It’s been a while since I’ve done a real update on how the Dukan Diet has been going for me. Like, a long while.
Since I started this back in May (I can’t believe it was that long ago!), I’ve gone to Long Beach Island, Las Vegas, camping in Pennsylvania and Aruba. We’ve had Memorial Day, 4th of July, my birthday and lots of other opportunities to go ‘off-plan’. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t! Though I’m still trying my best to maintain the Dukan Diet for about 85% of the time, I’ve decided to openly allow myself to go off-plan for the remaining 15% of the time.
Let’s start with the good stuff. I’ve really been thrilled with the amount of weight that I’ve lost on Dukan. I’m still about 5 pounds away from my goal, but I lost 10 pounds over the last few months and for me, that is nothing to take lightly. 10 pounds is a lot of weight. I now find myself seeing numbers on the scale that I haven’t seen in years (a lot of years). I’m fitting into clothes that make me feel good and confident. I’m happy to comfortably wear my dress pants (buttoned how they are meant to be buttoned) and not worry about my bulging belly in summer dresses. And though in an ideal world I’d lose those 5 pounds and beyond, I’m pretty happy with where I am right now.
During the week, I find that I can do well with this regimen. Shaun and I make sure to do big food shopping trips on the weekend and prep as much as we can for the week ahead. I just really don’t have the time nor the desire to cook a lot during the week since we are so pressed for time as it is. By the time dinner time rolls around (usually post 8PM), I just want something fast and easy and to call it a day. Though we live in an urban environment, we have access to grills and that has been gargantuan in keeping us on track. Shaun will often load up a baking sheet filled with burgers, chicken sausages, pork chops and chicken breasts and grill it all. With this, we are set for lunches and dinners for days. Is it as good as eating it right off the grill every night? Nope. But the sweet fulfillment of simply tossing a few already-cooked items onto a plate, heating them in the microwave in 60 seconds and sitting right down to dinner? Now that is good. Really, really good. And so easy.
Also on the good list: I can eat as much as I want (and I do!). Though I don’t always want more of the things I can eat, I do like that I don’t feel any guilt about the amount of food I consume. If I’m having a particularly hungry day, I don’t even bat an eye at slamming 3 cheese sticks, turkey pepperoni and a ½ c of cottage cheese in an afternoon (or one sitting…). That is a lifestyle that I enjoy.
Now for the not-so-good. To be honest, I’ve gotten a little bored on the diet. This week especially, I’m feeling very sick of eating meat. Last night, we had burgers and chicken sausages and I felt as though I was ‘choking’ them down for sustenance. I did not enjoy this dinner AT ALL. But I got through it.
The weekends in particular have been a struggle. We are constantly on the go, at parties and barbecues, or simply don’t have the wherewithal to cook on Friday and Saturday evenings. And sometimes I just really, really want a slice of pizza. Or some chips and dip. There is so much great summer food that I just don’t want to miss out on, ya know? (Jersey corn is especially awesome right now, and I plan to eat a LOT of it over the next few weeks!) I don’t want to stop living. Eating fun and delicious food is part of living for me. And so I find that I stray on the weekends. And I’m completely ok with that. I don’t believe in a lifestyle change of only limitations. I find that when I allow myself to indulge in these things (not all the time!), I can eat them and move on. I don’t feel deprived or tortured. I have my cupcake and move on with my life.
The other thing that has kept me losing weight while still incorporating some of the ‘naughty’ foods back into my diet is that if I do plan to indulge, I don’t give up the entire day to unhealthy habits. If I know that I’m going to a barbecue in the afternoon, I maintain my Dukan plan for breakfast and lunch, and then let myself have those things that I really, really want to eat at the party. And the next day? Right back in the saddle. It seems to be working for me, and I’m ok with it!
I'm not entirely sure how much longer I will be doing Dukan. I can see myself always coming back to it in order to reset my eating or to shed some weight quickly. But after a few months of doing this, I'm definitely longing for some more regular occurences of pasta and peanut butter in my life! I'll definitely keep you posted though!
How have you been doing this summer with healthy {or not so healthy} eating?