Cohen's Lifestyle Cohens Lifestyle Support

[Cohen Help]

So, with regards to the refeed, should I just email that "Rosemary" lady since we have no clinic here in Melbourne? I know you have ordered a refeed

MELBOURNE & MITCHAM CLIENTS: Please use the following emails for support including ordering refeeding and management guidelines when you are ready for them..

- Melbourne clients
- Mitcham clients

The Booragoon clinic in Perth is looking after you until further notice through those email addresses.

 

[lizzi1]

Hi mumbine: I'd love to hear about the 'power chopper' or 'bullet'? Am always looking at handy appliances.

MagicLea:I am totally thrilled for you. Your loss is so fast and I can feel the delight through your posts. So power on and enjoy what is happening for you. It sounds like it is really life-changing progress. And yea, I love the wholemeal crackers too! And about the fish, I can't always find the right fish so I have a lot of tuna or prawns. However, when I can, I love my fish just pan grilled with lemon and pepper. There are all these great fish recipes on the Cohen's site but I always decide on plain with fish.

rmj: Sorry about the slow down, not always easy. But you are on track for getting there, so that's great. You always motivate people so well, and are much appreciated. I am also thrilled about your next interview. Wow! Won't it be great if you get it? Don't you just hate it when you start crying at the wrong times? When I 'listen' to you on the forum, it is pretty obvious you have a fair wack of wisdom and encouragement, and I don't think they will be able to miss your good qualities. Will be really waiting for the result, and trust you don't come out of it disappointed. Whatever happens, you know you'll have given it your best shot and it will work out for the best. And hey, a whole forum is on your side.

Jewls: I so feel for you! When you are excited and just want to get on with it you can feel really frustrated. It can't be long now! All I can say is, enjoy what you are eating now, and savour every mouthful of non-Cohen's food while you can! I don't mean eat up, I simply mean appreciate what is about to have a short absence from your dinner table!

the old me: Seems we have some similar tastes, your steak - veg combination sounds tasty.

fornight: You don't ever have to be embarassed about what is good for you! Weight change takes a lot of courage. Our society is drowning in it's weight problems. I have found that people respect the decisions we make about our health - especially if you are firm and confident about it - and even more so when they see the results. Believe in what you are doing. If a friend can't get it, then it's not about you it's about them. I can imagine that with your natural enthusiasm you could convey the very special thing you are doing for yourself.

L-Jay: I had another look at your progress. It seems it is really paying off for you and I am very pleased it is amazing you. Makes the effort worthwhile, doesn't it?

Have a good night everyone,
lizzi

 

[mumbine]

Hi mumbine: I'd love to hear about the 'power chopper' or 'bullet'? Am always looking at handy appliances.

LIZZI: The power chopper comes from Danoz Direct and there's also a website called DealsDirect.com.au that sell a similar brand cheaper (it's just as good, i got my mum one). It's absolutely fantastic and can make breadcrumbs in about three seconds. Really good for making 'pesto' for meat toppings and marinades, mincing meat and making fantastic smoothies cause it crushes ice well when mixed with other liquids. It's priceless! It's in the shape of a bullet, comes with little cups that you turn upside down onto it, you can drink straight out of it or store in the fridge. Have a look a the website for a better look.

Have a great HGH inducing night everyone!

 

[L-Jay]

MagicLea thats a fantastic result in 3 weeks. I'm in awe of your imagination in the kitchen
rjm wishing you all the best for Friday
mumbine the thai chicken meatball recipe sounds yummo. I'm such a dag. I look at all these recipes, and think one day I'll try them, but I still seem to stick to the same basic things.
tania good to hear from you again
lizzi I like it when I've been so busy, that I havent thought about losing weight for a wee-while. Its nice to switch off from it sometimes.
reload72 hope the day has improved for you hun.
sunshine " " sun is shining for you today
the old me expecting to see another day added to your no deviations
jewls hope that program turns up soon.
tasm82 I'm sure you'll see something fantastic happen soon

 

[beebee1]

Hi all. This is the first time I have posted anything on the net.
I am at day 15 of my programme and am 8.1kg down. I have been reading your postings for a week and have gone back about a year. I have learnt so much in such a short time. I dont have much to offer you all yet except for the great pouches of tuna in spring water I have tried, both safcol and coles brand are very nice and moist. I have also prepared an emergency kit for the car which includes the tuna, can of asparagus and a can of mushrooms,vitaweats, water and vitamins. I am ready for unexpected surprises. I dont feel confident to eat out yet. I am looking forward to my official weigh in and trying out some more inspiring receipes. I will try and set up this tickker thing - meanwhile start weight 133.9kg Goal weight 67kg.

 

[PinkVirgo]

Hi Everybody
Don't you ever want to just break free ? I have really felt like that lately. And I don't even want anything *naughty*... I'd settle for bacon and eggs or a piece of pumpkin or a piece of broccoli! I'd just like someone else to cook for me...

Hey everyone!

Just a quick post today. Had to move my ticker, so I thought I'd pop my head in and actually say Hi! (Still read the posts religiously).

SUNSHINE - I SOOOOOOO know what you mean about being over it and just wanting some normal food. Funnily enough, that's the beauty of this program and what it's taught me. I know for a fact that once I've finished re-feed I'm not going to reach for chips, chocolate and 'snacky' things again. I'm simply going to savour being able to eat yummy meals again. It's going to be such a joy to still be able to pass up crap that's offered to me in between meals (because I realise I simply just don't need it!). That in itself should keep the weight from piling back on once I'm done. Am SO looking forward to bacon again! Yummo!!

I wanted to ask you all, especially those of you who like me are closing in on their goal weight... do any of you now feel the need to start exercising?? I DO!! I've never been a big exerciser, and don't get me wrong I'm not wanting to get out there and hit the cardio machines with a vengence, or start doing hi-impact aerobics... I'd really just like to go for a powerwalk now and then or do some light training with weights. I feel like my body is telling me to do it!! But I've been put off by my consultant telling me it's a bad thing and that it can actually have a negative effect on the program (i.e. can stop you from losing any more weight, etc). Has anyone here gone from no exercise to starting mid-way through Cohens???

Cheers everyone, hope you are all doing well

 

[L-Jay]

Pink Virgo You have done an amazing job. You're so so so close. Unbelievable.
Welcome BeeBee love the emergency kit idea!!!! Great loss too congratulations.

 

[Mitmary7]

Hey!

hi everyone,
I finally made it to the next goal. My husband looked at me today and said "Oh no, your losing your boobs!" But like other people have said I don't think I have, not in cup size anyway. I won't mind it though, at the moment I'm wearing size E.
I felt abit down on the weekend but I'm feeling better today. Its hard cooking normal foods for the rest of the family - Anyone else doing this. I made cornsilverside on monday, Man I wanted a bite. If I can do it for 5 weeks I can do it for the rest. I've found soups are good if your hungry, it really fills you up. And I'm saving on food bills - Even though the rest of the family aren't on the plan, I don't buy lollies or choc, cakes etc. It's doing us all good. If I get a bit down I always find it good to go through the photos again on the website of Before and After shoots.
Has anyone on the forum who has finished ever posted Before and After photos? It would be great to see slim new faces!

Where do you buy this specail tea from? I am taking Metacaps everyday and its not helping much. thanks.

Mitmary

 

[baby81]

hmm a little scared

Hello everyone! wow... so a friend of a friend is on cohens.. so i started researching it and after a little while found this message board.. i have spent the last two night reading all your posts and today just bit the bullet and rang the clinic in geelong and booked in for the info night thingy?? was just wondering if any of you could tell me what the time frame is from when you hand your blood tests in till when you get your programme- im desperate to start and really dont want to wait ages to get going... noticed that one of you jewlz i think... is maybe still waiting for her programme?? So maybe i should say tell you all abit about me.. i hope you dont mind me jumping on the band wagon.. even before i have started! I live no where near geelong... baha... but going to make the 2 hour trip from the other side of melbourne as much as it takes- i have been overweight ever since i hit my early teens- it always been in the back of my mind that slow spiral down had to do with hormones... i dont really know how much i weigh- i suppose i will find out soon.. i think its around 125kg- im five foot 9- shoe size 11 so my target weight will be just under 80 i thinking... so any tips about how to manage the first week.. or stuff that i can start doing now to make it a little easier?? appreciate any feedback

 

[dilfizzle]

Hi Everyone...

L-Jay, you are so right! We both have very similar goal weights to achieve...

RJM thanks for the Luck...Also, I wish you the best for the Job Interview. You have obviously done well to get a 2nd Interview.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes!

Oooh, I am a bit concerned about maintaining my weight when I have to fast. Apparently, I can't do a refeed until I am within 2 kgs of my goal weight.

That puts me in a bad spot....I am so concerned....

 

[lizzi1]

dilfizzle: I am just trying to understand what you are saying. But I think you are saying that you need to fast for religious beliefs - I get that bit - but I can't understand why you would need refeed for that? I would assume you were only fasting for a short period of time, so why wouldn't you just break with the program and then go straight on to it again? That can't be any worse than some of the choices others have made. Some who have ordered early refeed before have been planning long eating episodes - yours wouldn't fit that category would it? So if I have understood properly you won't need a refeed for that.

lizzi

 

[dilfizzle]

Lizzi: You are right, I do need to fast.

I need to fast all day without anything to eat or drink, will this make a difference to my performance on this program? What I understand a refeed does, is that it introduces larger portions of meals and things that you would have normally eaten proir to Cohen's. Also, it will maintain your weight and avoid you putting on weight ever again (I am presuming you need to follow certain rules for this not to happen).

What will be happening to me is that I wont be able to eat my 3 meals a day. I'll basically be eating one...

Will that make me hold my weight? Or put on more?

You see, when I fast I actually put on more weight!
You know how people say they wont eat in order to lose weight?
Well, it kind of doesn't work because you are starving yourself....

That is what I will be doing? I want to avoid the whole "putting on weight"...

Gosh, I think I have confused myself....

If you can shed on this, or if anyone can shed light on this, I would appreciate it!

 

[lizzi1]

dilfizzle, any deviation will show up on your blood tests, so yes, there is a sense in which it does make a difference to the overall rebalancing of your system. that may or may not affect the scales much.

I don't know how often your fast is, but let's assume it is for a day or two? a week? That would be too short a time to do a refeed for - especially when you are near the beginning of your program and have 22 kilos to go. If you must do this, then I would suggest you break it (good or bad there are people on this forum who have done that for weeks!), and then you go back on it and be as strict as you can be.

It is not like you have already lost a lot of weight and are about to eat and eat until everything is unbalanced. I am sure that you can do this and you don't need the refeed.

lizzi

 

[lmr]

Hi everyone. It's been a while since I've posted, but I lcheck in regularly to see how everyone's going. It's great to see so many new people. You have a wonderful support group which I found was really important when I was on the diet.

RJM, so nice to see you back posting. I was sorry to read that you've had a bit of a struggle with your weight since finishing. I would imagine doing this second time around is extremely difficult, but stick with it. You know how fantastic and confident you felt first time around when you finished, and you haven't got far to go until you are there again. Can you believe that it was nearly 12 months ago that we started this journey! I think you started a couple of weeks before me. I started on the 11th July and I finished my refeed on the 16th December. I've managed to keep my weight stable, but I'm very conscious of it.

I went to Melbourne a few weeks ago with a girlfriend for a few days of shopping. I had an absolute ball! It was the first time in about 12 years that I was able to go on a shopping spree with a girlfriend and actually buy clothes - not accessories! I wasn't the fat friend standing outside the changing room waiting for my normal sized girlfriend whilst she tried on clothes. Instead, I was in the changing room next door having the time of my life with my friend! So for any of you struggling with the diet and staying on track, think of something that you really want to do when you have completed the diet. Any time you feel like deviating, think of that long term goal. I can't describe to you how wonderful the feeling was, but you all deserve to experience it.

Happy Cohening!

Lisa

 

[lizzi1]

Good one lmr!!
So pleased for you - and hopeful for us. Clothes shopping would have been great fun. really appreciate hearing from you.
Do you have to be super careful to maintain your weight?
lizzi

 

[lmr]

Hi Lizzi

I guess I am really careful, although it's become more a lifestyle and I don't feel as though I'm going without and it doesn't seem like a conscious effort. I think subconsciously I know I don't want to have to ever do the diet again and that has somehow controlled my eating habits. I basically avoid carbs and I exercise quite a bit.

The funny thing is I think my tastebuds changed after I finished. Pre Cohens, I was a huge carb eater and was always craving carbs - lots of savoury food - particularly pasta. Whenever we went out to dinner, I wanted the biggest pasta or risotto dish on the menu and I wasn't a big dessert or sweet eater at all. But now I have a real sweet tooth. I eat a little bit of chocolate on regular basis and whenever we go out for dinner, I'm thinking about what dessert I'm going to order before I've even ordered my main meal!

I guess the other difference in me is that I now plan ahead. If we're eating locally, I'll walk the 5km to the cafe because I know I'm going to have a slice of cheesecake when I'm there. Or if I've driven, I make sure I go for big walk when I get home. Pre Cohens I couldn't walk 1km without feeling like I was going to die, whereas now a 4km walk is the norm for me now.

The diet is hard work whilst you're on it, but it's worth it!

Lisa

 

[lizzi1]

Thanks lmr, I am so looking forward to afterwards, and intrigued by my own preferences. I appreciate you explaining. I was a big carb eater too, but had done a lot of work cutting them down. Also a bit of a fat eater - I love my cream! But I have also always loved the healthy things. Like Cohen's food is great! It is only the restrictions and the limits that are the problem - I genuinely enjoy what I am eating.
lizzi

 

[dilfizzle]

LMR That sounds so exciting!

I can't wait to be there...

Like one of the other members on here, I am really motivated by the fact that I haven't weighed this little since I was like 20 AND I am getting married in 12 months!!!!

Well done...Hope to hear from you soon!

 

[the old me]

Daughter's birthday

I got through the day without pigging out on rubbish. Technically I guess I did deviate because we went out to dinner for the first time in all the months I have been on Cohen's but.... I am not counting it as a deviation as we had Thai food. We shared dishes but I chose a simple chicken and veg stirfry , ate little and drank lots of water. I think I can get away with that for this special occassion and I am not feeling that I cheated, just that I did the best I could under the circumstances. It was weird having my first non Cohen's meal after all this time. I have nibbled and picked and even gorged at times but always had the prescribed meals. Anyway back to normal and no more eating out after today. Roll on day 4. Doesn't sound much but it is for me!

 

[Momiji]

Hi everyone,

Managed to find a pack of pre-packed Tom Yam's ingredients in the local supermarket, the taste is not too bad so going to share it here with all of you.

Ingredients: Lemon grass, white ginger, lime leaves, shallots, small green chilis and green lime juice

Fry shallots and chili till soft and fragrant, add stock(make from prawn shell or chicken bones) and the rest of the ingredients

let it cook for a while. Add vegetables(tomatoe and mushroom work well)

Add the prawn or chicken.

Season with salt and a little sweetener.

Hope you guys enjoy it =).

Netski : Hope you enjoy ur house-sitting =), looking forward to see how much you would have lose in 6 weeks time.

RJM : Good luck on the 2nd interview, do your best and I am sure you will get the job.

Tasm82 : Maybe can try increasing your water intake(might get things moving).

Jewls : Do cheer up, maybe you can get started yourself by reducing your carb intake and increasing your water intake? Would help you get use to the Program when you start.

mumbine : Good work on another sucessful Cohen's day. Keep it up.

Reload72 : Think maybe its due to the reduced sugar intake? Try taking deep breath or just go for a walk or just do something you like so you would not feel so fustrated?

MagicLea: Good idea on the Cohen's receipe book and your curry really do sound good. Will try it on one of the day. Oh yah, it remind me something abt mayo. Remember in the booklet that we get, its stated that we are supposed to eat 5 hrs apart so as not to mix protein? Anyway, it got me wandering about using mayo in our food so I went to ask my consultant. He said that we are not supposed to use the light mayo which are make from egg in order not to mix the protein(There is supposed to be this egg-free mayo but I have been searching my local super-markets and I wasn't able to find it). Just a note to the rest of you guys, do check your mayo just in case.

Mitmary7 : Congrats on reaching your next goal~!

dilfizzle : I think the golden rule is we are not supposed to skip meals. Are you a muslim? I remember one of my muslim friend say if there is a valid reason, they are able to not fast. But I really dunno how true is that.

lmr : Totally understand that feeling of being the fat friend when the other friends kept on trying on clothes. So you must have feel really great~! That is really a motivation for us to look forward to =)