Cruise (PV): Vietnamese Pancakes with Nuoc Cham sauce

Pancakes

2 Tbsp of Quark

2 Tbsp of Oat Bran

1 Egg

Whisk ingredients together and 'fry' to make the pancake.

Pancake Ingredients

Couple of handfuls of chicken pieces (1" chunks) dry fried with Thai Spices.

Handful of bean sprouts

Handful of sliced onions

Handful of sliced red peppers

2 Tbsp of ripped fresh mint

Arrange on pancake and fold.

Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce (prepare 1 hour before)

1 Tbsp fake sugar

125ml warm water

60ml Fish Sauce

60ml White wine vinegar

1/2 juice of a lime

4/5 Cloves of Garlic minced

3/4 Birds eye chilli peppers chopped small

Combine water and sugar to dissolve. Add the rest and stir. Done.

CRUISE (PV): Tom Yum Soup

Using only allowed ingredients. Unfortunately coconut milk is not allowed and I've used as little oil as possible. Tastes really good and very filling, but I will add more chillies next time.

Serves Two

For the Tom Yum Paste

2 Garlic cloves

2 Lemongrass stalks

Thumb sized piece of ginger

1 Bunch of Coriander (stems only, keep leaves for garnish)

2 (hot) or 3 (hotter) birds eye chillies (the little ones)

1 large shallot

2 tbs water

Juice of a lime

For the soup

400ml skimmed milk

200ml vegetable stock (using low sodium stock cube)

Bag of frozen prawns or mixed seafood, whatever you like best. Chicken would work too.

Two handfuls of beansprouts

1 Red pepper sliced very thin

4 spring onions (chopped)

1 lime

Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)

Put all the Tom Yum paste ingredients in the blender and make a paste. Put in saucepan with a quick spray of oil and 'fry' slowly for 10-minutes, stirring all the time. Then add milk and stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 15-minutes. Strain and throw out the 'bits'. Then whilst still on the heat, add the seafood for a couple of minutes until cooked.

In two large bowls place red pepper, beansprouts, and spring onions in the bottom, then pour in the soup and leave for a couple of minutes. Squeeze half a lime in each and some coriander.

ATTACK and CRUISE (PP): Chicken Foodle soup

Chicken and fake noodle (Foodle) soup. I love this and it is really filling.

Serves Two

Two Chicken breasts cut into smallish chunks

Half a shallot

Heaped Tbsp of finely chopped ginger

Two or three cloves of finely chopped garlic

Tsp of Chinese 5-spice (or more if you want)

Dried Chilli seeds to taste (for me it is lots)

Low sodium Soya sauce

Knorr Low sodium chicken stock cube

Dry fry the onion, garlic and ginger for 5-mins. Add chicken, 5-spice and chilli seeds. Cook further 5-minutes. Add about 700ml boiling water and chicken stock cube. Add Soya sauce to taste (for me about 5 shakes). Leave to simmer for about 15-mins. Then beat egg in a bowl, give the soup a good old stir to get it spinning and pour egg in over the back of a fork.

CRUISE (PV): Lemon iced yoghurt with rhubarb compote

Serves two

Ingredients

1 Lemon

3 sticks Rhubarb

Ginger

Sweetener

Large Pot of low fat yoghurt

Shred the lemon peel and cut into julienne (thin strips). Put in saucepan with 150ml of water and 1 tbsp of sweetener, and bring to boil then simmer for 30 mins. When cool add to yoghurt and mix. Put in freezer for about 4 or 5 hours, taking it out every hour or so and stirring it up.

Cut Rhubarb into 1" chunks, add juice of the lemon and a tsp of grated ginger, bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Then add 'sugar' to taste. In my case it was a tbsp. Let cool then when 'iced yoghurt' is ready pour on top.

Handy Websites

I should have read a bit more before I started (but I may have never started then). But anyway, here are other websites I've discovered along the way:

My Dukan Diet - Good for basic information and a good base to adapt recipes.

Daily Mail - Good article with excellent recipe ideas.

Hub Pages - Good general information and some recipe ideas. Lots of links.

Dukan Facebook - Need to search around but some ok recipes.

DukanItOut - More recipes.

Rhubarb

Just found out that you can include Rhubarb on your PV days as it is officially a vegetable! Obviously sweetened with sweetener.

Side Effects and other issues

Yes there are side-effects. Yes it is a bit boring, IT IS NOT FOREVER. Yes, it is hard work, but what isn't? There are however some side-effects.

1. Constipation. I didn't do 'number twos' for about six days. No big deal. I wouldn't say it was 'normal' 5-weeks later but then I am eating radically different food. The oat bran is supposed to help that. I guess there is also a lot less 'stuff' hanging around in my gut so I don't need to go as often?

2. Stinky Breath. Didn't happen to me, but I do chew (sugar free) gum a lot anyway. If it does happen take a toothbrush and mouthwash with you.

3. Kidney damage. Drink LOADS of water.

4. Which brings me to: Peeing a lot. This is a bit of a nuisance and requires planning. I am drinking a lot more than I am used to, therefore I pee more. I get up at least twice in the night and have to go a lot more often when I am out.

5. Tiredness. I feel a bit fatigued some of the time, but not to the point that it affects my job/life. I have always had trouble sleeping but now I am sleeping like a baby.

6. Social life. I have avoided socializing a bit, and it is a bit boring drinking soda water in pubs. Eating out is really difficult and you have to be a bit 'American' when ordering. No oil, no butter, no bread etc. I am sure that my many requests have been ignored occasionally. I basically avoid eating out or entertaining. Again, IT IS NOT FOREVER. I have a couple of regular restaurants who are very accommodating (to a point). The few times I have cooked for guests I have made 'Blackened Cod' with cucumber 'tagliatelle'. Sashimi is a good option too. Dessert? Forget it, it is a case of watching them tuck in.

7. Relationships. As I do all of the cooking in my house it is difficult on my partner who has to cook. I have been making us both the same food more or less but adapting the non-Dukan plate. Last night I made filet steak (M&S £5 each, bargain) with a zero fat pink pepper sauce. It was a protein only day so I skipped the salad and (obviously) the fries. I recently made Vietnamese pancakes on my PV day (shrimps, chicken, beansprouts and onion) but used sweetener in the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce, and made my oat bran galette as my 'pancake'.

8. Snacks. On PP days, as far as I can figure it out, there are no possible snacks. I have tried experimenting, but so far have just come up with small versions of the main food I already eat. I never really liked biscuits but there is maybe something possible there? No popcorn. No Wasabi peas. No nuts. No seeds. This is quite annoying BUT in 5-weeks I am out of the habit already. I think this is the point?

Excuses

There are so many possible excuses and reasons not to go on this diet.

1. I am too busy.

I work full-time at one job and also do two other jobs. Who isn't busy these days? Make time!

I spend about 1.5 hours a day on this diet. half hour exercise and an hour shopping and cooking.

2. It is too expensive

This is true. There are ways to do a budget version of the diet but who wants to eat Morrison's smoked salmon? The diet can get boring and a dozen oysters now and again are expensive. As is good quality chicken and low-fat steak. I am spending more on food BUT I am saving a fortune on booze. Getting healthy is much less expensive in the long run, after all, once the NHS has been dismantled who is going to look after an unhealthy you?

3. I eat out a lot/I have to take clients to lunch/for a drink.

I ate out once on a PP (pure protein) day in an average restaurant. I ended up eating two grilled chicken breasts with tabasco sauce. On PV (protein and vegetables) days it is a lot easier but you have to do a bit of research. Obviously Pizza Express is not a good choice. If I have to eat out and it is on one of my PP days, I switch to PV and follow it with two PP days. I also ask for no salad dressing and just use lemon and balsamic. Client lunches can be solved by just doing them on PV days and choosing the right restaurant. A good Japanese restaurant is great for Sashimi (and if the company's paying you can have the good stuff!). Drinking is not allowed AT ALL - I usually get round this by arranging it on PV days and drinking Virgin Mary's. On a PP day you can drink diet coke.

4. I have a wedding, birthday, bar mitzvah coming up...

You are really just going to have to deal with the fact that you can't drink or stuff your face with canapes. I've had a couple of friends who just don't 'get it' and are constantly trying to get me to have 'just one'. These kind of events are boring if you are not drinking but IT IS NOT FOREVER.

5. It is hard to find places to get food near work/home.

This takes planning. If there are no good food places or supermarkets near you then you should maybe consider moving anyway? I have VERY busy days and know that sometimes it will be impossible to get something other than a sandwich so I take a 'packed lunch'. Chicken in spices and a 0% Greek yoghurt to add to it. It is a pain but IT IS NOT FOREVER.

6. I am a busy mum.

This is a really good excuse and I don't have an answer.

7. I will miss my gym (apart from 30-minute walk there is a 'no exercise' policy on the Dukan).

Well go then. This is the kind of 'cheating' that won't harm you. I still go to the gym but believe me, you don't have the energy to do a big work-out. My advice would be to suspend your gym membership and spend the money you save on Oysters.

Getting started

Go on to the Dukan site (you can register for free) here. Then you can calculate your target weight. You answer a few simple questions and get back a chart that gives you an idea of the length of time the diet lasts.For me, I was 13 stone and 10lbs (192lbs or 87 kilos). I wanted to be 11 stone and 7lbs (161lbs or 73 kilos). The website which takes your age, bone structure etc into account said that I should actually aim for 11 stone 11lbs. I decided to ignore this and go for 11 stone 7lbs. Above is the diagram the site made for me: Attack phase: 2 days, Cruise phase:87 days Consolidation: 125 days. I decided that I wanted quicker results so I went on the Attack phase for 5-days.

Top Tips

1. Get a very good non-stick frying pan.

2. Get silicon baking trays and silicon muffin trays.

3. Get as many allowable condiments as possible. Mustards, spices etc

4. Get as many dried herbs as possible.

How it Works

You can go on to the Dukan official site here but the basics are as follows:

In essence it is a high protein diet, but unlike the Atkins it is also a healthy eating plan that according to their website includes 72 animals and 28 vegetables.

The diet is in four phases carried out successively:

1. A brief and headlong ATTACK phase with immediate results. During this phase, the diet is made up of 72 high-protein foods enabling quick weight loss. I was on this for 5-days and lost 7lbs.

2. A CRUISE phase leading to the True Weight. During this phase, the diet alternates Pure Protein days (PP phases) and Proteins accompanied with 28 recommended Vegetables (PV phases). I am on this now and have lost an extra 15lbs so far.

3. A CONSOLIDATION phase of 10 days per kg lost which prepares for the return to a balanced diet. Monitored freedom with a target of establishing this freshly conquered and still vulnerable ideal weight. This phase sees the gradual return of pleasurable foods with two festive meals.

4. A definitive stabilization phase based on 3 simple, concrete, easy but non-negotiable measures. This phase is both the easiest and most essential in our slimming method because 95% of people who follow a diet put back on the weight they have lost.

My recipes will be headed ATTACK, CRUISE and CONSOLIDATION

Allowed Foods in the ATTACK phase are;

1. Lean beef, veal or rabbit (mince under 10%, avoid ribs). M&S do a great very low-fat fillet steak I use a lot.

2. Chicken and turkey (except skin and outside part of the wings)

3. Ham (low fat and lean) Beef, veal, or chicken liver

4. Any fish (except canned in oil (or sauce on PP days) Shellfish and crustaceans

5. Eggs (up to two per day, unlimited egg whites but watch the yolks if you have high cholesterol)

6. Dairy products (low fat, below 5% fat). This takes some experimentation. For example even low fat Philadelphia is 7% whereas M&S do an excellent one at under 3%. And 2% Greek yoghurt tastes much better than 0%.

7. 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

Allowed vegatables in the PV (Proten/Vegetable) days on CRUISE):

1. Artichoke, Asparagus, Aubergine, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, Celery, Chicory, Courgette, Cucumber, Fennel, French beans, Leeks, Mushrooms, Onion, Peppers, Pumpkin, Radish, Salad leaves, Sorrel, Soya beans, Spinach, Swede, Swiss chard, Tomatoes and Turnip.

On top of these there are several ingredients I use which I think are allowed during PP (Pure protein) and PV days:

Low sodium Soya Sauce, Ginger, Tofu, Terriyaki Sauce, No (or at least reduced) sugar Ketchup, Chinese 5-spice, Thai spices, Wasabi, Morrocan spice rubs. Basically check the ingredients.

Starting

I recommend clearing a space somewhere to store all the spices, allowable sauces, pickles, mustards etc. separate from anything else so that you have a clear idea of what you can and can't have.

Now I am on the 'cruise' phase, I have a space where I can keep all my 'products'.