Green Protein Shake - ugh!

Woo too call the Guinness Book of Records - I finally started Dukan again yesterday.  Really a spectacular time of year to be going on a diet!!!!NOT
It is still cold and the type of weather where I feel like buying a Milky Bar and cuddling up with my kindle for the afternoon.
But I was inspired to get moving and get started with Dukan again.  As I always say, I felt amazing when I was on Dukan.  No tummy gurgles and gases and embarrassing noises in quiet moments......Plus the weight loss which was why I went on it in the first place.

So I had a good start yesterday and then I decided to buy a protein shake so that if I fancied something different I could have one.  It came in sachets and I decided to buy 2 just to try them.  My first shock was that the stuff was dark grey - when I aded it to my water/milk mixture then the whole drink turned green. I felt like I was in a Harry Potter book about to drink some disgusting concoction from a potion class.  However I poured the drink into a travel cup so that I did not have to see it while I was drinking and managed to get 90% of it down.  I will not buy it again as I am pretty sure you are supposed to enjoy what you eat and drink.  It was like drinking a mixture with a powder that did not dissolve so it was like drinking sand - YUCK and double YUCK.

I must say I was so disappointed as I had really hoped that I would find a nice alternative for a meal every now and then.  The other shakes in the shop came in HUGE tubs so I am so glad I did not buy one of them in case they taste woful too.  I will have to keep searching.  I need to search the Health shops here and see what I can find.  Anyone who reads this blog live in SA and know about protein shakes????
Will update my weight on Friday as I am doing 4 Attack days according to what Dr Dukan advised.

This blog will include my Dukan updates but also be my personal diary so it will not be exclusively Dukan.

Hope everyone out there had a good day.
Jeanette xx

Groany MOAN

Seriously - the weather has been awful!  It is cold and we have gone from 1 cold front into another.  How people live without the sun I do not know......
So of course all the cold weather means lots of eating.  Today was a carb loaded lasagna...yummy but not helpful.
We heard from the shippers today - our stuff will be delivers tomorrow afternoon YIPPEEEEE.  And we heard from the school for the kids - tomorrow they have to go in and see the teachers to check  their levels.  Both the shippers and the school meeting - are at the same time - CLASSIC!!!

But we are happy that they called - 2 prayers answered!

Travels, arrivals and settling in

Geocaching adventurers...

After quite a few weeks of traveling around, staying in other people's houses, driving other people's cars, eating other people's food, having Abby and Josh involved in a wedding and going on a geocaching experience that was exhaustingly fun..........we finally bade farewell to the mountains of Lebanon.
Farewell to the heat, lack of electricity, crazy traffic,  friends and climbed on a plane to have an adventure in Turkey.

Lunch in Jbeil with some good friends

Bye bye Beirut......hello Istanbul.  Seriously one of the most amazing times in my life.  My husband spent many hours planning this holiday and we had a the greatest time.  We stayed in a modest hotel near the Sultanahmet and we were within 5 minutes of most of the touristic sites.

One negative thing about our hotel - well there were a few but the absolute worst was the COFFEE - it was disgusting.  One of the best things about our hotel was the air conditioning in our room.  We would have died without it....
We walked around late at night - in fact the best time to be out and about was at night.  Cooler!
The place was seething with people....absolutely jam-packed streets.  It was the height of Ramadan so the restaurants offered iftaar everywhere and you just had to pick the deal you wanted.

Standing outside Haggia Sophia

Thankfully none of us got tummy bugs - our tummies must be used to Beirut food.  Some of the places we visited included:  Blue Mosque, St Stephens Basilica, Grand Bazaar, Turkuazoo, Cruise down Bosphorous etc etc.

It was one of the most exciting places we have visited and i will not forget this time in Istanbul for a while I can tell you.  Oh I also found Starbucks so managed to find some decent coffee eventually.

Finally it was time to say goodbye to the bustling city of Istanbul with it's beautiful markets and mosques.  We arrived in FREEZING cold Cape Town a week ago and have been rushing around ever since.  Hopefully I will post more often although we have not moved into our house yet.  Life is going to be very different here.......full of challenges but maybe it is time to move out of our comfort zone?

Beirut Blues

When we first left Beirut 7 years ago to go down south I was sure I would hate it.  The opposite was true - I loved Tyre the moment I got there.  The people were friendly, the prices were cheaper, you could walk everywhere instead of driving, it was safe....etc etc
I was not sure how I would handle leaving yesterday.  We have been having goodbyes for weeks now - going out with people, having visitors and just living in an unsettled way.
Yesterday when I got in the car to leave I felt surprisingly numb - I am waiting for it to hit me.  After a long drive to Beirut, the kids and I arrived at the house  where we will be staying for the next 2 weeks and I felt so lonely.  Dave was away for the afternoon and only arrived back late.

It reminded me of the first time Dave and I arrived in Lebanon, also staying in Mansourieh.  After we moved our stuff into the house we looked at each other and just didn't know what to do.  Yesterday I felt exactly the same.
It was also Josh's birthday and I was trying to think of how to make it special for him. So we dragged ourselves out of the house, walked down the hill, and up the next until we got to........you guessed it MacDonalds.  Yep, I know - VERY HEALTHY.
The kids were feeling blue like me so desperate times called for desperate measures!
We had a great time and when we walked home again, the mood was much lighter.

It is going to be a challenge to make this place home for 2 weeks.  I will go grocery shopping this afternoon so we can eat some healthy food tonight.

How nice to have a blog where you can rant about whatever you want!!!

7 days........a lifetime!!!!!

7 days until we leave Tyre - my home for the last 7 years.  I was wondering why these things often end so badly.  Why can't it be that you can leave a place in a graceful way without mud slinging?  I mean we resigned in a peaceful way........It just seems that if people can't have their own way with you they get UGLY.
So to all my friends and colleagues at school - GOOD LUCK and seriously I mean it.  My heart breaks to see all of you unhappy and stressed but it is time for us to walk away.  LEST will always be in our hearts and prayers and we will take the memories of the happy fun times away.
7 years ago three families came to work and give their lives to your school.  7 years later all three families have left to do different things.  Where will we go next?  Who knows but God has a plan.  Sometimes just wish he would tell us what it is!!!

Next stop......Beirut for 3 weeks.

Hello - lebbok is back

I feel like I have lived a lifetime since being here last.......
I changed my blog name since I am no longer on Dukan.  I still aspire to be but just am struggling with so many changes that diet seems the last on my list.
In the last 6 months:
We have finished teaching in Tyre - Lebanon
We are moving out of our house
We are leaving the country
We are moving back to Cape Town for a year

PHEW - so dieting has not really featured much.  Trying to survive has!
This blog will be different as it will focus more on how me and my family are surviving all these changes, inspirational thoughts, lessons learned, great recipes as they come up and LIFE!  Eventually if I can get back to Dukan I will because I believe it was the one time when I felt really healthy......

Tuesday - not too bad

Still not having breakfast! the one victory about today was that I did not have any chocolate! woo hoo a whole 24 hours without chocolate. Did not know I could do that!!!

Breakfast - none(;-()

Lunch - salad and chicken kebab

Supper - salad and steak

a good workout in the gym.............. and lots of water/tea/coffee

I was pleased with today but no oat bran and no breakfast!

the sugar cravings are seriously weird - I just have to have sugar and normally that is so not me????

Due to the internet connection I am on here I cannot comment on some of the blogs I follow so that is not good. Well done you guys - I am still reading them but just can't comment. xxx