You Can Dukan?? Because I Can't...

Chalk it up to a slightly hyper personality or genetics, I have come to realize that I have a pretty fast metabolism.  I never thought I did... Until I calculated the amount of calories I eat on an average day.  If I eat anywhere from 2,500 to 3,500 calories per day I maintain my weight. 

When I went on a 1,500 calories per day diet back in undergrad I lost weight fairly quickly... About 30 lbs in 4 months.  Since law school began I haven't gotten much sleep, don't have a lot of time to cook, and am sedentary so much... Sitting in class, studying, reading, doing homework.  And I have to admit, I have an awful diet... Mostly because of my insatiable sweet tooth.  Candy, chocolate, ice cream... It's like Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette with all the macaroons and cakes!!  

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Not that I think indulgence is bad... I am a firm believer that you shouldn't deny yourself everything.  What a waste!!  You could die tomorrow... Do you really want to look back and realize that you didn't allow yourself that piece of chocolate after lunch?!  

No... I never wanted to ex-nay all candy and sugar from my life.  But I realize it's not the best thing for me, and I also know that someday my metabolism will slow down and I won't be able to eat M&M's like they're celery.  So... When one of my friends mentioned that she was going on the Dukan diet, I was curious.  I agreed to go on it with her and purchased the book to see what it was all about.

 This isn't actually why the French are thin, but it's a cute tagline anyway I guess. 

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Basically, the Dukan diet has structured stages based on your weight.  For example, the first stage for me was 2 days, the second stage was 20 days, and the third stage was like 4 months or something.  It's mostly all protein, with the exception of starchy vegetables that are added in during the second stage.  

I bought a lot of protein-filled products at the grocery store (cottage cheese, nonfat yogurt, beef, chicken) and began the first stage of the diet.  Let it be known that I am not a huge meat eater... So eating beef or tuna or chicken for every meal the first day made me feel like a vampire, looking for my next meal in the form of bloody meat.  By the end of the day, nothing sounded better than an apple!!  The yogurt definitely helped me, as it was sweet and not a typical "protein taste".  

Speaking of "protein taste", the major reason I was not able to do this diet is because of something that developed within 12 hours of starting this diet... The worst taste in my mouth you could ever imagine.  And I'm totally not kidding. 

I know it's gross, and I'm sorry if it's TMI... But I began to get this taste in my mouth that couldn't be gotten rid of with brushing, flossing, mouthwash rinsing, gum, or mints.  It was excruciating for me.  Literally, I can't think of anything that would be worth dealing with that kind of taste for 24 hours a day.  It was like morning breath the day after you've eaten Indian food with a side of garlic and pizza!!!  I. Could. Not. Handle. It.

Side Note:  Dad told me that this taste is the ammonia being released as your body breaks down all the protein you're consuming.  

 I had this horrible image of my future dates looking like this!!

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The second day - yes, people... I'm quite the trooper... A WHOLE 2 days?! lol - I ate my breakfast while in an awful mood.  I couldn't have my usual granola with my yogurt, couldn't have any strawberries or blueberries.  And that taste!!  Oh... I was not a pleasant person.  I felt dizzy and weak (this was definitely starvation for a person who's used to so many calories) and my brain just felt like it wasn't "on".  I couldn't focus, I couldn't pay attention in class.  I just didn't feel right.  

The worst part came that night when I had worked my little tail off making a "vanilla custard" recipe that was in the Dukan book.  I even bought ramekins to make it in.  Ramekins!!!  I figured all the work was well worth it, since the custard would probably taste a little like creme brulee, right?!

OH. MY. GOODNESS.  I couldn't have been more wrong.  After waiting 2 1/2 hours for the custard to chill, I went to the fridge and got out one of the ramekins to taste.  Good Lord.  There was no sweetness in the custard at all.  In fact, it tasted like I had taken a bite of pure... Cold... EGG!!  Disgusting.  Disappointed is an understatement.  I couldn't even taste the cinnamon and nutmeg in it, and copious amounts of Splenda did nothing to help.  

It was then that I knew I could not do the Dukan diet.  I couldn't deal with such a horrible 24/7 taste to feel deprived... And dizzy... And unfocused.  The next morning, I ate cereal.  And wow, did I feel better.  By lunchtime, I felt more alert and less dizzy.  And by the next morning the taste had disappeared.  

Side Note:  I even made J taste the custard to make sure it wasn't just me that hated it.  He took one teensy, tiny bite and spat it out in the sink.  After washing his mouth out a few times, he told me that it was the nastiest, egg-iest thing he'd ever tasted.  

Overall, I don't think that me experiencing Dukan was a bad thing... In fact, I think in the short time I experimented with it, I learned a few good things.  First of all, I should eat more protein.  Second of all, I need to drink much more water every day.  And third, I shouldn't be eating so many sweets.  

Have any of you tried Dukan??  What did you think?!  Are there any diets that you do like??  How do you make sure you're eating enough healthy foods and not just junk??


Xoxo B.

P.S.  My friend has lost weight on this diet and enjoys the protein aspect of it more than I did.  However, she also experienced the awful taste from all the protein!!