Chloe's Intro

Hi All!!!

I've decided to start a blog because I want something to motivate me in sticking to a diet. so here I am... my first time blogging!!! well actually... it's not my first time. I've used xanga when I was in college, for a really short time because a lot of my friends were using it.

anyways.. here's a little story about my rollar-coaster weight journey:
(pls excuse my rambling.. it's really been a long road)

In high school I never really cared about my weight, I maintained my weight at 45kg (about 100lbs) EASILY... for a number of reasons:

1. I was YOUNG with high metabolism
   I don't come from a family that has super high metabolism, I have a natural small frame and I'm short.. but I've never been like bony skinny.. I've always been slightly curvy since I have hips and a butt and I had a tiny waist (proli the only thing I'm really proud of about my body)
2. I didn't care about food so much
   I actually didn't really like to eat that much back then. Food doesn't occupy my thoughts, I even remember on a hot day my mom would call me to go downstairs for lunch and I had to literally DRAG myself downstairs to force down the food. that is SO NOT ME now... although I really wish I could go back

After high school I went to the US for college and I heard its fairly normal for people to gain the Freshman 15 but I gained close to the FRESHMAN 30 or something. I reached the highest point in Sophomore year... 58 kilos (gross!!!) This drastic weight gain was mainly due to a binge cycle I got into after freaking out about my slight weight gain. I started eating more with my college friends and one day I put on a T-shirt and realized that the T-shirt was no longer loose around my tummy... my tummy was actually TOUCHING THE ENDS OF MY T-SHIRT... HORROR HORROR.. and I completely freaked out and started researching ways to lose weight FAST.. and I became more and more obsessive everyday. I'd decide to start a crazy diet and then before I start, I would let go of myself and binge on ALL the foods I want to eat until I felt so sick and want to puke it all out (but I didn't). And then I start the diet... FAIL and the vicious cycle went on. and I ended up GAINING and ton of weight instead of actually losing weight... its really depressing.. and stupid but I went online and read blogs and websites and realized that I'm not alone!!! which makes me feel a little better but the fact that food has taken over so much of my thoughts still frustrate me to this day. I keep wishing I could just go back to how I was in High school when I didn't care much, had a small appetite and was happy with how I looked.

OK. my story's not finished yet. Things got better towards the end of my sophomore year of college. For a semester I stopped gaining weight and maintained at about 55-56 kgs (123 lbs) for the whole semester. I started dating this guy towards the end of that semester (after 2 years of being single) and that summer I stayed at school to take summer classes. I lived alone and most of my friends have left the campus for summer so I was alone most of the time but I'd talk on the phone with my bf everyday and he'd come visit me every 2 weeks. Because I was happy and there wasn't anyone around so I ate very little everyday (about 800 kcal or less a day and ran 20-30 min about 3-4 times a week) and I lost about 15 pounds within 2 months!! Since then I maintained at 49-50 kgs (110 lbs) throughout my last years of college.. and even slowly dropped to the range of 106-108 lbs. 

THEN... after I started working I started gaining weight again... Long story short (since I think I'm boring you all) I struggled with my weight again for the past 2 years during my work life and in the past year I completely let go and fell back into the whole binging cycle and now I'm back to about 54 kg :( :( :( I'm very unhappy with my weight and how I look. I've lost a LOT of confidence in myself and I'm getting close to turning 30, with no boyfriend, and I don't want to feel so ugly all the time at this age!!! I want to go back to my high school weight 45kg (100 lbs) and maintain it and be finally HAPPY with my body again.

and NOW, the main reason I'm starting my blog is because I found a diet that I really wanna try. It's called the.. drumroll.. Dukan Diet

Supposedly its a really popular French diet that's sorta like the Atkins Diet

Since I've quit my job and have time to really relax, exercise and focus on dieting.. I really gotta do it!!!

Here's a brief intro about the Dukan Diet:

This diet involves 4 phases:

1. Attack Phase:
   2-7 days of eating only pure proteins (details below)
2. Cruise Phase:
   Alternate between pure protein days (PP) and protein+vegetable days (PV) until you reach your goal weight
3. Consolidation Phase:
   A phase designed to prevent rebound after you first reach your goal weight
4. Stabilization Phase:
   Basically a plan that is supposedly easy to follow for the rest of your life

**I'll post about phases 2-4 in more detail next time!

Attack Phase Rules:

1. No need to count calories, you can eat as much as you want in the Allowed Foods list.
2. Drink over 1.5 litres of water per day
3. Have 1.5 tablespoons of oatbran per day 
4. Exercise - at least 20 min of walking per day

Allowed Foods during Attack Phase:
(Source: http://mydukandiet.com/dieting/attack-phase.html)

• Lean beef, veal or rabbit (mince under 10%, avoid ribs)
• Chicken and turkey (except skin and outside part of the wings)
• Ham (low fat and lean)
• Beef, veal, or chicken liver
• Any fish (except canned in oil or sauce)
• Shellfish and crustaceans
• Eggs (up to two per day, unlimited egg whites but watch the yolks if you have high cholesterol)
• Dairy products (low fat, below 5% fat)
• Sweeteners (except fructose based), vinegar, mustard, spices, herbs, garlic, onion (as spice), lemon juice (only as spice, not for drinking), sugar free natural ketchup (in moderation), sugar free chewing gum

Ways to incorporate Oat Bran:

You can have it with your non-fat/low fat yogurt, as a porridge or as a pancake (called Oat Bran Galette) - from my online research it seems that the galette is most popular since its sorta makes up for the lack of carbs in the diet.

Here's how to make a Dukan Oat Bran Gallette 
(I'm gonna try to make it tomorrow.. so excited!!!)

Ingredients:

• 1 egg (or just egg whites)
• 1.5 table spoon of oat bran
• 2 tablespoons fat-free fromage blanc or quark)
  (fromage blanc is a form of creamy soft cheese originating from south France and south of Belgium. Since I live in Taiwan and these are hard to find, I found that low-fat cream cheese / yogurt are acceptable substitutes.)
• Seasoning - add salt / pepper / herbs / garlic etc. if you want it savoury
                    add sweeteners such as splenda for a sweet galette  

Cooking Method:
(Source: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=107695325917763)

1. Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. If the mixture is too stiff, add a couple of teaspoons of skim milk.
2. Add a couple of drops of light oil to a frying pan. Wipe off the oil with a sheet of paper kitchen towel.
3. Spread the mixture in the pan.
4. Cook on a medium heat until the underside is golden and the upper side starts to dry.
5. Flip the pancake and cook the other side.

you can eat it as a substitute for bread like a sandwich or add yogurt to it as a dessert, sounds great to me!!! :)

ALRIGHT.

I've decided to start the Dukan diet tomorrow.

I'll finally weigh myself (have been avoiding it for about 2 weeks since I've been eating horribly) and post bikini pics to have before and after comparisons.

Hope this works... 

and to everyone out there who wants to try this diet with me, lets encourage each other!

WISH ME (and everyone else out there on a diet) LUCK!!!  :)