Cruise PP Consolidation - dos/donts

[CHRISR]

I am 4 lb from target so its time to read the book again for this 3rd phase and do some research in preparation for .......... when I step off those scales I've been stepping on for 24 weeks :bliss: almost 4 stone lighter

So I know the rules but can all you lovely people give my any do's/don'ts/pitfalls etc etc I should know about.

:thankyou:

 

[trudyc]

Heehee I don't have any advice Chris cos I don't have a clue but just to say it's SOOOOOO exciting to see you so close to target!!!! WOOOO HOOOO! LOL x

 

[Atropos]

The best advice I can give is to think of it as cruise with some extras - same rules for everything except 6pv/1pp and the carefully measured added wholegrain bread, hard cheese, fruit (and gala!).

 

[robinhood]

Only one serving at gala meals. Phase I of conso - one starch meal, one gala meal - for first half then add in another starch meal and another gala for the second half.

Don't panic if you continue to lose weight - a lot of us have. Ditto if you gain - the PP day should sort out a gain and if the losses continue throughout the weeks, add in some extra fruit, for ex.

PP days on Phase IV are harder (whiter and more boring) so maybe gradually start cutting down on the tolerated items on conso PP days so it's not as much of a shock. That's one thing I'd have done had I known.

Enjoy!

 

[willbefabulousat26]

Are the different phases explained in the book? or is it a website thing? Thanks

 

[anjuschka]

The rules are all explained in the book but we have all had to 'make them work' for us. For example the daily bread ration is supposed to be 40-60gr only - so that's actually ONE slice of British wholemeal bread, not two.

You can have ONE carb meal and ONE Gala per WEEK for the first half of Conso, and two for the second half.

Best carbs to reintroduce first is wholemeal pasta (according to Dr D who thinks potatoes are 'worst').

Atropos already said it: Conso = Cruise plus carefully controlled (!)extras. Start by weighing the cheese and bread then you'll soon get the hang or sizes, try not to measure everything or you'll send yourself mad! A mini babybel cheese is exactly 20gr...

More advice: Galas - esp the first one, don't go overboard on the richness of food you might actually end up feeling sick! Generally - think of a Gala as a 'normal meal' where you can eat the food you might want (like the peas, or sausages for example, or bananas!), don't see it as an extra over the top celebration every week. The 'Gala' meal does not have to be dinner - you could have a nice breakfast for a change.

If you carry on losing, you can gradually increase things - but not by adding chocolate and cakes but by having two fruit for example.

 

[CHRISR]

So the gala meal can be eaten on any day and any mealtime I choose? A 3 course gala meal can be anything I want but the rest of the day is PV. In theory it sounds easy but ......... nothing is easy is it?
Its a worry if I can't get in to it!

 

[CHRISR]

The rules are all explained in the book but we have all had to 'make them work' for us. For example the daily bread ration is supposed to be 40-60gr only - so that's actually ONE slice of British wholemeal bread, not two.

You can have ONE carb meal and ONE Gala per WEEK for the first half of Conso, and two for the second half.

Best carbs to reintroduce first is wholemeal pasta (according to Dr D who thinks potatoes are 'worst').

Atropos already said it: Conso = Cruise plus carefully controlled (!)extras. Start by weighing the cheese and bread then you'll soon get the hang or sizes, try not to measure everything or you'll send yourself mad! A mini babybel cheese is exactly 20gr...

More advice: Galas - esp the first one, don't go overboard on the richness of food you might actually end up feeling sick! Generally - think of a Gala as a 'normal meal' where you can eat the food you might want (like the peas, or sausages for example, or bananas!), don't see it as an extra over the top celebration every week. The 'Gala' meal does not have to be dinner - you could have a nice breakfast for a change.

If you carry on losing, you can gradually increase things - but not by adding chocolate and cakes but by having two fruit for example.

Thank you so much for your words of wisdom Anjuschka its much clearer now - I really want to make the 3rd phase as good as the first two phases. Ive worked hard to get so far so dont want to mess up.

 

[anjuschka]

Chris don't worry (we all did/do though!), take it slow and you'll be fine. Read and re-read the book, and then ask us lots and lots of questions about the practicalities. If you go back and search for Robinhood or my Conso diaries (both now long closed) you'll see all the questions and issues we had from the start!
If you worry about adding all the new bits, do it gradually - fruit on week, bread the next, cheese the next... The point is though that you HAVE TO reintroduce everything, and stick with it (not do lots of PPs to balance things out...), as you're accustoming your body to accept carbs without immediately turning them into 120% stored energy (fat...). So that's why conso takes so long - you need to GRADUALLY re-teach your body that the carbs don't need to be treated as emergency rations to be stored because of starvation mode (ketosis)

But KEEP planning, that does not change yet. Map out your week as PVs with one PP, and then add in the gala and the carb meal. Remeber that if you had toast for breakfast you can't have a bread sandwich for lunch, if you had fruit with your porridge you can't have an apple for snack etc etc. But PV virtually everyday - life does get so much easier

 

[willbefabulousat26]

The rules are all explained in the book but we have all had to 'make them work' for us.

Thanks anjuschka. I've just re-read the consolodation section and found the bit where he talks about consolodation in two parts (p121 if anyone is interested!) I need to focus so I can get there myself

 

[Supertonic]

I think the thing I'm finding at the moment is it's a job fitting in all the extras on conso!
I made myself a little list of my extras-
Piece of fruit, anything but banana
Slice of bread, pref wholemeal
40g cheese
Gala meal per week
Starch meal per week
PP day per week
And pv every normal day, phew!

sometimes I don't feel like all the extras, and I had a struggle eating bread
to start with, but I'm getting there. The day i have a proper sandwich will be a real milestone - ive been making little open ones with smoked salmon sometimes for lunch.
My weight is more or less settling now, though i still fluctuate a lot, probably water.

Think my attitude to food has changed a lot.
Also conso is a long time - only just coming into stage 2 conso now. Will be stabilising just around Easter, I think.

You'll soon be there Chris, sooo close! Better start planning your 1st gala meal, I was dreaming of having a pizza for ages and it felt so decadent to have one with glass of wine, OH was laughing his head off at me for getting so excited about a pizza!! Lol

 

[CHRISR]

You'll soon be there Chris, sooo close! Better start planning your 1st gala meal, I was dreaming of having a pizza for ages and it felt so decadent to have one with glass of wine, OH was laughing his head off at me for getting so excited about a pizza!! Lol

Thanks ST TBH I dont know what I will have but it will probably be lasagne or paella. I do make them as healthy as I can so ............. and im looking forward to being able to eat lamb again as its a fav. Ive got so used to eating cruise style and before I started Dukan I thought there would be now way I could eat just protein without potatoes, rice or pasta - very strange