Cohen's Lifestyle Dietgrrl's journey

Prefix for Cohen's Lifestyle
dietgrrl

dietgrrl

New member
Hi all,

I finally decided to start a journal of my own.. I've been on the programme for about three weeks so far and there have been highs and lows. This is currently a low..

But don't get me wrong, the programme so far has been wonderful for me. I never realized how crappy my eating habits were or how much **carbs** I would eat in a day and thought I was 'eating healthy'.

I've made some unintentional deviations and I want to kick myself for being so stupid. My fear is that it would show in my first blood test coming up... but what happens when you fail?

Tomorrow is a Sunday but I have to get up at 6 am because one of my staff's brother passed away in an accident last night. I don't know the brother who passed away but we are going to the family house tomorrow morning to pay our respects (don't ask me why we have to go so early - the office manager picked the time!). While I feel bad for my staff, I also feel really uncomfortable being around people I'm not close to who are grieving. I feel that I'm intruding. Oh well, gotta pay my respects and all.

Thanks for reading so far!
Dietgrrl
 
Hey Dietgrrl and good for you for starting a diary, looking forward to reading all about your journey.

I was the same as you in not realising how many carbs I was eating pre-cohens and that it was my main problem to not succeeding with loosing weight. You soon realise once you get to refeed and your able to add them back in that they really are not worth it.. I've found it a pain adding them back in they do not even taste as appealing as they used too. Your taste buds will change over cohens!!!

Sorry to hear about your staff members brother, that is horrible. Best of luck to you in the situation, is not a nice one to be in.

Keep remembering the reasons your doing cohens and perhaps even write them in your diary for you to read back on when ever you have the temptation to deviate.... you too could be on refeed within a few months -you just have to really want it and keep at it even when you have ups and downs! You WILL get there!!!

Take care
K xo
 
Hey Dietgrrl,

Good on you for starting your diary, you will see what a good influence it actually has on you, especially if you actively update it!!

Sorry to hear about the happenings, hope it all went well.

Good luck with the road ahead, i'm sure it will be great and if it takes you 3 months, 4 months, 5 months just imagine at the end of this journey how amazing you are going to look and feel.

xxx
 
Hi Kris and Angel

Thanks for commenting! Today, I cooked calamari for the first time. :) It turned out really well but perhaps a wee bit salty because I haven't used salt for the past 3 weeks(!!) but decided that I needed to add some to this dish. Watered the dish down but it was still a bit salty for my taste. I hope it doesn't affect my weight loss. Drank up to 4 litres (a record!) today though so hopefully I can flush it out.

I know I shouldn't be too hard on myself but am rather bummed that I kinda screwed up my first month of Cohen's. I wanted it to be perfect as the first month is where you lose the most. Plus, it is something in my life that I have complete control over.

I think TOM must be on the way because my thighs are bigger today (I gauge by sitting down and observing how wide the gap between my thighs are. Right now - what gap? erk) - hopefully it's some retained water weight. I am trying not to be paranoid to think that I've gained weight from my deviations. Even if I had, nothing to do but to do Cohen's 100% right and suck it up..

Tomorrow is another day, right?
 
Hi dietgrrl- the swollen thighs will most likely be a combination of the salty calimari & the extra water that you drank. Don't worry about it at all. Just fluid. It will go. The same thing happens to me. Also don't worry about the 1st month being "stuffed up". Nothing that you learn from is a total stuff up. Your 2nd month may be the one that is a killer one for you! I hope so. Good attitude re the sucking it up & continuing 100% Cohen's. Be positive & be confident. You can & will do this dietgrrl. If I can, anyone can. Cheers, Cate
 
Im sure you havent stuffed anything up. You are trying your absolute best and have made a huge change in your life in the past month. Sometimes cohens can take a little bit of getting used to and one cannot be perfect 100% of the time. As long as your not deviating intentionally (i made some of those bad choices throughout my journey), then you're on the right track!

Do not know how you manage 4ltrs of water! 3ltrs for me and I feel like I am constantly running to the loo and having to get up at least twice a night, drives me up the wall!

Every day is a new day and every day counts on this journey - keep it up! xoxoxox
 
cate, your advice and your sharing of your on-going story with us draws me back to this forum again and again! Thanks so much. *hugs**

kris - haha, I hear you about the running to the loo in the middle of the night. I try to keep my 3 litres during the day but I still get up in the middle of the night to pee! At first it was annoying but I am quite used to it that I just fall back into sleep again.

Yesterday was the hardest day to go through Cohen-wise. I was so hungry (but not really... more like cravings??) after work because it was a long day of meetings. Plus, I have stopped myself from drinking Sprite Zero. I love that stuff too much that it's scary. However, I was never a pop drinker and to start now (a can a day!) is not good. So I stopped buying Sprite Zero and drank water or tea whenever I feel the cravings.

I think that's what's good about the Cohen's so far because I'm realizing the difference between hunger and cravings. I was so used to having Sprite Zero after work (to chill) and not having it was making me so antsy. Even when I finished a filling dinner of tofu salad, I felt anxious on munching something. The old me would have snacked and not think twice.

I like the new me better. I forced myself to be distracted by other things and eventually, the anxious craving went away.

Today, my Cohen approved crackers run out and I won't have anymore until I go home to stock up! That would be sometime late next week. Initially I was anxious because I really felt that I needed the crackers to get myself through the day, but I think I can do it. After all, I have to remind myself that the feeling of eating the crackers is satisfying but when it's all gone, I crave more and have to beat that feeling down!

I'm also going to switch fruits. I've been having apples every day but on the boards, I read that it stimulates cravings. I love my apples but perhaps switching them would lessen the cravings.

Another long day at work today! But am looking forward to it! Be well everyone :)
 
Hey Dietgrrl,

I must tell you i take my hat off to you, it must be so difficult trying to do this in a country where everything is not readily available.

You are doing so well and your head definitely seems like it is in the right place, keep going your are doing great.

xxx
 
Hey cate, angel, and kris - thanks for the on-going encouragement!

Angel - there are pros and cons living in a place where I can't get everything as listed on the Cohen programme. Obviously the big con is having to make do what I have! I can't tell you how I enviously look at recipes that use balsamic vinegar. I am appreciating the simple things now. :)

The pro is that I have less temptations than you guys! What cupcake? What delicious food, etc.. :)

I think I'm finally getting into the zone - no more silly unintentional deviations. I am more careful now. Day two (or three?) of no Sprite Zero. I think that this is a good thing because I was getting too addicted to it. It's hard though when I have my usual evening cravings and nothing to subdue it.

Next week I'm going home for a visa run! I'm so excited - I am making a list of food that I can't get here (cheese! yoghurt! spices! chili flakes! crackers!). What bugs me the most is the liquid restriction on international flights. I really want my vinegar but I don't want to pack liquids and risk having it break open in my luggage (and spoil my Cohen crackers, etc....!). Any ideas anyone? Thought of openign the bottle and putting it in another container but that might still open up. I don't know whether labelling my luggage 'fragile' would help either. Unless I pack a couple of bottles separately in a small box?? Hm...
 
Hiya dietgrrl

Wow, do not know how you survive without yoghurt, crackers, cheese! All my saviours on the program. Well done, it sounds really challenging but you're handling it all really well and just doing what you need to do to make it all work! What great determination!

WHat a blessing to not have all that yummy food around you hehe.. it will make maintenance life all that much easier!!

Hm...I dont have any advice for the travelling with food thing sorry, I have not done a lot of travel :( I guess the labelling of your bag cannot hurt at all!

Keep up the awesome work - u should be so proud of yourself!

K
 
Today, I decided to try a new recipe (made up in my head). I've always wanted to try a tofu dessert so last night, I stewed an apple, added tofu and as a burst of inspiration, poured Sprite Zero and blended it all in. Chilled it overnight and this morning, I decided to have that with breakfast (along with veggie platter).

Verdict: AWFUL. Simply awful. The worst part is that I decided to commit to the meal and drank it all even though I wanted to throw up. :)

The rest of the day, I was groggy from the sugar high (released from the stewed apple and Sprite zero - NOT a good combo!). I won't be attempting this again!

Lunch: a sane veggie omelette

Dinner: Roasted beef steak with mushrooms (my favourite meal of the day).

Drank 3 litres of water. I probably retained some water weight from the disastrous tofu dessert. But I'm glad that I experimented. Was going rather bored with the usual tofu dishes. Now I would happily go back to them. :)
 
Hehe don't you hate when you have a crap meal on cohens. and you know you have to finish it! eek! I did that a few times and it wasn't pretty. Good on you for commiting to it and attempting new things.

Sounds like you're doing really well :D

K xo
 
MissKris said:
Hehe don't you hate when you have a crap meal on cohens. and you know you have to finish it! eek! I did that a few times and it wasn't pretty. Good on you for commiting to it and attempting new things.

Sounds like you're doing really well :D

K xo
Click to expand...
:iagree: with Kristy! You're doing well dietgrrl, xo Cate
 
hehe. Good to know that I'm not the only one committing to a horrible meal Kris :) I just didn't know what to do! Today I feel much more energetic so NO MORE TOFU SHAKES for moi!

Thanks for your encouragement guys - it really helps me going!

Breakfast: Omelet with mushrooms
Morning snack: Apple
Lunch: Stir-fry calamari with kai lan (green leafy veg)
Afternoon snack: Apple
Dinner: Stir-fry calamari with cabbage
Liquids: 3 litres h20 & green tea & can of Sprite Zero
Deviation: NONE

Besides losing weight, another thing I can thank Cohen for is to making me get up my butt and experiment on new dishes! Prior to Cohen’s, I was cooking mostly from prepackaged stuff or eating out because I didn’t like touching raw meat. Now, I’m hacking away at all types of raw meat and weighing them.

Calamari was one of my new dishes that I attempted to cook for myself. I had to read up online how to cook it first and now it’s one of my favourite meals! You have to be careful and not overcook it lest it gets rubbery.

Tonight, I'd be preparing tomorrow's lunch (stirfry chicken with veggies). Two more days till I get home. Pretty excited!
 
Yum! I have not cooked calamari at all actually, I may have to give it a go. Sounds nice!! Well done on trying out new meals, I found it was the only thing that kept me going through the program. One of my favourites was to mince a steak and cook it up with mushrooms, tomatoes, onion & garlic, salt & pepper and it was kind of like a cohens bolognaise sauce haha. I liked to have it on crackers too. Yum!

Keep on loosin!
K
 
Kris, how do you mince a steak? Do you need a special tool? Lol. I get my steak directly from the butcher - they don't really do mincing here.

I agree re: new meals! Even after disastrous tofu shake, I find myself looking at other new tofu recipes to try out. ;)

Breakfast: Mushroom omelette
Lunch: Chicken stir-fry with cabbage & spinach
Dinner: Roasted steak with mushrooms (favourite!)
Snack: Apple & Sprite zero
Water: 3 litres
Deviations: NONE

My staff are aware of my current eating plan and I get ribbed about it. They say it's not a good quality of life to deprive myself of cakes, chocolates. I reply that I don't miss it! I don't miss the sugar crash or the slugginess that occurs later. I get my sugar boost from my apples daily. Plus, I don't plan to deprive myself of the sweet things forever - rather, I am learning to be more mindful of what I eat.

Tomorrow I'm flying home and am preparing two meals tonight and bringing them with me lest I get stuck and become hungry. The old me would eat whatever at the airport but it's got a lot of MSG, sugar, etc.! No such thing as a healthy meal in an airport. I like the new me better - I'm saving money, and eating healthier!
 
Hi dietgrrl, Your meals sound delicious. Ask your butcher to mince some steak for you. I'm sure they would be able to. You are doing really well & especially resisting the pressure from your staff. It's great to take control of your health. Well done. Cheers, cate
 
Hey Dietgrrl,

Sounds like you are really getting into the swing of things with you eating, and you are adventurous. Something i need to be more of, i am also so pressed for time i just land up sticking to the same old thing all the time.

Hope you get the stuff you need on your trip home and have a great time, remember to be good while you are there, you have come so far already and your head is definitely in the right place!!

Take care and travel safely :)

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