Cohen's Lifestyle My Cohen journey

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Just a quick hello before I start my morning.

Today is Day 2 of Refeed, and I'm allowed a piece of bread to start with. No butter/margarine, but a plain thin slice of bread.

Cate - I will see what the bread does to me, after abandoning it for months now!

Yesterday, I was allowed 1 'good fruit' in addition to the 2 fruits which are allowed in the program. I managed to buy a load of plums, but was quite full and content through the day that I didn't get to eat the plum! Had to pop it right back into the fridge.... I wonder, if you don't have the new fruit, will it jeopardise the refeeding?

Anyway, today I brought the plum with me to work, so will try to have it after lunch.

Will check in again later :)

Bye all!
 
Sarah, Thanks for your thoughtful note in my diary, xo.
You won't have messed it up but it's obviously best to follow re-feed 100% just like the weight-loss plan. When you finish re-feed I will discuss what I do these days to stay within my 3kg range & what I did wrong when I first finished 2 years ago. Back to my chair. I wanted to see if my YS was on FB as he often is in the middle of the night(in London atm) xo Cate
 
Oh no!

Hi all!

Ok, today is Day 3 of refeed. Yesterday I had my first slice of bread plain. Felt ok, in fact it was a nice change. But my gripe is that since Monday, I've gained 100g each day!!!! Started at 54.6kg (Mon), then 54.7kg (Tue) and this morning it was 54.8kg !!! Oh dear, I hope this won't continue throughout refeeding. Cate, should I be worried??

Today, I've opted to leave bread out of the menu. Just to see if it makes a difference. Will keep all posted.

Luvbug, have you received your refeed yet??

Ta for now,
xxx
 
Ah, Sarah, the answer is a resounding NO!! No reason to be worried at all. 200g in 2 days. Pshhh!! 1kg in a couple of days, go back 2 days. 200g could be anything.
Relax, enjoy, don't be afraid....You are in control, xoxo Cate
 
Phew!

Thanks Cate :) I think having come this far, every little weight gain triggers paranoid thoughts that all the weight may come back on again!

Today was good, I didn't have bread, and instead stuck to the original 5 crispbreads. Had a plum for my additional fruit, and looking forward to having mango later on tonight :)

Will check in again tomorrow morning and hopefully no weight gain !
 
Day 4

Morning All !

It's a very gloomy and wet start to the day here in KL. It hasn't started really pouring yet, but the signs are there. Perfect time to be in bed ! Alas, no such luck and I'm here in the office, first one in today ...

My consultant says that it is possible to lose up to 2kg in the first 10 days of refeed. I must be one of the exceptions haha. After putting on 200g over 2 days, I have lost 300g as of this morning. Weighed in at 54.5kg, compared to 54.8kg yesterday. That little bit of loss has boosted my spirits and I hope it continues.

I'm more worried about Day 11 onwards when the food quantities start getting bigger and protein-mixing begins. Hopefully will not put on too much at Day 11-12, so that I can complete the refeeding without going back 2 days.

Today's lunch is tuna salad. Haven't had that in a while, so it should be a fresh change. No bread again today, I think I can manage without it, really.

Will post again soon. Have a great Thursday, all.

xxx
 
Hi Sarah,It is absolutely amazing how much extra food your body can cope with without putting on weight. This is when the science & logic of Cohen's comes into it. If that day comes b/f the end & you do have to go back 2 days then, almost always, you can keep working through to the end of yr re-feed. If not, then that is the correct amount of food for you personally to maintain your current weight. Marvellous!! That's when our decisions come into it. Do we ignore everything that we have learned or do we take Dr Cohen's maintenance advice on board & follow it. Our choice. There is nothing to worry about. A couple of affirmations for maintenance-
"I have to watch out for fooling myself. Every single thing I put into my mouth matters"
"If I regain any weight I have the skills to lose it immediately. I can do it. I know how to do it & I'll have these skills forever."
"I have to prepare in advance for sabotage thinking."
I have a squillion more which I will share with anyone who is interested- perhaps in my diary. Keep enjoying your re-feed. Get into the habit if you have not done so already of eating sitting down, slowly & mindfully. Enjoy every morsel & make sure that what you eat is good quality. xo Cate
 
Wow Sarah -- 300g in one day? Awesome!!
It just shows you how unpredictable refeed can be..
Keep strong, you're doing great! ;)

I haven't received my refeed yet -- but I can only start it after the holidays anyway..

Good luck for tomorrow :D xxx
 
Day 5

Wow, it's Day 5 of refeed, another 2 weeks to go before I can finally say "I DID IT!" :biggrinjester:

And guess what, the scales read 54.3kg today, meaning a 200g loss from yesterday. I'm still amazed by the science behind the diet, even my hubby can't quite believe I've lost 0.5kg in a span of 2 days. Fingers crossed that this trend either continues or stabilises.....:eek:

Today, I have to have lunch out, but will choose somewhere where I can have a nice grilled chicken salad. Yummy. Today also marks the point where another 'good' fruit is added on to the diet. Hence, I have 2 plums with me today.

Cate: Thanks for the inspirational words earlier, I will definitely take them to heart.

Luvbug : Thanks, dear! I am looking forward to reading your diaries on your refeed experience. And hopefully will be able to share my experiences as well.

Take care all,
Sarah
xxx
 
Hi Sarah- Don't you just love Cohen's? Wee hoo for you Sarah! Blitzing it!!xoxo Cate
 
Day 11

Hi everyone,

I can't believe time has zipped past so fast !!! :auto: I am now in Day 11 out of 19, so 9 more days to go before I'm on my own and into the management side of my weight. My weight has remained at 54.5kg for the past 5 days, and I'm quite happy with that.

Today, I get to have 2 'bad fruit', 50ml of milk (and reduce old protein by 40g) and 3 slices of bread. I've learned to do without the bread actually, maybe one slice a day and I'm happy to have crispbreads the rest of the time.

For my bad fruit, I've been having a banana a day since Day 8 .... it feels nice to be able to have it, but I don't necessarily want to have it everyday.

As for milk, today is the first time I'm having it with my coffee since starting in March !! I treated myself to a San Francisco Coffee cappucino with low fat milk and sweetener. It was heavenly !

Alas, it somehow made my bowels move (which is a good thing!!) and I'm feeling a bit lighter already !

Mixing proteins started yesterday, and its getting tedious having to weigh out 2 types of proteins for both lunch and dinner. I'm also running out of ideas on what to eat!

In terms of 'new protein', I can't say I'll be adding much as I don't eat any part of the chicken save for the breast, and for meat it's always a nice lean topside part. The only change I can foresee is fish - will be slowly adding salmon, cod and mackerel to my options.

I was telling the consultant that the refeed gets pretty confusing as you progress through it, which she thoroughly agrees to! Adding and subtracting weights can boggle the mind, and I had to draw tables to make sure I got the numbers correct. HAHAHA so much for Math in high school !

I hope everyone has a great Thursday, and I'm so GLAD the weekend it just around the corner. I turn 35 tomorrow :Angel_anim:, and hubby is taking me to dinner..... what perfect timing, as tomorrow I'm allowed to add 50g of carbs !! Maybe I could get away with a small pasta ??

See you all later, and look forward to visiting your diaries for updates on progress!

Love,
Sarah
 
Well done Nutty Professor. Hope the next few days breeze by uneventfully for you - after that you'll be able to work it all out for yourself and get to blissful "Maintenance Land"...
 
Love it Sarah!! I'm loving your journey & loving your joy! Have a wonderful 35th birthday tomorrow. You deserve it! You'll be able to fit it in with your re-feed I'm sure. Sarah says to herself "I make healthy choices & deserve to be slim."or "I think like a slim person & am in total control of my eating." I'll be back tomorrow to wish you happy birthday on the day but it probably won't be until the afternoon as I have a belly-dancing class in the morning. xoxo Cate
 
Day 16

I cannot believe another 5 days have zoomed past, and I am 3-days shy of graduating !! 3 days away from having the chance to manage my weight along the guidelines of the Cohen program. Woohoo ! :hurray:

It has been tough keeping to the program, mostly because it was my birthday last Friday, and I have had dinners and lunches out the past few days. I have tried to generally keep to the guidelines, but sometimes it proved difficult.

My weight has increased slightly but below 1kg, so I didn't have to go back 2 days. I think its because its TOM, and I do feel slightly bloated at the moment. Once TOM is over, hopefully by Friday, I'll be back at a more normalised weight. It's scary to see the weight going up and down although its only a matter of a few hundred grams....

After going this far, I am confident that I will stick to the Cohen way of eating from now on. I can't imagine any other way !!
 
Sarah-
Belated happy birthday for last Friday!!!!!
I hope you had a wonderful day. 3 days to go. Wee Hoo!! I remember being petrified of being in control of what I ate & when. Psshh! Pushover for you!! Life is good, maintenence is great!! Catch up again soon, xo Cate
 
Cate, Luvbug,

Thank you, I did have a wonderful weekend (and I have to add it was filled with food!) but controlled myself as much as I could.

Tomorrow is the final day, and I reckon I will need to go back on the main programme again just to shed a kilo or two after all the dinner and lunches I've been treated to the past few days! LOL.

I am a bit nervous about Saturday onwards - so many questions running through my mind, i.e. what will I be eating??? Will it be enough/not enough??? I guess I'll have to deal with it when it comes. Being in an Asian country is not easy - staple foods are rice, noodles, lots of curries, stir fries etc. I will need to really make sure what goes in is of good quality and a healthy alternative to the usual foods.

Today, I am planning to get a chicken salad for lunch. Did not bring my packed lunch today so I'll need to search for the salad. Failing which I will have a tuna sandwich from the coffee bar downstairs. Am now allowed 3 pieces of bread and as a treat, can have a plain biscuit ! Yippee!

I can't believe its almost the weekend again. Time is really zipping past too quickly....

Take care everyone,
Sarah
 
Sarah- The amount that you are eating when you follow re-feed 100%, without gaining more than a kg, is the amount of food that your body needs to maintain your current weight. If you have eaten off plan your weight may not be stabilised. Just watch it carefully. Asian food is very healthy usually & stir-fries are great but I minimise the rice or noodles & ask for extra vegetables when I'm out. I don't want to get back into the habit of eating too much bread as it seems to be that the more you eat the more you want of any man-made foods.
I'm glad you enjoyed your birthday. Every birthday should be celebrated! Cheers, cate.
 
All done !!

HOORAY !!!

I've done it !!! 19 days of refeed end last Friday, and I gained a grand total of 700g at the end of it !! Ended at 55.3kg against 54.6kg when I started. Today, went back down to 55.1kg, so I am thinking my body hormones have finally stabilised.

Cate, you are right about eating too much bread. I have at most 1 slice per day, sometimes none at all. I still stick to my crispbreads at work, where I tend to snack the most as I get hungry faster. I try to avoid rice, noodles and pasta, but I do have a small portion once a day. The food at home is most usually stir fries and curries (and I don't take the gravy).... Breakfast is still yoghurt with fruit (which I have honestly come to love so much, I look forward to breakfast everyday !!).

It felt weird on Saturday morning, to think my meals had not been planned, and it was up to me to make the right choices. I'm happy to report that the weekend went well, I mostly stuck to the broad guidelines of protein and veggies with very little carbs.

My little ones noticed that I had started eating a little bit of rice! So cute of them. It just shows how much the young ones do take heed of what goes on around them.

I hope the rest of my first week without the program goes smoothly, I now plan to weigh myself once a week, maybe on Monday mornings, to make sure I'm on track.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead, and take care !
Sarah
 
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