End of Consolidation; End of Dukan!

Weight today: 54,6kg (120,4 lbs)
Goal weight: 55,2kg (reached 06/11/11)
Change: -0,6kg (1,3 lbs)

Good morning, dear readers, and welcome to the conclusion post of Melly-Sue's Dukan diet journey! I have made it, I have made it, I have made it!!! And you can too! ;-)

I first started the Dukan diet on 22 April 2010. My weight was at 74kg (163,1 lbs), and my body mass index was an unhealthy 28,2. I wrote: 'I've never been a tiny girl, my body type already denies me the chance of ever being one (I've got hips and boobs), but throughout my adult life I have been slimmer than this.' On this first diet cycle, I managed to slim down to around 68kg and to a BMI of 25,9.

After a successful start in 2010, I stopped dieting. It would take me another nine months to resume the diet. On 17 July 2011, I had had enough of being unhappy with my appearance, and decided to start the Dukan diet again. I weighed 67,0kg (147,7 lbs) and my BMI was slightly overweight at 25,5, and I was really unhappy with my appearance. I did find this second Attack Phase easier than the first one I did in 2010. For the second and third day update, I wrote: 'I have felt better this time around that I did the last time I did the Dukan diet. I think the weight loss I managed to do earlier (5kg last year) has improved my general body shape, thus this is a little bit easier.'

But, already on the fourth day, my views changed slightly. Continuing after a successful Attack Phase turned out to be hard, but I knew that it would be worth it in the end. On the fourth day of the diet, which was the second day of the Cruise Phase, I wrote; 'Combining work and dieting is hard, obviously because the energy levels are significantly lower and I am having hardly any carbs. However, the end results will be so worth it :-)'

On 22 August 2011, I passed the halfway point reaching 60,7 kg (133,8 lbs).

And then finally, five months ago, on 6 November 2011, my morning weigh in featured the desired number! I had reached my ideal weight of 55,2kg (121,7 lbs), and a normal BMI of 21,03. I wrote; 'I can't believe I've managed to do it and so quickly! The pace has been ridiculously fast, I have to say, but looking at my menus, I don't think I've done it wrong. Especially since I usually cheated on the 0-2% dairy rule almost every day.'

Still, there were hardships along the way. My biggest (and most unpleasant problems) were brought on by the 'lady days' (aptly named the 'diet troll' by Moonday), but besides that, my cheese addiction may have been the biggest obstacle for me. Also, alcohol has played a part... Had I not witnessed some personal changes (break up, moving to a new country, work stress, etc.) I may have reached the end sooner.

However, I am very happy to say that today, five months later, I weigh 54,6kg (120,4 lbs). This marks the end of my Consolidation Phase - I am literally a Dukan graduate, ready to tackle the world of healthy eating through the Stabilization Phase. And I have to say, I find myself quite scared.

So basically I am now allowed to eat what I want, with the exception of including one pure protein day a week. I think Tuesday will be my day of choice - nothing exciting ever happens on Tuesdays, so it seems like a safe option. Additionally, moderate exercising, eating low fat cheese and a daily serving of oat bran is encouraged, which I think I will obey. I will continue to walk as much as I can, and eating low fat cheeses, and eating oat bran too as I am now quite used to mixing some in my breakfast yogurt.

So now I am looking to build up a healthy eating plan. I will start today by having an Oat bran pancake - I have grown to like those - with a bit of peanut butter, or... dare I suggest it.... apple, sugar and cinnamon!

I will keep you guys updated on how my life as a Dukan graduate goes. To conclude the weight loss journey, here is a little graph of my weight throughout the diet, from Attack to Cruise and finally, Consolidation. The straight line represents my goal weight:

Melly-Sue's Dukan Diet Weight Tracker
(when the graph is straight, I didn't have a scale to use)

And, as promised, a picture of me in the Jane Norman dress for the wedding I attended on Wednesday! For those looking for an update on my weight then, I weighed 54,2 kg that morning, so my Consolidation extension proved to be successful. Yes, the dress was still a bit tight, but I think I could just pull it off :-)

A picture of me wearing the dress!
54,2 kg (119,5lbs) + three course dinner in my belly!