Sat, Jan 7, 2012 - I lost a pound and a half since the last posting, so am now 15 pounds from my goal weight. I had not lost anything as of yesterday morning, but the scale moved today. Last night, I went out to dinner and did eat vegetables although technically yesterday was a protein only day. It was the end of 5 days of protein only, so I made the exception to eat vegetables. I had grilled wild salmon, with 3 small pieces of potato, grilled vegetables and a salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Today, I will follow protein and vegetables for 5 days, but then am going to try doing one or two days of pure protein rather than 5 of each. I want to see what effect this has on my weight loss and I think it will healthier for my digestive system than doing 5 days of each.

I am continuing to log my progress on the fitbit web site and met 50% of the 70,000 step goal for the week. But, this was without actually using the pedometer, so in reality I would logged more steps if I recorded all my steps into my results. I am inputting major activities like walking a distance, exercise bicycle and not the "ambient" motions of everyday life. Also, I did not record any exercise or food on Jan 1, the first day of recording my data on fitbit. I only recorded my estimate weight which was one pound below my actual weight when I weighed in the morning of Jan 2. So the results are skewed a little bit, but this is a trial so I'm not concerned about that. It will even out as I go along.

Thur, Jan 5, 2012 - I lost another 1.5 pounds, so I am 16.5 pounds from my goal weight. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the weight came off this easy at the end of a program, not just the beginning? I rode my exercise bike for 30 minutes today, but did not walk to work due to my schedule of appointments today.

I found the fitbit pedometer on sale online at Brookstone's for 20% off (going price is $99 right now), but they were going to charge $18 for shipping (free shipping offer didn't apply to this item)!!! Many of the other sites, including the fitbit site, provide free shipping. Does Brookstone think people are stupid or what?  I generally like that retailer, but how dumb can they be????

Wed, Jan 4, 2012 - I lost another 1.5 lbs, so am now 18 pounds from my goal. I know this initial rapid weight loss is all fluids and will continue to see quick results for a few day or maybe a week. Over the holidays, I ate a lot more of the types of foods that I don't normally eat the rest of the year, so I expect that the weight gained during this holiday break is mostly fat and not fluid. So it will be interesting to see where the "rapid loss" stops and what my actually settles in at.

Over the Thanksgiving break, I think it netted out at about a pound over my pre-break weight after the fluid weight loss ceased. But, that was a one week break and the Christmas break was almost 3 weeks, so I expect the results will be less positive.

I am still investigating the Fitbit web site. Reading the posts in the comments section is very helpful and provides some honest feedback to problems and questions that users have.

Tues, Jan 3 - Since taking a break from this program for the past two weeks at which point I was 11.5 pounds from my goal weight, I have managed to gain 9.5 pounds when I hopped on the scale yesterday, leaving me now 21 pounds from my goal weight!! I did enjoy the holidays, and some traditional foods that I don't eat other times of the year. Today, I was down a pound and a half from yesterday, which means I am 19.5 pounds from my goal weight.

So, back on the program. However, since the Dukan Diet does not for me result in any faster a weight loss than other programs I have tried, I will be modifying it to better meet my needs. I will still use the pancake for breakfast as I find this filling and it is easy to make. I will be following the protein only segment for 5 days, then switching to protein and vegetable, but will probably not switch back to protein only for as long a period of time after that. I will probably do protein and vegetable for 5 days, then protein only for 2 days, and alternate at that rate. Why?  When I am on the protein only regime, my digestive system becomes very sluggish and leaves me feeling very weighted down. When I am on the protein and vegetable regime, my digestive system works more effectively. The program says (and I agree) that eating vegetables causes fluid retention which can result in a temporary weight increase. But knowing that this increase is only fluid which I will be eliminating in a day or so is okay with me because the fluid actually helps to improve the performance of my digestive system in the long run. So I will try this to see what happens.

I have also been investigating online programs that track calories eaten and burned, weight, and other factors including things like sleep, blood pressure, glucose, etc. Many of these online systems are currently free to use so I have chosen one called Fitbit to test out. I chose Fitbit because they also sell an electronic pedometer which I am thinking of purchasing. It is currently not necessary to purchase the pedometer to use the website-- the data is just input manually rather than being downloaded from the device to the website. I've been using it for just 2 days, so I am still becoming familiar with it. 

Fri, Dec 16 - Over the past two days, I have gained a pound and a half.  As it turns out, this week was NOT so difficult to maintain my eating program. At the buffet I attended on Tuesday, I was able to have vegetables and meat only. I skipped the reception on Wednesday, so my meals were totally within my eating program guidelines, and yet I STILL gained a pound and a half!  This is so totally frustrating!! I have no idea why. So, I am taking a break. I am  going to enjoy some holiday foods from now through New Years, and will post again after New Years when I will probably have gained 30 pounds!!!!!!!!!!

Mon, Dec. 12 - I lost another quarter pound today, so am a half pound from my pre-Thanksgiving break weight and 10 pounds from my ultimate goal.  Tomorrow, I go back on protein & vegetables for five days.  However, I have a buffet dinner to attend tomorrow night and the reception on Wednesday, so this trend may be rapidly reversed.

Sun, Dec 11, 2011 - I lost another three quarters of a pound today, putting me three quarters of a pound away from my pre-Thanksgiving break weight, and 10.5 pounds away from my ultimate goal. Every bit of weight I lose now will only help me get through the holidays and back on track afterward.