Cohen's Lifestyle My JOURNEY TO NEW ME journal

[Maya11]

Hello, everybody!

You all encouraged me to try this diet...
Thank You!

I've been reading you for a while now and I decided to give it a try. My main goal isn't so much weight loss, as is getting my hormones back to the balance... I'm doing this for myself and also for people around me, I have been a mess in last few years. I have tipical hormonal imbalance problems, but no blood tests shows any abnormalities. All the doctors in the world checked on me (seriously, from Europe, States, nutritionists, bioenergetics, ...all kinds of doctors, and they all gave up on me). But I didn't. So, I found this diet and I have seen so many good results, I decided to join you.

I must say I was surprised when I received my diet - since I am kind of active through the day, I work out at gym 3 times a week and run up the mountain for hour and half every day - so I burn around 700 calories just with that...my diet all together gives me less than 900 calories, my bilirubin test was much much higher than is suppose to be, but haven't heard a word about it - either not workout so much or any other advice...

But as I said - I will give it a try.
It just surprises me how everybody is saying it is not calorie based diet - c'mon it's incredibly strict?!?! Less than 1000 kcal is starvation! In Europe it's almost forbidden to even pronounce a diet so low in calories?
I wonder what happens with the metabolism and after diet?

Anyhow, I am going on my journey somehow I believe in...I am starting it tomorrow (eventhough on the profile says Friday, I will not lose any time) - in the middle of Eastern holidays with ham, cakes and eggs...

Because I really really wanna get healthy. And yes, of course, lose some pounds, too.
OK, enough.

I will write my way to a healthy me in this post and hope to be one of you, happy winners!!!!!!!

Maya

 

[Maya11]

4th day

First day was easy...
Second day I was wondering...what am I doing?
Third day I was getting hungrier...
Today, the fourth day I was counting minutes for my next meal...
I am sooooo hungry, I have no energy, my skin is worse than ever, my mood is...

I am really wondering when I will see ANY changes...

Did anyone else felt that way first few days? Is it gonna get better? I'm thinking to give up... Is it just the break in thingy?

ANYONE, PLEEEASE some advice???

 

[shrinking_moi]

Maya, much of what you say sounds normal but not the hungry bit. How much do you need to lose?
I felt tired and slow for the first 1-2 weeks but better within myself almost straight away.

 

[Cate]

Maya, Almost everyone I know felt dreadful the first few days but then it passes as your body gets rid of the toxins. It's your exercise regime that is making you feel so ill on the program. In Australia our program says "No excessive Exercise". Cohen's recommend that you do not exercise whilst on your eating plan. They say you can usually maintain your current exercise program providing it is not excessive. A sign of excessive exercise is hunger. If you are used to a lot of exercise I would seriously consider just having a daily walk. If you get hungry doing this, stop. It's hard to believe I know but the weight melts off you, without any exercise at all. Hunger barely existed for me on the program once I got through the first week. 2 weeks into the program I felt fantastic. I lost 36kgs in 28 weeks without any exercise whatsover & now have an exercise program, including bush-walking to get fit. If you drink your water allowance on Cohens you will find that your skin shrinks as you lose fat. Most people comment on how healthy I look. My skin has never been better. Cohens has changed the way I feel about myself. It is a rigid program but if you stick with it works. All the best, Cate

 

[Maya11]

5th day MUCH BETTER!!!!

Thank You SOOOO much!!!!!

Well, according to Cohen I have to lose 12 kilograms... I have never been on that weight before; but I am ready for it, of course....

Cate - I haven't been doing anything since I started the diet - no fast walks, no gym, nothing. No walking the mountain, which I did every day before... I stopped completely with any activity, except sloooow walks with my 12 year old dog.

I do have some news, though - it is my 5th day and I must say I feel MUCH BETTER!!!! Maybe my body needed these 4 days to adjust to new eating plan... I do feel better, I can feel my body is getting rid of water - I am drinking a lot of water, sticking to the program 100% - I didnt eat crackers before, but now I found some great ones - wholewheat, with much better ingridients and protein/carbs ratio than Saltines (they said they are OK)...and I have 11 g of them for lunch and 11g for dinner.

I have one yogurt and one apple for breakfast (my favorite meal!) with black coffee, then soup with chicken and veggies (its snowing here, so a warm meal is nice), 11 g cracker and sometimes an apple... then dinner - same, just no apple.

I really feel different today, lighter, happier...hard to explain.
I am soooo amazed by all the results you are having!!!!
Cate - you are my inspiration!!!! I read some of your posts, AMAZING, really! shrinkin_moi - I keep reading your mails, too, amazing, you are all sooo succesful and strong!!!

I wanna thank you all for the support. I couldnt wait to send you this post today. I am a little worried how I will make it 3 months with this food...but I decided to do one step at a time.
I am going to start walking a little more, I need the workout, it will still be 1/4 of my normal daily activity I did before, though...I just REALLY need it...

Thank You all for the support and I hope to write more progress!!!!

 

[Cate]

Maya,Good news. I'm pleased you're feeling much better! I thought you were still doing your mountain walks etc. It had exhausted me just thinking about it! Apples are excellent for fibre but do make you hungry so best to eat with a meal. Cooked, with yoghurt is good. I'll keep an eye out for how you're going, cheers, Cate.

 

[Maya11]

have to tell someone

Thank You Cate...

I am such an admirer of you all... How do you do it???

I'm giving up... seriously...it's my 6th day, I haven't gone to the bathroom in a week - I never had problems with it, but now - 6 days? My skin is worse than ever... my energy level is very low...
No, I don't feel good...

I am sticking to the program 100%. Using 2 scales to make sure everything is precize to the gram. 5 hours between meals, lots of water, no chewing gums, no special spices, nothing...very boring plane, just to make sure...

B:1 apple with the yogurt
L:chicken and veggies, 1 cracker and apple + multivitamin pill
D:chicken and veggies, 1 craker and 2 dcl diet coke

but NO results at all.

Not in clothes, not feeling any better, ...

I admit it - I was expecting at least sth...but everything is worse than before the diet... I know, it might be early, but...maybe this just wont work for me?

I wish someone would tell me it is normal and that I will see results soon... Because I really can't see any more reason to stick to this. It is making me feel tired, sad, haven't pooped in almost a week....
oh, well...

tomorrow is another day...I will stick to it until April 1st and then I'll see....

thanks, had to let it out...

 

[Maya11]

Have been reading some posts - really inspiring!
But...I found this TLC clinic - seems like "kinder" approach?
Anyone knows about it?
Seems like they explain more...I really like it when I know WHY do we have to eat some way...why all that...but everything in Cohen's really seems a mistery....
I read a post of a girl that had amazing results and much more explained by her consultants...any idea?

But those posts inspired me, really...

Now I have birthday party, yikes.... ate my cold dinner hidden in the room... Ouch

 

[Maya11]

After one week

One week is over! I did it!!!
I must say - I am not hungry so much anymore
My skin is still poorly looking, probably because I have been constipated...Haven't gone to the bathroom yet, at all (its 8th day today)... I wrote to the consultant and they recommended psyllium husks, but after two days of using it, nothing yet... They said on this diet, twice a week is sufficient.

I do feel much calmer - I LOVE IT!
I use to be VERY emotional - like on roller coaster. THe same thing could make me incredibly irritable - one day I would laugh at reading sth, the next day it would make me angry. I was really helpless - I knew it wasnt me, I knew it was hormones... and now - now I really feel calm.

I am not rushing around like crazy, and I still manage to be productive and do everything. I know most of you here are doing this diet to lose weight, well, of course I want that, too! But just knowing my moodswings are gone - I know my family is wondering - what's going on with her - she really is much nicer person? I used to be so down, I would lock myself home and not communicate with people, cuz any little thing could irritate me and I didn't want to hurt them...but it was beyond my control... So, this is really really nice, to be able to be ME again

So far, I am happy.
Yes - I do have questions, I would like to know how the whole diet works - why do we eat what we eat... but so far I am happy.
My clothes fit a little better, I don't wanna measure myself yet. I do miss working out - I think I will start slowly going to the mountains, just for an hour or so...

I am kind of tired of same food, but at the same time, I am too lazy and not inovative to try anything new.

Yogurt and apple in the morning - my favorite! With some cinnamon - LOVE IT! I rather not bake the apple, I LOVE the taste of raw apple - it feels like I get all the nutrients that might get killed with the heat.

Every morning I wake up - I am not hunrgy AT ALL. I get hungry in the afternoon. Consultant advised me not to eat apple with lunch (which I did), to not have too bulky meal. OK!

I am enjoying my little cracker with the last bite of my lunch SO MUCH!
And also - my night sweats are gone! I used to sweat every night - if I ate more than 4 hours before bed, I would sweat like crazy, wake up completely soaked, cold and tired. Now it's gone!!!

I am grocery shopping (veggies and chicken) only in the morning, when I am not hunrgy and seing any kind of food in the store doesnt do anything for me. I did start noticing people around me are kind of... bigger... As if I haven't seen that before... Before I thought there were so many skinny people around me all the time... But now I also noticed that they are happy!And I like that. I think it is great that people are happy with themselves.

So, I am really glad I didnt give up and I will continue.
If anyone reading this is in the beginning of the diet - it's worth going through first week! I know - it sucked for me - but I knew my body is slow with adapting...so - when they say 3-4 days is the worst - it took me a week! But now - it's really fine.

I dont have any cravings and ... oh, well, maybe I will have an apple right now

So far - I am satisfied!!!! Thank You all for inspiration!!!!

 

[Maya11]

does dr.Cohen really exist?

Hm...I was thinking today...

Does dr. Cohen really writes these diets?
I think...
I think....
I think they have some program - they just put the values of blood test reulsts in and then get the diets out... You really think someone is reading and writing this all? I googled him and couldnt find any real articles or...

I'm sure he wrote the idea and the base of the diet, but I doubt he really is writing all of them...then that's all he does, I believe a lot of people start with the program every day...

Well, after all it doesnt matter...as long as it works

Was just wondering if anyone else gave that a thought..

 

[Nans68]

Hi Maya

The diet works so I am not too concerned whether he exists or not...but I did do alot of prior reseach and this diet was made up by him for women suffering form infertility issues due to excessive weight or pcos and other symptoms so this is how it came to be.
The other thing is I take a laxative tea (that is the name of it) which i got from a health food grocers.

Take care.
Sam

 

[Esthee]

Hi Maya,

Dr Cohen actually does exist and works from the US. My consultant used to be his receptionist for 13 years. I do know that he works out our diets himself and that its not just a formula being pushed out by a computer. It took me 3 weeks to get my plan, as Dr Cohen's email had some snags. I also saw the emails coming from him directly. So don't worry. He was also able to have a good look at my WF's bloodwork and gave him a plan to help sort out his sugar levels etc.

Stay strong.
Esthee

 

[GJeans]

Hey Maya the Bee!

Welcome to Club Cohen. Dr Cohen does actually exist, I agree with Esthee ... in the 90s an article about him was even featured in a weekly magazine in South Africa - Huisgenoot/You.

It is amazing how the hormones just balance themselves out in such a short period of time. I do find though that I am still a bit cranky around my time of the month but not as bad as before.

I will be popping in from time to time to check on you.

Keep bbzzzzzzzzsmiling

 

[Maya11]

Helloooooooo everybody, how is life?

It is my 14th day today, yipiiiiiiii!

So, I thought I would pop in a little...

So far I am doing OK.
Now, I can't say two weeks pass quickly...maybe because I am still thinking a little too much with food...

about what I CAN'T have, but WOULD LOVE to have....about what I CAN or HAVE to have... about when and how... but I guess it's gonna change quick, too?

I do feel better, lighter, yes, I can see change in the mirror, yes, my pants are getting big...but the most important - no more nightsweats, no more moodswings, people around me are telling me I am much nicer person, YES YES YES!!!!!

I am very glad I started this program.
Maybe the time I am doing it isnt perfect for it - I have a lot of stress in my study right now - studying hours and hours.... but at the same time I am very focused - more than before.

My only concern is...what happens when we're done?
I read some posts where people are confused, scared, lost...what do you do when you're done? I mean, I read posts the other day and saw that you kind of still have to weigh your food and if you eat too much starch or not in one meal, then you have to be without it for 48 hours...that kind of sucks - I wish I would never have to "diet" again...

I don't expect to get crazy with food or eat the way I ate before... but... I really don't wanna weigh my food and count hours and ...
Anyone out there that is post-Cohen?

I heard it is very important to reach your ideal weight - obviously your body handles food better when you have your ideal weight than if you have few more pounds - I found that interesting... So, I think I will go all the way... but I know what will happen if I start piling pounds back on...

See - I'm all or nothing person. I stick to diet 120%. I weigh food like...5 times? When I buy chicken, I cut it, weigh, make ziploc bags and freeze it...before I use it, I wash it, dry it, weigh again on one plate, then on another plate, until I get on both EXACTLY 120g. Not 121, not 119, but 120.
Same with veggies - always measure 5 times to get by gram accurate.

Apple is NEVER more than 174 grams (just to make sure).
Crackers - ALWAYS less than 11g (at a time)

BUT! When I'm bad, I AM REALLY BAD.
I know I know middle middle middle...

So - any comments are welcome!

Oh, by the way - I was constipated for all 12 days...then I did the enema - it was REALLY necessary - I feel much better now, I do. I bought some tea, but they don't recommend to drink it twice in a week and only for 2 weeks...so I don't know what next?

You all have good digestion??

OK bye bye for now

I wish you all GREAT GREAT day!

 

[Maya11]

got this joke lately, wanted to share it with you...

Little BILLY was sitting on a park bench munching on one candy bar after another.
After the 6th one, a man on the bench across from him said,
"Son, you know eating all that candy isn't good for you.
It will give you acne, rot your teeth, and make you fat."
Little BILLY replied, "My grandfather lived to be 107 years old."
"Oh?" replied the man. "Did your grandfather eat 6 candy bars at a time?"
"No" replied Little Billy, "he minded his own fu*king business!!"

 

[Maya11]

OH, well, I am just one big chatty Katty today...

Just wanted to add this...

Do not let the price of the diet discourage you!!!!

I have to say it is actually cheap. I mean, how much I save with food is ridicilous!!!!! OK, I do live in a country where food is expensive, life is expensive, but salaries are oh, so low...no kidding...

But I was just thinking how little I buy every week - some meat, veggies, apples and yogurts and crackers that seem to last forever. Period.

The only thing I will have to buy new when I'm done...
Is the wooden spoon cuz it turned YELLOW (from curry I constantly use on the chicken)

ok, done for today...