In my last post I included a graph showing just how steady and rapid my loss of weight had been as I followed the Dukan Diet. I have to say one of the problems with recounting this story is that there is very little in the way of a story to tell. for a good story you need conflict, challenge, obstacles to overcome. My diet experience had none of that.
I could have been very lucky. I don't expect that everyone has quite such an easy time or such significant and rapid success.
Have a look at my last post and look at the graph again. It is not a perfectly straight line. Whatever you do however zealously you follow the rules of the diet, there will be days when your weight does not go down and there will even be days when it inexplicably goes up. Whatever your previous history of dieting, has been, do not panic. Do not make a drama out of a minor matter. Persevere and you will see that you will start to get slimmer again. You don't have to starve yourself or look for ever more drastic things to do. Keep doing what you have been doing. Don't go hungry. Above all else keep drinking plenty of water.
There are several things which might make your weightloss slow, or stop or even go into reverse temporarily. If you are eating your lean protein and not eating starchy foods or more than minimal amounts of fat, then it is extremely unlikely that you will be taking on board more exploitable calories than you use. Our activity levels vary, which change the way we use calories. This might make your weight loss curve flatten out. The most likely causes of any halt to slimming or even a reverse will be linked to fluid retention and dietary transit.
Fluid retention is when the body does not allow water to circulate and exit the body. It can be linked to illness, but it will fluctuate naturally. Please don't assume you are unwell if your weight sticks for a couple of days. You will also not resolve fluid retention by drinking less. Strangely enough the opposite is true. Drink more water, watch your salt intake and take a walk.
Look at what else you are eating. On the days you eat vegetables the fibre these provide can also be the reason for water retention. Understand this fact, but don't worry about it. The fibre is also essential for dietary transit. When only taking protein and the only fibre you consume is the oat bran, this can slow dietary transit and cause some constipation. The fibrous vegetable matter you take on the vegetable days relieve this. I found the actual effect could reverse. This is because it takes time for food to pass through our systems. The days I ate vegetables were the days I found my dietary transit was slower (I hope you appreciate the delicate way I describe a rather indelicate but totally natural business...) The fibre didn't work its way through until I was on a protein only day.
This is why it is important to keep a diary and possibly plot a graph of your progress. Once you have overcome your first setback and seen how quickly things settle back after a short pause in weightloss and once you have written down the facts about how you handled this, you will be better placed to deal with any subsequent stalling.
It makes for a boring story, but an easier path to the weight you want to be.
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