First day of training for summer goal

I set myself a longterm goal with this diet and now I am ready to switch gears to the next phase.  I tested myself today and did a good 7.5 mile hike without one break in a little over 2 hours.  That means I was kicking an under than 20 minute mile pace which is exactly where I want to be.  This was a pretty good hike and had some nice elevation climbs but nothing like I am going to have to do this summer.  The pic above is Rae Lakes.  I am hoping to do a nice backpacking trip there this summer with some friends and that is my longterm goal.  The route is HERE and it looks amazing.  This would be awesome and I am very happy that I was able to kick out a good hike today.  Things are alot easier now that I am about 55 pounds lighter :).

Running and cooking

I was able to run 3.66 miles yesterday and a really good pace which helped me make up for my failings over the weekend.  It is very nice to be able to run again and I think today I am going to get out there for a good hike.

Also I am busting out my tandoori recipe just to make this Protein push a little easier.  Hopefully I will start in on these last 10 pounds this week but I suspect with my extra exercise I might gain a little muscle weight.

backsliding weekend

Well this weekend wasnt the best and I got to post about it.

Saturday I ate a Hamburger at a Burger joint in Santa Cruz that was actually really tasty and I ate some fries.
Then just to be a complete tool I ate some Chocolate Chip cookies that night.
Sunday I ate some flour tortillas with butter which was totally stupid but I craved that for some reason.

Today its back to protein.  I have got to kick off these last 10 pounds.  For some reason I am hovering at 220 forever.

First serious attempt at a run

I headed out a couple days ago to try and do my first 5 mile trail run.  I wasn't really expecting to run the whole deal but I do want to make it up the first hill.   This is a place in San Jose called; QuickSilver, it has some brutal hills but it is gorgeous.  I was able to do the whole trail but I could not run up the entire first hill.  Unfortunately two beautiful girls started running behind me as I was going which got me going a little too fast to keep pace with them causing me to die out after the first .5 miles of uphill.  Then they just motored past me and cruised straight up this brutal hill.  After that ego blast I recovered and got going again, power-walking the hill and then running a good mile until I walked again.  Overall, it was a success since I finished the 5 mile loop and did some serious hill climbs.  I had forgotten how rough it is to actually run on trails compared to the street so this was a good lesson.  I am hoping that I have some time today to sneak out and try another trail but things are pretty hectic. I was happy that I finished the hills, didn't barf and wasnt that sore the next day.  I think the WiiFit even with all its silliness is really helping my knee and ankle strength since I am having none of the old pains I used to have there.

The joy of Vegetable days

For me one of the best things about the Dukan diet is that it has really got me to appreciate other foods.  After surviving a 4-5 day protein push nothing is better than this Brussels Sprouts dish.  I dont use the butter and reduce the oil as much as possible.  This dish is awesome and is from:Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table .  Which is a great cook book and restaurant if you get a chance to go out to eat in L.A..  Even if you hated Brussels Sprouts as a kid this dish just rocks and is worth a try.  This with some steamed chicken and roasted butternut squash just makes an all around awesome dinner.

Recipe: Vinegar chicken and a run today

I tried a little silly recipe that I found online after reading that JLo was all over this when she did the Dukan diet.
2 cups of Cider Vinegar
1 tbl of oil:  I didnt do the cup
salt, pepper
8 Chicken thighs
Marinated in this for 12 hours.  I then broiled them.  I also took off all the skin and fat.  Its ok.  Not as good as tandoori but it will do.  Not glorious.

Also, after doing a bunch of leg strengthening with WiiFit I decided to venture for a run today.  Did 2 miles in about 16-17 minutes which made me happy.  Not my old 6 minute mile pace I had in High School but man I felt light on my feet.  I am hoping to transition to running since it really is the easiest way to get in regular exercise for me.

Right now I am on day 4 of protein only and I finally broke into 219.  Only 9 pounds to go for my goal and hopefully I can finish it soon.  I cant wait to make one kick ass meal.

Recipe: Tandoori Chicken

This is possibly one of the best recipes for the Dukan diet.  The best way to do this is to get a huge chicken thigh pack from Costco and then trim all the fat.  Usually I get enough chicken for a couple days and this is a great way to power through the protein part of your diet:
The recipe is here:
http://www.indiasnacks.com/recipe/798/Tandoori-Chicken-(Its-Red!).php
online:

I put in my changes to hit below
Ingredients

2 1/2 lb chicken pieces, skinnless (legs, br; easts, or both) 
1 teaspoon salt 
1 large lemon 
1 3/4 cup plain yogurt (i use non fat) Fague Yogurt 0 fat
1/2 medium onion, peeled and quartered 
1 clove garlic, peeled 
3/4 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and; quartered 
1/2 fresh hot green chili, roughly slic; ed 
2 teaspoon garam masala (see below) 
2 tablespoon yellow liquid food coloring 
1 tablespoon red food coloring (see note) (up to; 1-1/2) 
1 lime wedges 
----GARAM MASALA---- 
1 tablespoon cardamom seeds, ground 
2 inch stick of cinnamon, ground 
1 teaspoon black cumin seeds, ground (i use re; gular cumin) 
1 teaspoon cloves, ground 
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, ground 
1/4 avg-sized nutmeg, ground 
Directions: How to Cook Tandoori Chicken (It's Red!)

This recipe is for Tandoori-style chicken without using a tandoor. It comes from "Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking."

cut each leg into two pieces and each breast into four (I usually skip this step... too squeamish). Cut two slits on each side of each part of the legs. The slits should never start at an edge, and they should be deep enough to reach the bone. Cut similar slits in the meaty side of the breast pieces.

spread the chicken pieces out on one or two large platters. Sprinkle half the salt and squeeze the juice frim 3/4 of a lemon over them.. Lightly rub the salt and lemon juice into the slits. Turn the chicken over and to the same the same on the other side with the remaining salt and lemon juice. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Combine the yogurt, onion, garlic, chili and garam masala in the container of an electric blender or food prrocessor. Blend until you have a smooth paste. Empty the paste into a strainer set over a large ceramic or stainless steel bowl. Push the paste through.

Brush the chicken pieces on both sides with the food coloring and then put them, with any remaining food coloring, into the bowl with the marinade (the paste). Mix well, making sure the marinade goes into the slits in the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 6 - 24 hours. The longer the better.

Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature. Take the pieces out of the marinade, shaking off as much of the marinade as possible. Arrange them in a shallow baking tray in a single layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just done. Test the chicken with a fork just to be sure. Serve with lime wedges.

Keys to my current success

Just a little advice that has worked for me and tips:

 Eat Breakfast and keep it simple.  Everyday I eat the Fage yogurt with Oat Bran and it has been a huge factor in my weight loss.  It holds down your appetite and in the beginning this is crucial.  I highly recommend that this is something you eat for Breakfast with a multi-vitamin every day and stick to it.  This with a cup of coffee can power me through most of my day and prevents me from snacking until lunch time.

 Egg Whites:  This is a must.  It is a the perfect protein and is extremely easy and cheap to make.  I learned this by watching on the cooking channel and found this great video.  If you ever get hungry, this is a quick and easy fix that is perfect for the diet.  You can also buy the already separated Egg Whites but that sort of grosses me out even though it isn't wasteful.

Cold Showers:  Now this can blow and takes some getting used to.  In the Dukan book he advises this to those that are Obese and I happened to start this process way in that category.  So everyday I time myself for 2 minutes and run the water at the coldest possible.  It really wakes you up and you can tell  it gets the blood pumping.  I know that this kick started me through some of my weight loss bursts because I got stuck a couple times at certain weights.

Daily muscle building:  If you can do it do; Push ups.  These are the Ultimate body toner and were essential for me.  I wanted to eliminate my Manboobs as fast as possible and this is how you do it.  I recommend just starting off with 5 pushups in 3 sets and then build from there.  I quickly moved that up to 10 then 15 and now 20.  I think this has helped me quickly build up my core muscles and eliminate my gut/manboobs as fast as possible.  Stomach Exercises have been great as well and has really helped me with back pains.

Cook and have fun:  I am a big home cook which is one of the major reasons why I gained 75 pounds over the last 10 years.  I love to eat and cook for my wife, family and friends.  The Dukan diet is very cool because it does not take away your ability to put out a great dinner.  I will share some recipes that I have converted but one big thing is that Indian food is awesome :).  There are tons of dishes in that cuisine that are instantly convertible.  Also the recipes in the book are not bad and I guarantee I will use many of them from now on since they taste great.

Plan for days off:  I choose to kick off this diet at Holiday time for this reason.  Instead of worrying about the holidays and sitting at the tables wishing I could eat.  I just went off the diet for Xmas, Thanksgiving, my wife's bday and New Years.  That way I could drink and eat what everyone else was eating and not be a stick in the mud.  I just tried to not overeat and then afterwards went on all protein for 5 days.  This really helped me because it gave me something to look forward to and then afterwards I was motivated to burn those extra calories off.  This was one of the things I really liked at the Dukan diet was his section on celebrations and he is right on.

Welcome to my Diet blog

Hi all,

I have decided to start blogging about the Dukan diet that I have been doing for the past 3 months.
If anyone finds this I hope to provide some useful information and encouragement for those trying to lose weight .  It is a little rough finding valuable information about this Diet Online without signing up for the Dukan.com service so I will try to spread some info about what works for me