I just completed Week Six of my eating plan, and I’ve dropped another pound! That puts me at an even eight pounds down in the six weeks I’ve been following Dukan eating. These results are staggering to me, especially considering that I haven’t been following the diet exactly and have had my share of falls off the wagon.
Last Saturday was Valentine’s Day, and I was not about to worry myself with what I was eating over this special weekend. Bill treated me to a romantic dinner at Anthony’s in Edmonds, and also took me for a fantastic lunch yesterday at Ivar’s in Mukilteo. Both meals were delicious, and I focused completely on the amazing man that I was with and celebrating our wonderful relationship together and didn’t worry even slightly about the fact that my food choices were not Dukan-approved.
And that’s the thing I’m reminded of week after week of doing this: I am making lifestyle choices. I am choosing to eat better most of the time, and leaving splurges to a treat meal or so a week instead of just eating anything in sight. And as a result I am feeling so much better, both physically and emotionally, and when I do choose to have an off-plan meal I don’t feel guilty because I’m no longer doing it all the time. I feel like I’m back in control of what I’m eating and that feels great!
I’ve decided that going forward I’m going to change how I judge my weekly results. So far I’ve just been comparing my weight from one Monday to the next, but weight fluctuates and that method may not give me the most accurate picture of how I’m doing. So instead, beginning next week I’ll be comparing my average week loss for the week to that of the week before. I’m interested to see how this new method plays out!

Week five of the Dukan Diet, quite frankly, was hard. I don’t know if I was struggling because I ate popcorn and a slice of cake during the Super Bowl, or if I was just finally having cravings after weeks of changed eating, but I had a really hard time last week. I lost a record low of 0.6lbs, which didn’t make me feel any better about things.
I was craving everything. One night, I wanted pizza. Another, I was dying for a good Mexican burrito and some chips and salsa. I found out that Dairy Queen has red velvet Blizzards now, and I really did consider getting one. By Friday I gave in and had a cheeseburger and fries with Rachel, but other than that, I really did stick to my eating plan. But where for the first month, it was a breeze, for some reason last week it was hell.
I’m disappointed at my low number for the week, but I’m trying to remind myself that any loss is progress, and that my weight loss is going to go more slowly now that I’m getting closer to my goal. I’ve also promised myself that I’m going to work out at least three days this week, not just my lunchtime walks but real exercise sessions either in the gym or at home. I may just be at a point where the food plan alone isn’t enough to reach the weight I want.
My other new strategy for this week involves eating earlier. I’m working ten-hour shifts right now that end at 6pm. That means I’m leaving the office, driving the half hour to get home, and then making dinner…most nights I don’t eat until at least 7:30, and that may just be too late for dinner. So as of this week I’m officially bringing all three of my meals and both my snacks to work with me. It is definitely NOT ideal, but who knows, maybe it’ll help. And maybe things will quiet down a bit at work and I won’t have to work such long hours soon.
So, all in all it was a bit of a discouraging week, but I’m going to try and not let it get to me. I still lost weight, I still stuck to my eating plan with one exception despite wanting to eat all the things. I’m hoping that this week the cravings will subside and I’ll feel better. But just in case, please nobody let me anywhere near Dairy Queen.

Now that I’ve been on the Dukan Diet for a month, I’ve pretty much grown tired of the foods that were my initial go-to meals and decided it was time for something different. My breakfast in the mornings has typically been turkey sausage links, but a girl can only eat so much turkey sausage before she needs something different.
I started browsing recipes on Pinterest for ideas, and decided to try making scrambled egg muffins. I was a bit skeptical of how they’d turn out, but I really like them! I made them with all protein, but you can also add vegetables like onions, tomato slices, mushrooms, or any others. Here’s the recipe I’ve concocted:
Scrambled Egg Muffins
What you’ll need: 
6 eggs
2 tbsp Nonfat milk
Bacon Bits
Grated cheese (I used a Mexican blend, but any cheese you like is fine)
Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners and place bacon bits at the bottom of each paper.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and milk and beat eggs, adding in pepper for seasoning. Pour mixture into muffin liners over bacon bits. Sprinkle cheese on top.
Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes.
 
I let my muffins cool and then transferred them from the muffin tin to a storage container and put them in the fridge. Every morning I can pull out one or two and reheat them in the microwave (I put them in for about a minute and a half) and they make a great breakfast!
 

I just finished my fourth week on the Dukan Diet, and dropped another 1.2lbs! It’s hard to believe that I’ve lost 6.4lbs in just four weeks of eating better. And it’s even harder to believe that I’ve lost that weight while still allowing myself an occasional splurge, and without being hungry or suffering through cravings for junk food!
I’m starting to notice physical changes in myself now that the weight is coming off. Not only do I appear slimmer, but my clothes reflect that I’m definitely smaller than I was four weeks ago. I hung onto most of my clothes from before I gained weight, and I can wear a lot of them again. In fact, today I proudly wore a slinky black dress to work that I absolutely love. I haven’t worn the dress in months because it just didn’t hang right after I gained weight, but I’ve gotten tons of compliments on it today.
The dress wasn’t my only milestone for the week. At the beginning of January, I bought myself a new pair of jeans that at the time were a size smaller than I was able to wear. After noticing that my bigger jeans were getting pretty baggy, I decided to try on the smaller ones and see if I would be able to squeeze into them yet. To my delight, they fit perfectly, and I ordered two more pairs.  And I’m now wearing a ring on my middle finger that just a few weeks ago fit on my ring finger!
Yesterday was the Super Bowl, so I honestly didn’t worry too much about what I was eating. I enjoyed all the food I wanted while I watched the game, and am back to following my diet today. And that’s the lifestyle I’m trying to establish for myself: eating healthy most of the time but enjoying the occasional treat meal or splurge without feeling guilty about it. That’s how I kept weight off before, and it’s how I plan to do it again. I know I’ve been saying this every week, but I’m still amazed at how simple this change has been to make and how much better I feel because of it. If I keep losing weight at this pace, I’ll be able to transition to the Consolidation Phase sometime in March. I’m really excited for that phase because at that point I’ll get to re-introduce daily servings of fruit and whole grain bread, which means apple slices and sandwiches!
I truly couldn’t be happier with my experiences so far on the Dukan eating plan and I’m very glad I decided to try it.