How to get over stagnation periods during the Dukan Diet?

Stagnation period! the 2 most dreaded words on any diet, particularly on the Dukan diet. I am now sure that everybody will encounter an stagnation period at some point during their diet. When I first started I thought: "no, that is not me, it will NOT happen to me". But after only 7 weeks on the diet I have already experienced 2 stagnation periods, I have faced them, fought them, and I have won!! I have 22 pounds off to prove it!

My first stagnation period was on week 3. I have been consistently losing weight until then. Everyday my scale showed a lower number - hurray! then It all stopped for 3 long days nothing changed. This would normally be the time in where I would give up - as I have done often on previous diets. Thoughts of "why am I going through all this trouble for nothing?" came to my mind. I stopped and I read about stagnation on the Dukan book. The first thing they say is that water retention is the main culprit on some stagnation periods. It happens often in women just before they have their periods and during pre menopause (not truly my case :) ). I got my answer on day 3 when my period came. As if by magic, the weight came off on day 4, so I was still not believing on the whole stagnation period thing.

Then the second period came and this time I had no excuses nor any logical explanation for why it was happening. It went on for 7 days, a whole week!!!, and this time the weight was not stable, it was up half a pound one day and down the other and up again.... it was painful!! I was following the diet, I was doing exercise, but nothing!

So here is what I started to do and by day 8 I was down 3/4 of a pound and by day 9 a full pound and a quarter. From them on I went back to my normal weight loss again.

• Green Tea: I drank nothing but green tea for 2 full days - no water, no diet sodas, no nothing. Just lots of green tea (over 2 liters). I drank it cold and hot - so delicious!
• Organic Apple Cider Vinegar: I took a tbs of it mixed with a little green tea before every meal. I took my breakfast vinegar drink on an empty stomach. If you suffer from ulcers you need to be careful with this.
• Go back to only protein days: I went back to attack phase for 2 days and on day 3 I had very limited vegetables
• Up the exercise: I have been doing 20 to 30 minutes of Zumba a day. For those 2 days I went to 45 minutes of Zumba and used one of my grandmothers "dichos (said)":

"Do not lie down when you can sit,

Do not sit when you can stand,

Do not stand when you can walk,

Do not walk when you con run."

Now I am back to normal, but I am still doing some of the things from above. I have continued with the vinegar before every meal - I will eventually go down to only once a day before breakfast on an empty stomach. I have also continued to drink green tea but not exclusively.

I hope this helps you, and please do not give up if you are facing a stagnation period. Ride it and fight it, you will win too!