I have been turned off of Protein Thursdays.  I’ve only done one since I’ve started the phase for life.  On Protein Thursdays I am suppose to eat protein rich foods.  Some of these foods include lean meats, fat free yogurt, fat free cheese, cottage cheese (I don’t eat this so I’m not sure if it needs to be fat free or not), the galette (a special pancake), 3 tbsp of oat bran (can be put in the galette), eggs, and lots and lots of water.  That is not so bad, I did it for four days and throughout the first three phases.  So what’s the problem?  There are a couple at hand.

Eating What I Want!
I’ve started eating normal foods again – like fried foods and sweets.  Well, when I know I can have them throughout the week it has been hard to not have them on one day.  I am definitely not eating these things like I was before I started on the Dukan Diet, which is great.  I am also not giving them up totally either (except for this week – that’s another story for another blog at another time).  You would think that it would not be so bad giving up 1 day a week for this but it has.  I’ve also stopped eating as much meat as I was eating during the time, so it makes it more difficult to eat it for a day again.  For me it was a little too much meat.

Side Effects
I’ve learned that my body does not receive detox well.  I have tried on two occasions in the past year and both times my body has reacted the same.  Oh, it has worked.  Perhaps a little too well, but as it is working my body reacts in a way that is not safe for me.  One way was with a tea mix that Dr. Oz recommended and another was a detox cleanse in the form of a pill.  After being on this one Protein Thursday I was having some of the same symptoms (not fully, but almost).  I’m not sure why I didn’t have the same effects when I started the Dukan Diet.  Now the question is do I really want to put myself through those same symptoms on another Thursday.  This is a main reason for not doing one again since then.

Working
I usually end up working on Thursday.  Cleaning houses does not make it fun to be on Protein Thursday and having to run to the bathroom at other people’s houses who you do not know.  I don’t always know if I work or not, so it is hard to pick another day to have a Protein Thursday.  I would rather be close to home incase I do have crazy symptoms.

So now what?
Those are the things keeping me from fully participating in Protein Thursday.  This is one of the most important parts in the Phase for Life to help maintain the weight that you have lost.  What am I to do?  Figure out what works for me.  What day works best and what foods will be ok for me on those days.  For me I will stick to chicken and fish.  The red meats and pork seem to not treat me well.  Pick a day in the week that I will most likely be home – probably a Sunday or Monday.  Although the symptoms I had on the Thursday were annoying, they were not as bad as they other two times I tried a detox cleanse.  This means I will try a Protein Thursday again.

If you are struggling with Protein Thursday, take courage and just do it, like I me.  Just try again.  Every day is a new day and gives us the ability to start all over again.

Next week I will give you an update on whether I have been able to keep the weight off or not.  It has been 1 month since I started the Phase for Life.  Have I gained any pounds back, have I maintained, or have I lost?  Find out next week.

Have you tried a detox cleanse before?  How did it work?  What was the method?  I would love to hear from you, leave a comment below!

[This is part of the Dukan Diet series.  Check out the rest of the posts by clicking HERE.]

Photo borrowed from A Beauty Queen’s Journey to Weight Loss