Hello Friends,
Today marks the kinda sorta first day of my saga on the Dukan Diet. In 4 hours, it begins. Everyone says that one of the keys to weight loss is getting enough sleep, so that'll have to be added on the list of things for me to improve.
I'd like to use this journal to keep tabs on what the hell I'm doing. This is the first ~*real*~ diet I've been on. I tried calorie counting, pondered the Master Cleanse, and skipped meals and found it all to be detremental to my ultimate goal. GO FIGURE. I'm finally realizing that I can't get away with stuff like that, and I never could in the first place. In addition to all the personal benefits, I realized that although there are quite a few blogs out there with reviews and timelines related to this diet, I was still feeling in the dark about a lot of things. Hopefully, if there are any people out there who have felt the same way, this might help them out. And if this blog gets zero views, that's cool, but it certainly would be an added bonus!
Now, a little history. I hadn't had any troubles with my weight until recently. Throughout high school I had a lightning fast metabolism and I was on the school track team. That meant I could eat whatever and however much I wanted and didn't have to worry about it. Then I moved into a dorm, worked evenings, and would get back to my room just in time for the last hour in the dining center on campus. Typically, my dinners would be at 10 at night, and would be chicken quesadillas and curly fries. And I snacked on dry cereal. And I was barely legal, so I was at the beginning (and prime) of my drinking career. Looking back on it, I just want to kick myself. What was I thinking? I started smoking too. (Memo to self: add quitting to the list of things to do, along with sleeping and taking care of myself in general.) I came to realize that my body was both a blessing and a curse. I am 5'8" with an "hourglass" figure. All the weight I was gaining went to my chest. I thought this was a good thing. I was excited for more cleavage, what can I say? Vanity is consuming. It seemed like everything was fine, and that my body was going to stay the same. Flash forward to two years later, and I was 50lbs heavier. I don't look 50lbs heavier thanks to this body of mine, which I'm grateful for, but I didn't know I had reached that point until I went up a couple sizes in my pants (always justifying that different brands have different sizes) and an extra chin when I laughed. I didn't notice until it was too late.
Flash forward another two years. I'm 15lbs lighter than I was thanks to a stomach flu, and I've managed to keep the weight off. I had lost 20lbs on a month long vacation to Italy a while back, which involved spending most of my money on alcohol and pizza, but I walked everywhere. I felt amazing. Everyone agrees that's the best that I've looked in a long time. Then I returned home to a city that was built for people with cars. I realize that sounds like a cop out, but I know full well I could have just gone to the gym, or stopped partying and spent my money on food that was actually good for me. It's my fault. It's up to me to put an end to this laziness and dream world where I don't have to put any sort of effort into myself and everything will turn out okay.
So, down to the nitty gritty. Here are my stats:
Age: 22
Height: 5'8"
Current Weight: 170lbs
Heaviest Weight: 190lbs
Lightest Weight: 120lbs (it wasn't a good look, either)
According to the Dukan Diet's website, my ideal weight is 141lbs. I'm okay with that. When I was ripped and toned (and still crazy insecure), that was my weight. Now it's the weight I've been yearning for.
Here's my timeline:
ATTACK PHASE (4 days): May 28, 2011 - Starting weight: 170lbs
CRUISE PHASE (92 days): June 1, 2011 - Starting weight: 166lbs
CONSOLIDATION PHASE (132 days): September 1, 2011 - Starting weight: 141lbs
I commend this website for making this timeline! It's encouraging to know that by the time the summer is over, I will be where I need to be...maybe this will be my last summer of avoiding shopping for bathings suits! We can only hope...
JD
PS - I don't drink water either. Let's go ahead and put that on the list as well, and compare notes in September.
