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.