Conso Questions

anjuschka

Dukan Ancestor!!
Hi all,

Now that my target is coming within reach I am of course thinking about the next phase and I've got a few queries...
Let me just recap (off the top of my head, book is at home, but work is quiet) what I think I need to do in Conso:

Stick to PV and do 100% strict PP on Thursdays.
Keep eating the Oatbran.

- Add one/two slice of WM bread a day (40gr???)
- Add one 200gr (cooked wt) serving of Carbs a week - pasta preferably
- Add one serving of fruit a day except excluded ones (like Banana or grapes)
- add one 'normal meal' a week - this includes a glass of wine (is a small glass of beer allowed instead??).
- add 30gr cheese a day

Now my questions:
- the additions are obviously on 6 days and not Thursdays?
- are the additions compulsory or optional?
- does the normal ('celebration') meal also have carbs?
- does the Wine have to be with *that* meal. Ditto dessert - could I have a piece of cake in the afternoon for example? Wine in the evening?

No worries I am not shopping for conso until I get there but I am definitely *thinking* about it!! And first meal will NOT be Fish and Chips either. Maybe a nice Chinese stir-fry (no oil) or a slice of Pizza with Salad (minimal dressing)

Where can I find out about dry weight vs cooked weight pasta, rice etc? Google is not helping (yet).
Now that I think about it - the longer you cook it the more water it absorbs so 200gr soggy pasta will have more water and less carbs more than 200gr 'al dente'.... Thank you Dr Dukan another FUZZY instruction...

Anyway I'm quite excited, let's hope I get there soon!
 
I don't know about Sticky's (despite my fabulous title of "Forum Master"!!)

I'll have a shot at your questions, based on what I've seen and experienced over here.

- Add one/two slice of WM bread a day (40gr???)
40g is the weight he recommends, yes. We were also advised to buy bread at the baker's (because of the sugar, preservatives, etc. in the supermarket version)

- Add one 200gr (cooked wt) serving of Carbs a week - pasta preferably
I weighed a few different shapes, and 80-100g dry weight is about right.

- Add one serving of fruit a day except excluded ones (like Banana or grapes)
Yes.

- add one 'normal meal' a week - this includes a glass of wine (is a small glass of beer allowed instead??).
Not a question I've seen asked on the French sites, but I don't see why not!

- add 30gr cheese a day
Yes

You haven't mentioned introduction of new meats (lean lamb and pork once a week in Conso...)

Now my questions:
- the additions are obviously on 6 days and not Thursdays?
correct

- are the additions compulsory or optional?
I'd say compulsory.*

- does the normal ('celebration') meal also have carbs?
Your celebration meal is a "real meal". ie, whatever you want it to be. A proper MEAL.

- does the Wine have to be with *that* meal. Ditto dessert - could I have a piece of cake in the afternoon for example? Wine in the evening?
No, it's a meal. I look upon a celebration meal as a test, if you like. We are finally eating whatever we like for ONE MEAL - a starter, main and dessert as normal people would (without seconds - so I recommend a restaurant if you can to start with to learn about portion size!), with a glass of wine/beer. If you have your dessert later in the day, and your beer separately again, you aren't actually training yourself to eat properly and have one proper meal and then get back onto a healthy eating programme for the remainder of the day. A celebration meal is but a meal. NOT A DAY.

No worries I am not shopping for conso until I get there but I am definitely *thinking* about it!!
Consolidation is the hardest yet MOST CRUCIAL phase of the diet so you can't start thinking about it early enough!

And first meal will NOT be Fish and Chips either. Maybe a nice Chinese stir-fry (no oil) or a slice of Pizza with Salad (minimal dressing)

Where can I find out about dry weight vs cooked weight pasta, rice etc? Google is not helping (yet).
I used to weigh mine before and after but soon realised they were much of a muchness. 80g dry gives you some leeway.
 
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Wow, you've done really well, can't believe you're nearly there. Yippeee.

Any chance this thread could be moved up to the sticky section at the top? I'm sure loads of us will have questions or tips to offer once on conso (and we will all be there at some point) so would be good to have easy access. Who deals with the stickying of posts?
 
- are the additions compulsory or optional?
I'd say compulsory.*
QUOTE]

* The reason I say "compulsory" is that, as most of you know, I've done Conso several times... and thought I'd not have this, or have that instead of the other, or skip this because I'm not hungry, and in fact all that "technique" does is guarantee you yoyoing when you do lose it/go on holiday/try for "normality" in Stabilisation (whatever that is!).

I promised myself that, this time (if ever I get there - looking shakey!!), I'd do it by the book. No swaps. No skips. And NO FREAKING OUT IF I GAIN WEIGHT!

That's the main problem in Consolidation, after Cruise and Attack where the scales are pretty friendly... in Consolidation, aside from on official weigh in day (the morning after your PP day is good!), the scales won't be friendly... and after a celebration meal, best not even go there.

If, week by week, even when obeying the rules to the letter, you see the scales going up, it's really hard.

But compensating and dieting one's way through Conso isn't the answer. Been there, done it!
 
I'm months and months away but still curious.

Do people tend to do PP the day after the treat meal day?
Or is that wrong behaviourly.

Very excited to hear how people get on and what the pitfalls are.
 
Over here in France yes... But at the time I did it, it was as detailed in the French book (and translated into the English one) - 2 x starches per week and 2 x celebration meals a week, so it followed one of my celebration meals.

Now the online coaching (in France, and I presume in England too?) has cut it to 1 starch and 1 celebration meal only for the first half of one's time in Consolidation... which I think is wise!

So it's possibly less important now when you have your PP. He does say to choose a day and stick to it as far as you can and it's true that it's easy to do it that way...
 
Thanks for all the detail Jo, much appreciated.

I can see the point completely about *one meal* except I never manage that when we're eating with the kids... Ah well we'll just have to have one *adults only* meal a week so I can properly enjoy my food! And Wednesday fits in really well with that scheme.
The compulsory cheese (I do love cheese btw) I think I'm going to chop or grate it into the correct-sized portions for a whole week and then just take one out every day.

Bread: I always make my own so I am sure about the salt/sugar/fat and anything else that might be in there. 100% home stoneground wholemeal wheat and rye. Shame I can't add seeds yet, that's what my bread usually contains (normally linseed, sunflower, sesame, pumpkin in varying proportions). But as I found earlier 40gr is only ONE thinnish slice.
 
I absolutely agree with your finding the time to have a proper adults only meal... to savour and enjoy...

Theoretically in Conso it's just "pain complet" allowed... but I shall bow to your superior to my nutritional knowledge! It's amazing how little 40g actually is when it's "proper bread"...
 
Yes, the 'pain complet' I remember from Belgium is still remarkably 'white' for my taste, so that might actually be 2 slices in 40gr! Anyway - we'll see how it works, but my body will have to get back onto my usual foods in some way or other so I better do it with 'my' bread :) and not something shop-bought...
 
You're absolutely right!
 
Lazy to the end - and this is useful anyway - VICKY... how is it? I know that you came out of ketosis this weekend anyway, but are you finding you're hungrier than before weekdays? (Or, cos you're tired, you'd not know?!)

How did your first slice of LEGAL bread taste?
 
bread was ok Jo. tbh not really fussed. which is what is getting me annoyed/fed up. I know conso is to reintroduce carbs etc but carbs that you dont really want to eat? I dont really think ill eat much bread again and fruit? pah. so at the end of conso do i just stop eating fruit?
atkins is different...you just up your carbs each week until you find you can maintain - whatever carbs you like...pringles if you wanted.
im kind of doubting the principles of this , making me eat food stuffs i dont want to. when i could just manage my carbs by counting like atkins.
 
I'm kind of with you I just dont get it, but keep Jo's words about it not working when you subsitute things in my head.

Still it would be less fussy if there were options of things to eat (Like with the pasta portion). Though I suppose fruit is a wide category.

I dont want to reintroduce bread either - it takes up too much freezer space. Still I've ages before I need to think about it. And get to hear about you lot before I get there ;)
 
Vicky (and all) - substituting for the carbs I wanted rather than those on offer didn't work for "me" because opening the floodgates for me opened other issues. To be honest, you've always gone your own way coming out of ketosis each weekend and it's not harmed your progress one iota! Go for it. But don't disappear cos it might be easier for all of us to do that rather than do what he says! I can't say that what he says works either, cos it hasn't for me because of the above.

So what would change? OK no bread or cheese, and I know you don't like fruit, but what WOULD you eat? Or save all calories/carbs for a binge each weekend? That's what I'm trying to avoid, but end up doing anyway so perhaps I should just cede gracefully too!!!
 
I would follow atkins in a way, but more low fat low carb. I would eat the cheese still and my oatbran. but allow myself low fat sausages (the littlest carb content possible). I dont feel the need to be in ketosis anymore either.
None or very little bread, no potatoes , plenty of veg (cabbages and pak choi expecially) plenty of lean meat and fish still.
Ill give it a go and see how it works. Not stopping my marinating though and i wont be leaving this board either!
 
yes with the less than 5% fat mince, low fat cheese and mayo x
 
Yey. We are back! I need to go shopping first. Can i sneak a look at your menu? I cant decide what to eat
 
im going to do my shopping online now.
tesco or asda? think tesco is best bet.
 
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