Cohen's Lifestyle Starting New

Prefix for Cohen's Lifestyle
W

windowshopper

New member
Hello All,

I'm very new to all of this so I hope this all goes well. I have just been in contact with the local Cohen's lifestyle clinic and they are posting me some information. I had a friend at Uni that came back from the break about 2 weeks ago and she looked amazing, I didn't feel right asking how much she had actually lost, but she did however tell me about the program she was on. I was just doing some investigation and I'm really concerned with people saying that they had stopped their period, had hair loss and they developed gallstones! (seems very scary to me!) Can anyone that has been on the diet a while tell me if this happens?
The reason I ask is I am very keen to sign up, as I have tried all sorts of other diets and fads - such as herbal life, colone cleansing, Acai berries and a phase where I would be slogging it out in a gym for 2 hours a day and only saw minimal results. Plus the scales never seem to move and I was only building up more muscles and couldn't seem to get the fat to move.
Penny for your thoughts...
 
Hey Windowshopper

I think I know which thread you are referring to - I remember reading about it (before I started) and feeling anxious too.

Now that I am on my last phase of the programme, I can tell you that I have absolutely no regrets!!

I have not missed a period since I started, or had any hair loss and...... gallstones? Well, I don't think we eat that much protein to warrant any gallstones in the future. You are given a meal plan of balanced protein & vegetables, and your carb intake would also include fruit and crackers. Rice/pasta/bread is not on the first phase, but is allowed on the second phase.

If you check out the newyouforum - a lot of women with PCOS actually had their periods come back, and have better healthier skin, etc. on the programme.

For me, I have learnt about eating fresh foods from the market (this is emphasized since prepackaged food is mostly a no-no), and portion control. These days, I plan my meals and cook every single meal - which is a huge difference than before I started.

The only thing I would say is that the programme doesn't address any emotional issues you may have with food. And while the clinic is good for "tech" questions/support - I believe that part of my success comes for visiting the forums, starting my own diary, and receiving support throughout my journey. Even when the programme ends, we all have our own personal journey re: food and our perception towards food. These days, I'm a big advocate of eating fresh foods, and cooking your own meals! i.e. eating out less and not relying on packaged foods.

So that's my story. :)

Cheers
dietgrrl
 
I agree with dietgrrl- I, too have read this thread but have no experience with anyone who has suffered these things because of Cohen's. I was told I had gallstones about a year before starting Cohen's. My consultant said I may have trouble with them afterward when I re-introduced fatty foods like lamb. I decided just not to eat fatty foods & I have had no trouble at all. For all I know my gallstones may have disappeared, but to me it's another good reason not to eat fatty foods. Wanting to stay slim is the main one!
I lost 36kgs in 28 weeks back in 2007 & am maintaining within 3kg of my goal weight range. I am 56yrs old & can say that I am now fit, slim & active. Dietgrrl is right in that you have to work on the brain if you wish to succeed. That is our biggest battle. I had some counselling and use motivational sites- quotes, affirmations etc to help with my self-esteem. We will support you along the way but I think most of us need help building self-esteem and if you concentrate on that & do Cohen's 100% you will be grateful for the rest of your life, as I'm sure I will be.
Cohen's is not about drinking shakes or pre-prepared food. It's learning to nurture yourself, to eat fresh fruit & vegetables & good, healthy lean protein in a balanced personal "diet." It is very strict & also simple in that it is black & white. Don't even think about doing it unless you are determined. If you do Cohen's 100% you will lose the weight you want to. If you follow their maintenance guidelines you will keep it off. It's all about choice & it's yours. If you start it & then don't follow it 100% you will be wasting your money & you will be back on the diet merry-go-round as I was for years & years.
I'm quite tired today after a big day taking my MIL in for her first radiation. It was more about family stresses though (my husband's sisters.) Please excuse me if I sound like I'm rambling on a bit. I hope that you decide to give yourself your best shot at becoming slim & staying slim by doing Cohen's. We will be here to support you. Cheers, Cate.
 
Hi Dietgrrl and Cate,

Thanks for the reply. It was good to hear from people who have actually done the plan and have not come across these problems. I do agree that I think in the past I struggle with the more emotional issues that seem to lead me going around and around and not actually reaching my goal!! But after seeing my friend after 3 months on uni break she looked absolutely amazing and I am ready to give myself 100% this time and ready to succeed. I need to get my confidence back as I'm in my final year of study and next year will be out teaching and we all know how critical teenagers can be! So my starting weight is 85kg and I wish to be around the low 60kg by September when I turn 25!!
I have just completed my enrolement form and will be off to have my blood test tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!
P.S. Any suggestions of motivational tips or hints that I can use or do to keep me on track will be more than welcome as I really want to succeed. Maybe if I put up heaps of photo's of me in my undies around the house will help me stay on track **Laughs**!!
 
Have a read of my motivational sayings thread. There should be plenty there. You are doing this for yourself & no-one else. It is your choice & it will always be your choice. You must believe that you can do it & that you deserve to be slim & healthy. Learning to love yourself is my biggest tip. We'll help you along the way. Move toward what you want, rather than away from what you don't want. If you have a photo of yourself that you would like to look like again then put that on your fridge or pantry. Be as positive as you can & look forward xo Cate
 
So this morning I went and had my first blood test. I was really pumped this morning and really excited about getting started, but the woman at the pathology clinic turned and said to me not to worry about this "crowd" (meaning the Cohen's clinic), and I should by a Wii Fit! she continued to say that her daughter had one and if you couldn't lose weight using one of those she didn't know what would... :confused: I'm trying not to think about it but it has got me down a little. :blush5:
So I just emailed the clinic and let the know I have sent my enrolement form and that I have had my blood test today... Does anyone know how long from now until I will receive my plan??
 
Hi Sal, Don't ever let the knockers get you down. One thing I would do though is let your clinic know about the comment. I'm sure they would like to know. Your blood test & the "others" are paying her wage! I'm glad you enjoyed the sayings. We have to work on being positive & learning to love ourselves. It's the most important aspect. Cohen's will work for you if you stick to it 100% but it will benefit you in the long run if you can change negative thoughts about yourself. If you have not got your plan by the middle of next week give them a call. Cheers, Cate.
 
hey sal, welcome to Cohen's. I just completed Day 3 on the programme today. They took 5 working days to get back to me with the plan. don't worry about what the lady at the clinic said...engaged her mouth in 4th gear before her brain got engaged in 1st, i suppose...being on the programme for 3 days now, i am not regreting it...in fact, i think it's one of the best investments i ever made...well you could use this time before you get your plan to prepare your mind...perhaps you might want to ask yourself what's your purpose in embarking on the programme...i remind myself of the purpose of this programme everyday (since i went for the blood test) i hope i'm not sounding like a looney...haha..don't worry, we are all in this together...cheers!
geo
 
Hey Sal

I have done Cohen's using my old programme for a while now but decided the time was right to get a new plan as my last plan was over 1 year old and I had lost a lot of weight on it.

I had my bloos test today so we are rather close together in our starting dates I would say. It should only take 4-5 working days for them to get your plan to you and I am hoping that by next Thursday/ Friday I have mine ready to go :) I will then start it on the Monday- there is just something about Monday's that motivates me. I love loooking forward to a weigh-in treat on the Monday too.

Your going to do so well on plan and be so excited from the wonderful results you see! How much do you have to loose? The best thing to do is grab yourself a ticket and post it into your signature as it's a constant motivator for me and others when they can see how well your doing/ have done.

All the best with the plan and please do keep us updated as to when you get it :)

Take care and chill out and dont worry about those sabatours they are just jealous when someone makes an effort to do something positive as they feel left behind!

Big hugs

xx nicole
 
clean out!!

I'm going to clean out the pantry and fridge today... I had such a terrible day yesterday I found the easter eggs that I got my boyfriend to hide!! haha... bad me... I paid for it tho, I felt so sick afterwards! then to top it off we had pizza for tea, i'm trying to to have a last minute "splurge" but it seems to be what's happening.

Hi Nicole, It would be great to go along with someone that is so close to starting... I'm weighing in around 85kg (goes up and down but only by 1.5kg) so I need to lose around 30-35kg and I would love to do this before my 25th birthday (september)...Can't wait to get rid of this spear tire from around my waist! ha ha. I'm trying to be really positive cause I've struggled with my weight for ages and after trying lots and lots of other programs that have failed me I'm praying that this will be the one! also it will be good to retrain my eating habbits - I'm going to miss Macca's cheeseburgers and peanut butter sandwhiches, these are my major weaknesses!!! but if figure these are what have "helped" me get to this point so goodbye to these forever :seeya:

Cate- The pre-cohans list is so helpful, I have printed it out and put it on my fridge. I have one question, might sound pretty silly but do you weigh your foods such as fish frozen or defrosted?? and apart from the scales is there anything else I will be needing i.e. lots of small containers, a non stick fry pan (i saw something about this on someone else's diary!) etc.
 
Hi Sal. You will need accurate kitchen scales that measure by the gram & buy a spare battery. You'll understand why later. ;) Small zip-lock bags are great to store weighed portions of chicken breasts etc. Small containers (margarine ones are fine) are good to store pre-cooked meals when you have the hang of it. Check out my profile & have a look at a photo I took of the contents of my fridge. I was so organised that I look back now & laugh at myself. I used to have some things cut up & ready to go: celery, onion, zucchini etc. I had a shelf that was just Cohen's food & I could use any combinations that I wanted when I was cooking. In the freezer I had food labelled: Meal 2 chicken soup for example. I had individual ice-cream containers with portioned meat. Mince was a great stand-by. I had all of my portions weighed out separately & put together with only one weight in each container so that I never mixed them up. If I say too much you will get confused so I'll stop right now! Fish-From my plan- "Frozen food must be de-frosted first so that the ice is not weighed with the protein." Also no pre-cooked seafood.
It would be best to read your program several times & shop after. I agree with Nicky that a Monday is a marvellous day to start. I went to a bbq on Sunday 22/1/07 & started the next day. I had my plan for over a week before starting. I lost 36kgs in 28 weeks Sal, so I know you can do this. Try not to put a time limit on yourself. If you do Cohen's 100% your excess weight will come off at your body's pace. :)
Enjoy your week-end & prepare mentally for a new beginning. I feel excited for you!
xo Cate
 
Just a quick entry, The clinic rang me today and I'm going to get my plan tomorrow!!! YAY YAY YAY... I can't believe how quick this has all come about, I thought it would have been at least the mid of next week!! Might even get to hit the surfs shops down at Torquay while I'm close by - I love shopping so much :)
Thanks for the guidance Cate... ha ha I was starting to get a bit confused but I'm guessing by having the plan and everything written all out in front of me I will get the gist of it!
Here's to a new me! :coolgleamA:
 
Hey Sal

Ahh were nearly in the same boat then :) I am just 25 years old and am around 83kg's at the moment. On the first personal site it say's my goal weight is around 65kg's but on my programme that I got from the Cohen's clinic in Aus it said between 69-72kg's? Strange hey!

I can definantly reasure you that if you stick to the plan 100% you will definantly and I mean definantly loose all excess weight. The programme is AMAZING and I have never been able to get past 80kg's on my own and having got down to 75kg's was a miracle for me. As Cate said your body will loose weight at it's own unique pace so trust in it and you will find it works!

Please be encouraged, I know how you must feel after trying numerous diets and not succeeding- we have ALL faced this. BUT Cohen's IS different.

I will be here for support and encouragment so just know you CAN do it. It all starts in the mind! This time next year you will be maintaing the new, confidant, happy you so take heart :)

Have a wonderful weekend, and let's hope we both get our new programmes soon.

xx nicky
 
the diet!

Hi all,

I did get my plan on saturday morning, had my meeting with the lady at the clinic and all that jazz, so while the boyfriend drove all around the great ocean road I read through everything and got my list ready for the supermarket shopping for that evening.

I bought way too much food!! ha ha, I didn't really understand the portion sizes until I actually saw them... Very funny! But I spent saturday night weighing and putting it all into freezer bags. I think next week I might cook a few things and freeze them just to make things easier. Cate, I see what you mean about needing spare batteries!! :)

Hi Geo, I started it on Sunday, So this must be day 3 and I must say its not too bad!! The recipes from the book are really quite yummy. I'm not used to eating breakfast or that much fruit so I don't really feel hungry but I do feel really hungry after tea. I suppose this is cause I would usually have tea and then have snacks afterwards so really feeling that. I haven't been craving too badly, wish I could have a piece of chocolate!! but I have been feeling a bit emotional. I came home from last night and cried I'm not really sure just crazy I guess!!

Nicky, have you got your plan yet??

Quote of the day:
Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a timeMark Twain
Sal xo
 
congratulations sal, on completing Day 3...you will do great on Cohen's. i did the same mistake as you, i bought way too much food and then i ended up giving them away to my mum...about you crying for no reason at all, i experienced it last october...i cried one saturday evening for no reason and then texted my parents and brother to meet me for dinner that very day...i still don't know why i cried but when i told my good friend about it, this is what he said (hope it'll make sense to you)
"it is your body telling you what your soul is aching. Often when we fail to listen, we being "spiritual beings living a human life" have to be reminded in the "human" way to realize what we are ignoring.
it changes when your level of consciousness grows. You can remain conscious while your body is going through pain. When you are in this state, you can then try to accept that moment for what it is and allow what exactly it is that is missing/aching to reveal itself."
 
Hi Sal

Glad to see you you are so well on your diet.

Don't worry, I cry a lot and that is just my way of releasing emotions without turning to food. That was my problem before - turn to food and stuff your face till you feel better.

No I cry or I punch the crap out my punching bag.

Keep focused and you will see the results are amazing!!

Good Luck!
 
hey sal, how are you doing? just dropping by to say hi...

geo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top