Consolidation Dukandebut's Trying to Stay the Same Diary

[dukandebut]

I suppose that it's about time that I started one of these since I shall be starting Conso on Christmas Day.

I'm trying to make preparations at the moment - compiling a Conso-friendly shopping list to tide me over the Christmas period. I've already bought in some mature Cheddar (on special offer at Sainsburys), will need some wholemeal pasta, and will be trying to bake a small wholemeal loaf in my breadmaker to see if I can get the daily weight portions right that way.

I plan on eating a normal Christmas dinner with dessert - but only of sensible proportions (not the usual enormous slice of chocolate truffle torte that I'd normally have!)

As we'll have friends over for Boxing Day tea-time, I'll be making a veggie-friendly buffet feast for them, along with Dukan-friendly stuff for me.

The only sticking point could be the visit we have to make to the in-law's on 27th for the day. I've decided to not factor in my carb meal for the first week as my mum-in-law will, no doubt, be including some in the lunch she'll be kindly making for us. Thankfully, she does tend to cook prettily healthily, with little fat, anyway - so I should be able to eat most of it and still keep on the Conso straight and narrow.

That's it for now. I just wanted to do a little introduction.

 

[robinhood]

Ooohhhh best of luck. You're very brave starting on Christmas Day - I'd definitely overdo things if I did that.

 

[dukandebut]

Actually, no, I think I'm lucky to be able to start on Christmas day! It means that I'll get my lovely dinner after all. ;-)

I'm pretty good with self-discipline and the amount of food I eat usually during the rest of the year, so I just need to learn to apply that to Christmas and going away on holidays. This will be good training!

 

[anjuschka]

Wooohooo (or should that be Ho ho ho!!) WELCOME to Conso Dukandebut!

As you've been reading our diaries I'm sure you're well prepared. Yes first half ought to be: Every day add your fruit, bread and cheese portions. And if you're adding one Gala meal and one 'nearly gala' Carb meal in the first week I'm sure that should be fine too! Just remember the PP on Thursdays...

Really my shopping list is still a 'normal' Dukan list (meat, eggs, fish, 0% dairy) but a lot more Veg obviously. I find we occasionally run out of Veg before the end of the week these days.

 

[dukandebut]

Yes, I'm just doing a shopping list at the moment and am buying a lot of the same things I did on Cruise, with a few extras.

Actually, I'm not all that keen on fruit. Do I have to add it in? I don't mind eating it occasionally, but it will probably be a struggle to do so every day. Annoyingly, the few fruits I like are on the banned list! Thankfully, I love veg, so will be glad to be able to eat those for 6 days out of 7.

 

[dukandebut]

Arrived back from the very bowels of hell (AKA the supermarket) about an hour and a half ago to make sure that I got my sprouts. ('Cos if I hadn't, then I'm afraid that I would have had to cancel Christmas!)

My attempt at a small, 100% wholemeal loaf is currently in the breadmaker. Keeping my fingers crossed as the cold weather means that the bread isn't rising as much as usual, so hoping I don't end up with an inch high lump of concrete. When it's ready and cooled, I slice it to see if I can get the daily Conso portions right.

I'll probably be around most of the time, with the exception of 25th-27th, but want to wish a very happy Christmas to you all in the meantime. Hope you all have a wonderful time!

 

[scrumper]

have a good xmas xx

 

[dukandebut]

Thanks, scrumper!

Just popped in quickly as I want to keep a record of everything.

Today was my first Conso day. I weighed in this morning right on my target true weight. However, after my Christmas dinner and dessert, I'm sure that will have...ahem...shifted slightly.

The small 350g wholemeal loaf works out well for my bread rations. I can eat 2 thin slices of that per day, which I'll be having tonight with some cheese and Anja's Dukan-friendly coleslaw.

I must say that today's Christmas dinner was the best I've ever made and I enjoyed every mouthful. I even allowed myself a glass of Kir Royale. Definitely a good choice for a gala meal, as far as I'm concerned.

Tomorrow will be turkey and veg for lunch, followed by the Dukan-friendly elements of a buffet I'll be preparing for friends.

Unfortunately (although it was such a lovely thought), so many people have bought me tempting chocs and biscuits for Christmas as they know how much I love them. I'm going to be very good, though, and save a couple of bars (best before next November, thankfully) until later in my diet and ration them out so I don't go crazy with them. The rest, I shall be giving to choccy-loving friends and also to a great charity for raffle/tombola prizes, so at least they won't be wasted.

Hope you're all enjoying yourselves!

 

[dukandebut]

Oh my goodness, the Christmas dinner was the best I've ever made! I really, really enjoyed it and my slice of choc truffle torte. So that was my first Dukan gala meal. For tea, I had my bread ration, along with my cheese ration and some of Anja's coleslaw (which turned out really well). I also allowed myself a glass of Kir Royale with my Christmas dinner - ah, bliss!

For Boxing day, I stuck strictly to my Conso PV and had turkey with sprouts and balsalmic vinegar roast butternut squash with red onion. Then I put together a vegetarian buffet for friends who came to visit us for the evening. Happily, I managed to resist the spring rolls, garlic bread, choc brownies and other favourites, and I made myself a cheese and coleslaw sandwich with my rations, followed by Dukan muffins instead.

Yesterday was our visit to the in-laws. I was a bit worried about the meal, in case it turned out to be full of naughty foods - but it worked out perfectly. MIL had prepared some lovely home-baked ham (no fat whatsoever on it) with cauli, carrots and some baby new potatoes in skins. So that ended up being my carb meal for this week.

Today, I've had a cheese and coleslaw Dukan ration sandwich for lunch and will make a beef casserole with veg for dinner tonight.

It feels weird being able to eat all of this different food now, but is a lovely change. I just hope that my weigh-in isn't too scary.

 

[*Shanny*]

Hi well done on reaching target x

 

[dukandebut]

Thanks, Shanny.

 

[m-mouse]

Well done DD - sounds like you were completely in control over the holiday! I don't think I would have your control with the chocs and biscuits tough!! I just make sure I get them all out when we have poeple over, in the hope that they will eat them all! The kids are good at it too!!

 

[dukandebut]

It wasn't easy resisting all of that lovely chocolate, mouse! At a certain time each afternoon, I would normally reach for the chocs and I felt such strong cravings. At least I've proven to myself that it can be done. I just hope that I can keep up my resolve as I have literally several piles of chocolates and biscuits stacked up! Eek!

 

[anjuschka]

Well done DD on the great start to your Conso! Your menus look delicious. My veg box tomorrow contains another white cabbage so I'lll make another vat of coleslaw no doubt.
Yes being allowed veg every day has made such a huge difference and brought a certain degree of variety back in. Enjoy yourself!

I too have piles of chocs and biscuits still in the cupboards, but not touched them. They were bought in anticipation of a family invasion that never happened because of snow. However my delayed visitors arrive this weekend so the packets will get opened and I will have a hard time resisting...
I too have been checking best-by dates, most of it is fine and some wandered into the freezer. The problem is that some things (like anything with dried fruit) is only eaten by me (and any potential visitors), but not by DH and DD1 so it will take a long time to use it up on a gala ration or two a week... I'll have to send some home with my MIL and give the rest away I think!

 

[dukandebut]

I know what you mean! I keep trying to force as many biscuits and chocs on visitors as possible!

As I posted in the weigh in thread, I somehow managed to lose another 2lbs this week. Perhaps my full weight loss of the week before wasn't apparent as it was TOTM and things have only just caught up now.

Was it Laura who described the PP Conso day as "the boring one"? If so, she's so incredibly right - it really does seem that way after being allowed the new freedoms! I think I've found a way of getting through them, though, by constantly reminding myself that this one little sacrifice should help me to sustain my weight. It then doesn't seem so bad after all. I did almost slip up by popping a dollop of coleslaw on my plate at lunch time. Thankfully, I realised before I starting eating and replaced it with cottage cheese instead.

We've been invited to a meal with friends tonight, so that will now be my gala meal. Unfortunately, I'd also planned a big New Year's Day dinner, so that will be moved to tomorrow. I shall still eat it, but keep the naughty items to an absolute minimum, plus no glass of Kir Royale and no pud. I'll also count it as my carb meal. Hopefully, that will help to minimise any damage.

 

[dukandebut]

Yesterday - Gala
B Yoghurt +oatbran
L Cheese and coleslaw sandwich
D Poppadoms with dips, chicken Korma with rice, cheese and a few small crackers + 2 glasses of wine (more than I'd normally have at the moment, but it was a special meal that some friends had prepared)

Today (I'd already arranged a gala meal as last night's invitation was unexpected, so am treating today's lunch as a naughtier-than-usual Carb meal for the week)
B Didn't have time, unfortunately
L Turkey, small amount of stuffing, small amount of roast potatoes, balsalmic roast parsnips and carrots, sprouts and small amount of pigs in blankets, gravy
D Cheese and coleslaw sandwich

I've really enjoyed both special meals, but will definitely get back on track to only 1 gala per week from next week onwards.

 

[robinhood]

Sounds lovely, I really fancy a curry now (Dukan-friendly, of course - chicken, onion, tomato, curry spice) and as tomorrow is a carb day, I'll have (a little) rice too.

Glad you're enjoying your bonus food and hope it's not bloating you too much (I needed a couple of weeks to get used to it - still don't enjoy a plateful of pasta, but everything else is going down well!)

 

[dukandebut]

Laura - The weird thing is that I absolutely hate curry. Whilst our friends knew that I don't like hot and spicy food, they thought I liked mild curries. Usually I can't stand either chilli or cumin, but I thought I'd eat the Korma out of politeness, since they'd gone to the trouble of making us a lovely meal. But I actually really liked it! Trust me to enjoy the naughtiest type of curry, with cream, coconut and nuts in it! ;-) It also meant that when I thanked them and told them that the food was delicious, I didn't have to tell a little white lie.

And I had a lovely compliment. My friend's husband just stopped in his tracks when he helped me to take off my coat because he couldn't believe how much weight I'd lost! It was such a pleasure going clothes shopping, too. In the last year before the diet, I'd mostly avoided buying new stuff as I felt like a pregnant elephant in a circus tent whenever I tried anything on, but now I'm spoilt for choice. Even a size 8 dress which was tight on the bum and hips looked fantastic, whereas I'd have looked like the Michellin Man's even fatter sister before - if I'd even have been able to get the damn thing on in the first place! ;-D

Happily, my tum doesn't really seem to bloat at the moment - clothes are just a little tighter sometimes after a big meal. This is a relief as I looked about 9 months pregnant after evening meals before the diet! I'm hoping I can keep the bloating to a minimum. Maybe just having less carbs than I was pre-Dukan might do the trick?

When you say that you're getting used to it, do you mean that your bloating is less? I wonder whether different types of carbs are worse for your digestion, especially since you're not getting on well with the pasta? Might be worth experimenting a bit to see?

 

[robinhood]

It's not that pasta bloats me more, just that I don't enjoy it any more. It's not a huge loss, the other carbs are going down nicely.

 

[BREN]

DD you sound very cautious and sensibly about your choices. Like you say you have enjoyed the extra meal and now know how to compensate for it next week. Good to hear!

Oh and it's great news to have lovely compliments (perhaps time for some photos?). Oh and I loove shopping, when Im skinny of course! LOL

Bren
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