Having been on the Dukan Diet plan for a while - in fact reaching the stage soon where I will be unfettered by rules six days a week - I thought it was time to make sure all was well.
I saw my doctor and she pointed out that I should have a blood test since it had been a while since my cholesterol levels were checked. (Last time was a few years back and then my LDLs were on the high side). The high protein element of the Dukan Diet ("all that meat" as some people falsely lament) has resulted in criticism that the plan can force cholesterol levels up.
My blood test results showed that I am in good health, my cholesterol, blood sugars etc were all fine. indeed my cholesterol levels have dropped since I was last checked. Now that my weight is in the normal range and I intend to keep it that way, my risk of heart disease has gone to normal levels.
A quick aside. We are all mortal. Even those who take good care of themselves can get sick. Poor diet and obesity increase the risks. Good diet and a healthy weight reduce the risks. There is still a risk, but that is life. Smokers often defend themselves by saying even non smokers get cancer. This is true, because it is impossible to eliminate all possibilities of illness. But why increase the chances? Smokers and fat people have considerably more health problems than non smokers and slim people.
Live well and live long! After my visit to the doctor I am more confident that I have made the right decisions to succeed in that goal!
Wednesday 16 March 2011
Saturday 5 March 2011
Always lots of positives to losing weight. Trouser belts!
I have a habit of harping on about how pleased I am with myself after losing so much weight. Occasionally I feel guilty about this, but why should I? If you have lost a lot of weight, you have done something to be proud of.
I've written similar posts before. There are benefits to losing weight, big and small, that you would not have expected when you decided to do it. You will have had a list of reasons that made you decide to do it, but when you reach your target you should examine your life and note the changes you might not have expected.
Today for me it's trouser belts.
I have a number of belts and had a very satisfactory session some time ago shortening them. My belts were mostly too good to get rid of when they became loose on their last hole, and I discovered that it is better to shorten the belt than to punch additional holes. I have two reasons for this. Firstly, shortening the belt felt more like a statement that I wouldn't need a longer belt again. Secondly there is an aesthetic consideration; cutting extra holes just means you get a longer flap of leather hanging out of the buckle. Most belts can be shortened easily, provided you can remove the buckle. You have to cut the belt at the buckle end, not the curved tongue. If the buckle doesn't come off, then you can't shorten the belt neatly, unless you have it done professionally.
There is a further choice: buy new belts!
This made me think about belts. As a fat person I needed belts. They kept my trousers up as they went around my belly, or got caught under it. They stopped the waistband of my trousers rolling over. Without a belt, my trousers were clinging precariously to the tapering slope of my body. Without a tight grip, they would tend to slide down.
It occurred to me that I never used to wear belts back in my early twenties and before in my teens. I didn't need them because my body did not conspire against my trousers! I don't need the belt now either! I choose to put a belt on because I think it looks better.
Actually, this is not quite true. I occasionally need a belt because I have kept trousers that are really too big around the waist, but are too good for me to discard. I cinch in that big waistband around my normal waist. I don't need a belt provided the trousers are the right size!
Looking for all the positives to losing weight is inspiring and will help you to stay committed to keeping your svelte new shape.
Why don't you send me your own thoughts on this? What have you gained by losing weight?
I've written similar posts before. There are benefits to losing weight, big and small, that you would not have expected when you decided to do it. You will have had a list of reasons that made you decide to do it, but when you reach your target you should examine your life and note the changes you might not have expected.
Today for me it's trouser belts.
I have a number of belts and had a very satisfactory session some time ago shortening them. My belts were mostly too good to get rid of when they became loose on their last hole, and I discovered that it is better to shorten the belt than to punch additional holes. I have two reasons for this. Firstly, shortening the belt felt more like a statement that I wouldn't need a longer belt again. Secondly there is an aesthetic consideration; cutting extra holes just means you get a longer flap of leather hanging out of the buckle. Most belts can be shortened easily, provided you can remove the buckle. You have to cut the belt at the buckle end, not the curved tongue. If the buckle doesn't come off, then you can't shorten the belt neatly, unless you have it done professionally.
There is a further choice: buy new belts!
This made me think about belts. As a fat person I needed belts. They kept my trousers up as they went around my belly, or got caught under it. They stopped the waistband of my trousers rolling over. Without a belt, my trousers were clinging precariously to the tapering slope of my body. Without a tight grip, they would tend to slide down.
It occurred to me that I never used to wear belts back in my early twenties and before in my teens. I didn't need them because my body did not conspire against my trousers! I don't need the belt now either! I choose to put a belt on because I think it looks better.
Actually, this is not quite true. I occasionally need a belt because I have kept trousers that are really too big around the waist, but are too good for me to discard. I cinch in that big waistband around my normal waist. I don't need a belt provided the trousers are the right size!
Looking for all the positives to losing weight is inspiring and will help you to stay committed to keeping your svelte new shape.
Why don't you send me your own thoughts on this? What have you gained by losing weight?
Friday 4 March 2011
End of a phase in sight
I realised I haven't posted for a while. Sorry to anyone checking my blog regularly!
As you know I'm working my way through the third phase of the Dukan Diet and I'm now a couple of weeks from the end. It's the sort of point when you can start to think that you could just skip to the next phase. After all what difference will it make?
The difference it will make is that it will show indiscipline. It will demonstrate a lack of control. Sad to say, but anyone who has been seriously overweight for any length of time, got into that position because of indiscipline and no self-control. Losing weight and staying at the correct weight is as much about taking charge and being in control as it is about shedding the pounds.
I have been on this programme for over seven months. My weight reached my target way back in mid-October, as I've told you all. Since then every day when I look at the scales I have been gratified to see stability. I am in the process of relearning how to eat properly.
It is true that at this stage I may well have learnt all there is to learn and I could move on now and skip the final weeks of this consolidation stage. But what would I be telling myself if I did that? I would be saying that it's OK to cut corners. If I can cut a few corners now, then I can probably do the same later on. Then if that's OK, maybe a few more. That is the beginning of the slide down to where I was before I started.
The truth is this programme is not difficult to follow. It is not too constraining. I'm not hungry and I eat well. We have dinner parties, I enjoy deserts and a few glasses of wine. In fact there is very little that I want to eat that I can't enjoy during the course of a week.
The key, I believe, is learning to think about food, which helps you to appreciate it better. You learn to appreciate how good the food is and what it does. The point to sticking to a plan is to teach yourself that you can stick to a plan! You are not a quitter and at the same time you can enjoy your life and your food.
You also learn that if you've eaten enough today, why not save the treat which tempts you to another day? You will appreciate it more tomorrow than if you stuff it on top of everything else you've eaten today. That is the discipline which will keep you slim and enjoying your food.
As you know I'm working my way through the third phase of the Dukan Diet and I'm now a couple of weeks from the end. It's the sort of point when you can start to think that you could just skip to the next phase. After all what difference will it make?
The difference it will make is that it will show indiscipline. It will demonstrate a lack of control. Sad to say, but anyone who has been seriously overweight for any length of time, got into that position because of indiscipline and no self-control. Losing weight and staying at the correct weight is as much about taking charge and being in control as it is about shedding the pounds.
I have been on this programme for over seven months. My weight reached my target way back in mid-October, as I've told you all. Since then every day when I look at the scales I have been gratified to see stability. I am in the process of relearning how to eat properly.
It is true that at this stage I may well have learnt all there is to learn and I could move on now and skip the final weeks of this consolidation stage. But what would I be telling myself if I did that? I would be saying that it's OK to cut corners. If I can cut a few corners now, then I can probably do the same later on. Then if that's OK, maybe a few more. That is the beginning of the slide down to where I was before I started.
The truth is this programme is not difficult to follow. It is not too constraining. I'm not hungry and I eat well. We have dinner parties, I enjoy deserts and a few glasses of wine. In fact there is very little that I want to eat that I can't enjoy during the course of a week.
The key, I believe, is learning to think about food, which helps you to appreciate it better. You learn to appreciate how good the food is and what it does. The point to sticking to a plan is to teach yourself that you can stick to a plan! You are not a quitter and at the same time you can enjoy your life and your food.
You also learn that if you've eaten enough today, why not save the treat which tempts you to another day? You will appreciate it more tomorrow than if you stuff it on top of everything else you've eaten today. That is the discipline which will keep you slim and enjoying your food.
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