don't ya hate it when Dukan dieters drop off the blogger-universe ;-)
Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I've been so busy and stressed that not only have I stopped blogging but haven't done so well on my diet either. I was 1kg away from my true weight and had plateaued for months. It got too hard. I let non-dukan food slip in... 4kg later, I'm now 5kg from my true weight again - grrrrrrrrr

I'm back on Dukan again, newly motivated and wanting to fit my new clothes again.
I've started back on my running.
I'll make a real effort to blog again, perhaps not every day, but at least a few times a week.

Hope everyone is doing okay.
Til next time
ZG

Golly gosh

I can't believe another month has passed without a blog post from me. You can tell I'm busy when I don't get to my blog very often. I'm just trying to fit too much into my life...

I'm trying to get back into running. It's 1 step forward, 2 steps back right now, but the weather is slowly warming up (today not included) and that helps for getting out of bed before the sparrows fart.

Food is only okay. I made a lemon cake thing with coconut flour yesterday. TOTALLY different texture to a normal cake but still very very yummy. And very very lemony. Yum!

As a family we enjoy a sport called geo-caching. This is last weekend, deep in the New Zealand bush, after we found the 'treasure spot'. (By the way if you have any young adults in your life, I co-wrote a novel about geo-caching - also includes romance and adventure - that is on amazon and called Forbidden Territory .)

Have a great weekend, friends.
ZG

Dukan madness

For some reason I keep coming across websites bashing 'Dukan' and saying how it's a high protein diet and you'll ruin your kidney's etc... It makes me MAD. Obviously they haven't read the book or they'd see how much veges we eat.

Why don't they verbally bash companies that create carbs and sugars... they are the real killers. If only people knew! Word is slowly getting out there but it will take a good decade I reckon until things start changing. I'm making sure my kids are brought up knowing the truth.

Anyway I had a bad few months and gained back 3kg. I hopped back on Dukan two days ago and have already dropped one of those pesky KGs. I so wish I wasn't one of those all or nothing type gals...  but you can't always change who you are. But for now I'm 'all' Dukan again.

How are you all going? Will go check out your blogs now.
ZG

Still here..

I'm still here. Just trying to organise everything in my life right now.
Hope to be back soon
ZG

Stress is my trigger

Not sure if anyone noticed... but I've been MIA (missing in action) for about a month... and what a sucky month it's been. Because I'm a stay-at-home mum, people seem to ask me to do things and help them a lot more (thinking I must have soooo much time on my hands) and because I'm not good at saying NO, I've been saying 'yes'. BIG MISTAKE.

I've been so stressed with too much to do that exercise was the first to go, then food went next... Oh dear... I'm embarrassed to think about the food I've been eating. I've gained back 2.5kg, I'm surprised it's not more to be honest. Some days I've eaten ONLY carbs... how ridiculous is that? I've been putting food into my mouth, thinking, 'why am I eating this', yet I keep eating.

I have issues!

I'm back on track now, but struggling. I need to fight through this until I'm over the cravings again. Wish me luck!
ZG

Running on a treadmill

Well running on the treadmill was WAY better than I expected. It actually felt quite easy, probably because I didn't put the incline up at all (baby steps). But this weekend I haven't hit the pavement yet... it's raining and I have a nasty headache. This is the first time I've used excuses in 4 weeks, I must be feeling unwell.

Busy busy week coming up, then hubby is on school holidays so hopefully will be around a bit more and I can have a wee bit more time to myself with two of us to be with the kids.

Scales still not dropping :-( makes it really hard to stay motivated some days. I am one kilogram from my true weight (have been for over a month) but just can't seem to reach it. Very frustrating. Might have to do a week of attack or being super strict. But not this week. Too busy.

Hope all is well. Pop over and check out Dani's blog if you remember our old blogger friend. She's just had her baby!!!!!

ZG

Shortest day tomorrow

Tomorrow is the shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere (least amount of daylight hours) then it's uphill (downhill?) to summer baby... I'm excited!! A few more weeks and I can probably run outside again. CAN'T WAIT.

Early in the morning I'm going to attempt to do my c25k on the treadmill. Hopefully I don't sound like an elephant and wake up the whole house.

Haven't been so good with food today. Can I blame that TOTM?
ZG

Muscles are the new fit

Run this arvo, brought the stitch back again and I had been really careful to eat at least 4 hours before my run. So, after pushing through that nasty pain and not enjoying my run at all, I've had to change my plan again. Back to getting up early 2 mornings a week to run on the treadmill and the other morning I'll run after sunrise in the weekend.

Another batch of my protein bars and I've almost nailed the recipe! Coming soon!

Hamstrings feeling nice and sore tonight. Tried to push my triceps hard but they aren't sore so will have to push harder tomorrow.

ZG
PS picture is one of my motivating pics... isn't she gorgeous!

No stitch today!

I'm up to week 4 of my c25k now! Very exciting. Running in the afternoons is different to mornings*, probably because I've eaten lunch just a few hours before my run (rather than running on an empty stomach). My children have passed onto me a lovely (not) cold. Breathing is quite hard and although usually I wouldn't have exercised feeling this sick, I am not letting excuses rule me anymore. Amazingly when I was running, breathing was great, no stuffiness at all.
*(Did a morning run again this morning - after sunrise - and absolutely no stitch or even a hint of it. Makes me think food definitely has something to do with it).

My weight lifting is going well and a nice side effect is it stops me feeling hungry. So if after dinner I want to snack, a quick weights session and the feelings gone. Strange, but I'm not complaining. I do my abs on my swiss ball. Was watching Biggest Loser while doing them. Man they are looking good (final next week - don't tell me who wins, we are probably a season or more behind America).

My second attempt at my homemade protein bars didn't hold together very well, so back to the drawing board with that recipe.

I feel like a new woman. I've NEVER been able to stick to a diet plan this long. I've never stuck to exercise consistently either. It's amazing what a positive attitude, feeling good being slim again AND determination will do. You know you're looking good when your husband can't keep his hands off (heh heh).

It's the weekend and the sun is shining. Enjoy.
ZG

(Photo by me, view of sunrise from our house in 2009)

Bounce bounce bounce

It's been over a month and I'm just bouncing around the same weight... very frustrating. My husband keeps reminding me that I've just started a weight lifting programme and my C25k.... but STILL. I want to see more loss on the scales :-) do I sound like an immature kid yet?

Fortunately I have matured when it comes to my diet. I'm not going back to my old ways EVER. Sure I occasionally cheat with one home made biscuit or a bowl of muesli (my fave cheat) but I haven't had bread/potato/highly processed white carbs in over half a year. I'll keep at this, even if this is as good as it gets. I don't want to be that fat unhappy person again.

I got the stitch while running today... I managed to run through it but I am very curious if anyone has any idea what causes it, so I can avoid it in future. Maybe it's just because I'm unfit?

ZG

Exercise and Weight Loss

So many blogs and people seem to think that to lose weight you HAVE to exercise. Well I have proved that theory is incorrect. Due to my hernia and then the operation to fix it, I didn't exercise in months but still managed to get almost down to my TRUE WEIGHT at a relatively fast pace, including eating cheese daily :-)

In saying that, I probably lost muscle mass as well as fat on my journey downwards, but it was good not to feel guilty about not exercising. Now when I exercise it's because I want to, not because I HAVE to.

I'm onto week 3 of my couch to 5k and I've worked out three different times a week that I can run in the daylight. YAY. I did my first daylight run today and unfortunately ran into lots of people I knew. I didn't stop to talk as I'm on my special programme. But it was nice to not feeling scared (as I have been in the dark the past few weeks).

I'm also into week 2 of more serious weight lifting (not just using body weight) and my muscles are starting to actually feel quite hard. Sadly that means the fat on top of them feels pretty gross, but hopefully over time I'll be able to work some of that off. My most annoying area is the top of my thighs, I think it's called saddle bags... ugh what a name. And my stomach (due to stretch marks from pregnancy) may never be flat again, but it's pretty close.

Tried on some jeans in the weekend. Didn't find the perfect ones yet, but wondering if I wait a few more months until I reach my True Weight so they don't become baggy.

I have my check up with the Dr/Surgeon from my operation this week. Hopefully he gives me the all clear and I can live normally again.

Have a great week everyone. Remember keeping a positive attitude is half the battle :-)
ZG

Another motivational idea

Check out this money jar. I found this on pinterest but I'm thinking of starting my own one and putting a $1 in it every time I complete a workout or run. Then once it's full I'll use the money to buy myself something nice :-)

While I'm really motivated to exercise right now, my passion may not last forever so hopefully this will help when the excuses are flying. Ooooo maybe if I use an excuse to miss a workout I'll have take money out.

Another idea I had was to add a coin when I resist some food I'm really craving. Now I just need to think of something I REALLY want to buy or save for........... I'm thinking a new iphone. I have the (second-hand) 3G phone and it's battery life is less than a day and it doesn't work with a lot of the new apps. Hmmmmm I like that idea. Perhaps I'll put a picture of an iphone on my jar :-) it's going to take a lot of workouts though :-)

Had another 'freakout' moment while exercising at 6am this morning with a car driving really slowly near me, watching me... It's made me make a decision not to run in the mornings anymore until it's lighter again. So I've worked out a timetable of three times a week to get out for my C25k in the weekend and a couple of weeknights just before dinner where hubby can watch the kids. I'll have to be super organised with dinners, but that's what crockpots (slow cookers) are for, right?!!!!!

Just did my weights workout. Hamstrings are also very weak; joining my triceps. Need to get the back of my body as strong as the front. I'm doing 3 sessions a week. It's nice feeling stronger but  the scales have definitely halted, which is a shame.
Have a great weekend.
ZG

Running in the dark

This morning I had a bit of a scare... I was running along my normal route (from my house down a path and along the beach path and back), and although the moon was out (lovely) it was very cloudy and quite dark. I passed a man standing by his car and he made some sort of noise as I ran past... It FREAKED me out. I'm always very aware of being safe and this morning I didn't feel safe. My heart raced for ages after that and I kept looking behind me.

I live in what I consider a very safe place but now I'm worried it's going to stop me going out again in the mornings. I can't run with my husband as someone has to be in the house with the kids. I don't really have any time without kids the rest of the day, except for after dinner which is also dark. Not quite sure what to do. And it's only going to get darker until the shortest day before getting lighter again.

Protein bars: I've managed to not eat any protein bars for a while (just stopped buying them) but I'm missing having something that is slightly 'treat' worthy to eat. So I've been looking into making my own. I found a cool recipe using coconut butter, so I tried to find some and it's CRAZY expensive. So I tried to make it and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was.

Plain cheap coconut in food processor 

After a few minutes on highest setting

10-15 mins later (and scrapping sides a bit) 

My homemade coconut butter :-) 

I put it all together with my other ingredients and it was pretty yum actually. I'll post the recipe when I've tinkered with it a bit more, but it included ground almonds, protein powder, splenda, cocoa powder and a bit of butter. Not good for crusing Dukaners but great for low-carbers and those on consolidation who need a 'protein bar'. And I've been reading lots about how good coconut is for you. Bonus!!! 

Muscles are feeling very sore tonight from last nights weights session. Good sore though :-)

ZG 

Weight loss jars

A friend of mine used jars as a visual for her weight loss and I decided to steal her idea. Because I work in kgs, I've used a marble for every 100g, and although my True Weight is only just over a kg away I've put enough stones in for my ultimate goal weight, which is 2kg under my True Weight.

Tonight I did my workout, mostly with body weight or just the weight of the bar (without the plates on the ends). I feel good, but my triceps are so weak, it's pathetic.

We've been hit with some nasty weather this week, which the old me would have used as an excuse not to get out and exercise, BUT the new me has made sure the treadmill is ready to go in case the rain is too heavy in the morning. (Finally cleared the space around the treadmill so I could unfold it for the first time in months). C25k won't be easy on the treadmill (finding out what speed is easy for me to run at in bursts) but I don't want to miss a session so it will have to do! I CAN DO THIS :-)

Til next time
ZG

I can do this

I never released how much repetitive positive thoughts can actually change your life. As much as I'm loathed to admit it, I think deep down I'm a glass half empty person. I never let this side of my personality emerge in public but as I look back over my past dieting episodes I can see that I self sabotaged myself every time.

Before the birth of my daughter I read a book that encouraged positive thinking and telling yourself 'you can do it'. Along with other pain relieving techniques. Two hours after my labour started my baby girl was in my arms and I'd probably said 'I can do this' a hundred times during the contractions. What a contrast to the birth of my son, where I can vividly remember telling my midwife 'I can't do this' and 18 hours later, with the help of forceps it seemed that was true. I had needed help.

So what am I getting at... When I restarted Dukan earlier this year I told myself often... 'this time I'm going to do it'. I can do this. I can do this!!! And I believe it's made all the difference because I have done this and I'm still doing it.

I feel like I'm a brand new person who can tackle anything. It's a wonderful feeling.
It's quite amazing how much my weight and how I viewed myself effected everything in my life. My husband keeps commenting how much happier I am now. I didn't even realise I wasn't happy back then. I mean I knew I wasn't happy with my body but I didn't know it was effecting the rest of my life.

So my Dukan friends. Tell yourself everyday that YOU CAN DO IT and see if it help.
ZG

I love weights

I'm so naughty. I haven't got the okay from my Dr yet but I've started a bit of weight lifting... I'm being very good and not lifting too heavy, actually that's a lie as I did a very heavy lat pull down tonight to try improve my strength for chin-ups.

Hubby helped me set up my gym equipment in the garage today (it was in our spare room in a corner not being able to be used) so after dinner I popped downstairs, did my workout, didn't wake the kids and was upstairs again in front of the fire before long.

There is something about lifting weights that makes you feel so strong. Like you could do anything. And I LOVE having sexy looking arms. I figure if I start working them out now, by the time summer comes (6 months away for us in the southern hemisphere) my arms will be looking curved in all the right places. That's the plan :-)

Better go to sleep. Tomorrow I'm getting up at 6am to do my run. I'm actually sleeping in some of my running clothes so it's easy to just roll out of bed and hit the pavement.

Have a great Dukany week!
ZG

Today is the start of winter...

I've been on this journey for 9 months now and you'd think I'd know better than to let myself get really hungry. Sadly I'm still weak sometimes. And 3 biscuits later I'm feeling rather annoyed with myself. Grrrrrrrr. Will do an attack day tomorrow to compensate.

We bought a pull up bar to hang on the doorframe this week... OH MY GOSH - ouchie! It's safe to say that I have no upper body strength left and the little I did have, didn't even get me half way up to the bar. For those you of (like me) that can't do a chin-up or pull-up yet, you can start with negative chin ups. Which means to stand on something so you get your chin over the bar then hold as long as you can there and slowly lower yourself down. My goal is by the end of June to be able to do one chin-up without the chair :-) wish me luck!!

Bullet points:
• Ugh... those carbs which I did SO not need are sitting heavily in my stomach... blah. Stupid stupid me.
• Today is the official start of winter in New Zealand.
• I've finished week 1 of my c25k. Looking forward to week 2.
• Long weekend (Queens birthday) this weekend - yay.
• Water hasn't been very good this week. (sorry water buddy)

Have a good one.
ZG

Hitting that snooze button

How can I get up so early in the mornings to exercise? I must admit, there have been more mornings than not, in my life, that I've pushed the snooze button on my alarm and rolled back over, so why is now different? Many reasons:

1. This isn't about weight loss anymore
2. I really REALLY want this
3. It's the only time in the day I have available where I can leave the house without a child in tow
4. Did I mention I really really REALLY want this.

I'm so passionate about being a runner now, that that goal alone motivates me. Exercise used to be about losing weight, but now I know it doesn't take exercise to lose weight (I'll post on this later this week). I now exercise because I want to. I want to be healthier. I want my heart to be strong. I want my whole body to be strong.

Almost my entire adult life I've made new years resolutions to lose weight and get fit... all that ever did was waste pen ink. Sure I tried a few time to follow a diet (I've tried most of them) and they worked for a while, until I went back to old habits or the diet was too restrictive and I just binged when I couldn't take it anymore. I also exercised on and off over the years, but I was always forcing myself to go for a walk or get to the gym. I never stuck at it consistently. I did discover how much I loved lifting weights though.

At the start of 2012 I dedicated the entire year to getting my life sorted out. Just one year. Only one little year that I avoided all those bad foods. That I finally got myself sorted and lost the weight I'd been carrying for far too long. Well I don't know what the difference was, but I feel like I've finally got my head in the game. I want this. I REALLY WANT THIS. It's not about looking skinny for others. This is for me. I can be dedicated. I can change my life. I can be the best ME that I can be.

Some days I'm scared that I'll slip back into my old habits but right now I'm pretty determined to not let that happen. I feel so much happier in my body now. I feel in control of things. And I really really want to be a runner. And I really really don't want to give my kids a weight complex like I've had all my life.

I have a few extra goals for this year:

1. Finish C25k (9 weeks)
2. Get to Dukan True Weight (hopefully in the next 2 months)
3. Complete consolidation (about 5-6 months after I start)
4. Run a quarter marathon in Oct/Nov (I've run/walked a half marathon before but I think I need to take this slow. A 10k in 5 months time is ambitious enough right now.) 
5. Start weight lifting when Surgeon gives okay and shape body a bit 

I'm excited about these goals. What is your next goal? Do you have to force yourself to exercise or do you enjoy it?
ZG

Week 1, day 1 - complete!

Last night as I was going to sleep the rain kept getting heavier and heavier. When I woke for my run at 6am, the rain was torrential. Hubby wouldn't let me go as at 6am in winter it's pitch black and I wouldn't be able to see the slippery spots when the rain is that hard. I was gutted.

Anyway usually 6am is my only time I can get out of the house as I'm on child care the rest of the time or it's night and dark again. But my hubby kindly came home a bit earlier and I got to do my first c25k before dinner. I actually really liked exercising at that time of day. Shame it's not really possible to do it at that time every day.

I'm really getting into this running thing. Every time I go out I like it more and more. WWangel you're right, it is addictive.

I've decided I seriously need to wean myself off protein bars. Not only are they WAY more expensive than a normal chocolate bar (no idea why) but they are too easy to grab, meaning I'm not eating real food. I want to eat more real food and use protein bars only when I'm out and that's less possible.

List of chores to do and hubby out tonight.
Catch ya tomorrow.
ZG

Rain rain go away...

Oh dear... it's raining. My couch to 5k starts in the morning and if it's raining I'll be gutted.

1. I need my iphone for the c25k app but it isn't waterproof
2. When my hair gets wet it goes crazy frizzy
3. I'm not loving the rain or getting wet

Right now I've got all my excuses out. I'm going to force myself out the door. Rain or shine. I can always come home for a hot shower, right! And I'll just have to start my c25k without the app. I'll just run for a minute every five. Can't be that hard can it?

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to do any weight lifting before I've checked with my surgeon (in three weeks time) so in the mean time I've been doing the same moves just using my body weight (lunges, squats, pushups, abs etc...) but man... I'm shaky from doing them tonight. I guess that's a good thing, means my muscles are actually working hard. I'm doing these three times a week.

Had some quality time with my sewing machine today. YAY. Love sewing. Check out my sewing blog  if you want to see what I've been making.
Enjoy the weekend, it's almost over :-(
ZG

It's my birthday and I'll eat low carb if I want to...

Today has been lovely. I got presents in bed and a cuppa tea. Then had yummy bacon and eggs!

Friends came up to visit (who are moving to China in a few months) so that was precious time together. Then a lovely dinner of Pizza and Raspberry Tart. Now before you all think I'll fallen off the wagon... it was pizza made with completely low-carb food: thin egg omelette base with meat, vege and cheese topping.
Dessert was a raspberry tart, also low carb (see Lynda's recipes), made with almond meal mostly in the base and sugar-free jelly, yoghurt and cream on the top. It was soooo delicious I had two pieces and feel quite nicely full now.

My next problem is... I have half the tart left... Lynda, if you're reading this, does it freeze to have some another day?

Water = 3litres today!

Can't wait to get started on my C25k.
ZG

I'm ready!

This is a photo, from my phone, of the view I've had this week while I've been out walking in the mornings. I feel like I'm ready to get into my C25k again. Starting Monday I'll keep my blog up to date with my progress. In fact I might even give my blog a facelift to celebrate :-)

I know I've said it over and over again but I really want to be a runner. So my blog facelift might emphasis that a bit more, now I'm nearly at the end of Dukan. Don't want to give up the blog so have to have a new project :-) and goal.

@SOS: water yesterday = BAD, water today = GREAT!! Thank's for checking on me and encouraging me!

It's my birthday tomorrow (26th NZ time) so I've made myself a treat. A raspberry tart thing made with all low-carb products (no wheat or sugar). I can't wait!
Have a great weekend
ZG

Water

My challenge to drink more water is HARD.... I'm forcing it down but it's not very enjoyable. Normally I love to drink water, but yesterday and today it's been a real challenge (takes a large gulp).

My little one year old is almost walking. It's so cute. She toddles between couches and coffee tables while I sit diligently counting her steps (I counted 16 in a row today). When she forgets what she's doing she usually takes more steps or when she's holding a teddy bear as she thinks someone is holding her hand. I love watching her develop but I'll miss the crawling.

I've been extra hungry the past few days. I've been eating a bit more as obviously my body needs it but my head starts worrying that I'll gain weight. And this morning I did gain but I think it's probably excess water (which will hopefully drop off again soon).

My mini goal at the moment is to get up before the kids wake and walk (fast fitness walk) three times a week (my husband takes the other three days). I know Dukan says to walk every day but I haven't been able to with kids and weather but I've still managed to lose. Anyway now I'm feeling a bit better I'll be walking three mornings a week and the other three days I'm doing some exercises to strengthen my core. When my Dr says it's okay I'll get back onto my Couch 2 5k programme, which I'm really excited about.

Well I better turn out the light or I won't get up in the morning (I'm very good at thinking up excuses).
ZG

Water Challenge

Anyone feel like joining me in a water challenge? I haven't been drinking enough (I just forget) so I thought this week I'm going to drink loads of water, sort of as an experiment to see if it really does make a difference to weight loss.

I think I'll set an alarm on my laptop or phone to remind me to drink a large glass every hour or something. Of course I'll need to be close to the bathroom all day (heh heh).

As predicted my weight has bounced up and down a bit in the past few days. Tomorrow I'm setting the alarm for 6am so I can get up and pound the pavement. Only walking at this stage til I feel healed enough from my op to start my 'couch to 5k' again.

Then as soon as the Doc gives me the okay I also want to add in some weight lifting. I just read the New Rules of Weight Lifting for Woman and I'm keen to give it a go. I've always loved weight lifting in the past but probably didn't use my whole body enough. I've got all winter to get into it so I look fit and strong for summer!

For those of you struggling with Dukan at the moment. Be encouraged. It does work. It hasn't been a straight or easy path for me. I've definitely fallen off, twice where I gained back quite a bit of weight. But I've clambered back up and started again, each time more and more determined and now I'm nearly at the end I'm even more motivated than when I started.

Have a great week everyone and drink lots of water!
ZG

A sneak peek...

I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at my weight loss photos. I know I'm still a kg (or 700g as of this morning) away from my true weight, but I took some photos this morning to compare and I was quite horrified at how bad I looked when I started.

I'm embarrassed to show you these photos. I know I wasn't super overweight but I had really let myself go. I look pregnant and I definitely wasn't. But I'm feeling very proud of where I am right now.

I'll do a full reveal when I'm at my goal :-)
Have a lovely weekend everyone!
ZG

Another goal bites the dust

Goal 4 met! I'm 1kg (2.2 lbs) away from my TRUE WEIGHT and my last goal (for now). It's very exciting!

I've noticed a definite pattern to my weight loss and my monthly cycle. It seems the middle of my cycle is WHOOSH week but the rest of the time I just bounce around neither losing or gaining much (so long as I'm careful). So I'm making the most of the whooshes this week before I start bouncing again. I'm hoping that by this time next month I'll be at my goal and true weight and can start on consolidation.

Consolidation: I'm not going to follow this in true Dukan style as I don't want to add wheat back into my life so I'll probably be adding things like nuts, and more fats. Although to be brutally honest, I have been having way more fat than Dukan allows already.

I'm also keen to start weight training again to build up my muscles and tone my still flabby areas.

I mentioned above that my True Weight is my last goal 'for now' because even though most people will think that 52kg (114 lbs) is almost underweight, for me (being petite and very small boned) it's slim but not skinny. I'm hoping with exercise and weight training I'll be able to gain a little muscle weight but lose a bit more fat. That's the theory anyway. I'm reading "the new rules of weight lifting for women" and it's really interesting.

Lots for me to think about and play around with when I reach my next goal. All in all I'm so happy eating this way. I'm liking myself again, I'm happy and it's not a hard eating lifestyle to follow as you don't have to record calories etc...
Happy dukaning everyone!
ZG

Long day

Bit of a hard day. My wound was pretty tender today and not looking as healthy as I'd like so I made a Dr's appointment. I knew if I waited til tomorrow I'd have to travel all the way to Auckland as we don't have Drs open on Sundays in my country town.

After waiting two LONG hours the Dr finally saw me and I probably have a little infection (awesome) so had to get some anti-biotics. Now I've read on other posts that some people gain wait while on this medication. Any truth in this? I guess if I expect to see a rise on the scales I won't freak out too much when it happens.

My sister-in-law told me I was looking quite skinny tonight. I'm so useless at taking compliments but today I actually managed a 'thank you'. I also managed to avoid eating cake and all sorts of other goodies. Go me!!!!

I FINALLY worked out how to subscribe to podcasts from my itunes account... for some reason I had 'don't allow podcasts' ticked in my preferences. Glad I've got that sorted now. Lots of listen to. YAY. After following a low-carb way of eating for over 8 months now and having amazing success with it, I'm really keen to help others as well. I don't want to shove it down people's throats though so I'll wait to be asked :-)

Nothing on TV tonight, might listen to some podcasts :-)
Have a good one
ZG

Hungry

Girls: do you find yourself hungry and eating more during your TOTM? I've been SOOO hungry this week. So hungry that I have not entirely stayed within the Dukan diet... but I have stuck to low-carb. I've eaten some nuts and seeds (made my own muesli - thanks Lynda at A change of life) with greek yoghurt.

Today I ventured out to the supermarket (with hubby to do my heavy lifting) and walking around the store wore me out a bit. Must rest this afternoon.

It's funny that when I'm not allowed to exercise I crave it. I keep looking at my dumbbells longingly and really want to get my running shoes out. I won't, but I want to :-)

Once I start my 'couch to 5k' again I'm going to be looking for a 5k race or 10k to run. I really want to be a runner again. And I'm looking forward to running in winter. There's nothing like running to get warm on a frosty morning.

Any new Dukan dieters out there?
ZG

Where is the pain?

How long do drugs work? For some amazing reason I still haven't had any pain. I'm hobbling around but I'm not really feeling very sore or anything. WOW.

I'm not allowed to lift for 6 weeks so that's the hardest thing. Little Miss One doesn't understand that.

I can't wait to be all healed now... my feet just want to get into running again, but I'm going to be patient. I don't want to have any set backs.

The scales have been bouncing up a bit the last few days but I haven't been moving around as much and I've probably been eating a little more. Although it's all been dukan friendly. I'm not too worried about that just yet though.

My hubby is amazing. He is being mummy AND daddy this week. Thanks to our generous church family he hasn't had to cook dinners yet. Dinner arrives each night for us and so far I've been able to eat just the meat/veg part, so that's worked out well for me too.

Hope you are all well. It's FREEZING here in NZ. Very early for such cold weather.
ZG (typing from my warm bed - heh heh)

Home and happy

Just a quick note. I'm home from my surgery and it all went well. Tomorrow when my anaesthetic wears off I'll know the full damage but I'm pretty happy to be home and finally fixed up. I even took my own food to hospital to eat. Go me!!!!

I'll keep reading your blogs and update as I'm able!
ZG

Chicken meatballs - YUM!

Tomorrow is my surgery... feeling a tad nervous. Not allowed to eat after midnight tonight. Last time I didn't eat for a day my weight dropped a KG and amazingly I didn't put it back on when I started eating again. That would be a nice by-product of my surgery ;-)

Oh and I made some delicious Chicken Meatballs for dinner tonight with an onion/tomato sauce. YUM YUM YUM.

Keep on eating well my friends and I'll see you on the other side.
ZG

Livin' La Vida Low-Carb

I've never been a big podcast listener, but OH MY GOSH since other bloggers pointed me to Livin' La Vida Low-Carb, I'm always listening to something. And I've discovered that when it's a topic I'm interested in, I can't get enough!!!!

Right now I have a podcast on about Women weightlifting and low-carbing. I love weight lifting and hope to get back into it a month or so after my op. So far it's talking about the important of fat (when you don't have those carbs to eat) which makes a lot of sense to me! I'm really beginning to love fats. I know it's not big in the Dukan world, but long term I'm going to be adding fat back rather than breads and carbs. I plan to be low-carb for life.

Our bodies are so much more scientific than I realised and hormones play a bigger part in our weight loss than I knew.

The scales are leaping upwards for me this week... I'm coming up to that TOTM so I hope that's the only cause.
ZG

Arghhhhhhhhhhh

Please someone don't let me buy muesli again...
Seriously!

Note to self, plan your food more so you don't get hungry and eat THREE bowls of muesli. I'm so disappointed in myself and feeling a little ill with all those oats in my belly.
Stupid.
Stupid.
Stupid.

Do you know when they want to fatten pigs, they feed them up on wheat.

Do any of my readers have kids? What do you think of them eating low-carb (basically just cutting wheat and sugar)? So lots of meat, dairy, veg, fruit, nuts etc.....
Love your thoughts
ZG

Muesli

Oh dear... ate some muesli last night... why does it call to me???? I know it's not the worst thing in the world to eat but it definitely stalls any weight loss. I've been hovering in the 54's for almost a month now. I'm hoping I'll have another whoosh at the end of it. Plateaus are definitely discouraging. Although I'm trying to be realistic and realise I won't be able to do much exercise etc... until after my op and recovery. 6 days til op. I wonder if it's unconsciously stressing me out a bit?

Be good to yourself
ZG

ANZAC Day

It's ANZAC Day in New Zealand where we remember our fallen soldiers. It's also my daughters first birthday. Because hubby and I aren't eating cake, it's still sitting there... I think I might just throw out the rest, as I'm not sure I want to be shoving it all down my children's throats either. I keep it real with them and they still eat bread and sugar etc, but we've definitely cut down and they eat more like us than they used to.

Advice please. When you get a head cold while doing Dukan, do you allow yourself any vitamin C fruit? I've got a cold and having a bit of trouble shaking it. I'm wondering if I need something I'm not eating at the moment to help.

I've also been wondering about all you ladies who have lost lots of weight. Do you still feel like a fat person and get quite surprised when you walk past a mirror and see a much slimmer person starring back?

ZG

Get the cake out of my house

Just had my daughters first birthday so more cake and cupcakes etc in the house... and I can't believe it, but I resisted... Enough is enough though and it's time to get my house cake free again!!! Who wants some cake??? (ha)

I go into hospital next week for my op and I wanted some advice about what I should eat afterwards? Usually they give you bread or toast... should I take a boiled egg, can of tuna or protein bar? Any advice????

Oh... I did have one cheat last week. 100g of chocolate and do you know that sent the scales up 1200g??? isn't that crazy? It's mostly back down again now, but I have to say... WHAT THE?

I'm trying really hard this week to stick to my food and not eat too much as after my op I won't be able to prepare my food as much and will have to rely on family. Hopefully they won't sabotage my diet.

Crockpot is on and smelling divine!
Have a great week
ZG

Holidays

I wonder why, when I'm on holiday and away from home, I am hungrier and eat more. I have tried really hard to eat only Dukan friendly foods but I've definitely eaten more than normal. Although I have also been more active. Biking around, walking etc... I'm a bit scared about what the scales will say. I'm hoping they will at worst, have stayed the same.

Update: The scales jumped up a bit, but not enough to worry me. Time to get some decent meat back into the house and get serious again. I've had my fun now time to keep losing.

ZG

Holiday

Off on holiday for 4 nights with best friends and their kids. I've got all my food planned so hoping I can stay on track and not gain for once!! Wish me luck and I'll see you at the end of the week.
ZG

Rewards

Do you have something in mind to buy yourself once you get to your goal weight? My reward will be a nice pair of jeans that fit like a glove. At the moment I seem to be shrinking out of all the jeans that fit me, which is good but I'm running out of clothes to wear :-)

It's so exciting to be finally breaking through my plateau. I hit an all time low on the scales this morning and it's so motivating to keep going! And all this I'm doing with minimal exercise. It's three weeks til my operation. I've been doing a bit of research and some people are back into their running after a month, that's encouraging. I guess I'll have to wait and see how I'm healing but I'm excited that I will be out running again before too long.

ZG

Pirates

Yesterday I had 7 little pirates racing around the house and backyard. My four year olds birthday. We had cake and treasure and all sorts of goodies floating around and I'm proud to say I didn't eat any cake and the worst thing I ate was a spring roll (bit of pastry). And the scales were kind to me this morning flashing an all time low of 54.7kg. Very exciting!!!! I seem to be pushing through my stagnating weight finally.

I really want to bring up my family without too much sugar and wheat. It's not impossible to eat without either of these items exclusively, BUT it does take a lot more effort and I want to be kind to myself. So I just want to try limit them and as my kids grow into adults, educate them so they can make their own choices. Birthday parties without a bit of sugar wouldn't be quite as fun and I don't want to be a big fat party pooper!

So I've noticed since I've been getting slimmer, I've been getting 'the look'. You know the one, where bigger people look at you as if you've got it so easy because you're skinnier. Do you think I could wear a tee that states "I work BLOODY hard to look this good" - heh heh... I do feel good and I do work flippin hard. But it means I'm really proud of myself when I achieve my goals. I've managed to lose this weight because I work hard, use incredible will power and take responsibility for my food and body.

Have a great week everyone. It seems New Zealand is getting the summer we missed out on for Autumn. The weather is gorgeous.
ZG

Reunion

Today is my school reunion, luckily I live back in the area I grew up in so don't have to travel far. And because of Dukan I'm feeling not too bad about myself either, especially since I'm at an all time low today. 54.9kg, kinda hard to believe really. I knew I was due a whoosh, but I thought that it was just due to sickness. I'm still waiting to see, but if it is my real weight - whaaahoo! An unexpected whoosh that blasts my stagnation out of the ground!!

I've still not had any easter eggs. Was going to treat myself with one, but not sure I even need it now. Man weight loss is a great motivator!

Happy Easter
ZG

Sick

Yesterday I suddenly started burning up, had chills, a sore throat and nasty headache. Hardly slept last night and not much better today. Flu perhaps?

Anyway I've found food really difficult, so I've hardly eaten anything. All I wanted was a dry piece of toast as the thought of meat or eggs made me feel ill. So instead I chose to eat nothing (my stomach was feeling pretty fragile). What do you guys do when you're unwell? I had a few slivers of cheese at lunch today and a cup of tea. As expected my weight jumped down almost a kg this morning. Shame it won't stay that way when I start eating again ;-)

Happy Easter.
Remember the reason for the season!
ZG

Disappointed

Today I hopped on the scales and finally saw number 55 starring back at me. 55.9 to be exact and for some reason I felt disappointment? Why... My only conclusion is, I've been working really hard to lose this week and 100g is all I've lost since half way through last week. My weight has been bouncing up and down, I had just hoped it would bounce down lower!

I have a question for all your girlies out there. At your TOTM do you have cramping? I used to, nasty pain that would sometimes stop me working. BUT since kicking sugar and carbs, nothing... Has anyone else experienced this or is it just coincidence?

There is lots of birthday food in my house and so far I've resisted. Go me.
Have a good one
ZG

It's not REAL butter

After reading A Change of Life Blog about Margarine, I did a bit of investigating on the 'butter' I feed my family. 36% canola oil, so instead of the pure butter I thought I was using, it's half margarine after all. Gutted!!!!

Next week at the supermarket I'll find one that is just butter, otherwise I'll use block butter instead. Thanks Lynda for reminding me to check the ingredients again. I feel extremely let down by the food industry. They are just instead in making a buck instead of helping our health. Disappointing. And I feel for people who can't afford butter (as it is twice the price of marg) that just sucks!

My weight is doing that thing where it bounces up and down a bit but basically stays the same... I want to break through this time. 4kg to my true weight. I will not give up!!

Off to bake some birthday cake. (I promise not to eat any).
ZG

Theory

I have a theory that the things you eat, don't actually show up on the scales til 2 days later. Yesterday I had no change on the scales (after my 3x protein day) yet today, I'm up 200g.... and ate really well yesterday.

What are your thoughts?
ZG

tough day

Had a tough day today. Miss 11 months is horribly sick with a virus and cried/screamed for a lot of the day. Amazingly I didn't let it effect my eating. I think eating this way is finally automatic. I don't reach for the carbs when things get tough. I'm growing up :-)

The scales didn't move up or down, but that's to be expected after my 3 protein bar day. No protein bars today, so here's hoping for a good number on the scales tomorrow!

Is anyone allowing themselves some sort of chocolate for Easter? What is your plan? I think I might try find a different chocolate protein bar to treat myself with. While we're speaking of protein bars, one of the ones I had yesterday was horrible. It was a type of mini strawberry one - YUCK! Thank goodness Atkins ones never let me down in taste.

Have a good week everyone. Looks like here in the North of New Zealand we've got another week of rain and wind. Oh joy!
ZG

So close

I'm so close to seeing a 55 on the scales, so what do I do? Self sabotage.... that's what. Three protein bars in one day for goodness sake. Sure I was out all morning without packing any food (too busy packing for the kids that I forgot to pack for me).

I'll write today off and get serious tomorrow. Come on 55.9kg, I'm waiting to meet you again after years and years and years.

Right back to sewing my new pj pants.
ZG

Crock pot / Slow cooker

My weight stayed the same this morning, which I'm totally happy with as I was expecting a rise, like my normal pattern.

I've broken out the crockpot early this year (I usually save it for winter time) and have been making some meaty dishes and while my family serves them on rice or pasta, I have them without and hardly notice the difference. LOVE IT.

It is also a lot easier to get dinner sorted in the morning than when the kids are grumpy and clinging to my legs at the end of the day. And my kitchen smells yummy all day. Today I can smell curry - yum!!! I've got a sweet curry cooking with beef, onions, curry powder, apples (just a few) and some sultanas. Last night was a pork dish.

What are your favourite slow cooked meals????

Curious

I calculated my true weight on both the American and UK Dukan site again today. They differ by 3kg!!!!! The UK site gave me a figure that was much closer to the one I thought was more likely (52kg) where the American site said (55kg). Why the difference?????

Anyway so for those of you concerned that being around 56kg is too light, for me it isn't. I spent so much of my life being around 47-50kg and looking slim but not anorexic. So at 56 I do have rolls on my tummy still and rather large thighs for my size. I have a very small bone structure. And even though I look better now (not super skinny or anything) I get a lot of comments about time to stop dieting now. But my husband is very supportive (who else gets to see you naked) and is encouraging me to reach for my goal and my true weight.

Speaking of dieting. I don't feel like this is so much a diet but the start of a new way of life. Sure when I reach my true weight I'll add back in a few foods, like fruit and rice etc sometimes but for now I feel fantastic eating meat, dairy and vegetables. I also feel like I ward of sickness much easier. But I have theories on that and eating wheat (wheat effecting your immune system BIG time).

I can't wait to get down to my true weight so I can do some before and after photos (if I have the courage to show my before photos!). I have kept a pair of jeans that were super tight on me at my heaviest. I won't try them on again until I'm at my true weight. Which is now 52kg (thanks Dukan UK). So only 4.2kg more to lose. That doesn't sound too hard does it? HA!

Have a great day
ZG

graph time

So I decided to make a little graph of my weight over the last few weeks... Look how much it goes up and down. CRAZY.

Tonight we're having a picnic at the beach, to say goodbye to summer and daylight savings. My family wants takeaways so I'm cooking myself some meaty delights to take. I will allow myself one chip though - keeping it real!!

I'm nearly at my low point again where I hover. Wondering if when my weight doesn't go down anymore if I might do a mini attack to give it some encouragement. I'm getting down close to my True Weight, I would like to go a bit lower as I know what works for me and it will make maintaining a bit easier as I won't let myself go over my true weight again. Give myself a little wriggle room so to speak.

Does anyone else feel their TRUE WEIGHT is higher or lower than they thought?
ZG

Scale jumping all over the place...

So this morning the scales jumped down again... It's been up and down all week. How much does water effect your weight I wonder?

I had an atkins bar today (needed something sweet) but other than that, I've been pretty good. I'm trying really hard. My jeans also felt quite a bit looser than they did two weeks ago, that's always a nice sign, and my rings are loose on my fingers again.

I'm hanging out for daylight savings so it's not so dark in the mornings. I do want to at least do some walking again before my op.

Must sleep
ZG

Anti-whoosh

Okay so that double cheeseburger did effect my weight... the scales jumped up this morning - stink! But to combat, I've had an extra strict protein day today. I WILL NOT GO BACK TO MY OLD HABITS AGAIN (falling off the diet and sabotaging myself).

Today was fun. Hubby and I took the two kidlets down to our local regional park and played on the beach and picked pinecones off a dead tree (for our fire in winter). It was nice and relaxed, which is a lovely change from all the stress we've had in our lives lately.

This week my goal is to break through my 'sticky weight' (the figure I can't get below for some unknown reason). Wish me luck!!

ZG

Bad habits

Yesterday I was out during dinner time with not enough food. Silly me. So I decided to have a double cheeseburger and ditch the buns... BUT in my hunger and rush, I TOTALLY forgot to ditch the buns and was half way through before I remembered. BAD ME. Despite this the scales were kind to me this morning. Let's hope they stay that way!

I have a school reunion in 2 weeks. How's that for motivation to lose a few more pounds!

I also have a date for my hernia operation. It's in six weeks. Then for a further six weeks I am not allowed to do any lifting. And I'm not meant to start running again for a further 6 MONTHS... stink! But I can walk and still follow Dukan. Perhaps it's time I got back onto my bike?!

ZG

Snacks

So who snacks during the day?
Do you eat just the three meals or do you have snacks as well.

From my days doing body for life type diets I've kinda got into the habit of eating six times a day, all smaller meals, rather than 3 big meals. I still do that on Dukan. Except right now it seems to be every 2 hours or so that I eat something. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing. On one hand it keeps my metabolism working, on the other, I have no idea how much I'm actually eating. I guess so long as I kept losing, I shouldn't be too worried.

Also when do you drink your water? With meals, or in between?
ZG

Loose jeans

Thanks for all your ideas for saying 'no'. I find when I say 'no thanks' I sometimes get questioned. Why aren't you eating? I hope you're not dieting... etc... or from mum, 'I think you've lost enough.'

I've thought about saying I'm gluten free when coming across wheat stuff in the future, but I have a friend who is gluten free and people always make her special sugary gluten free foods and she finds she can't say No to eating it when they've gone to a special effort.

So I go back to my old 'I've just eaten, but thanks'... it usually works.

So I put on my usual jeans this morning and they seem to be hanging a bit looser. YAY. I'm nearly at my sticking point though. I'm determined to get past it this time. I WANT to get to my true weight. Sometimes I wonder if my weight is sticking because I'm still breast feeding my baby. I've heard that your body holds onto a certain amount of weight when you're still BF... but it's only a few times a day... I guess only time will tell.

Hope the weather is nicer everywhere else right now, cos it sucks in NZ. My moods are sooo dictated by the weather.
ZG

Grocery shopping

Have just been to the supermarket and stocked up on MEAT!!!! So hopefully this week I won't have to eat so much cheese. I also bought yoghurt, which I don't usually eat much of, but decided to give it a try this week.

I was surprised how the bill from my shopping wasn't as high as anticipated. But when I unpacked all the food, it was mostly meat, vege plus a few bits and pieces for the family. Amazingly enough hardly any of it was packaged foods. I know I keep going on about it, but after reading WHEAT BELLY I seriously am cutting back on wheat big time for my family too. There are some things I just won't be able to avoid for a while with school lunches (sandwiches etc...) until I retrain my son, but I can definitely cut down on the quantities of the stuff.

The weather in the North of New Zealand today is disgusting. Unfortunately I hung out washing yesterday and it is soooo much wetter now than when it went out. I guess it will be super clean by the time it comes in again!!

How do you guys get around comments from friends when you don't want to eat something? Do most of your friends just accept it or do some push you into it???
Have a great week
ZG

Weight loss week 1 reboot

1.2kg (2.6lbs) loss this week. Not as much as I'd hoped for, but better than a kick in the pants :-)

I ran out of food so have eaten quite a bit of cheese. Must be more organised this week.
Short and sweet
ZG

Finished...

Just finished Wheat Belly. I wasn't really reading it to start a new diet. I was just interested in William Davis' findings. It was fascinating. I now know enough to want to avoid eating much wheat the rest of my life. To be realistic I know there are times when I'll want a piece of birthday cake or something, but to eat it daily is just dangerous for your health.

The scales are jumping all over the place this week. Will give a weekly weight update on Monday. I didn't drink enough water yesterday, so must do that today.

Have a good one friends
ZG

Weight vs clothes fitting

Thanks to everyone who replied to my 'hungry' post. Amazingly I didn't wake up starving. I'll make sure to have an after dinner snack and not leave it til 10pm :-)

So my weight is dropping quite quickly on attack, but I don't feel like I can feel the difference, so perhaps it's water weight and it takes a while for my fat cells to shrink and catch up with the scales??? Thoughts?

Another beautiful Autumn (fall) day in New Zealand today. I'm actually getting washing dry - very important when you have two kids and one is in cloth nappies!!!

My son turns 4 in half a month and wants a pirate party so I'm busy making him some pirate clothes and trying to work out how I'm going to fudge my way through the 'ship' cake he wants... Cake decorating is not my strongest skill.

Time to boil some eggs.
ZG

Hungry

Is going to bed feeling hungry okay???? I'm never sure. I don't feel like cheating but I also don't want to eat late at night (it's 10pm)....

Dinner party tonight and I didn't cheat. I love the start of the diet, I am always so motivated.
ZG

Day 2 of reboot

Another successful day. Not so many temptations today. I'm feeling stronger.
No dukan headache yet. It usually hits day 2 for me. I wonder if diet coke is helping with that?

About to tuck into some after dinner eggs :-) don't want to get sooo hungry that I cheat.

Exercise tomorrow morning hopefully. Here's hoping for a good night with the kids.
ZG

Reboot take 2

Well despite my brain flooding my mind with excuses, I've officially rebooted and am back full time dukaning!! I seriously couldn't believe the amount of 'garbage' my brain was telling me this morning... and to think that all comes from inside me.

eg: just one more day of eating sugary wheaty food... one little thing won't hurt... what about your family dinner this week... etc etc... today I've been strong. I hope tomorrow and the next day, when the sugar low hits I can stay that way.

I hate it that I've gained back 3kg, which I lost earlier this year. I'm so pathetic. When am I going to get serious about my life and food and stop self sabotaging myself? My husband made a comment to me yesterday that makes me think I'm effecting him with all my ups and downs :-(

What do you guys do to control the ups and downs?

Wheat belly

OH MY GOSH.... this book is fascinating... and I've only just started.

The history about wheat is the most interesting. How we've modified wheat so much that perhaps it's doing more damage to our bodies in it's new form. In fact the ancient grains are fine, its the way we've changed them that's the problem.

Another busy busy week in my life that hasn't gone Dukan-well :-(
Reboot starting Monday.

Will catch up on blogs soon.
I have a reunion in a month to motivate me to get back into my diet on Monday.
ZG

Thanks

Thanks for everyone who left me messages! I appreciate it! The hole my cat has left is less sore this week but there are daily reminders around me still making it ache. I can't even (and don't want to) imagine how bad it would be to lose a loved one (human)... those holes must be impossible to heal.

Heh heh... my CD has just flicked to a Christmas one. I don't usually listen to Christmas music any other time but December, it's nice!

Not much else to report. My new exercise plan starts Monday. Let's hope the weather behaves. Today is the first day of Autumn (fall) in New Zealand and it's a nasty day. Summer was the worst I've seen in years and if we get a horrible winter too, I'll be depressed.

I'll be brighter next post, promise!
ZG

:-(

I've had a hard few weeks. My beloved cat of 15 years passed away... I still see her everywhere... I catch something moving out of the corner of my eye and I turn around expecting to see her :-(

Then my son got sick and I've hardly had any sleep the past few nights.... for me, that's the hardest thing about being a parent. Being up at night when they are sick and worrying if it's something serious. I wouldn't turn back the clock but I'd love to fast forward through these times... I'm exhausted.

I was planning today as my day to exercise and dukan again but alas... that fell through :-( excuses excuses get me every time.

Hope everyone else is doing better! Off to read some blogs!
ZG

...

Oops... my week has extended. I've just got a copy of Wheat Belly to read. Will update as I read interesting info. How is everyone? Seems very quiet on the Dukan front lately.
ZG

Week off

I'm still here. Just needed to take a week off (not going overboard though). It does get hard sometimes to have to think about everything you eat and plan it all out. One day I hope it will be more automatic... but we're talking about re-training what I've been doing my entire life.

Hope everyone else is ok!!! Summer seems to have finally arrived in New Zealand! YAY.
ZG

Perfume

Another run complete - Check!
When I was out this morning (I have to go at 6am otherwise I'm on baby duty and it's too hot) I passed a lady that obviously put on a lot of perfume before she left the house to exercise, thankfully it smelt like candy so I wasn't complaining... but it made me wonder how much people prepare before leaving the house to exercise, even when it's as early as a sparrows fart.

I basically roll out of bed, run the toothbrush over my teeth (for morning breath rather than cleaning sake), shove on some trainers and I'm out the door. Don't tell anyone but the shorts I'm running in also double as my PJ pants ;-)

So what do you guys do? Roll out the door like me or is there much more prep work involved?

Today I had to head to the Hospital for a specialist appt about my hernia. Hopefully it will be operated on within 3-5 months but I probably won't be able to run for ages after it. Stink. I'm not going to let it stop me now though. In the past I would have thrown in the towel and said, I'll wait til after the op. But I'm a new me. I'm not listening to excuses anymore.

I did it

I finally did my first run this year (yesterday). Legs are extremely sore today. Thanks for checking on me WWAngel. I'm trying to decide on a running event to enter this year to keep me on task.

It is amazing how a few days of eating carbs makes the scales jump up... not good. I see why consolidation is so important. Not that I'm close to my goal or Dukan true weight yet... I just seem to be on a constant 2 steps forward, 1 step back regime. Maybe I'm trying too hard and should just stop where I am. I'm not overweight anymore and although I'm not skinny skinny I'm ok.... something to ponder.

I've not bought any protein bars this week and I'm not letting myself have cheese (or one slice max) so we'll see if that makes a difference. I'm waiting on the results of Charlotte (and others) yoghurt test to see if I need to put that into my daily diet too.

What have you guys done to get through plateaus?
ZG

Oopsy daisy

Three days of carbs and sugar... not feeling so good and tomorrow will be sucky when the sugar headache arrives. Sigh. Why do I do this to myself???

Check with me tomorrow WWAngel. I'm GOING to get up and do my run! Otherwise, permission to kick my sorry (saggy) butt.

ZG

Scales aren't moving

Well the scales have stayed the same for the past 4 days... I'm either eating too much of something (perhaps the cheese I've been sneaking in) or my body is holding onto the rest of the fat for dear life. I think I'll try dropping the cheese and see how that helps!

I'm away with my bestie (and our babies) for a few days (YAY) and trying really hard to stick to the plan. We did well tonight, although I feel like I ate a whole green bean plant, I had that many!!

I went for a buggy walk today! I like your ideas WWANGEL. I need to make a plan and just do it. Will make my plan when I get home from Auckland and stick to it!!! Thanks for the encouragement.

See ya later
ZG

Crawling baby alert

And she's crawling... gate is up on the stairs, house is pretty much baby proof except for the power cables which is her favourite toy at the moment. What is so exciting about a white cable anyway? oh, and the cats tail?

Yesterday I turned an old pair of denim jeans into a bag, that was fun!! I love bags.

Food has been fine. I did have the tiniest sliver of a cake I made today. Not even a mouthful. My first sugar in 20 days.

Exercise hasn't happened yet. Motivate me someone!!!!
ZG

Mini whoosh

Mini whoosh on the scales this morning :-) makes my day a bit brighter!! I made another excuse this morning and didn't get up to do my run. Why do I have such a hard job motivating myself to exercise? My excuses used to be about dieting, but I seem to have conquered that now. Perhaps exercise is the next thing I need to work hard at.

Battle

I've decided that the longer the fat has been on my body the harder the battle to get it off will be. I've pretty much lost down to the weight I was a few years ago, which is still well above my goal and true weight. But this fat has been with me so long it's hanging on by it's fingertips and it's going to take some consistent encouragement to get it off. I pulled out some of my skinny clothes today and have squeezed into them. I can't wait til they are fitting nicely again.

A gorgeous sunny day in the north of New Zealand today. About time! This has been the worst summer in a long time. I think I might sit in my swing seat on the deck and read for a few minutes while Miss 8 months is happy!

Happy dukaning. Must try those tea eggs sometime.
ZG