Tuesday 28 June 2011

Weight loss halt + Exercise!

Starting weight: 14.8 stone (eeek)
Current weight at week four: 13.7 stone and a half!


My weight has been steady for a good few days now, so it's time for me to step up my exercise routine to start knocking off the lbs again! The Dukan book did state that the 'Cruise phase' would take some time to catch up with you, and that's happening now.
My current routine as advised by Dukan has been walking for thirty minutes a day. However, I feel like some stubborn areas of my body need to be tackled!
Walking has been great for my number one problem area: My hips & legs.
My legs need a bit more work, and my upper arms still make me look like a bat! My stomach, due to my shape, is going down very nicely!

Okay, so down to business.
WALKING: I will be walking as per usual, every morning for 30 minutes or more.
ARMS:When I arrive home I shall rest for 30 minutes and use small weights for my upper arm toning (20 times with each arm)
THIGHS: Squats! Basic Chair Squats

I would love it if some of you left in the comments below, what exercises you have been doing!

Friday 24 June 2011

Day 19, Week 3 - 14lbs lost! UPDATE

I'm not sure if this is normal...but I have lost a full stone. I'm not complaining, but I just don't know what to expect from this diet! So that's 1 stone down...3.5 more to go! I'm thinking that because I am very young, I seem to be losing weight quicker. You should know that I have not had one single cheat day in almost 3 weeks.
I have noticed more people commenting on my blog, and it's amazing to know people are reading it. However I can't seem to comment on anyone's blogs. Blogger just wont let me! ahhh, so frustrating.
I get to the comment section, sign in, and the sign in area looks blank and wont let me comment...if anyone knows what this is let me know!

Would it be helpful to anyone if I posted before/after pictures? Let me know...
Happy Dukaning!

Tuesday 21 June 2011

"Haha, She's so fat" Day 16, Week 3


This isn't the typical type of post that I would write for my blog. I hope that my followers can have a good read. Just sit back and sink your teeth into it.
I am 5'4 and a half, overweight, unhappy and always have been. I was a normal chubby child, like anyone else I had puppy fat. Looking back at my Dad's baby photos, so was he. He grew up to be a very SKINNY, narrow, slender man. It was his natural body shape.
Having majorly taken after my Dad in looks, I started to wonder why I myself was not that skinny girl. I'm not saying my goal is to be skinny as such...but I know I have taken after him in 99% of my looks.

When I was five years old, I remember being invited to a friend's house from school. Myself and my two friends were in the back seat of the car and one of them pointed at my thighs under my school uniform skirt.
"Her legs are bigger than ours" ...That was the 1st time I realised that there was anything wrong with me. However, there really was nothing wrong with me, I was a child with puppy fat. I grew self conscious, "Why am I bigger than the other girls" I asked my Mum, and she looked horrified.
To be honest I don't blame her. What would you do if your FIVE year old asked you why she was fat?
I didn't understand.

I got to 7 years old, with that girl's comment at the back of my mind at all times. But it was slowly becoming true. I started to gain weight when I switched schools, maybe I got depressed, eating was my way out of boredom. I am the youngest of many children with a large age gap between us. I had no one to go outside and play with.
Becoming overweight had made me less confident and I felt like no one wanted to be my friend.
My Dad, all my life, had been overweight. He had a large belly and I knew that I had also taken after him in eating. I have an incredibly slow metabolism.

I got a little older and was suddenly used to people pointing at me and calling me fat. People used to come up to me and say "you are so fat" ...Okay, and what? What is someone supposed to say to that?
If ever someone was arguing with me they would say "go and lose some weight" "haha she's so fat!"
So it was funny to people that I had this misfortune. My siblings honestly ate the same way I did, and I didn't understand what I was doing wrong and they were so thin. My Aunt's would tell me "you will be beautiful when you lose weight"

My mind had adapted to thinking about weight no less than 10 times a day. In fact, I am still the same now. I got to around 15 years old when I found a good group of friends at school. I started to go running with some people and I started to eat like them. Naturally I lost around a stone in weight. I was happier and confident (even though I was still over weight)...
I didn't look like the weight I was because as I stated above, I had taken after my Dad in looks.
Still, going to a girl's school and being around looks 24/7 had made me obsessed.

I got to the next stage of school, and went on to University. New people, new work, new stress. I gained weight again. I would sit at home, so depressed I didn't want to face my lectures at school.
I was back to square one! Heavily overweight and un-confident. I stuck like this for 2 years.

On my recent time dieting, having lost almost a stone has changed me, even mentally. I am suddenly wondering why on earth I ever let my weight stop me from achieving what I want in life.
No one has the right to tell me I am not beautiful and I can't do anything. Who are you? Do I give a damn about you? Call me fat, call me ugly, but I am now doing this for myself and for my health. All of the right reasons! I was obsessed with looks, obsessed with being perfect. But until you decide that losing weight will help YOU first, you will not go any further than thinking about losing weight. Something about this time just clicked. I am now losing weight and not one person on this planet can ever make me feel bad anymore. You have to change your mental state before anything.


You are beautiful.

Saturday 18 June 2011

Pizza Recipe + Day 13 - Week 2!

Ingredients:
  • 1tsp of Baking Powder
  • 1tbsp of Corn Flour
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2tbsp of Oat Bran
  • 2tbsp of Fat Free Yogurt
  • (Toppings of your choice) Mushrooms, Turkey Ham, Tomatoes and Chicken strips
  • 1tsp of Tomato Puree mixed with a drop of water
  • 1tbsp of Quark
  1. Put the eggs, yoghurt, oat bran, cornflour, baking powder into a bowl and mix
  2. Meanwhile, put the mushrooms and chicken slices into a pan to get crispy
  3. Once crispy enough, pour the mixture over the mushroom and chicken and cover the pan so the bottom goes crispy. 
  4. While the top is still liquid and the base is slightly crispy, add the rest of your toppings and leave to get a little crispier. 
  5. Once it's not as liquidy, put the pizza onto the grill at a medium setting and add little drops of the puree+water and a few blobs of Quark on top. 
  6. Leave until crispy then enjoy!
Starting weight 14.8 stone, Current weight 13.10 stone and a quarter!
I have not fallen off the diet once! Who knew I had so much willpower...

Thursday 16 June 2011

Day 11, Week 2 - 9.5lbs lost (kind of) + Period Weight

Being a female, we often gain a little 'period weight' ...however, what seems to be happening to me is one day i'll be 1 lb more than the previous day...and then it goes down again.
I'm curious to know how much I will weigh when my period is finished. Normally when I am on my period I gain around 3lbs in water weight, YES 3. I have the bloated feeling for a good week, so let's see how that goes.

I just checked my weight it shows that I have lost 9.5lbs. But like I said, it changes due to my period. Being a woman is so hard eh?
Yes, I am planning on doing some before/after pictures once i lose a bit more weight...
If anyone knows of any good bingo wing exercises (u know the flappy part of the upper arm) I would be so happy to know what they are! I find that area so tedious and even when i lose weight it stays so large.
If I lose 5lbs more, I will be my weight at 16 years old! can't wait.

My current exercise routine:
  • walk 30 minutes in the morning to the grocery shop
  • midday (if i have time) use dumbbells
  • walk for 15 minutes after dinner
Let me know how you guys are catching on!

Tuesday 14 June 2011

Day 9, Week 2 - 7lbs lost!

I ended the Attack phase of the diet 4 days ago which I lost 5lbs...Now my current total is 7lbs lost!!!
My parents are telling me that it shows in my face which made me very happy :)
I am alternating the cruise phase with a 1/1 alternation.
One day pure protein, one day protein and vegetables. Any shortness of breath has gone and I feel much happier. I made oat bran muffins the other day and they went down a treat.

I forgot to mention my Dukan chart from the start of my diet. The evaluation shows I should be done by november.

Happy dieting! x

Friday 10 June 2011

Day 5, Week 1 - Oat Bran Cookies!

 
Hi everyone! I have set my comments to a new setting, so ANYONE can comment. You do not have to register for an account or have a name :)
I know that someone or some people from Germany have been viewing my blog, so if ANYONE is reading this, let me know!

My starting weight was 14.8 stone. My current weight is 14.5! woop, I have lost 3 pounds in 5 days.
I tried a new recipe today, Oat Bran cookies! from a blog I found. I will post the recipe below, it's SUPER EASY! I mean EASYYYY.

Oat Bran Cookies

Ingredients:
Cinnamon1/8 tsp.
Oat bran 2 tblsp.
Skimmed milk 1 tblsp.  
Splenda1 packet (2 tsp.)

Method:
Mix all ingredients, shape into cookie and place on microwave-safe dish
Microwave on high for 1 minute.  

Cookies!  

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Dukan Diet, Day 3 - week 1

One thing that the Dukan Diet outlines is that you must weigh yourself constantly. I decided to weigh myself on the 3rd day and wahey, I seem to have lost 1 pound. I know it's not much yet, but in 2 days that sounds like success to me. As silly as it seems, I feel motivated.

Tonight for dinner, I will be trying Portuguese style Piri Piri chicken. I got this from www.dukandietrecipes.co.uk
I'll update you on what it's like!

Tuesday 7 June 2011

A love hate relationship with Oat Bran Pancakes.

It's my 2nd day on the Dukan diet and let me tell you, it's NOT easy. I have only come to realise how much I rely on chocolate. I never really used to have chocolate by the day or anything...but suddenly it's like I NEED IT. Like a good girl, I have resisted.
In all honesty I'm struggling. I never knew how quickly I could get sick of meat and poultry (I don't eat fish) but living a life of being overweight is spurring me on. I do not want to give up.

Two days in a row I have had Oat Bran pancakes for breakfast. This is because it is required for us to eat 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran per day during the 'attack' phase. They smell amazing when you make them but the taste is pretty bland. Right now I'm using a little bit of sweetener in them, alternating it with 0% fat free yogurt. I also have tea with it.

I'm not sure if I like it...but I might try the porridge or make oat cookies. I'll keep you updated!

Monday 6 June 2011

Day 1, Week 1

Before I get into which diet I will be following, let me get into some background info. I have been overweight since I was around 7 years old. Yep I know. I was always a chubby kid but never at a critical weight. I have been through life as the chubby girl and now is the time to change.


My current weight is 14.8stone. My target weight is 10 stone.

The diet I will be following is the Dukan Diet. This is a French diet which includes a four step system.
The 1st stage: The Attack stage 
You are allowed unrestricted amounts of lean cuts of hams, meats, poultry, fishes, egg, seafood, fat-free dairy (apart from cheese) from 1-10 days. During this time you will lose a fair amount of weight to kick start the diet.  20 minutes of walking per day.

The 2nd stage: Cruise phase.
Inclusion of veggies like spinach, eggplants, Brussels sprouts is advised in this phase. Starch-based veggies such as corn, bean, potato, lentil, pea are forbidden.  This is allowed alongside the protein and 30 minutes of walking per day is included. This will go on until you reach your target weight, and could last for months in my case.

The 3rd stage: Consolidation phase.
designed to gradually ease clients off the diet and into a lifelong regimen. At this stage, slimmers start eating whole grain bread, fruit and cheese, with starchy food added twice a week. A weekly "celebration" of a main course, dessert and glass of wine is also included.

The 4th stage:  Stabilisation.
Eat only protein on Thursdays for the rest of your life, walk 20 minutes every day and consume three tablespoons of oat bran a day to maintain results.

The only thing i disagree with this diet...is the fact that you have to cut out food groups. That is why I will be including natural carbs and fibre once a week. If it seems to hinder my weightloss I will cut them out.

Wish me luck!