Do YOU Sweat or Glisten?

Well, we both definitely SWEAT when we exercise!!! I come from a long line of sweaters....in shape or not, I sweat. And that's OK.  That is how God made me :)   And do we exercise?  Yes, exercise is a regular part of our routines.  Dr. Dukan says that exercise is "the means to increase twofold the effectiveness and permanence of the results you can achieve with my diet program."  In fact, he does not just suggest exercise.  Exercise is prescribed as an essential part of the Dukan diet.  In his book, he does a fabulous job at explaining all the details to answer the "Why exercise?" question....I will not try to rephrase him (if Dave was writing this post, he would do it better)....I say just read that chapter :) 

What type of exercise? Well, Dr. Dukan simply recommends WALKING.  Why?

• Of all human activities, walking is the  most natural.
• Walking is the simplest of all physical activities.
• Walking is the least tiring exercise and is feasible for everyone.
• Walking exercises the greatest number of muscles at the same time
• Walking is the exercise that most helps you lose weight
• Walking is the exercise that best protects against aging
• For the obese, walking is the only risk-free exercise

How much Walking? Minimum Amounts....

• Attack Phase-20 min.
• Cruise Phase-30 -60 min.
• Consolidation Phase-25 min.
• Permanent Stabilization Phase-20 min.

Do we walk?  Yes, we have up to this point been very faithful with our walking.  Currently we have started doing more....meaning running, muscle toning, etc.   If I am honest, when I started adding on to my exercise routine, it was harder for me to follow the food part of this diet.  I found my body craving more carbs.  So, I decided to hold off on the extra exercise till the third phase (when you add in some carbs).  And that works for us. 

My advise is to do the work.  Exercise!  If you want to get through each phase as quickly as possible, do the work and walk, walk, walk.  Find what motivates you the best.  One of my friends will treat herself if she gets motivated to exercise. When I say treat, we can not do chocolate or ice cream.  But she will sit and read a book (avoiding the laundry) or make time for a bubble bath ....just find something that gets you to do it!  Now, my two boys would love this below motivational picture blown up as a poster on our wall.  I can picture them saying, "that's awesome!"

Ok, I also wanted to add 4 optional exercises in the Dukan book focusing on certain problem areas.  Here is the illustration I found.  I am a visual learner :)

"Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice"

Splenda or cane sugar? Those of you that saw the previous post about oat bran might have noticed that one of the ingredients of the Gelato is Splenda. Following that post we received a question from our friend April who asked if Dr. Dukan touched on sweeteners and cane sugars and what is the difference. This post is dedicated to you. I hope this answers your question.

Dr. Dukan does touch on sugar and sweeteners in his book, The Dukan Diet. Put simply sugar is bad and avoid it at all costs. Just kidding of course, but that is the basis of the diet. To expand, sugar is high in calories (11 calories per packet) and high in carbohydrates (3 g per packet) and because it tastes so good we tend to eat a lot of it. We have also been conditioned since we were children that sugar is a reward for doing something good, we feel good when we eat it. So we eat more and more and more…you get the picture. The problem we run into is now that we have grown up and are adults, we don’t have the active lifestyle we used to have as children and we don’t burn off the calories associated with this sugar. Sugars that are refined and found in processed carbohydrates increase our insulin production momentarily. Our blood sugar spikes, but yet we don’t have the activity to burn off the calories we produce. Those calories turn into fat that our bodies store as an excess. This can lead to sluggishness and lethargy following our sugar high and can contribute to type II diabetes due to our pancreas having to produce more insulin than our body needs. So in order to lose weight he suggests that we say no to sugar and simple refined carbohydrates.

“But, I crave sweet things? What do I do?” That’s where artificial sweeteners come in. Dr. Dukan mentions aspartame and Splenda in his book. Aspartame is found in many low fat yogurts and diet sodas. He states that diet sodas make following a diet much easier since you can get your “sugar fix” by drinking them but without the calories. He is also less concerned about the controversy regarding aspartame and carcinogens. He states, “Aspartame has been used as a sweetener by billions of individuals in every country in the world for twenty-five years without ever having given rise to any complaints or side effects and certainly not any human cancers.” Let’s talk a little bit more about Splenda.

Splenda, which contains the all natural sweetening agent sucralose, is a no calorie sweetener with less than 1g of carbohydrates per packet. It is also a lot sweeter than sugar so you use half as much.  So that’s 0 calories as compared to 22 in sugar and 1 g of carbohydrates compared to 6 g in sugar (two packets). Splenda is also great for diabetics because it keeps the blood sugar from spiking and therefore keeps insulin levels more stable. Clinical studies over 25 years have shown that Splenda does not affect blood sugar, insulin levels, or long-term blood sugar control (HbA1c) It has many added benefits including taste. While I would say it leaves an interesting after taste, it tastes the most like sugar than other artificial sweeteners that I have tasted.

You can also bake with Splenda as long as you follow a couple of easy tips and even comes with a brown sugar version for baking. As well as three different white versions: with Vitamin B, with antioxidants, and with fiber. Splenda with fiber has one gram of fiber per packet, which is a great way to start off your day. Two packs of Splenda with fiber in your coffee and one on your cereal. That’s 3 g of fiber. 2005 U.S. Dietary guidelines recommend 25 g of fiber per day for adults. The national average is 13 g per day for a normal adult. So you if you start your morning off with 3 g, your well on your way to getting more fiber in your diet. Fiber helps you feel fuller, keeps your GI tract “regular”, lowers levels of “bad” cholesterol in your blood, manages blood glucose by slowing down your absorption of carbohydrates and reduces the risk of certain health conditions, including heart disease. So with Splenda with fiber as well as your daily dose of oat bran you should be good to go. You can learn more about Splenda at www.splenda.com including useful tips and recipes. Even if you only use Splenda in your coffee/tea, and you have two cups per day, you would be saving yourself and extra 44 calories and 12 g of carbohydrates daily, or 16,000 calories a year. Just by replacing your sugar with Splenda!

Regardless of which sweetener you prefer, I have found that you get used to not having the sugar. Artificial sweeteners make the Dukan diet do-able, but don’t worry when you hit that third stage and you can have desert with your celebration meal and your one serving of fruit a day, your taste buds will quickly remember what the sweet taste is. Eating sugar is like riding a bike. Just don’t go overboard.

April, hope that answers your questions. Anymore? We would love to tackle them. Send them in and we’ll dedicate a post to you.

Dave

Oat Bran or Saw Dust?

One of the key ingredients to the Dukan diet is a daily dose of oat bran.  A wise woman (aka Norma :)  once refered to it as "saw dust."  And every day I chuckle as I scoop out my oatbran thinking of Norma and her "saw dust." 

In Dr. Dukan's book, he suggests using your 1 1/2 T of oatbran to make his galette (see below).  I personally HATE the galette.  I actually gag on it due to the texture.  Someone once told me that I am such an "extreme" person.  He told me how much I use the words "hate" and "love."  Yup, that is me. I am pretty decisive with what I like and don't.  And I HATE the galettes.  I have had friends even try and make them for me ....prob. thinking that I have to be doing something wrong (btw thanks friends for trying).  But nope, theirs taste pretty much just like how I made them .....and I still HATE them.  So, what do I do?  I put my oatbran in my yogurt.  I LOVE it!  I actually look forward to it now.  It kindof reminds me of granola (its as close as I'm gonna get for now :)  I have had other friends make their oatbran in to a sort of oatmeal with warm milk.  And they seem to like that as well.  Do what works best for you.   Get creative, we will be eating it for some time so you better learn to LOVE it or at least find a good way to get it down :) 

This light and easy pancake is a tasty way to eat your daily dose of oat bran. Make it sweet or savory.

1 egg white  

1 1/2 tbsp oat bran 

1 1/2 tbsp fat-free plain greek yogurt 

1 tsp Splenda for a sweet pancake 

-or- 

pepper, herbs and/or chopped garlic for a savory pancake

After mixing all ingredients until smooth, pour into a non-stick pan over medium heat. If needed, add only a small bit of oil to help keep from sticking.

Basically, these are made like your typical breakfast pancakes as you flip and cook them in the same manner. I think it takes a certain skill to achieve the perfect pancake, this will come with time.

With the savory pancake, these can be used in place of bread to make a sandwich with your favorite lean deli meat or possibly even used in place of the bun for a turkey burger. The possibilities are endless.

 Why OAT BRAN?  What is the purpose?

To read more... http://www.dukandiet.com/The-Dukan-Diet/Oat-Bran

Who likes going to the Dentist?

Not many people enjoy going to the dentist, right?  Well, I certainly don't count down the days in excitement.  But I was somewhat anticipating my visit yesterday.  From the very beginning of this diet, my teeth have felt weird to me....kindof "dirty."  I think I read somewhere how much more work your teeth need to do to break down all the protein.  Well, it drives me nuts!!!  I brush and floss quite often just to get rid of the texture on my teeth.  I honestly was happy that my 6 month cleaning was approaching.  I wanted to hear what they would say about my teeth.  What were the effects of this diet on my teeth?  So, I went to my visit.  The hygenist was moving pretty quickly from one step of the cleaning to the next.  I informed her of my diet (side note: now she is going to buy the book).  She claimed my teeth look so much better than the last few visits.  Really?  Amazing to me.  I would have bet money that they got worse based on that "dirty" feeling on the teeth surface.  She began to explain something along the lines of when you eat healthier, you notice more.....honestly, I don't remember all the terminology she used LOL (David would have mentally recorded it all -sorry).....I was just happy that my teeth were still normal and I did not need to change anything with the diet. 

Anyone else have that problem?  How about bad breath?....that is a whole other issue that I will devote another post to another time.

Got Beef?

So, with the Dukan diet we eat lots and lots of protein especially in the form of meats.  One question I get lots is "what do you snack on?"  And I normally reply by saying yogurt, raw veggies, and beef jerky.  But for Dave his favorite is the beef jerky...which gets expensive!!!  I have looked in to making my own but honestly I am still trying to find time to use the potty during my day let alone make my own jerky.  So, we just buy it.  Today I went to our local amish market (great place for scent therapy for those of you who believe that works :)  and I saw their beef jerky.  It is honestly around the same price as in the stores but I gotta believe that is is more natural without all of those preservitives and stuff.  I am also hoping it has a little less sugar and salt.  BUT I have got to tell you this, it is soooo much better tasting than what you get in the grocery store.  So, if you like Dave, like your jerky to help get you from one meal to the next, head on over to the farmers market and get you some beef!

Our Diet

Dave and I decided we needed to focus on our health a little this past summer.  We did not want to become obsessed with food, diets, exercise, outer appearance, etc.  We just wanted to take better care of the bodies God has given us.  And now was a good time for US.  No more excuses....no pregnancies, no long school days, no .....

So, we started watching what we ate and threw in a little exercise.  That only got us so far.  I had heard of this new diet on the news called the "Dukan" diet by Dr. Dukan.  I happened to see the book at a book store that was going out of business (if there's a good deal, I'm right on it :).  I read it and told David all about it.  He jumped on board and wanted to start it right away!  I was leery.  I sat on it for a little while making sure I was ready to mentally "buy in".  So, in August, after cleaning out our kitchen of junk food, we took the plunge.  Now fast forward to January.... David has lost 37lbs.  and I have lost 70lbs.  If you know anything about the terminology in the book, Dave is in stage 3-consolidation phase.  I am almost done stage 2-cruise phase.  We feel great! We know this is not the only diet out there and don't think it is for everyone but it worked for us.  For those who don't know much, here is his site http://www.dukandiet.com/The-Dukan-Diet

Feel free to leave your comments, questions, tips below.

"No Dinner Till You Start That Blog"

So, why start a blog?  Well, basically we thought it might be easier to share our journey to healthier living in one place rather than continually repeat ourselves.  If you know me (Jayme), you know that I do not really like to draw attention to myself.  So, the ongoing question "how did you loose all that weight?"  makes me continually feel weird with so much focus on ME.  My hubby on the other hand loves talking about our diet and sharing all of our tips.  So, he was the one who kept nagging me about starting this blog...until eventually he made the comment, "You can not eat dinner until you start that blog."  Of course he made the comment jokingly but it motivated me to finish because I LOVE food :) 

Our purpose is to provide a place to share tips and recipes with our friends who are also on their own journeys to get and stay healthier.  So, please fee free to share your comments, recipes, and ask your questions.  We are just novices at this stuff but we thought it would be fun to join up with you as we help each other.

So, here goes....