Cruise Phase: Week 2

Cruise Phase

Week 2:

Monday 25th March - Sunday 31st March

Another week down! 

I have worked my socks off this week to try to shake off these 5 pounds that make up the first stone; hammering the gym four times this week should have done the trick, so we'll see how I've done later....

Monday 25th March - Pure Protein

Breakfast: Cinnamon Oat Bran Porridge

Lunch: Seafood Sticks with a Tub of Cottage Cheese

No photos for these unfortunately as my deadline was due in today so I was glued to the computer in the library. Finally got it all handed in though so I feel a lot less stressed.....until the next one!

Dinner

Starter: Prawns in a Spicy Cream

Day 16: Starter

This was tasty however the cream could have been a lot thicker. Something to practice again.

Main: Ham and Tofu Quiche

Day 16: Main

Both the starter and the main are recipes from my Dukan Bible. Both turned out differently but both were very tasty. Since travelling to China and South Korea I have always had really bad experiences with Tofu, finding it very sweaty and tasting like cheesy feet - to put it bluntly. However since using it in the Tofu Choc Cream recipe and in this Quiche, I have actually grown to like it, probably because I can't even taste it, but I have managed to apply it to my meal plans without having to really 'put up with it'. Tofu is so good to use in your diet when trying to lose weight, it is very good for you and very low fat, so if you are struggling to adapt it to your meal plans I suggest you try it in a quiche and try the tofu choc creams....you won't be disappointed! I finished the meal off with a fat-free vanilla yoghurt.

Tuesday 26th March - Protein and Veg

Today is day 1 of my 4 day gym hammering. But first....

Breakfast: Tomato and Low Fat Cheese Omelette

Day 17: Breakfast

Lunch: Ham Slices with Quark, Red Pepper, Cucumber, Cottage Cheese with Chives and Prawns

Day 17: Lunch

Now for my Gym Sesh1:

Workout: Zumba 18:45 - 19:30

This was so difficult. You don't realise how hard it is. A really good all over body workout, incorporating sexy dancing with high energy exercise. Great way to start the week. 

Dinner: Smoked Haddock with Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Garlic and Parsley, Wrapped in Cabbage.

Day 17: Dinner

Dessert: Oat Bran Chocolate Sponge with a Chocolate Sauce

Day 17: Dessert

This was absolutely DISGUSTING!! Do not try it. It was tasteless and the chocolate sauce was bitter and horrible. What a waste. This was taken from a recipe app I have on my iPhone and so far, most of the desserts I have tried on that app have been disappointing. But I suppose you have to practice to make perfect! 

Wednesday 27th March - Pure Protein

Breakfast: Cinnamon Oat Bran Porridge

Day 18: Breakfast

I went to the gym after my porridge. For me personally, I have to line my stomach with something before I exercise or I get dizzy. So day 2 of my 4 day hammering is:

Workout: Body Tone 10:15 - 11:00

This was awesome. It worked on toning each muscle group of your body individually and collectively using weights, a step, a mat etc. Squats were the killer. Hopefully it will get easier by the next session.

Lunch: Ham Slices with Quark, Cottage Cheese with Chives, and Salmon with a Fat-Free Toffee Yoghurt

Day 18: Lunch

Dinner

Starter: Scallops in Ham

Unfortunately these were so good I forgot to take a photo! I will however, be having them again very soon so I will remember to take a photo next time! They were lush! And so simple.

Main: Beef, Mushroom, Onion and Garlic Stew with Low Salt Stock

Day 18: Main

So I had a blonde moment, I put mushrooms in the stew not even realising it wasn't allowed today. Ooooops. Never mind, I doubt one or two mushrooms are going to make that much difference. Regardless of the mistake, the stew was delicious! I finished it off with a fat-free vanilla yoghurt.

Thursday 28th March - Protein and Veg

Breakfast: Bacon and Egg with a Tomato Smile

Day 19: Breakfast

Today I take a different approach to my exercise, by being a water baby :)

Workout: Swim 11:00 - 11:45

Lunch: Cod and Vegetable Soup with a Yoghurt and Hot Cocoa

Day 19: Lunch

One word: Delicious. I had two sexy bowlfuls.

Dinner

Starter: Salmon Oat Bran Roulade

Day 19: Starter

Main: Lean Beef Cubes with Mushrooms and Peppers in a Balsamic Jus

Day 19: Main

Finished off with a yoghurt. The beef was a bit chewy, as a result of sealing the meat in a pan and then transferring to the oven. Next time I'll roast the veg first and add the sealed beef to it - I like my beef rare.

Friday 29th March - Pure Protein

Breakfast: Cinnamon Oat Bran Porridge

I went to the gym for the fourth time this week today...

Workout: Body Tone 10:15 - 11:00

And remarkably, the squats were slightly easier!! I'm getting there!

Lunch: Ham Slices with Quark, Smoked Salmon and Cottage Cheese with Chives

Day 20: Lunch

Dinner: Spicy Chicken with Garlic and Onions

Day 20: Dinner

Dessert: Lemon and Vanilla Infused Creme Fraiche

Just tried this out as I didn't have any yoghurt or dessert at hand! Wasn't great but did the trick!

Day 20: Dessert

Day 20: Dessert

Saturday 30th March - Protein and Veg

Breakfast: Cinnamon Oat Bran Porridge

Lunch: Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, Tomato, Cheese and Chive Omelette with Cucumber and Beetroot

Day 21: Lunch

Dinner: Bacon and Vegetables (Cabbage, Carrots, Garlic, Onions, Pepper, Broccoli, Swede)

Day 21: Dinner

Sunday 31st March - Pure Protein

I was really naughty again today and I skipped breakfast. It was only because I slept in really late but it's definitely bad for any diet.

Also.....Happy Easter Sunday :)

I have lunch in bed today....while my boyfriend still sleeps :O

Lunch: Ham Slices with Fat-Free Cottage Cheese with Chives

Day 22: Lunch

Very simple and probably not even enough but I haven't got anything else. It's important to keep your fridge stocked up with lots of nibbles so that if you have any cravings you have something to curb them. I think I'll make a big batch of oat bran biscuits at some point to test this out.

Dinner: Almost Chicken Nuggets with Salmon and Scrambled Eggs

Day 22: Dinner

Now this was very tasty. Could have done with a more 'all over' coating of the oat bran batter but it was really delicious, and actually tastier than the real thing! Really good way to end the week.

So this week I have realised the importance of getting all of my daily meals, because your not doing yourself any favours by skipping a meal and risking yourself falling into any lapses.

After hammering the gym four times this week I was extremely surprised and disappointed to have only lost 1lb over all, however Dr Dukan states that this is likely to happen once vegetables are introduced back into your body. This is because in the Attack Phase you deprive your body of water so most of the weight you lose is water weight, and once you introduce vegetables back in, they provide your body with the water again which can and most of the time will slow down your weight loss. But as long as you stick to the diet by the letter, it will never go up, the worst result you'll get is that it has stayed the same. It is up to me now that I vary my exercises and workouts so that I give myself a change rather than just focusing on body toning, since I have to lose my weight before I tone up, such as fat burning exercises as well as toning sessions.

So, even though I'm disappointed, I just need to pick myself up, and carry on, because...............

Thanks for reading.... and remember.....

Keep Following..

Kate :)

Cruise Phase: Week 1

Cruise Phase

Week 1: 

Monday 18th March - Sunday 24th March

Hey guys! So, week one of the second phase has been successfully completed :) 

It's been a difficult week, not in terms of lack of food but because of what challenges I have had to face being around people and being a part of certain events. There has been a number of times when I could have lapsed, and been very naughty, but I have been so strong and made sure this didn't happen. I've tackled a lot of temptations this week which I'm very proud of and will continue to do so for as long as possible. I haven't had a drop of alcohol since 9th March, the day I started the diet. 

So now for the food......

Monday 18th March - Protein and Veg

Now today I am ravenous, but that is only because I stayed up all night doing work for a deadline that I ended up getting an extension for.......after handing it in!! What a nightmare. I was in my uni library for 22 hours. Lets just say I was a bit shaky and the hallucinations were getting the better of me! Anyway, it was a great day to introduce some lovely juicy veg back into my diet. And my lovely Daddy, bless him, made my first meal, which was my lunch (since I missed breakfast.....oopsies!)

Lunch: Chicken Salad with Tomatoes, Spring Onions, Mushrooms, Peppers, Cucumber and Salad Leaves

Day 9: Lunch

Dinner: Baked Salmon topped with Garlic, Shallots and Dill with Green Peppers and Cucumber

Day 9: Dinner

As today is my first day with veg, I made sure I ate any veg I had with my meal, cold. This is because of one of Dr Dukan's tips I read in my Dukan Bible! He says that by consuming cold food, your body burns calories heating the food up before it can be released into the bloodstream. Although this is a small amount of calories, it all adds up doesn't it? So it could be the difference between being, for example 9st 13lbs and 10st 1lb. Bonus! 

Tuesday 19th March - Pure Protein

Breakfast: Oat Bran Cinnamon Porridge

No photo for this...sorry! Now that I've mastered the right amount of sweetness and cinnamon, it's becoming the norm, I just bang it in the microwave and enjoy! Simply divine. And a lovely winter warmer for the crap weather Britain is having at the moment.

Lunch: Fat-free Bacon, Chicken Strips and a Poached Egg

Day 10: Lunch

It looks a bit greasy but I assure you that was only due to a little dash of balsamic vinegar I splashed on to give it a little extra taste.

Dinner: Baked Mackerel with Garlic, Basil, Dill, Dijon Mustard and Olive Oil on a bed of Scrambled Egg Yolk with Shallots and Chives

Day 10: Dinner

This was absolutely beautiful :) and I made my first ever Dukan dessert out of my Dukan Bible today......it didn't go absolutely to plan, but not bad for a first attempt; the gelatine didn't liquidize very well which was due to my bad timing but hey! I can always practice!

Dessert: Fluffy Mint Mousse

Day 10: Dessert

Wednesday 20th March - Protein and Veg

Today was a very successful day! I'm starting to get smart with the construction of my meals, making sure I get the best amount of nutrition in each meal. Dr Dukan states that in the Cruise Phase, on your Protein and Veg day, although yes, it is about adding veg to your meal, you can't forget about protein, so really try to just add veg to your meal rather than think solely of veggie meals. It's about consistency and balancing the two food groups equally. So don't forget your PROTEIN.

Breakfast: Soft Boiled Eggs with Asparagus Wrapped in Ham

Day 11: Breakfast

Lunch: Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Millefeuilles with Chicken, Bacon and Veg Soup

Day 11: Lunch

The millefeuilles were a starter recipe taken out of my Dukan Bible, and although I had two with the soup, I did make more that I did eat as a starter. They were delicious, but very slippery and messy haha. This is what they looked like on their own:

Day 11: Starter

All they are, are stacks of salmon and cucumber with fat-free fromage frais spread in between each slice of cucumber and salmon. Yum!

Dinner: Baked Chicken Breast with Swede, Broccoli, Carrots and a Spread of Dijon Mustard

Day 11: Dinner

Now for dessert, I made another Dukan recipe. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo of it but I have a photo of the one in the book. They did look similar although my consistency was a little more of a 'block' than the one in the photo. But tasty all in all. This was made with Oat Bran so I had my daily intake from this.

Dessert: Muesli Ice Cream

Day 11: Dessert

Thursday 21st March - Pure Protein

So yesterday I went to a class at the gym: Body Pump. It was amazing! You use a weight bar and weights and you change up or down in weight according to what exercise you do. The exercises work all the different muscle groups of your body and I think I did about 100 squats altogether. I'm feeling the pain today though. I'm easing myself back into the gym, firstly trying out all the different classes to see which one's I like but also to give myself varied workouts which keep the notion of exercising exciting and attractive. By the end of next week I'm going to aim to do 3-4 classes throughout the week and build it up. 

Breakfast: Oat Bran Cinnamon Porridge

No photo.....you know the score ;)

Lunch: Ham with Prawn, Squid and Mussel 'Wraps' with a Fat-Free Honey Yoghurt

Day 12: Lunch

This was a little poor, due to how busy my day was. But surprisingly, it did the trick! 

Dinner: Fillet Steaks Encrusted with Crushed Peppercorns with a Seafood 'Salsa'

Day 12: Dinner

I made the salsa using ginger, shallots and garlic to give a kick to the seafood mix of prawns, mussels and squid. 

Now, dessert, my god, dessert was just what I needed.....

Dessert: Tofu Choc Cream

Day 12: Dessert

This was absolutely delicious, tasted exactly like the full fat version. The absolute mother of Dukan desserts so far. Definitely be making this again!

Friday 22nd March - Protein and Veg

Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs and Tomato Smile :)

Day 13: Breakfast

Lunch: Tuna Salad

Sorry, no photo for this. It was basically like the salad I had on Monday but without the mushrooms and chicken. I mixed in a little dijon mustard and quark cheese to liven it up.

Dinner

Starter: Smoked Salmon and Chive Oat Bran Roulade

Day 13: Starter

This was absolutely delicious and I highly recommend. Make the Oat Bran galette as normal and roll smoked salmon, chives and quark in it. Mamma mia!

Main: Baked Cod on a Bed of Vegetable Lasagne

Day 13: Main

The vegetable lasagne was a recipe taken out of my Dukan Bible, and I just added baked cod to it. It included all the usual seasoning, garlic, dill, salt, pepper etc and the lasagne part contained courgettes, tomatoes, onion and it was seasoned with half a low salt chicken stock cube. Very tasty. I finished the meal off with the last of the tofu choc cream I made yesterday and a yoghurt.

Saturday 23rd March - Pure Protein

Now today was the toughest day I have experienced on this diet so far. My family came up from the south for a big family event to celebrate the birthday of my 13 year old cousin. A big day and night was planned and this included many moments of extreme temptations, which although I managed to control, I found very very tough. It's hard for some people to stay strong in situations where you are surrounded by food you can't have and people you want to enjoy the day or night with. Let's start from the beginning.

Breakfast: Ham and Chive Omelette

Day 14: Breakfast

This was lovely so I had no problem scoffing this down as the rest of my family ate a full English breakfast with all the trimmings including buttery toast, which I have been craving so much. Now comes the first hurdle. After we had been out in Jesmond Dene, we stopped off at a cafe for a nice hot beverage to warm us up. But once we got sat down and the menus were handed to us, the family decided to order food. Nothing on the menu was okay to have, so I had to sit there drinking my green tea, as they ate their meal. What's worse is I didn't have a little snack on me to munch on so it was harder, plus the food took about 45 minutes to get out so they brought out three bowls of french fries to make up for the waiting time! And here's a photo:

Day 14: Hurdle

I think the main thing to take from this is, ALWAYS BE PREPARED with little snacks in case your family decide to go somewhere for a bite to eat. Some seafood sticks, ham slices, cottage cheese, yoghurt - all can be taken with you just in case you are stuck in what I was today. I ordered another green tea to keep my hands busy which seemed to work okay, but if I had brought my own stuff, I'd be even more distracted and be less bothered about the lovely nachos my family were tucking into. It is inevitable that this kind of thing is going to happen, you just have to be smart and organised. And bless my family, they were so supportive. At the end of the day I chose this so I have to be prepared to take on all the hurdles! Now for my lunch!

Lunch: Chicken and Prawns in Soy Sauce with Ham and Chive Quark Rolls and Seafood Sticks

Day 14: Lunch

And now, Dinner.......after being around all the amazing buffet food at the party (at my Nana's house), I realised I needed to get the hell out of there, get my own stuff and cook my dinner at the party. Once I did this I was all happy again, but boy was it tough being around huge square pizzas, cake and all sorts of gorgeous stuff. Anyway, my meal......

Dinner: Mince Meatballs with Onions and Herbs

Day 14: Dinner

I attempted to make a hot chocolate sponge pudding, but it just went a big eggy in the microwave. I don't like heating up my desserts in the microwave, it just doesn't seem to work for me. I need to start looking at baking my desserts. So, I made a cocoa milkshake instead, which was okay, but not great. All in all, it saved me from tucking into any of the party food there which is the main thing! An achievement actually. And I did have some seafood sticks over the course of the night to suppress any temptations!

WORST HURDLE OVER!!!! GET IN!!!!

Sunday 24th March - Protein and Veg

So since its Sunday, and my family are still here having a big breakfast, I thought I'd join in....ish, and have a full English...ish. But it was lush anyway so that's the main thing!

Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs, Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Day 15: Breakfast

Lunch: Mixed Veg Soup with Prawns

Since I don't really like having just veg on its own, I just improvised and chucked the prawns in to add a bit of protein. And it wasn't bad actually! Good healthy and tasty soup, can't go wrong really!

Day 15: Lunch

Dinner: Butternut Squashes filled with Mince Bolognaise

This was gooorrgeous. Should have kept the squashes in for a little longer but it was soo tasty. I mixed the mince meat with a tin of tomatoes and voila! Beautiful, definitely recommend this one!

Day 15: Dinner

And that, is that! Week one of the cruise phase is over, and I'm 15 days into my diet. Feeling fabulous. This week I have lost 3lbs, so that's 9lbs lost altogether, and I only went to the gym once this week, soooo I'm going to aim to lose the 5lbs to make it up to a stone by the end of next week and go to the gym at least 3 times. Let's get a stone lost by the end of the month! All I've got to say is BRING IT ON!

Now to end, I feel it is appropriate to post a motivational picture up, for me and for you, so here's picture number one:

Thanks for reading :) and remember.....

Keep Following!

See you next week.

Kate :)

Attack Phase: Day 8

Sunday 17th March:

Day 8

Well well well, here we are. Last day of the attack phase, I've nearly completed it. I'm feeling more hopeful today but still very flat. Happy St Patrick's Day, to you all by the way. One of my best friends lives in Ireland and I had planned to go over there around this time to celebrate it the proper Irish way, but unfortunately I have a uni deadline tomorrow which has become the bane of my life and I can't really sit and reflect on anything that has happened this week despite how shocking it may have been. Before I start getting on with work I get stuck in to breakfast.

Breakfast: Ham and Chive Omelette

Day 8: Breakfast

Really satisfying. And I was absolutely starving after last night's antics. We had to help take the set down after the final show, which took about and hour and a half. By then I was just sooo exhausted, but then it got worse. When we finally finished, we headed for the bar where a huge table of buffet food was set out for everyone. Here are a couple of pictures of the buffet:

Not one piece of food on that table was I allowed. I think it's safe to say I was absolutely livid. I went straight home as I couldn't even have a celebratory drink (or maybe I could I just want to stick to the diet by the letter). I am so looking forward to the cruise phase as I have been starting to really miss veg. I'm going to be alternating between pure protein days and pure protein + veg days over one day alternations. So one day PP and one day PV. Hopefully this will make the diet that little bit more easier, although I haven't struggled as much in this first phase as I thought I would, which is great. I think it's because I really want this badly, where as before my mind hasn't been fully in it. 

Anyway, I try to do my work at home but I just can't seem to concentrate. My friend is at university in the library doing the same work so I decide to go up since a bit of moral support always helps.

Unfortunately I don't have a photo for my lunch, since I was knee deep in this work. However what I had is easy enough explained:

Lunch: Cottage Cheese, Lean Ham Slices, Can of Diet Coke

No time to waste and I stay at the library all the way through tea time, having to go to Sainsburys nearby to grab some 'dinner'.

This is what I had......

Day 8: Dinner

Diabolical I know. But at least I ate something to see me through the night. Yes I said night. Turns out this work is proving to take longer than one thought........

So from now on I'll only be doing weekly blogs; since the Cruise Phase is the longest phase where weight loss slows down and becomes a gradual process it will be impossible for me to keep a daily blog. Plus, the most important parts will be covered, they will just be briefer than usual. In the blogs I will briefly discuss my weekly food intake - with photos of course - and give you a weekly update on my weight loss. 

It's been a great journey so far and I really hope you have enjoyed reading my blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it. And, more importantly, please keep following, the more support I get, the easier this will be to actually see through right to the very end.

It's been a pleasure.

Speak soon,

Kate :)

Oh, and one more thing........I've lost 6lbs so far :) onwards and upwards!