Calling it a day for now

After just 4 days on attack, losing 6lbs and suffering little to no side effects ive decided to switch off the dukan diet for now.

Thats crazy! i hear you all cry, well hear me out on this.

The week prior to starting my attack phase, i did what i saw as a warm up. I didnt eat any sweets, no alcohol (which was hard with a fridge full of my favourite coors light left from a bbq earlier in the month) and by the end of the week id cut sugar from my coffee and morning cereal. Id also started walking though only twice at lunchtimes.

In that week, i lost 8lbs. Sounds mad i know but its true. My daily diet looked like this.

Breakfast - large bowl of shreddies, cup of coffee
Snack - Sandwich, ham and mustard, chicken mayo
Lunch - Fresh soup from supermarket
Dinner - Stir fry including noodles.

In the 4 days of attack, ive lost a further 7 lbs. My weight maxed out a record high of 21st 10lbs last month, so in total ive currenly lost 17lbs over the last 2-3 weeks.

So why not continue?

I may have mentioned before that i was a competing bodybuilder in my younger days and a powerlifter until recently. One of the principles that over the years id come to know to be correct is your body is very clever at adapting to what you throw at it. If you did the same lifts at the same weights every day, you wouldnt get bigger or stronger. You change things up and you dont use extreme methods until you have to, use them too early and its like throwing away your best card at the start of the game.

So after a bit of thought (and please bear in mind, i wasnt hungry, i wasnt craving sugar, no headaches, full of energy..etc) i decided to switch back to the kind of eating that lost me the initial 10lbs but with a few added dukan things.

I will carry on walking but increase it where time allows
I will carry on eating the oat bran muffins as a snack replacing the sandwich and also add it to my cereal.
I will avoid processed carbs at all times.
I will keep my intake of fruit low and stick to berries and apples.

I expect some inital weight gain, but im hoping after a short time i continue to lose, especially as i reintroduce things i had stopped like riding my exercise bike for 30 mins before work and some light resistance training (mainly body weight stuff like pull ups and press ups)

If doing this i can get below 20 stone over the next few months ill be more than happy.

...but.. if i stall... i have my Ace in my pocket, i know Dukan works, i know i didnt struggle, so if i do feel i need that little boost, i play my dukan card. I know i only did a tiny bit of the program, but i think im right in saying i did the worst part and survived.

...that sounds like im rationalising my quitting, but i dont see it that way, ive learnt a lot in the last few days, my back has become looser letting me walk further and I know how awful crab sticks taste :)

It has shown me that i can lose weight and how much better i feel after just losing 17lbs.


If its ok with you guys ill continue my diary for a week or so as it may interest you to see any rebound as i return to 'sensible' eating.
 
If you can lose weight on a 'sensible eating' type plan then do. Its no doubt easier/cheaper and more flexible, so can fit in to your social life better. And probably far far easier to stabalise on.

I dont see Dukan as a first resort diet (though it has worked very well for some for which it was) as its extreme, difficult and a really long road. Its for the been there failed at that, and for those of us who need hard and fast rules.

I'd love to be able to diet by cutting back and making good choices, and am jealous of those who can.

Best of luck and willpower, its really a good decision.
 
Good Luck!" Let us know how you get on :)
 
Thanks guys, i plan on sticking around this forum if its ok, ive taken a lot from the book and incorporated aspects of the diet into my lifestyle and find you guys really motivating and positive so this forum is also something id like to keep along with the oatbran, walking and cold showers :)
 
Back
Top