Survived the Holidays

Well I made it through the holidays and stayed on my program. I am still not losing weight. The weight I lost with the thyroid pill came back. I ended up not continuing with the pill since it was no longer effective and my insomnia started at that time. I am still not sleeping or losing weight unfortunately. This is getting frustrating....

New Thyroid Pill

Last month my naturopath took me off of my thyroid pill. Two weeks later I got insomnia, so he put me back on a different one. The new pill works great! I still can't sleep though, which is a big bummer. I don't know if it's related to the thyroid, my age, weight loss, or stress. I've had a lot of stress lately. The lady I took care of passed away. My mom has been diagnosed with cancer, again. My daughters work situation is dangerous right now. Then we have the issue that can't be discussed. I have a lot on my brain and don't know how to turn it off. I have tried everything from herbal concoctions to prescription pills and nothing works. So, I pray. I guess that someone I love must need a lot of prayer right now.

We went riding quads over the weekend, and had a lot of fun. When I got home and on the scale it read 216.4. That means I lost 8 pounds this week!!! Pretty amazing and exciting after such slow progress I have had the last few months. This brings my weight loss total to 85 pounds. That is more than my Mary weighed. I have lost a small person at this point.

I Survived Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving this year was extra special because it was my daughter's 20th birthday. She is an absolutely wonderful, godly young lady that I am very proud of.

I didn't have any trouble sticking to the diet over this holiday. I made non fat gravy and oatbran bread stuffing with sausage in it. Yummy!! I think I will have to do that more often and not wait for Thanksgiving. My family even liked it as well as their stuffing. I was dreading a eating holiday, but it wasn't a problem at all. Amazing! I even lost weight this week and am at 224.

Back on Dukan again

Well I went up a pound on the other diet, and the cravings were getting stronger day by day. I didn't wait for Thanksgiving to switch. It was nice to have a break and eat some fruit but I think the Dukan is the only way for me at this point. I still haven't cheated on either diet but I sure was tempted on the lo-cal one! I was worried that it was going to be hard to switch back to Dukan, but it was quite easy and almost a relief to be back doing what I know best at this point. I lost the pound I gained so I am still at 226.

It's working and it got me to halfway!

Praise the Lord! The change up worked. My daughter is so smart! I am now at 226. I have officially lost 75 lbs and am halfway to my weight loss goal! So very exciting. I am going to continue it until Thanksgiving and then I think that I will go back to the Dukan diet. It is such a nice break from 6 months of eating meat and veggies, I actually get to eat fruit several times a day and some grain products. I feel like I am cheating because it is such a treat after not having any for so long. I do notice that I feel hungry more often even though I can eat as many veggies off the list as I want. I am having a few cravings but I am not sure if that is pms stuff or carb related. I have been able to keep a handle on it though.

Everyone is noticing now and all the time. It is so encouraging to hear them tell me how great I look and how proud they are of me and to keep up the good work. It is very helpful on days that it gets discouraging.

Something new

My daughter gave me a suggestion and since she is a wise young women I am going to take her advice. I have been contemplating this since she suggested it on Thursday. But, frankly, I am very fearful to do something different than what had been working. I am afraid that I will lose control and go back to eating anything and everything all the time. I finally decided to take the plunge and I am going to try it. It is the Rotation Diet. For 3 days you eat 600 calories, next 4 days 900 calories, than a week of 1200 calories. Than you repeat the first week. I am going to try it for a week and see if the weight will start moving again. You have a menu you follow. It is almost the opposite of the Dukan diet so it might trick my body. I will report back to what happens.

Week 27 and 28

Okay, I didn't post my weights when they happened because not much has happened. I stayed the same at 231. It is getting really frustrating that the diet that seemed to work so well, isn't working so well anymore. I am not sure what I am doing wrong. My body has never liked to let go of the extra weight so it has been unusual that the Dukan diet has worked so well. I think my body has figured out that it was losing weight and has decided to rebel and quit losing. I am not sure what to do about it. I have even been trying to exercise somewhat regularly.

Anyway, I had my birthday on the 28th. My daughter and I went to the Women's Retreat at camp Tapawingo that day. It was so encouraging. Everyone noticed that I had lost weight, several people shared that since they have seen me do it, that it has encouraged them to try and lose weight also. They even told me that I am their inspiration. I am not sure what to think of that! It makes me know that I have to continue this battle and figure out once again how to get my body to let this weight go.

Week 26 - Wow, that's a long time!

So, I guess I have been on the Dukan Diet for six months now. That seems so amazing. It seems like I was just telling my family that I was going to try this crazy diet for a month and now it's been six months. As of today, I am down 70 pounds. I was 231 this morning and had lost another 3 pounds. That is the most I have lost in awhile so maybe the apple did the trick, or maybe not.. I now know that it probably didn't hurt me. I will probably have a piece of fruit once a month just because I think it is healthy for the body and it didn't give me any negative side effects.

In six months
*I have lost 70 pounds (2 3/4 lbs a week)
*Gone down 4 sizes in clothing
*Gotten off one high blood pressure pill
*Lowered my cholesterol
*Have more energy
*Have better self-esteem
*Been able to do things easier and better

Has it been worth it? I have had to say no to a lot of the foods I would like to eat. But as of today I am not upset about not having them. I don't even remember everything I said no to. At the time it was hard, but so very worth it. I can't wait to be normal weight and God willing, I will have a much longer, healthier life to enjoy my family with.

Looking forward to the next six months.

A strange occurrence

There is a strange occurrence that has been happening lately. I noticed it the first time on Sunday when we were at the beach, and I assumed if must be a fluke thing. But then it happened a few days later when I went to get the mail. And then again today when the dog was heaving. I am not sure what is causing it or if it will continue to happen, since it hasn't happened in many years. Are you wondering what it is? Well, I have been jogging, a slow jog, but a jog still the same. It surprises me every time my body does it, but it hasn't killed me yet.

I cheated - on purpose!

I had an apple a couple days ago! :o I have been losing really slowly. It seems like the last few months I keep playing with the same few pounds going up and down. I researched how to break stalls and a lot of the suggestions were to go off diet for a day. I was too scared to do that so I had an apple. I have been wanting fruit since I started this diet. I thought about it for several hours before I was brave enough (I have a fear if I deviate from the diet that I will totally lose control). I sliced it into thin slices and took a bite. My thought was, "yep, that's what an apple tastes like, it's sweet and juicy". "hmm, it's just an apple". I was totally surprised that I wasn't excited about it or anything, it was no different than eating a piece of meat or zucchini. I think this diet has actually changed my thoughts about food! Praise the Lord!!! I think I am getting healed from this addiction to food.

Week 25

Wow, it's hard to believe how long I have been on this diet and been able to stick to it. Today when I weighed I was at 234.1. Things are still coming off slow. But, I guess that slow is better than not at all, or even gaining. It doesn't look as if I will meet my goal of halfway by my birthday. I am going to try and do more on the elliptical so there is still a chance.

The elliptical whooped me!

Wow! I am so out of shape! I could only (or was only willing) to do 10 minutes on that thing. I had sweat pouring off of me like I had never had. I have gotten on it 4 times since I got it for 10 minutes each time. I am hoping to up my time next week. It works though! I got on the scales and was back down to 234. I ordered the Jillian Michaels Lose Weight workout to use with it. I am sure it will be hard for me even though it's only level 1. I hope it arrives soon.

What happened?!?!?

Okay, I got on the scale this morning and it said 242. What happened?!?!? I did several all protein days and didn't deviate from the diet, and even exercised some. Six pounds gained - something is not right. This weekend I had sucralose and didn't drink my water could that have caused it? I could see several pounds - but not six! I am getting really frustrated with this ol' body.

On the upside of things, I was able to find an elliptical on craigslist this weekend. I used it this morning and it whooped me! I was only able to stay on it 10 minutes and at that point I had sweat pouring off of me. I am hoping this is what I need to get the weight coming off again.

PP days are what it takes

I got on the scales today and I was at 235.1. I guess I needed to do things the way I should do them and not the way I wanted to do them! That's 4 pounds for this week! I am so thankful that the scales are moving in the right direction again. I need to lose 10 more pounds to be at the halfway point. I would love to be there for my birthday which is on the 28th. I think at this point I should be able to reach that goal.

Things are probably going to get more hectic with my life. I have been asked to do my caregiver job 5 days a week instead of just 3. I am already stressed with the 3 but after praying about it, I feel that God put us on earth to be servants to one another and right now He is asking me to serve them. My family has said that they will help out at home more so hopefully it will work. I spent the weekend spring cleaning so things would be easier to keep up on. I only have a few more rooms to go. It sure feels good to have everything clean and in it's place.

Where are my posts....

....must be lost in cyberspace. I hadn't been on here in about a month and I just realized that my August posts are gone.

As of today I weighed in at 239.4. The scales are still coming down but very slowly. It seems like the last month I have been playing with the same 3-4 pounds. I have been frustrated with life and kind of down in the dumps especially since the scale isn't moving much, so I haven't been posting. I think that is part of my problem with the scale not moving and since it is veggie season here in Oregon I started eating veggies every day. I figured lean meat and veggies I will still lose a lot a weight. Well, I was wrong. I am starting back today to PP days and PV days instead of all PV days. I have also started T-Tapping again. I have actually done it three times this week. My other problem is that I am slacking in drinking water. I am anxiously awaiting my newest order of Capella drops to put in my water. I am going to try some Flavet ones this time. I will let you know.

I am so excited, someone finally noticed that I have lost weight! It took over 45 pounds to be lost - but they noticed. My friend came over last night for a BBQ and when we were alone she said that she noticed that I had lost a lot of weight. I told her thanks for noticing. This make us for all the frustrations I have had on this journey lately. She made my day!

After this, I am going to be brave and post a few photos (I don't know how long I will leave them up). The first is me at the start and then second is when I had lost 25% of what I want to lose. I have since then lost an additional 8 pounds. I still look at my before picture (and even current one) and am so appalled at what I let myself become.

No more dairy - what am I going to do?!?!?

I finally went to a naturopath to try and get better. It seems to be helping. He took me off of dairy today though! I spent the day having a big pity party for myself, and bawled all morning. Why does food or not being able to have food have such an affect on me? Why is it so important to me that I would actually cry? When I was driving home I was so tempted to pull into every fast food place I passed. I figured why not, I am a lost cause now. But then I prayed for strength and kept going. It has been a hard day. I have been wondering how I am going to stay on this diet and not have dairy. I already can't have eggs. That means only meat on protein only days. I don't think that will work. What am I to do?!?!

Post edited: Later t0day as I was bawling to my daughter that I couldn't have dairy now, she suggested that I try eating veggies every day with my protein and see if it will work. I am so glad I raised such a smart girl! I am going to give it a try and see what happens.

Week 13

The steroids must have left my body because the scale is going back down. I am now at 258. Still coughing though.

Week 12

I don't like these steroids. I am up 4 pounds and weigh 262.3. It is so frustrating to work so hard at something to have it waylaid because you had a reaction to a shot you didn't need. I am still feeling horrible and only get a few hours sleep at night due to coughing.

Pertussis and steroids

I went to the doctor for a physical and got a DPT shot and had an allergic reaction. Needless to say the shot that was supposed to help me be healthy has made me dreadfully sick. I have pertussis (whooping cough). The doctor put me on steroids to help me get over it. I tried to talk her out of it because I heard that it will make you gain weight. We will see.

Week 11

A little more of a loss this week. I am now at 258.6.

Happy Independence Day!!

Today is the day for my 10 week report. I am at 263.2 which means I have lost 8 pounds (an amazing amount for me) this week and 38 pounds since starting this new way of life. So, as we celebrate our countries independence I am celebrating that I am now independent from those 38 pounds. I also am celebrating the freedom from uncontrollable cravings, one of my blood pressure pills, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, feeling hopeless, being constantly tired, etc. As of yesterday I am officially 25% of the way done with my weight loss goal. It is amazing how 10 weeks can make such a difference in my life and how I feel. I am excited to see how the next 10 weeks change my life.

Could it be the yogurt?

The scale has moved down every day this week. Today I was 264.1, that means I have lost 6 pounds since Monday. The only thing I can think I have done differently was to add yogurt back in my diet. I couldn't stomach it for awhile and started eating it again this week. I got some flavor drops from Capellas and the peanut butter one makes yogurt very yummy. It taste like peanut butter pudding. I have eaten probably 3 -4 yogurts a day lately. That and I am making sure that I don't eat anymore products with sucralose in them. Whatever is causing it, I am very happy!!!

The scale is moving again!

I got on the scale yesterday and I was 269.4 and today I was 267.5. I don't know what made it start going down, but I am glad it is. It is sad to say but that is probably the lowest that I have been in 10 years.

I'm at week 9 now

Week 9 - 271.2. The last few weeks have been sorta frustrating. I keep losing and gaining the same few pounds. I am not sure what is going on. I don't know if my body is just realizing what I am doing and it is saying "hey, wait a minute, I want to keep this fat around in case you run out of food" or what. Even without the scale going down, I am not discouraged and I am not going to give up. That is one thing about the Dukan diet I really appreciate, it is easy enough that I want to keep going. Hopefully by next week my body will have decided it's time release some more weight. Hmm... I bet exercising might help. :)

The Box

Today at work I had to carry a box downstairs. It wasn't a large box so it surprised me when it was heavy. I am thinking to myself, "wow, this weighs a lot!" When I got to my destination, for curiosities sake, I looked to see what it weighed. Thirty pounds. That's when it dawned on me that I had lost 31 pounds at this point. Hmmm, I was packing that weight around and thought nothing of it, but when I had to pack it in a box I am amazed at how heavy it is. It made me thankful and appreciative of how much I had lost. So, on days when you are discouraged pick up something that weighs the amount you have lost and you will be glad to keep on going. It will surprise you!

The Biggest Loser

The other evening I was watching old episodes of the Biggest Loser. I noticed after the first couple of weeks most of the ladies lose between 3-5 lbs. a week. With Dukan dieting I have lost an average of 4 lbs. a week. I think that is pretty incredible considering I am eating good food and I am never hungry, and I haven't had to kill myself in the gym until I am puking. In fact, (I hate to admit this) I have only exercised about 5 times in the last 8 weeks. But best of all I don't have to leave my family to lose the weight! I would love to see them do an episode where the contestants are given a choice between the normal diet or a low carb/high protein diet to see which ones have more success.

Week 8 update and blood test results.

I had to go in an get my annual physical done. All my results came back great! I was getting close to diabetes and this time my blood sugars were normal. My cholesterol dropped from 204 to 162. The doc asked me what medication I was on to lower it so fast! She said she hasn't seen anyone have such a drop by just changing their eating. My good cholesterol was only 35 though and should be at least 45. She wants me to start taking fish oil supplements for that. My kidney function was great. (so this diet obviously has not hurt my kidneys like so many anti-dukan's say it will). And I have lost 32 pounds. Pretty amazing! Thanks Dr. Dukan. Today I have been on this diet for 8 weeks now. I still have a long way to go (they say another year), but I am thrilled with the results I am seeing. I don't think it could get any better than this! Oh, I almost forgot the scale today read 269.7. Yea! I am out of the 270's!

Sucralose - Not for me!

I started adding sucralose products into my diet and I started stalling or even gaining weight. Eating sucralose is the only thing that I changed so I figured it must be what is causing it. I quit the sucralose and lost the few pounds I gained within two days of being off it. I guess it isn't worth satisfying my sweet tooth with artificial sweeteners if it is going to make me gain weight just like sugar did. I think I will stick with Stevia.

The end of week 7

I always try to post on here my Monday report. I ended at 272.2. I was up a couple pounds and I think that was due to my time of the month. That makes my loss 29 lbs now instead of 31. I hate when that happens on a Monday since that is my "official" weigh in day. Oh well, I am hoping it will be gone shortly.

20 percent

Great news! I got on the scale this morning and it was down 3 pounds (270.2). The exercising two days in a row paid off! I even walked again today - I was a little stiff but made the effort. That means I have lost 20 percent of what I want to lose. Pretty exciting. I just hope I continue to lose this fast. My goal is to get to the end without cheating. I am feeling like I can do it. I am not sure I want to get on the scale tomorrow. I didn't drink all my water and I feel like I have water retention do to Aunt Flo's visit.

I surprised myself yesterday by how excited I was that I could have veggies again. I never in my wildest dreams would have ever thought that I would be excited to eat a veggie, chocolate cake- yes, but a vegetable....strange. Life is changing, for the better. Praise the Lord for that.

I did it.

I actually exercised! I don't like exercise, but I got up and walked for about 30 minutes, I would guess I went about a mile. And you know what, I didn't die! :) Then when I got on the scale this morning it was up a pound (273.5). Hmmm, the only two times I have exercised on this program I have gained weight. Strange....my body must be rebelling. I will have to walk again today and see what the scale says tomorrow!

I had to buy an ice cream maker

After having delicious ice cream for dinner I had to go out and buy my own ice cream maker. I can't wait to try it tonight since my flavorings came in the mail today!

Yesterday's food list was:
3 cream cheese filled muffins
a handful of turkey meatballs
baby bel light cheese
1/2 rotisserie chicken (yes I was a little piggy)
ice cream made from coffee and yogurt (not so great tasting)

I am now down to 272.5, which means I have lost 3 lbs in the last two days while eating ice cream. Is that unbelievable or what?!?! I keep expecting a stall or the scale to go up since it is getting close to Aunt Flo coming to visit, but it hasn't happened yet. Yea!!!

I had ice cream for dinner!!! (and I didnt' cheat)

Today is the end of 6 weeks on the Dukan Diet. I am really liking the program. I am starting to think that I WILL be able to stick with it for a year to get off all the weight. As of today I have lost 26 lbs. To celebrate I ate ice cream for dinner! It was totally legal on this program. I made it out of non-fat milk, egg yolks and stevia. The neighbor was nice enough to loan me her Cuisinart ice cream maker. I NEED to go buy one now. I can envision me having a different bowl of ice cream every day. I just ordered some flavoring and now I can't wait for them to get here to make flavored ice cream. So YUMMY!!!

Over the weekend I had my first real challenge. The neighbor invited us over to have homemade egg rolls for dinner. Egg rolls are my absolute favorite food and she does the best ones ever. I wanted to decline the invitation but that wouldn't have been fair to my family and friendship isn't just about food. I then remembered 1 Corinthians 10 :13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." The way of escape He gave me was remembering what egg rolls are made of - chicken, cabbage, onions, carrots, and wrappers. Well, I could have all that except the wrapper. I asked my friend to please leave me a scoop of just the "guts" and I ate that and enjoyed it immensely and I didn't have to cheat! Praise the Lord for a way out of the temptation. The best thing was I was rewarded for my obedience and the scales were down a pound the next morning. God is good!

Oat bran muffins recipe - YUM!!!

I found this to be an absolutely yummy way to use your oat bran. I feel like I am cheating when I eat them. That could be because I was 5 weeks into this diet before I first discovered them and I had already forgot what real carbs taste like!

6 Tbls. oat bran
1 tsp. baking powder
sweetener (I use two packs Truvia or splenda drops)
5 Tbls. yogurt
2 eggs
Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir well. Add one of the extras if desired.
Pour into Pam sprayed paper liners in a cupcake pan. I usually make 6-9 depending on size. 1/3 of the number you make is your serving size for the day. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes

Extras:
2 tsp. low fat, sugar free cocoa powder
Cinnamon
Extracts
On PV days grated zucchini and cinnamon or grated carrots
Or anything else you can think of!

After baking I take some fat free cream cheese and mix a Truvia pack in it and spread this in the middle of the muffin. Delicious! If you try this let me know what you think.

25 pounds!!!

Today when I got on the scale I saw another loss. I wasn't expecting it after yesterdays. I am now 276.5 lbs. That means in 5 1/2 weeks I have lost 25 lbs. How very exciting!! There are days that I want to cheat but the payoff is so rewarding.

For some reason today I was extremely hungry. It was a PV day for me. I started the morning with oatbran zucchini muffins filled with cream cheese. Lots of sf jello. Sauted ff wiener with zucc. and onions. Turkey meatballs. Ff/sf fudgesicle. String cheese. I don't know if there was anything else or not. I should be better about writing down what I am eating that way I will know what works for me and what doesn't. I am beginning to wonder if sucralose is making me want to eat more. I just started using some products with it in it and I seem hungrier and I also have a bit of a headache. I usually try to use stevia. I didn't do well with drinking my water today either.

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Yesterday, I felt like Alexander in the children's book. I was so grumpy, irritable, grouchy, angry, frustrated, etc. I made it through the day but I was not fun to be around. I am not sure why it happened. Here are some thoughts I had on it today for reasons why
- scales were up due to water retention (281.5)
- pity party that I couldn't eat what I wanted
- hadn't spent time with the Lord
- didn't have any yummy Dukan food in the house
- body adjusting to this new way of life and it's rebelling
- haven't started exercising yet.
Well, I think that it was probably a combination of all of the above. Most of which I can control. I think the main problem is the scale. When it goes down it is easy to stick to the diet and I do so gladly but when it moves in the wrong direction I am like a two year old having a temper tantrum. I guess I should stay off the scale or learn to control my emotions when the results aren't in my favor. Today it said 277.5 which shows that it was water retention and I did lose weight over the weekend. Do I dare get on the scale tomorrow??

Monday was the end of week 5

I was out of town so this is getting posted late. I was at 279.5 at the end of week 5 which means I had a 1 1/2 lb weight loss. That seems so disappointing after losing so fast. I hope that it is only temporary and that things will speed up again. I really want to escape this fat body since I am starting to see progress. I know it took me many years to get this fat, but now that I have set my heart to doing it, I want it done and NOW.

I made it 30 days - here are the results

I told myself that I would try the Dukan Diet for 30 days. Yesterday was number 30 . What is worth it? YES. Will I continue it? YES! In 30 days I have not had any difficulty sticking to it. I have not cheated once. I have lost 22 lbs. I am only taking 1 blood pressure pill instead of two. Today I grabbed the wrong pair of jeans (ones that are a size smaller) and they fit. My hubby has asked where my belly has gone. I have more energy and more joy. Pretty amazing what 30 days can change in my life. I am excited about the next 30. Now if only I would start exercising like I am supposed to! Does quad riding count for exercise?

We are leaving in the morning to go to the dunes to ride quads with several other families. There will be lots of temptations, but I plan on being stronger than my fleshly desires. 1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I will post on Monday on how I did.

4 weeks on Dukan

This morning was 4 weeks of the Dukan way. The scales say 280.8. That means I have lost 21 lbs in 28 days. Pretty exciting! I think that this is the first time I have been on a diet without any cheating. Sometimes it feels like cheating because it is fairly easy and a person can come up with some pretty good things to eat. Are you eating the Dukan way? I would love you to leave a comment and let me know how it's going for you!

Where's your belly?

The scale finally moved a little in the right direction again today. Glad the hormonal thing is over and hopefully the munchies will be gone. Today the scale said 280.5. Looking forward to the 270's. It's amazing what can excite us on a diet. The last few days I have eaten according to plan but kind of grazed through the days. I have also eaten a lot of foods with sucralose and preservatives. I want to try this week to eat more of the God made type of foods and see if the scale moves any faster. I am also going to start exercising today. Next weekend we are going quad riding and I would like to be in a little better shape.

This morning my hubby gave me a hug and said "where did your belly go?" That was a great motivator! My belly is still there and still quite huge, but, he noticed that it is getting smaller. He isn't one usually full of compliments so I know he meant it. Thank you Lord! (and thank you Dukan).

Day 24

Well, I was up 1/2 lb today. I think it is water retention from hormones. Hopefully it will be gone in a few days.

Today was a pure protein day for me. I really had the munchies today. I didn't cheat but I ate more than usual again. Today I ate:
yogurt/rhubarb
turkey taco meat
cocoa
pepperoni crunchies
3 yogurts
mocha freeze
hamburger patty w/egg, onion and oat bran

I didn't really have any set meals, but sort of grazed through the day. Not good. PMS type stuff is not any fun with how it affects our moods and desire to eat. I did stick completely to the program though!

Day 23

Well, it's still happening. I got on the scale today and I was down another 2.5 lbs. I am now at 281.5 lbs. That is 19 1/2 pounds since I started - almost a pound a day. I am so amazed! Yesterday was a pure protein day and I stuck to it.

Today I ate
breakfast - don't remember
lunch - italian veggie casserole
snack - cocoa
dinner - italian veggie casserole with taco meat
snack - another cocoa and a yogurt.

It will be interesting to see what the scale says tomorrow since I feel I ate more than I normally do. The casserole was so good that I felt like I was cheating.

Today in my bible reading was Galatians 5:16 " Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. " It reminded me that when I am trying to stick to this diet and away from the sin of gluttony that when temptations come I need to remind myself that I have God's Spirit in me and I do not need to give into any temptation that will fulfill my fleshly desires. If I cry out to God He will meet my needs so much better than food ever could. Thank you Lord for always being there.

The Dukan Diet (my 30 day challenge)

I have heard so much in the news lately about the Dukan Diet. The thought of losing some weight quickly was really appealing to me. I decide to give it a try for 30 days. I didn't know if this eating plan would actually work for me but I thought what do I have to lose (besides weight). I am now three weeks into it and I thought I would start keeping track of what I am doing daily so I would know what is working and what isn't.

Week 1: I was surprised that I didn't have any trouble starting this diet like I do with so many. It was actually quite easy for me. I didn't have the sugar withdrawal that I was expecting or anything. I think God must have wanted to bless me and encourage me. I did not exercise like I was supposed to. I am amazed that during the first week on the Attack phase I lost 11 lbs. Praise the Lord!!

Week 2: This week was more difficult I only lost 3 lbs. I had lost 4 than on the last day I was up a lb. It is ironic that I was up a lb. the day after I went on a bike ride. That itself was a challenge. The last time I had been on a bike was 16 years ago. I rode in the backwoods so I wouldn't be seen. I survived but my backside didn't!! That week I also felt very tired all week.

Week 3: I have discovered this week that the reason I am feeling sluggish is that my blood pressure is too low for me. (93 over 65) I am on two blood pressure medicines. Well four days ago I decided to try using only one. My blood pressure is in the normal range still and I feel better and have more energy than I have had in years!!! This diet is wonderful for lowering my blood pressure. I lost 3 again this week. That brings my total for 3 weeks to 17 lbs. That is absolutely amazing for me!! Anytime I have been on a diet it takes forever for the weight to come off. In fact, I usually have to drop to about 600 calories to make it work. With this diet I have been very satisfied and haven't had a problem when temptations have come my way. At the end of week 3 I am at 284.3 lbs.

Now that I have this blog started I hope to post daily on my ups and hopefully mostly downs so I can see what is working and what isn't. I also need to come up with an exercise plan.

Why the Prodigal Princess?

Ok, you are probably wondering about the name of my blog. When I was trying to think up a name I was reading the devotional "His Princess - Love Letters from Your King". It made me realize that as a child of God's I am like a princess since God is my Father and King. I am also very much like the Prodigal that keeps leaving and than runs back into the arms of my Father. My weight and the sin of gluttony often times leaves me feeling unworthy and I try, at times, to hide from my heavenly Father. I than repent and come running back. Thus, the name the Prodigal Princess. I think it fits. I am just so thankful that He doesn't give up on me, and I know that when I surrender to Him 100% I will have victory.