Day 81

Sorry I've not posted this week, it's been hectic. Trying to decorate my daughters bedroom, fit in visits with friends/family whilst making room for some quality family time with Tim & Amilee (which has been sadly lacking over the past few months).

It's been a good week diet wise, another 3llbs gone. I haven't been able to get my walk in every day but I am much more conscious of the need to keep active and moving around. It's been busy, busy, busy.....

I feel I am getting settled into the diet now, there is something comfortable about routine.
I have been toying around with the idea of changing my goal weight, but, haven't decided yet.
Ideally I would like to be 147llbs but have set my goal weight at 161llbs. I did this because I was unsure how my body would take losing too much weight (still don't know really) and because my Dukan true weight was well above this, so I thought I would go somewhere in the middle.
I will put this idea on the shelf at the moment and concentrate on getting to my half way point - 60.25llbs lost. I've set myself the task of reaching it by 28th January 2012.

I hope everyone has a fantastic start to 2012.

The only thing that will stop you reaching your goal is YOU!

2llbs - Day 74

I'm really pleased with my loss this week, I was hoping I would lose at least a pound so 2 is great, I'm sure it's the exercising that has done it. I suppose I'll have to keep it up now! LOL :@)

Thanks to Sandi - I had a great walk in the rain yesterday, http://flamidwyfe.wordpress.com/ can't wait to do it again, but decorating is calling at the moment. Painting my daughters new bedroom a lovely shade of pink, I love to be creative. I've got it all planned out, canopy over the bed, art work, light fittings, so exciting.

I'm so excitable at the moment, I'm tiring myself out! hehe.

Day 72 - Started Exercise!

I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 3/4llb so far this week. I knew I was in for a smaller loss this week but that's fine with me, I'm due a quieter week.

Exercise - 25 minutes on my cross trainer. I know it's not quite the 30 minutes Dukan suggests but something happened that's a little worrying, I seem to have developed an allergic reaction to something. (Not unusual as over the years I have suffered a bit with allergies of one kind or another).

I noticed it the other day when I was brushing the floors in my house, as soon as I started geting hot, my arms started burning / tingling and hives started coming up all over my arms and a few on my legs & feet, very odd.
It happened again today! As soon as I started sweating, exactly the same thing happened. I've tried looking on the internet and I think it's either a dust allergy / sweat allergy. (cross trainer is in the garage).

Advice I could find - stop exercising as soon as symptoms happen, take anti-histemine.

Oh well, I will just have to do 2 x 15 minute exercise sessions instead of doing it all in one go.

Positives - I surprised myself, it's not half as bad as I thought it would be. I really enjoyed doing the exercise, I had my music on and it went really quickly (only 5/6 songs).

IT'S SNOWING!

I love the snow! There is something very peaceful about watching snow falling. I must admit though that it's a nuisance if you've got to travel.
On the weight loss front, I don't feel like I've lost any weight this week, who knows, tomorrow is weigh day so we shall see. I don't feel too concerned though, I have decided not to take myself and my weight loss too seriously. That doesn't mean that I won't be sticking to the diet but it means I won't be obsessing about it. I know that as well as losing weight I need to change my thinking, it's not the end of the world if I make a mistake / can't do something, it doesn't make me a failure, it makes me human. It's how you act after the mistake that matters - if you can acknowledge the mistake and move on from it, then, that is what I think success is.

I feel like I'm walking on a slippery tightrope - that it the only way to describe how I feel at the moment.

I haven't cheated but my motivation is waning. I am a determined person but I feel miserable being on a diet, like I'm depriving myself (which I know is nonsense! You dont get to 280llbs+ depriving yourself of anything).
I've been trying to justify having a day / meal off the diet, but I know that if I do this, I will not be able to start again, as I will feel like I have failed and it will be a downward spiral from there.

Dukan said that this is the point when some will give up, when they should be kicking it up another gear they slip back into old habits.

My one bug bear so far has been exercise, in all honesty, I have not done any!

I can make loads of genuine excuses, I've been ill, my 20 month old toddler is having a horrendous time with teething, so I am sleep deprived. But I know that at some points in the last 2 months, I could have done some exercise but have been too lazy. I am determined not to give up, so I need to step it up and start. My husband is off work soon so that will give me a great opportunity to kick start my exercise plan - you can hold me to it - 22nd December, look out for my "I've started exercise" post.

I believe that exercise will really help me to get motivated again & push me forward. I know I will find it alot easier now (39llbs lighter) than I would have at the start of the diet.

D. DAY (weigh in) - Day 60

Another 3llbs gone.

Sorry I'm not feeling very enthusiatic today - It took me ages to get to sleep last night and when I did, I didn't sleep very well. Yesterday I felt really stressed out over my weigh in, weird, because it's not something that normally bothers me. Who knows?!?

Also TOTM. Maybe that's the answer.

You never account for the range of emotions that you will feel losing weight, ecstatic one minute, despairing the next! HAVE TO KEEP PLODDING ON.

It's the little victories that matter.......

I know this may sound silly to some of you, but, I feel really proud of myself.

I was eating my lunch (salmon & ratatouille) and I thought, I feel full now, so with a whole 6 / 7 forkfuls of food left on my plate, I decided to stop eating!!! (shock horror) I think that may be the first time in  alot of YEARS that I have done that.

I really feel that this diet is allowing me to get control back. It's very liberating to get away from the grip that food had on me. I felt like I didnt deserve any better than stuffing my face & being miserable. I pretended everything was fine and I didn't care about my weight, but really, I felt powerless.

The Dukan Diet makes you have a very singular way of thinking and this is just what I need, ALL OR NOTHING. So I will give it all I've got. No half measures.

Weigh Day - Day 53

I have lost 4.75llbs this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very happy!!!!!!!!!!

It has been a tough week though, you would think that 50 something days into a diet all have your cravings would have been conquered but NO.
A couple of days this week I have had terrible carb cravings - specifically biscuits, bread, onion rings & crackers. I have been very tempted to cheat but I managed to distract myself - I ate alot of the foods I could eat and drank loads (about 6 litres + on one day! bit much). My saving graces were sugar free jelly, laughing cow extra light triangles and asda's economy burgers (less than 10% fat) these foods made me feel like I was having a bit of a treat.

I also have swapped to having a green tea first thing in the morning instead of coffee/cold water. I read on one of the forums that this can help with water retention.
There was an interesting thread on the forums about drinking too much - this can also lead to some water retention - I was drinking about 5 - 6 litres + per day so I have tried to reign it in a little.