Update!

Well, these last couple weeks have been slow! Diet, speaking anyways. I've done well and I continue to diet. Even as I type, I'm eating a malibu seasoned chicken breast. Yum! Well, I'm down to 263.2 lbs. I wish this was easier than the first time I did the Dukan Diet, but alas, it's not so. The weight loss is slow--very slow. In fact, last week I only lost .2lbs. But, it's better than nothing!!

Week 5

Back on track!! I had a terrible last couple of weeks. No excuses, though, right? Well, I'm back on track and am feeling good. I'm planning on going on a cruise in January so it's time to get serious. I need to fit in swimming suits, right?

I lost 2 lbs this last week. Not overly exciting, but I'm back on going the right way. Bring it week 6!

Week 3 & 4

Well, it was sort of a whirlwind of events these last two weeks (and honestly these last 4 months). First, we discovered my son has a wheat, egg, and dairy about 2 weeks ago. We knew about the dairy allergy, as he pukes for days after he consumes it, but we had no idea about the wheat allergy and egg allergy. So, I've been trying to adjust his eating habits this last week and it's been a trial. He wants what he can't have. It's hard telling a 3 year old certain foods are off the menu right now. Especially graham crackers and goldfish crackers. He also has been caught sneaking food with wheat in it. Mainly graham crackers and bread. So, I've been trying hard to find recipes with alertnative flours, i.e. rice flour, oat flour, almond flour, etc. The food I've made tastes good, just not the same. Anyway, so with his adjustment in his diet, I've been sort of off the Dukan Diet. Bad me, I know.

Secondly, my 3 month old baby stopped gaining weight. She was born a stealthy 11lbs 5oz and as of 3 months and 1 week old, she was 11lbs 11oz. Not much weight gain at all. She should be at least 14lbs by now. Anyway, in talking with the doctor, it was decided to to add formula to my milk and try and get her to gain weight. In doing this, I had to pump. I quickly learned I wasn't producing nearly enough milk. She was eating only about 15oz of milk a day and thus starving as she should've been consuming 30oz+ a day. I had no idea! She's such a content baby I didn't have a clue she was starving! Believe me, I feel terrible. Anyway, because of the lack thereof, I had to mix up just formula to feed her. Now she won't eat from me and only wants formula. She has issues with dairy, too--I previously posted this discovery a few weeks ago. So, I have to give her the ubber expensive formula. But, not starving my baby is worth any amount of money out there. Trust me when I tell you I feel so guilty and terrible for not being able to give her enough food. She would sleep through the night (8pm-6am) and everything. Her personality is so mild I didn't recognize the signs of a hungry baby, besides the usual feedings about every 3-4 hours throughout the day. Poor babe! I do feel better now knowing she's getting the nutrition she needs.

So, having announced to the world all that personal stuff going on--I now am no longer nursing and will be doing the original Dukan Diet. I suppose, if I am to find a positive to all of this, it is I can get myself healthy again by doing the full-fledged Dukan Diet and not the modified version for nursing moms. It's a very selfish positive, but I'm grasping at straws to find something good about everything going on.

In the end, I didn't lose anything this week and last week I lost 3.6lbs. Which is good, except for the fact I gained back 3 of those lbs this week with everything going on. So between this week and last, I'm down a total of .6lbs. Still, better than nothing.

Week #2

Well, this week was tough. I wanted chocolate SO BAD!! But I did good. I stuck to my will power and avoided all the temptations. Regardless of this battle of wills, I only lost .6lbs this week. I knew this would happen. I'm down to the weight I was after I had lost all the baby weight from after birth. This is where I always get stuck. Hopefully this next week will be better and I'll loose more than .6lbs. Yet, losing a little is better than not at all. So, on to week 3 hoping and praying the want for sugar will go away!

Week #1

Well, I lost 7.6 lbs this first week! I'm very pleased with the result, despite it hasn't been the most I've lost in 1 week before. Considering, of course, I haven't lost any weight nursing ever!! I would go on a calorie restricted diet and would excersize like crazy and the result was always the same--I'd stay flat or even gain weight. So, this is a pleasant change.

Now, was I hungry? Sometimes. Did I feel like I was starving? Nope. I did, however, discover my baby has an intolerance to milk/dairy. So, gone are the sugar free puddings. BOO!! But, a happy baby makes a happy mom. And I can't help but try and do what's best for baby even though I myself LOVE dairy.

So, on to week #2 and I'm looking forward to it.

Week #1 Meals

Day #1
Breakfast :3 boiled eggs
Lunch: Chicken breast seasoned with Spadeal
Snack: Cliff Builder's Bar (20g protein)
Dinner: Flank Steak and 1 c steamed broccoli
Snack: 2 tbs oat bran in 1/4c sugar free hazelnut coffee creamer (makes a great tasting oatmeal!), 1 banana in sugar free/fat free banana cream pudding

Day #2
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs sunny side up (this is my favorite way to prepare eggs) and 1 portion of lean ham
Snack: Non-Fat Greek Yogurt with 3 tbs frozen berries and 2 tbs oat bran
Lunch: Southwest Salad (grilled chicken, 1/8 c. corn, 1/8 c. black beans, romaine lettuce, and BBQ Ranch dressing) and 1 serving of herb bread
Dinner: BBQ Seasoned Chicken Breast, String Cheese, 2 fried eggs
Snack: Sugar Free/Fat Free Chocolate pudding with a dollop of lite Cool-Whip

Day #3
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs sunny side up and a portion of lean ham
Snack: Non-Fat vanilla yogurt with 2 tbs of oat bran (if you allow the yogurt to soak into the oat bran overnight or for 5hours+ it tastes like nutty granola-super yum!)
Lunch: lean flank steak and 1 banana
Dinner: 5 slices of ham deli meat, cheese, pickle, and 1/2 c. seedless watermelon
Snack: 1 serving whole wheat bagel thin, 4 slices of ham deli meat, 1 serving cheese, spoonful of lite cool-whip (admit it, we all do this!!)

Day #4
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs sunny side up and a portion of lean ham
Snack: Non-Fat vanilla yogurt with 2 tbs of oat bran
Lunch: Chicken Breast
Dinner:Steak with mushrooms
Snack: Non-Dairy fruit smoothie with oat bran


Day #5
Breakfast: 3 eggs sunny side up, lean sausage
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Chicken breast on a bed of greens with 1/4 c. black beans and BBQ ranch dressing
Dinner: 1 chicken breast with flour tortilla, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, and lite ranch
Day #6
Breakfast: 20g protein bar
Snack:dry roasted edemame
Lunch: Chicken sandwich with provolone cheese and mustard
Snack: 15g protein bar
Dinner: 1 chicken breast with BBQ sauce
Snack: Non-Dairy fruit smoothie with oat bran
Day #7  
Breakfast: 2 eggs sunny side up, lean ham
Lunch: Chicken tenders
Dinner:Meatloaf, whole wheat bread, salad, southwest corn
Snack: Non-Dairy fruit smoothie with oat bran

Day #1

So, here I am again, dieting. It's been a life-long challenge for me, I must say. Now, after my third and final baby, I'm going to keep all the weight off. Pregnancy is probably the one and only great excuse for gaining weight. So, since my little angel was my last, this time I'll have no excuse to gain anything back again!!

I've decided to do the Dukan Diet again. I lost 117lbs on it before and had wonderful success (obviously!). So, Dukan Diet, here I come again! However, this time things are a little bit different as I'm nursing. I have to make sure to get enough nutrients for me and my baby while safely losing weight. Knowing this, I have to remind myself my weight loss might be slower going than the first time I did this diet. Still, losing slow is better than remaining the same, or worse, gaining more.

So, for those who are interested, the adjustments to the Dukan Diet for nursing moms is:

ADDITIONS / MODIFICATIONS FOR NURSING MOMS:

Eat all of the protein you want (from list-Same as before)

Eat all of the veggies you want (from list-Same as before)

2 T of Oat Bran per day (increased from 1 1/2 T)

1 1/2 quarts of water per day (Same as before)

New Additions for Nursing Moms:

One slice of cheese per day (Love this change as I love cheese!!)

Two slices of whole wheat bread (And I still get some carbs in!)
 
Two servings of fruit (This I love as well as I missed fruit a lot!)

Walk 25 minutes per day (I HOPE I CAN DO THIS! It's hard with 3 kids and no sitter. But my kids are generally awesome and will join me when the weather's good.)

APPROVED PROTEINS:
Lean beef, veal or rabbit (avoid ribs)
Chicken and turkey (except skin and outside part of the wings)
Ham (low fat and lean)
Beef, veal, or chicken liver
Any fish (except canned in oil or sauce)
Shellfish and crustaceans
Eggs (up to two per day, unlimited egg whites)
Dairy products (low fat, below 2% fat)
Sweeteners (except fructose based)
Vinegar, mustard, spices, herbs, garlic, onion (as spice), lemon juice (only as spice, not for drinking)
Sugar free chewing gum

APPROVED VEGGIES:
Artichoke
Eggplant
Asparagus
Cabbage - all types
Beetroot
Broccoli and Purple sprouting broccoli
Carrot
Chicory
Courgette or Zucchini
Celery/ Celeriac or Celery Root
Cucumber
Leek
Fennel
French beans - String beans
Mushroom
Onion
Palm Heart
Pepper
Pumpkin - Marrow - Squash
Radish
Rhubarb
Salad leaves
Soy Beans
Spinach
Swede
Swiss chard
Tomato
Turnip

I'll post pictures of my progress as I go. I'll have my starting picture and then for every 20 lbs I've lost, I'll post another until I'm at my goal. This way everyone can see the physical transformation (as well as me since seeing the difference is a great motivator to continue on!!).

So, my family is awesome and we're doing a weight-loss contest. The winner receives $200 to shop for a new wardrobe! Yay! I sure hope I win as I'm in need of some new clothes. But, if someone beats me, I'll be happy for them as this is more meant for our health than for the $200 to spend selfishly. But, I have to admit, to be able to boast I won the contest would be awesome!

So here I am, at the dieting game again. I'll be sure to post weekly on how things have gone for the week and how I feel. I know it'll be an adjustment, but good things never come easy. My start weight: 279.8lbs. Goal: 175lbs. I can do this!!!