Yep it's true. I'm at it again.
{mother's day 2014 vs. mother's day 2015}
Last year I started the Dukan Diet right after Mother's Day and this year, I coincidentally found myself feeling ready to start again at the exact same time. So this week, I've been hitting the attack phase hard and I'm happy to report that so far it's been going really well.
When I first started this diet last year, I didn't know what to expect. It seemed really hard and scary and like I'd never get to eat 'real food' again. But over the course of the summer I lost and kept off 10 pounds. It may not seem like a lot but it was. I felt great and thought I looked great too. I was able to get into clothing sizes that I could barely wear even before I was pregnant with Penelope. I could wear anything. I wore a semi-backless romper, a tube top, short shorts in sizes that I hadn't seen in years. And well, I'm ready to go back to there!
My feeling with Dukan is that the first three days are always the hardest. There are no veggies allowed and so it's a lot of protein and dairy. This makes it a little tougher, however, when there are no salad options for lunch time. I've found that prepping is key. Having a fully stocked fridge and lunch bag each day makes it way easier. And my favorite thing about this diet? I can eat as much as I want. Sure it's approved-foods only, but there are no restrictions on quantity. And so if I feel like I need a snack every hour in the afternoon, then I eat a snack every hour.
Today is day 4 and I've lost 4 pounds. Not too shabby, right? Today I can also begin incorporating vegetables and I see a cauliflower pizza in my future for dinner tonight, which feels downright decadent. Tomorrow I'll be heading to Dallas for my friend's wedding, and while I'm super duper excited, I am a little worried about how I'll do with sticking on plan for the weekend. I have lots of plane snacks planned and from there, I'm just going to plan to do my best and not stress about it.
So here's a peek at what I've been eating this week:
Breakfast: 0% vanilla Greek yogurt, iced coffee (with cream! never giving that up)
Snack: string cheese & babybel light cheese
Lunch: 2 chicken sausages w/reduced sugar ketchup + yogurt, if needed
Snack: reduced fat cheddar cheese cubes + turkey pepperoni; 2% cottage cheese w/cinnamon & sweetener
Dinner: Dijon mustard chicken kebabs (grilled)
Snack: oat bran w/skim milk + sugar-free syrup
I've mixed up the lunches and dinners, but the snacks pretty much stay the same. This was not much of a change for me since I usually eat this things as snacks anyway! There is a lot of dairy here, but again, it's just for three days. Now that I can have veggies, I'm dreaming of carrot sticks and snap peas!
Another thing that has really gotten me through is diet soda, hot tea and iced tea. Flavored drinks feel like such a treat and have really been a crutch to get through not eating for the sake of eating. If I want to eat, but know it's not because I'm actually hungry, a flavored beverage has really helped. Sometimes I think it's just the ritual of drinking or eating that I'm craving, and a flavored beverage hits the mark!
So that's what I've been eating lately.
Have you ever done a diet like this before?
What have you been eating lately?
psst: your Dukan questions answered/traveling on Dukan/Dukan day plan ideas