I’ll have a bowl of cement, thank you.

Saturday morning, May 12

Well, it’s Day One here at Diet Central.  I finish my coffee laced with Stevia and fat-free milk.  Okay, time to try the Greek yogurt.  I scoop about a cup into my coral-colored plastic bowl.  Presentation is important when trying a new food.

I measure a tablespoon and a half of oat bran and drop that alongside the yogurt.  It’s another sunny day, so as usual I take my breakfast outside and sit in the camp chair.  Spike and Bridget follow me out and lie down on the patio mat to bask in the sun.

I take my first spoonful of yogurt.

Hmmm . . . not too bad.  I mix a little oat bran in with the yogurt and try that.  Okay.  So far, so good.   I go ahead and stir all the bran into the yogurt and commence eating my breakfast while enjoying the mountain view.  After about three spoonfuls, I notice a growing sensation of fullness.  Another spoonful and I feel like I’ve eaten a bag of cement.  Man!  This stuff fills you up!  Undaunted, I soldier on.

Meanwhile Spike has a problem.

A fly wants to land on the open wound on Spike’s back.  Spike whips his head around, first one way and then the other, to keep the pesky fly off.  He gets fed up and, in a flash, leaps through the open doorway of the BLT.  I laugh because I know his solution is “to heck with it.  I’m going back to bed.”

I continue to shovel in the cement.

Gee, maybe next time I’m at a dollar store I need to pick up a trowel! I’m only halfway through the bowl of yogurt and bran and I feel like I’ve eaten four meatball sub sandwiches.  Not that I’ve ever done that, mind you.  Somehow I force myself to swallow the last of it. 

Nevertheless I remain optimistic about the diet!

Later, when Spike finally gets out of bed, the three of us will take our morning walk.  The Dukan diet requires you walk at least twenty minutes a day.  That’s easy for the crew and me.  We’ve been doing more than that for months.

Saturday afternoon, May 12

The crew and I stay around camp. Bridget and Spike are worn out from our morning walk which was a long grade downhill and then a longer grade back up.  I’ve got a load of dishes to wash sitting in a dishpan by the front door.  It saves water to let the dishes collect and then wash them all at once.  I like to do that sitting outside, drying as I go.  I finish that and go online.  I try to catch up on reading other people’s blogs.  I apply warm compresses to Spike’s boo-boo, and sit in the shade with a tall glass of water.  The diet says to drink 1.5 liters of water daily.  That’s easy for me to do.

I’m hit with hunger around two o’clock.

The diet says “Eat all you want!” so I eat a boatload of deli turkey, sharing with the crew.  Well, this should hold me for a while!  The rest of the afternoon I putter around the BLT and listen to the radio on my computer.  Around 5:30 I grill several chicken breasts, have one for supper, and put the rest in zip-lock bags for future meals.

Right before sunset we walk the road up to the peak.

Ken told me there’s a gorgeous view from up there.  It’s quite a climb for the crew and me, but they’re game for it.  At this time of day, a cool breeze blows and that helps us to keep going.  We finally make it to the top and the view is worth it.  I try to capture it in a photo.

I think tomorrow we’ll go over to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. 

Dogs aren’t allowed on the trails, but there’s a scenic drive, overlooks, and a visitor’s center.   I’ve heard they have good maps there.  I hope to score some.

Most of the photos were taken on our morning walk.  You can see fire damage to the trees.  Most importantly, if you look closely, you’ll see a photo of the crew that features Spike’s war wound.    [slideshow]

rvsue

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54 Responses to I’ll have a bowl of cement, thank you.

  1. cathieok says:

    Interestingly enough, I have Greek yogurt for breakfast with agave nectar, cinnamon, and wheat germ with fresh strawberries. I enjoy it! It is a bit thick, so know what you mean. I will have to try it with the bran. I would think that you could sprinkle a little bit of the Steevia (?) on it to give it a little sweetness. Maybe you could add a little apple juice or orange juice (if it is allowed) to thin it out a little and give it some flavor. Hang in there. I am going to do a little research on this diet plan. Is wine allowed? Don’t know if I could do without the wine. 🙂

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      I don’t recommend putting the bran in with the yogurt. Like I wrote, it makes it so concentrated that you feel like a cement truck after a few mouthfuls. I haven’t researched the diet very well, instead relying on Ken telling me what you’re supposed to do. He’s lost several inches off his waist and looks great. Fruit isn’t allowed this first week.

      If you go to the website there is a questionnaire that develops a plan specifically for you.

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      The first 5-7 days, the Attack phase, you only eat and drink from this list:
      ■Lean beef, veal or rabbit (mince under 10%, avoid ribs)
      ■Chicken and turkey (except skin and outside part of the wings)
      ■Ham (low fat and lean)
      ■Beef, veal, or chicken liver
      ■Any fish (except canned in oil or sauce)
      ■Shellfish and crustaceans
      ■Eggs (up to two per day, unlimited egg whites but watch the yolks if you have high cholesterol)
      ■Dairy products (low fat, below 2% fat)
      ■Sweeteners (except fructose based), vinegar, mustard, spices, herbs, garlic, onion (as spice), lemon juice (only as spice,not for drinking), sugar free natural ketchup (in moderation), sugar free chewing gum
      In addition you ingest 1.5 tablespoons of oat bran and at least 1.5 liters of water daily.

      You can read more about it at this website: http://mydukandiet.com/ Click on Diet Phases. Or you can buy the book. It’s been on the NY Times Bestsellers list.

      • Elizabeth says:

        Hmmm, no veggies? When can you have salads, veggies, and so forth? Isn’t this the one Princess Kate and her family went on prior to her wedding to Prince William?

      • Sorry Sue , but doesnt sound like a healthy diet at all. Good luck.

        • rvsueandcrew says:

          It’s only five days. It would be unhealthy over a longer period of time. I think we Americans are so fat because we think we have to eat every type of food available every single day… It’s too much.

          • Well, the way I look at it is this diet is all about eating foods high in not only protien but fat !! Fat comes from animal based foods and that is all they want you to eat??? Best diet is eating whole foods as in veggies, grains, beans, fruits, and cutting back on portions. This diet is just like the atkins diet which if you do research on it you will see is not the way to go in the long run. Very hard on your organs to eat so much protein.

            • rvsueandcrew says:

              It’s only for a few days. I haven’t explained the Dukan diet fully. After the initial period, the stages bring you to a place where you eat a healthy diet for life. Carrying excess weight around is not healthy and is hard on the heart.

  2. Reine says:

    Cement…Good Grief. I think I would have stopped when I felt full. Well actually, I would never have started since I don’t like yogurt of any kind Guess I’ll just have to continue remembering (and practicing) that output must exceed input for the clothes sizes to shrink.

  3. ed6713 says:

    “The diet says “Eat all you want!”

    That statement is wrong. In order to loose weight you must, quite simply, expend more calories then you consume. If you consume more calories of white meat turkey, broccoli,grapes, yogurt, oat bran, or whatever, then you expend you will gain weight. It’s that simple. And unfair!!
    There is no magic diet or formula. The answer? Move more, eat less.
    In 1999 I lost 60# by simply moving more and eating less. It took a full year to lose the weight. To date, I’ve only put about 10# back on.
    It’s a real struggle, but worth all the pain.
    Best of luck:
    Ed

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      You’re absolutely right, Ed. However, this diet can say “eat all you want” because the first week of the diet, known as the Attack phase, is so limited in what you are allowed to eat (no fat, no carbs, no sweets, no fruits, no vegetables, etc.) that it’s doubtful you could eat more calories than you expend. Also it is designed to kick-start your metabolism. I’ve walked a zillion miles in the past few months but I don’t lose any weight with a nearly stalled metabolism.

      Congratulations on your 60 lb. weight loss. That’s quite an accomplishment!

  4. 101butterbean says:

    Howdy rvsue & crew,
    That’s a pretty good boo-boo on Spike!! Looks like it’s healing well.. That area must have had a lot of understory for the fire to reach that high on those trees..
    How many ways to spell there(location), their(posessive), they’re(they are) A BUNCH!!!
    Enjoyed the pics today… Except Spikes; it made me hurt!!

  5. Pat says:

    Good luck with the diet. I hope I can lose 20 lbs when I start traveling and don’t have as much stress. Sitting at a desk all the time is not fun.

  6. Kathryn says:

    Hi Sue.. I love one particular brand of Greek yogurt more than the others. Was yours flavored at all? I like the vanilla one or the blueberry one. I don’t have time to sit in my camp chair in the AM and must be out the door in heavy traffic to get there by starting time so I eat it when I get there. I eat one daily but I don’t put any cereal in it. I agree it would be too much. Wow it is so pretty there.

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      Hi, Kathryn,

      As I understand it, the diet’s first week requires plain, zero-fat Greek yogurt. Scroll up and you’ll see the list of what’s allowed.

      BTW, Sue asked you a question in the previous post’s comments section.

  7. earthdancerimages says:

    I think Popeye said it best, ” I Yam what I Yam!” I am fluffy and that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

  8. Lacy says:

    Ok, time for me to go to bed because I was reading how you’re on the diet, eating outside and enjoying the mountain view – but what I THOUGHT I read was you were enjoying a Mountain Dew (-I thought you were blowing your diet on the first day!) Sounds like you’ve got it under control and I’m nowhere near that! Keep up the good work and tell Spike to soldier on, the pesky flies won’t bother him much longer 😀

  9. Teri says:

    I add ground flax seeds to my greek yogurt..

  10. geogypsy2u says:

    I like yogurt and oatmeal, separately. That list didn’t look too bad, for a week. Good luck with this.

  11. Chuck says:

    Spikey looks better and Bridget and you always look cute!!!

  12. Paul Stough says:

    I do not understand the reason for no fat. Eating fat does not make you fat. Only carbs make you fat. I like the flax seed idea. Flax seeds are a great source of Omega 6, which is an essential fatty acid, and will cut down on your craving for carbs.
    Best of luck on the diet.

    Paul

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      Thank you, Paul. One aspect of this diet is to eliminate unhealthy cravings, not only for carbs and sweets, but also fatty foods. It’s like going “cold turkey” for a week, literally and figuratively! The diet appeals to me because I’ve never been able to stop a habit gradually. When I smoked many years ago, I had my last cig and that was it.

    • cathieok says:

      I sprinkle flax seed on my cereal and yogurt. Have to make sure I brush my teeth after breakfast though. Those little buggers stick everywhere!

  13. Paul Stough says:

    A good resource for those who want to lose weight is the “Glycemic Index” which shows how many carbs are in a particular food. Fruit juices are some of the worst things you can ingest if you are trying to lose weight.

    Paul

  14. Page says:

    Where’s the kale? I’d rather have fresh greens than cement.

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      The kale will be part of the second phase which starts next week. Then I’ll be able to eat all the veggies I want, along with lean protein sources. The only reason I was eating cement is because I mixed Greek yogurt, which is concentrated, with oat bran. Oat bran expands when in contact with liquid. That’s one reason it’s in the diet, to give a feeling a fullness, besides fiber and all. I’m going to try drinking it mixed in a glass of fat-free milk.

      • cathieok says:

        I think you are doing great with this “diet”. You are not doing it for months. The first stage is only a week. I know people have your best interests at heart, so don’t be disheartened by some of the posts.

  15. Emily says:

    I don’t think I could be on the “Attack” phase for a week. Mine worked out to just 2 days on Attack and 92 days on the Cruise Phase and by the end of that phase, I should be down to my desired (ended up being my True Weight too) weight and then I go into the Consolidation Weight. Are you working from Online or the book? I understand the attachment to carbs/sweets. Haven’t started yet, gotta get to the grocery store in town to get what I need.

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      Hi, Emily,

      You went to the website and worked out your plan? Are you starting this diet because of me or were you going to try it anyway? Just curiousl We can be diet buddies!

      I’ve been going by what I’ve read online and Ken is acting like a coach. When I told him about my eating “cement” for breakfast yesterday, he told me he stirs the bran into the nonfat milk. I tried that this morning and it was a perfect start to the day (not so heavy — my appetite has already lessened.)

      Another thing Ken told me was to make sure you have plenty of the approved foods on hand so you can eat all you want. You shouldn’t feel deprived. Good luck!

      • Emily says:

        I’d heard about it long time ago, but din’t know anyone had tried it; and, then you brought it up again – so it’s because of you am trying it. Am going to town on Wed and will get much of the approved foods then and keep on hand (good idea, thank Ken for me) since my Attack phase is so short. I’d like to get the book too. Okay we can be Dukan diet buddies. Am only working on 20 pds. Going to be interesting fixing my housemate regular meals and me these – no, he will not join me and has already said so!

  16. rvsueandcrew says:

    Hi, Pauline…. Please don’t try this diet without the book, online advice from the Dukan website or help from someone how knows how to do the diet. I ordered the ebook for my kindle and it was about $13. I’m fortunate not to have any health issues (thank God), so I don’t have that to consider.

    Nice to have you comment even though WordPress is treating you like an unwanted intruder! Happy Mother’s Day!

  17. Teri says:

    I’m glad you shared this with us, and can’t wait to see your progress.

  18. I looked at their web site, according to Dr. Dukan, I owe them $170.00 for coaching and diet. Are you KIDDING?? No way. I ab diabetic, and he says nothing about that either. Not a good diet as far as I am concerned.

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      You’re probably wise to stay away from it, being diabetic. People can use the ebook. It’s only about $13 on Amazon. There are over 300 five-star reviews there, if my memory is correct. The $170 seems high. However, if a person is grossly obese and needs the support of a coach and, because of the coach, becomes healthy (and stays alive), I’d say the money is well-spent!

      I’m not giving medical advice here . . . I don’t know what type diabetes you have or how severe. Some people get off the diabetes meds when they lose weight on this diet. Again, I freely admit I don’t know what I’m talking about! Ha!

  19. Cherry says:

    Sue, in my past life I was a veterinary technician for 22 years – if you need anything for your pooches just let me know. be it advice or first aid, if I’m close enough I will come. I travel with a first aid kit for my cats that is actually a suitcase complete with IVs, catheters, fluids ect.

    You can try putting Neosporin on the wound and even pack it IN the wound to keep an infectious abscess from forming and help keep the flies off it. The last thing you’d need to see are maggots.

    • rvsueandcrew says:

      Thank you, Cherry. That’s nice of you to offer. Right now I’ve stopped the warm compresses. The little bump that Beck (another camper) and I thought might be a pus pocket has disappeared. There’s a dry scab so small , I think he’ll be fine with no more treatment.

      Enjoyed reading your blog today . . .

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