Day 48 - Bloating

Dukan Day: 48
Weight Lost: 5.5kg
Weight To Go: 3.3kg

This morning I woke up feeling quite bloated. It is the time of the month, but I hadn't noticed any water retention in the earlier days of my period and my weight has stayed the same. I don't know if that means I'm due for a loss and I'm retaining water, or if the water my body naturally has has shifted to my belly. Either way, nothing I can do about it. Just got to wait it out and continue the diet!

Today is PV... I cooked up some Amberjack with soy sauce and served it with some raw cabbage. Cooked cabbage tastes like it was sent from hell but raw cabbage is sooo yummy. It's great to nibble on when you want something quick to eat, too.

Day 46 - Constipation?

Dukan Day: 46
Weight Lost: 5.5kg
Weight To Go: 3.3kg

You knew there was going to be this entry at some point!

I'm shitting you! This isn't about poop! I just don't have time to write a longer blog today. 
My attempt at humour... I'm not a comic (and judging from this I don't have a career in comedy awaiting me...)

But, FYI, I'm not constipated. I won't upload a picture for this entry! :)

Day 45 - うまい

Dukan Day: 45
Weight Lost: 5.5kg
Weight To Go: 3.3kg

I've seen a steady progression in weight-loss since I've been back on 1-1 ratio PP-PV plan. I'm now back to my pre-off-plan weekend (and pre-water retention) weight!


I could view this as two weeks lost due to 3 days of weakness... but I choose to look at it as a lesson: don't go off-plan!

Today I took chicken for lunch. I was eating with my students and they said my chicken looked good. Being in a good mood and with some students I'd known for a while I offered 3 of the boys some. They all said it was "うまい (umai)" (which is a really good word for expressing something is delicious) and they weren't faking (unless they were very good actors)! They then had a short discussion on it, including the flavours they could taste (which was soy sauce and parsley) and my ability to cook. 

I was really surprised that people found something I cooked delicious... I really can't cook all that well, but to hear someone say that something I cooked was good, I felt really proud! 
My tastes usually tend to be different to other people's because I can't smell, so what is good to me might not be to someone else (especially if I've cooked it to how I want).  

Maybe I can cook well after all? 

Today was return of the flounder!! I mentioned before how soft it was... it fell to pieces as I lifted it onto the plate :)

This time cooked in soy sauce (yes, I love soy sauce - its quick, its easy, its yummy - and you only need to use a small amount and still get a lot of flavour from it!). Flounder is faaarrr better in soy sauce than lemon juice.

Day 44 - 4.30am

Dukan Day: 44
Weight Lost: 5kg
Weight To Go: 3.8kg

This morning I woke up at about 4.30am... an hour later and it was clear that sleep wasn't going to happen.

Living in an apartment sometimes sucks, it would of been perfect to fit in some trampoline time but I didn't want to wake the lady who lives below. (Naturally in Japan, I have a Japanese style apartment... which means the living room also doubles as the bedroom... my trampoline happens to be in my living room/bedroom... which means it is directly over the living room/bedroom below...). I did however do a little bit of weight and abs work.

When the weather gets better... and by better I mean not 2°C rain... I can start running again. Last summer I did a 5km route - but that route takes me down a street that had a robbery at knife-point a few months ago... so I think I will go the other way...

I wonder sometimes if I am doing enough intensity on my trampoline. I tend to put on a DVD while I bounce so I tend to bounce at the same pace as the DVD... action = faster... conversation = slower. I recently bought some new DVDs... mostly sci-fi action... so when they arrive I hope I can step up the intensity a little. I've tried music but I really need something for my eyes to focus on.

Today is a PV day... broccoli with chicken. I wanted to play with the flavour of broccoli a little without using salt so I added a sprinkle of mixed herbs, some pepper and a little bit of lemon juice. Not bad!

Day 43 - Goal Dates

Dukan Day: 43
Weight Lost: 4.5kg
Weight To Go: 4.3kg

Remaining Days: Sayonara!!
Clearly I will not reach the goal date set out for me on the Dukan website... but I'm sticking with the diet! I was on target until my weekend of off-plan food... but I've been set back because of it.

My advice to anyone contemplating off-plan foods: don't do it!!! It messed up my body for a week in terms of loss and I'm still 1.5kg above what I was before and I know I didn't eat that many calories for that type of gain (plus anything I would of lost on-plan the following week).

I can't go back and undo that weekend, nor would I, so I just have to keep battling on. I haven't posted over the last few days... I was on-plan but too busy to sit and write an entry. 

I mentioned Amberjack in a previous entry. Last time I tried it with lemon juice and I finally got around to using soy sauce. Amberjack in soy sauce is delicious! I really enjoyed this meal! 

Day 39 - Valentine's Day

Dukan Day: 39
Remaining Days: 25 (113 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 3kg
Weight To Go: 5.8kg

Happy Valentine's Day! I got some chocolate from a teacher but I won't eat it yet...

I'm rather annoyed my weight went up by 2kgs because of 3 days of bad choices and hasn't come down at all (not even a little) after 3 days of good choices... my body is CRAZY!

I'm feeling rather unmotivated by this whole diet thing now. I'm going to stick with it until I decide what I'm going to do about it... lol

Day 38 - Staffroom Snacks!

Dukan Day: 38
Remaining Days: 26 (114 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 3kg
Weight To Go: 5.8kg

I'm back on the Dukan Wagon... but no one else is! I'm finding it hard to keep on the wagon and not offend people. The people I work with at my schools are sooo sweet and are always giving me snacks and sweets... In Japan it seems as if you don't want something and try rejecting it that they assume you hate it... I don't hate it, I just don't want it right at this exact moment in time. (If I try explaining that I'm on a diet they just reply 「ダイエットしなくてもいいですよ」 - "you don't have to diet!")

The people in my office are nice, so I'm nice back and take the food - I don't want to cause drama or offend them. Sometimes I try and put the food back when no one is looking. Someone else can enjoy it that way. But sometimes it's unavoidable to eat the food in front of people at that exact moment.
 

Today's offender was Onigiri Sembei... Sembei are rice cracker thingies. When I first came to Japan I absolutely hated the taste of sembei but they grew on me over time and I quite like them now. Of course they are carb central... >_<

Day 37 - Well off the Wagon!

Dukan Day: 37
Remaining Days: 27 (115 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 3kg
Weight To Go: 5.8kg

In my last entry I said something about blips and new day... well.... I failed! It was a 3-day weekend here in Japan and I did eat whatever I wanted... including carbs and chocolate. It has resulted in an unpleasant number on the scale... so I'm going PP for 3 days to clear my system then I'm going to do the 1-1 ratio religiously.

I saw this article today. So I'm pretty much exactly on point at the five week mark. Chocolate is the diet killer! But I'm going back on the wagon and I will do this!!

Today was a success! I ate all Dukan friendly foods! This week I have also increased my time on the trampoline to 40 minutes! 

Day 34 - Biryani

Dukan Day: 34
Remaining Days: 30 (118 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 5kg
Weight To Go: 3.8kg

I stopped marking water weight in red... a) it was getting too confusing and b) water makes up 60%ish of the body so technically my water weight is around 40kgs. 

The diet was well and truly blown today!! Carbs and chocolate galore!!
I met up with a friend who was in town that I hadn't seen for about 2 years. We had lunch at an Indian restaurant - I had a vegetable biryani. Rice is a big big no no on Dukan!!
But... I'm trying to lose weight to improve my life - not stop myself from having a life.

The diet damage didn't stop there...

During the week I had my birthday! (Happy Birthday Me). I kept to my diet on that day but I did receive some chocolately presents... I ate some today!

I'm guessing I ate around 3000 calories today... but I still managed to get 60 minutes of walking and 30 minutes on the trampoline in so not a total loss.

Today is a blip. Tomorrow is a brand new day. Cheating will cause a slight gain, but I'll get back on Dukan tomorrow and lose it. It'll take longer, but I'll get there!

Day 33 - Up, Down, Up, Down, Throw Up

Dukan Day: 33
Remaining Days: 31 (119 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 5.75kg - 0.75
Weight To Go: 3.05kg + 0.75

I am now over half way through my Dukan Diet weight loss stage.

My weight has been going up and down like crazy the last few days. Last night I woke up at about 2am feeling a little sick and my throat felt really strange. My saliva was really sticky and thick. I'm not sure if it was something I ate... but either way I think I may not be getting enough water.

I still felt a little sick this morning - this was not helped with my bus ride to school either. I felt quite ready to throw up by the time I got out of the bus. A bit of 2°C air later and I was feeling much better. I battled through the day but now, at 6pm, I'm feeling normal again.

Today I was really forcing liquid down my throat... I taught 4 classes back-to-back so I had to use the 10 minutes between class to down water. Hopefully today I can really flush out my system and whatever it was that was making me feel ill.

I received a nice little package in the mail today... 2400 Sweetex tablets from England!!
2400 tablets = 800 cups of tea! I think I can manage that before I leave Japan...

I hope I never have to resort to Japanese sweetener again! I can really taste the difference - Sweetex is far nicer!

Day 32 - Chewing Gum

Dukan Day: 32
Remaining Days: 32 (120 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 5.75kg - 0.25
Weight To Go: 3.05kg + 0.25

Water weight is going down slightly - yay!
(Or... the water weight is staying and I'm losing fat weight...)

My new product of the week is sugar free chewing gum!

I picked up a pack of Lotte Xylitol last week and I'm really happy with it. I have Lime Mint flavour at the moment - its really yummy!

Apparently, not only is this gum sugar free but it also decreases acid in your mouth which helps decrease the risk of tooth decay. This is especially useful in Japan as neither the water nor toothpaste contains fluoride.

It's not calorie free nor carb free... but the entire pack has 42 calories and about 14 pieces of gum in it (so 3 calories per piece).

There are 2 other flavours: Fresh Mint (blue) and a new flavour in a light blue packet (I don't know what this flavour is). My supermarket has only Lime Mint and Fresh Mint at the moment. I believe you can get this in other countries too (and in different flavours), I recommend it.

Day 31 - Relax!

Dukan Day: 31
Remaining Days: 33 (121 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 5.75kg - 1
Weight To Go: 3.05kg + 1

Water weight continues... >_<
1kg equates to 3850 calories... when you see the little needle hovering 1kg above what you weighed in 2 days ago you start thinking... that's 3850 calories of chocolate I could of eaten!! But... the water weight will go... the chocolate weight won't! :)

I'm expecting the water weight to continue... today was STRESSFUL! There is this one class in my school... I hate them! Horrendous little children that makes you ask "What has the world done to you at such a young age to give you that bad of an attitude?"... every time I go they get worse and today I was very prepared to walk out of the class. There is this idea floating around that Japanese children are all nice and polite... but this little class are bad! Japanese schools just aren't trained to deal with "bad children" so they pretty much get away with anything and they just keep getting worse.

Anyways, this blog isn't about me bitching about my job - but weightloss!! Stress causes water retention (or so Jillian Michaels says on The Biggest Loser)... so I'll be keeping that 1kg for another day.

I was in a pissy mood when I got home so I did some bouncing on my trampoline. Feeling better now :) and I have a strong cup of brown rice tea.

Day 30 - Water Weight

Dukan Day: 30
Remaining Days: 34 (122 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 5.75kg - 0.75
Weight To Go: 3.05kg + 0.75

What are those strange little red numbers at the top of this post?! It's water weight gain time!!
Its not the first time, I didn't post it before because I knew it was just water weight (unless I'd unconsciously binged on a few thousand calories without realising) - but it went as quickly as it came.

PV days seem to cause many a Dukaner to maintain an extra bit of water. I am defiantly not the exception.

I came across this very interesting piece of reading: Why the Scale Can Lie.

It's probably the best thing I've read that explains water retention in relation to fat loss!


In other news, I'm getting really into crab. Love it!

Day 29 - Broccoli

Dukan Day: 29
Remaining Days: 35 (123 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 5.75kg
Weight To Go: 3.05kg

I've now done an entire month on the Dukan Diet and have lost 5.75kg... which is pretty damn good I think!

The best thing about this diet is that it doesn't feel like a diet sometimes... I'm rarely hungry and even if I do feel hungry - I can eat! No calorie counting is great! (Especially as often calories aren't even printed on some packaging her in Japan).

Today was a PV day... which means I have some carrots and broccoli for lunch. It tastes sooo good. I do add salt to my vegetables, so I do expect to retain more water than without - but I can't stand the taste of cooked broccoli without salt. The health benefits of eating broccoli of course out weigh a minor temporary water weight gain.

It's day 4 of my February Trampolining Challenge and I haven't missed a day. I'm realising at days at my far away school I have less time to fit it in... I'm going to try and do it the moment I get in. I live in an apartment building so I feel a bit guilty about disturbing the lady who lives below me - I figure before 9pm is alright. I do use my trampoline on a very thick futon (folded up) as to lessen the noise.

Day 28 - White Eggs

Dukan Day: 28
Remaining Days: 36 (124 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 5.5kg
Weight To Go: 3.3kg

Eggs... that handy little snack loved by Dukaners! You can use them in so many ways and for so many things. I usually take some boiled eggs with me to work and snack on them when I'm feeling hungry. But, what colour should they be and why are they that way?

When I was in England I was used to seeing eggs that were brown. That is the way it was. Bananas were yellow, carrots were orange, and eggs were brown.

 

It wasn't until I visited Canada that I first saw white eggs. I was told that was because the eggs were bleached. I didn't question it because I didn't really care that much to be honest.

Now, In Japan there is a mixture of both brown and white eggs (but white eggs seem to be more abundant). So whats the difference?

Turns out... white eggs come from white chickens and brown eggs come from brown chickens... LOL. I feel so dumb not to know that! It makes so much sense! The Internet tells me that the colour doesn't affect the quality/nutrition of the egg at all... eggs are like people... no matter the colour of your skin we all taste the same!  :)

Day 27 - Amberjack?

Dukan Day: 27
Remaining Days: 37 (125 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 5kg
Weight To Go: 3.8kg

My weight loss has stalled somewhat this week... I noticed the needle on the scale was bobbing a little under 66kgs... but not enough for me to warrant classing it as a loss yet.

I'm eating my way through the oceans of the world...
By doing Dukan I'm eating fish I've never even heard of before! Yesterday I picked up some buri (ブリ - 鰤） at the supermarket. If you've never heard of buri, maybe you know amberjack or five-ray yellowtail? No? Me, neither!

This is what it looks like sat in the supermarket...

This is what it looks like with some lemon juice and parsley...

I quite liked it. It had a really nice texture. It's flavour wasn't so strong so I could really taste the lemon juice I cooked it in. I want to try it with soy sauce next time!

Side note: although I cook fish with the skin on, I never eat it. Most of the fat on fish can be found here and most of the toxins/chemicals the fish may of come in contact with, too.
I do however make an exception for sushi, because it tastes good and the amount of skin is usually very small.

Day 26 - February Challenge!

Dukan Day: 26
Remaining Days:  38 (126 until consolidation)
Weight Lost: 5kg
Weight To Go: 3.8kg

It's February!!! That means we survived January... the longest month of the year!! February is cool for some very important reasons...

• it is very short and that means March is coming soon (yay Spring!!)
• there is a public holiday in Japan on the 11th! (yay free day off!)
• my birthday is in February!!! Although I don't really celebrate it, more of an inner "yay me" celebration.
• Valentine's Day! A day to be hated anywhere in the world, except Japan when its only the girls that give presents - and its quite natural to receive and give presents to fellow female friends. (I've received more presents from women on Valentines Day in the 3 years I have been in Japan than my entire life living in England from men - I don't think I'm that bad looking, but I guess British guys do).

Anyways, February! This month I am going to make a "mini challenge" to myself. I want to do 30 minutes of exercise on my trampoline a day... increasing each week by 10 minutes... until I reach 1 hour a day... can I do it? Probably not... but I'll try my best!!

I'm going to write down all the times I do it in my fabulous (105円) Disney Princesses diary...

February is Belle month! 

I will reward myself with a little sticker too, so it looks all bling bling! How sad will I be if I can't put a little sticker in my diary to show I rocked out my trampoline that day?

Why don't you set yourself a mini-challenge this month?