I'm alive and well...in case you were wondering

I realized I haven't posted in 2 months which is equivalent to a few decades in Internet time. Here is what has happened:
- we went to our 2nd annual all-inclusive vacation. This time to Azul Sensatori in Mexico. It was paradise but I'll do another post just on the trip another time
- I've managed to maintain my 20lb Dukan weight loss despite going on a all-inclusive trip to Mexico. I'm now on phase 4 of the diet which is just one day a week of pure protein and I eat whatever I want the rest of the week, within reason
- I was promoted at work (yay!)
- my son started to eat carrots and cucumber

That pretty much sums up what's happened in my life for 2 months. You didn't miss much. :)

Dukan diet - end of week 20

I've now been on Phase 3 - Stabilization for 5 weeks (35 days).  I am supposed to be in this phase for 100 days (5 days for every pound I have lost).  According to the diet, I can be on PV days everyday except for 1 day a week where I go back to PP.  I'm allowed to eat 2 slices of whole wheat bread and one fruit everyday.  I can eat 1 serving of starch per week and 1 celebration meal per week.

I haven't been fully following the prescribed diet but I've still maintained my 20 pounds of weight loss.  I have been doing PV days almost everyday and instead of being restricted to eating 2 WW bread and 1 fruit everyday, I've been randomly eating carbs/starches throughout the week, sometimes I eat more than the equivalent of 2 slices of WW bread and 1 fruit and sometimes I eat less.  I think it all averages out in the end and as long as I'm not gaining back the weight that I've lost, I will continue this way for another 65 days.

I've convinced so many people to be on this diet now and it's amazing to see other people have the same or even better results as mine!

Dukan Diet - end of week 17

I'm in Phase 3 now eating PV everyday and PP once a week. Instead of eating 2 slices of whole wheat bread and 1 fruit everyday, I've been eating 1-2 gingerbread cookies and sneaking in other carbs everyday so i think it all evens out. :). I'm still at my true weight +/- 2lbs which is okay in my books.

I baked a banana bread with a sugar substitute and it tastes pretty awful so I don't think I'll do that again. It's Christmas soon so I'll need a lot of self-control and will power to stay away from all those baked goods...my weakness.

I also had my first celebration meal yesterday where I had a bowl of my favorite Vietnamese beef brisket and tomato rice noodles and spring rolls as the appetizer. I had a couple of my homemade ginger bread cookies for dessert. Delish!

Dukan Diet - end of week 15

I lost 20lbs in 15 weeks.  I survived the first 2 phases of the #Dukandiet and I feel great!  It feels so surreal every time I look at the scale and I'm back at my wedding weight from NINE years ago.  I can't believe it!

I officially started Phase 3 of the diet today by adding 1 serving of fruit and 2 slices of whole wheat bread (or 1 ww bagel in today's case) to my daily diet.  I don't think I'm going to add the 1 serving of starch/week yet and I'll wait for very special occasions to do the celebration meal rather than doing it once per week.  I am going to keep a close eye on my weight to make sure it doesn't go back up just because I am reintroducing carbs.  If it does start to creep back up, I will most likely cut it out again and go back into Phase 2 for a bit.  We'll see!

Dukan diet - Middle of week 15

I'm happy to announce that I have reached my True Weight as of Oct 16 and have maintained at this weight for 2 days now.  In total, I have lost 20lbs since I started the Dukan journey in July.  I'm beyond excited and amazed at this result.  I've been telling everyone who will listen about this diet.  I've managed to convince 4 people to start the diet so far.  It truly has transformed my life.  I feel so empowered over my body now.  I went from a size 10 to a size 6.  I feel like I have the tools and know how to control and manage my weight - something that I've never felt before.

Starting this weekend, I will move to Phase 3 of the diet which means I can move to PV days everyday except for 1 day a week where I have to go back to a PP day.  Each PV day, I can also have 2 slices of whole wheat bread and 1 serving of fruit.  Once a week, I can have 1 serving of starch and once a week, I can have a 'celebration meal' where I can eat anything I want but only 1 serving of an appetizer, main course, and dessert.  No seconds.  I have to be in Phase 3 for 5 days for every pound I lost so that would be 100 days or just over 3 months so by the end of January, I should be able to move to the final Phase 4 of the diet.

Thank you Dr. Pierre Dukan!

Dukan Diet - end of week 13

Wow - it's been 3 whole months since I started the Dukan Diet.  I've lost 17lbs so far and I'm still trying to lose another 3lbs.  My weight loss has certainly plateaued but I've also not totally been sticking to the plan.  I am still on alternating PP and PV days but I've also had other treats that I just couldn't resist, including an oh-so-yummy ice cream cake that I made for my FIL's bday last week!

I guess the secret is not to make anything that I can't eat.  With that in mind for Thanksgiving, our extended family is coming over to our place for dinner and to celebrate my daughter's 2 year old birthday.  Everything I'm serving is Dukan-friendly.  My MIL is making turkey (check) and I'm making all the sides: sauteed mushrooms, steamed broccoli, roasted carrots/zucchini/tomatoes (check, check, and check!).

I will be making another ice cream cake (no check) for my daughter but I bought a smaller springform pan so that we won't have leftovers to tempt me.

Dukan Diet - end of week 11

As of this morning, I am happy to announce that I've lost a total of 17lbs so far so only 3 more lbs to my True Weight goal. This is amazing considering I've been eating A LOT.

I watched an episode about binge eaters on the Dr. Oz show and felt like sometimes I binge eat too. Not to that extent but I can certainly pack a lot of food in. I guess I'm still losing weight because I have been generally good about only eating from the list of 100 allowable foods.

I went to get a physical check up this week and everything is good. My weight, waist line, BMI, blood pressure are all within normal or average range. In fact, my blood pressure is the lowest it has ever been. Not that I've ever had a blood pressure problem before (except for at the end of my 2nd pregnancy) but it's great to know that this diet hasn't made my blood pressure go up. :)

My top 8 favorite Dukan Diet foods

I've lost 15lbs on the Dukan Diet so far! Here is a collection of my own Dukan Diet recipes and tips. These recipes are mainly for the PP days because it's easy to add veggies to any of these recipes to make it a PV meal.

1. Every morning I look forward to having my breakfast of 2 tbsp oat bran and 3/4 cup lactose free skim milk. I microwave it for 2 minutes and let it cool and thicken for 5 minutes. It becomes a bowl of satisfying, creamy, deliciousness!

2. Silken tofu is an easy and portable protein that I bring to work for lunch. I just drain it out of the package, put it on a plate, microwave for 3 minutes, cut it into 12 chunks, and pour 1 tbsp of soy sauce over it and voila, eat it with a hard boiled egg and you have a perfect PP lunch!

3. I am a steak lover and recently discovered how to prepare a whole beef tenderloin into steaks. I've been doing this and individually freezing the steaks so I can have beef tenderloin (aka filet mignon) steaks whenever I want. I defrost individual steaks in the fridge for 2 days and pat it dry before I generously grind on fresh ground pepper and kosher salt. Then I put it on a hot pan for 1-3 mins a side, including the edges (so 6 sides in all). Let it rest for a couple of minutes and then enjoy!

4. My husband made a chicken souvlaki the other day using lemon juice, lemon zest, and oregano as seasoning. Skewer and probably baked at 350F for 30 minutes or until edges are slightly brown.  There's something about eating meat on a stick. It was delicious with a salad, even without the tzaziki sauce and pita bread!

5. Smoked salmon is also a very easy protein. Just defrost in water for 10 minutes and serve it with some firm tofu slices with a squeeze of lemon juice.

6. The tilapia filets from Costco are really great too. I cook it like a steak. Take it out of the fridge for 30 min to let it come to room temperature. Make sure your fish is dried off with a paper towel. Right before you cook it, just grind some salt and pepper on each side, spray a non stick pan with some oil (not too much), and pan fry each side for 4 minutes on med-hi heat. The fish should brown nicely on the outside and still be moist on the inside.

7. Grilled chicken with stir fry veggies with shirataki noodles are very yummy too. Just pan fry the chicken to get some browning, add the veggies until they are almost cooked through but not too mushy, add the rinsed shirataki noodles, add a splash of soy sauce and cook through.

8. Hard boiled eggs make great PP snacks. I usually bring one to work and then have one in the evening. I make 6 hard boiled eggs at a time and keep them in the fridge so I have 3 days worth of hard boiled eggs ready to go.

Dukan Diet - end of week 10

This week, I was back on track (except for a couple of homemade peanut butter cookies and i don't think Menchie's no fat yogurt is allowed) and lost another pound so now I've lost a total of 15 lbs.  Just 5 more to go to get to my True Weight.  I have dropped 4 dress sizes from 10 to 6!  I don't know if it's just because I was trying on clothes while I was in America so the sizes there are larger but I can't remember the last time I fit into size 6 clothes!

I'm going for a full body physical check up next week so I'm hoping that my doctor will check my cholesterol levels and stuff just to be sure that everything is still within normal ranges.  I feel great though so I'm sure everything will be fine.

My 5 yr old son is my own person Dukan coach.  He asks me everyday whether it's my protein day or protein+vegetable day.  When I eat something that's questionable that's not meat or vegetable (like tofu or yogurt), he will ask me if I'm allowed to eat it.  It's good to have someone to keep me accountable, even if it's my 5 year old!

Dukan Diet - end of week 9

I fell off the wagon a bit in week 8 because I took a staycation and we celebrated some birthdays. I ate ribs, sausages, chicken wings, vegetables grilled with olive oil, grilled pineapple, watermelon, a half piece of ice cream cake, and a cupcake or 2. The good news is that I maintained 13 lbs of weight loss. I've gone back to my PP and PV diet this week and I lost 1 more pound so 6 more pounds to go!

11 tips for Grove city outlet shopping from Toronto

Three girl friends and I recently went on a cross border shopping trip to Pennsylvania where there is no tax on clothing and shoes. We had a great time. Here are some tips:

1. We crossed the border at Peace Bridge which was much faster than going through the Queenston-Lewiston bridge.
2. We stopped at a McD's which was conveniently located just off the highway for a bathroom break about 30min after we crossed the border. There was also a gas station there where we could have gotten some US (cheaper than Canada) gas.
3. After about 3.5 hours, we arrived in Erie, Pennsylvania for our first shopping stop. We had lunch at the food court at the Millcreek Mall. I had a huge salad at Fuddruckers which was delicious but so big that I couldn't finish.
4. There was nothing much at the mall other than a good sale at The Limited so I would suggest skipping the Mall next time.
5. We also went to a nearby TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Designer Shoe Warehouse, and Target. I would prioritize Marshall's and DSW next time although I did find stuff at TJ Maxx and we walked off our TGIFridays dinner at Target since it was the only store that opened late.
6. We drove another 1.5 hours and stayed overnight at the Hampton Inn Grove City which was clean, comfy, and spacious for the four of us. They also had a pretty good spread for the free breakfast buffet.
7. We spent the day shopping at the Grove City Premium Outlets. Be sure to join their mailing list and print out a voucher for their coupon book and additional coupons. It's worth it especially since the four of us pooled our purchases so we got additional discounts at many stores.
8. Some stores will give you an additional discount if you sign up for their credit card. You just need to give them your SIN and drivers license. You can pay it off right at the cashier so you don't have to remember to make the credit card payment layer.
9. We had dinner at Primanti Brothers, a Pittsburgh local chain right beside the outlet featuring famous meat, coleslaw, and french fries sandwiches. 10. On our way home, we stopped at the same McD's rest stop and filled up on American gas (cheaper than Canada) one last time.
11. We got charged 13% tax on our way back into Canada because we all went over our $200/person limit for less than a 48hour stay. Kids clothes are only taxed at 5%. You are taxed on the full amount once you go over the exemption. It still worked out to be slightly less than an extra night of hotel stay. So depending on how much you are planning to spend, it may or may not be worth it to spend an extra night in the US.

Even though we had to pay for the hotel ($40/person), 3 meals ($50/person), gas ($30/person) and taxes (13%), the trip was well worth it. I forgot how much fun it was to go shopping and just to hang out with girl friends.

Dukan Diet - end of week 7

I've only lost 1 more pound this week so I've lost 14lbs overall. Even though my rate of weight loss seems to have slowed down, I can't get over how easy it has been to lose this weight so far. Where has this diet been all my life?

Although it has been thrilling to see my new weight and have clothes fit so much better on me, I think these PP and PV days are starting to wear out on me. I better get to my true weight soon or I might just move on to the Stabilization phase sooner.

I only have 6 more pounds to go!

Dukan diet - end of week 6

I have lost 13lbs! My target is to lose 20lbs so only 7 more to go. I can't believe the scales. It's like my fat is melting away everyday. I went for a 5k run this week and I felt so much lighter. We only did 5min runs/1 min walks but I was able to keep up a conversation the entire time. I felt great afterwards. I can't believe what a big difference 13lbs makes.

I am planning a cross border shopping trip with some girlfriends to buy some new clothes - very exciting!

Dukan Diet - end of week 4

It's been 4 weeks of doing the Dukan Diet and I've lost 9lbs so far.  I'm still feeling great.  I'm still doing alternating PP and PV days and I've gotten into a great routine.  I start with oat bran in the morning.  I mix 2 tbsp of oat bran with 3/4 cups of  lactose free skim milk and microwave it for 2 minutes and let it cool for at least 5 minutes.  As it cools, it expands and becomes creamier.  I've grown quite a liking to it. In the first couple of weeks, I was also eating a 2-egg omelette for breakfast but this past week, I didn't even need that.  I have been taking Metamucil capsules every morning and sometimes even at night when I remember but constipation hasn't really been a problem.  I am enjoying the unlimited protein and veggies.  Every night, I eat 1 serving of fat free yogurt for dessert to end my day.

The positive reinforcement that I get each morning when I weigh myself is amazing.  I can't believe it.  My clothes fit me better and I feel great.  I don't have any carb or sugar cravings.  I don't really have the urge to reach for that slice of bread or whip up a batch of cookies so despite the limitations of this diet, it has actually been very liberating.  My plan is to continue Phase 2 until the end of Aug and then reassess how I feel.  I'm supposed to lose a total of 20lbs to reach my true weight.  If I haven't reached my true weight by then, I may just proceed to Phase 3 or I may continue Phase 2 until I reach my true weight.  So 11lbs more to go!

Dukan Diet - end of week 2

Yesterday was the end of week 2.  I lost another 3lbs this week for a total of 8 lbs.  So far so good.  I have been alternating PP and PV days with very little deviations.  I don't feel hungry which is great.  I can eat all the meat I want, even on PV days.  I'm drinking lots of water.  I'm eating 2 tbsp of oat bran every morning.  I microwave it with about 3/4 cup of skim milk and it's very creamy.  I eat fat free yogurt for dessert.

This week, I am going to a Brazillian steakhouse which is all you can eat meat.  I will be able to eat unlimited meat and not feel guilty about it!

Dukan diet - end of week 1

I did 4 'attack' days and now i'm in the 'cruise' phase of alternating pure protein (PP) and protein+vegetable (PV) days. I've lost 5lbs this week and I have 15lbs more to lose to get to my target weight. I've been feeling good. I'm eating and drink water a lot so I never feel hungry. I started taking Metamucil to get things 'moving' but I don't feel any discomfort or bloating so I'm not too worried...for now. My clothes are fitting better. I wore a fitted t-shirt to work today and didn't have to suck in my tummy. I look forward to the PV days so I can have a bit more variety.

The Dukan Diet

I was at the library last week and saw this book called The Dukan Diet Cookbook.  I wasn't specifically looking for a diet book but this one caught my eye because of the delicious dish of shrimp on the cover.  So I borrowed it from the library and started reading it when I got home.  I started to consider trying the diet myself after reading so many positive reviews online.  So on Saturday July 7, I decided to start Day 1 of the Attack Phase.  I've never been on a fad diet because I know they can be bad for your health but I'm kind of tired of carrying 10 lbs of excess baby weight.  I've been walking to work most days for 8 months and running 5K one to three times a week for 4 months but I haven't lost any weight.  According to this plan, I have 20 lbs to lose to get to my 'true weight' (incidentally it's the same amount I weighed at my wedding) and it's going to take me 6 months to get there.

During the Attack phase, you can only eat lean proteins, e.g. eggs, chicken, beef, fish, tofu; 1.5 tbsp oat bran, and fat free dairy products.  You can eat as much as you want - awesome!  So I went out and stocked up on chicken, fish, smoked salmon, tofu, fat free yogurt, skim milk, and oat bran.  Today is Day 4 of my Attack Phase and I've lost 3lbs.  I don't feel hungry, I don't miss the carbs, and I can already see my muffin top starting to shrink.  The only problem is constipation... Other than that, so far so good.  

Tomorrow I start the Cruise phase which is alternating days of protein and protein + low carb vegetables.  I can now eat 2 tbsp of oat bran and I can still eat fat free diary products.  Can't wait!  We'll see how long I keep this up.