Cohen's Lifestyle Kristy's Journey... =)

Prefix for Cohen's Lifestyle
Sorry Kristy, I wasn't meaning to say you should switch to Vaalia, just that it's the creamiest one I can get here. (Which lets you know what the rest are like). I wish I could try Brownes. The creamier the better I say.
Dh - Dear Husband. LP- I just use in my diary - liitle person (my daughter). No you don' sound daft. It's good to ask questions.
I don't think you sound like you're whingeing in your diary . And if you were, that's your right. I think you have a great attitude about the whole program. In my diary I mentioned threads I'd visited where all everyone was doing was moaning about how hard they think it is. These were old threads and some on other forums. I just noticed a theme, and they seemed to be digging themselves into a deeper hole. We all have to have a whinge sometimes. But you can almost tell that the ones who see nothing good in the program are setting themselves up for failure, so it's great to read your positive thoughts about it all. You don't need to worry about what you put in your diary. Just be true to yourself. Don't feel you have to be anything else. I'm trying to post a lot of positive motivating stuff, because I've been round the block a few times with this program, know it works, and don't want to discourage those of you who are giving it a go, plus I know this time it's important to me to stay positive so I can do it right. In other words I have tried it enough to know better.
RE the query about fruit, I've done similar things with mine at times, and I think it's okay. It hasn't slowed down my losses. But, someone else may know more.
RE crackers, I have had the odd day now and then when I couldn't remember how many I'd had. Sometimes I'll have one with a meal, sometimes two, or just have them between meals, it depends on my hunger, and what I'm eating.
You're doing great. x
 
Kristy- How many crackers & how many fruit portions are you allowed each day. PM me if you like. I used to often mix up my fruit & actually make a fruit salad that I could pick at whenever I liked. I always weighed my mango, kiwi fruit & honey-dew melon so that I could have a much as I was allowed. I never skipped fruit or crackers even if I wasn't hungry. It is such a shame that the woman you car-pooled with was such a bad influence so early with your program. Good for you deciding to distance yourself from the negativity.
You're doing well Kristy, xo Cate
 
Hey Kristy,

Just had a read through your diary and it was quite an entertaining read, you have nothing to worry about, and as someone mentioned previously it is for your benefit mostly so put in what you feel to!!

I wish i had found this forum earlier, might not be where i am here, and it is amazing to read how your thought process has changed from the day you started to where you are!!

Congrats on your losses they are great, hope you will be reading about mine sometime soon.

Have a great weekend.

xxx
 
Hiya everyone

Well I just had my friend over for a few hours and she is also on cohens. It's great to just speak to someone face to face who knows exactly how the program works and is doing the same thing as you, and each other's weaknesses etc.... I feel very refreshed at the moment! :)

Thanks L-Jay for the kind words, I'm glad you dont think my diary is boring :) Also thanks for the abbreviation explanations haha! DH I cannot use yet as I'm not married...sigh haha, :) I'll keep eating my crackers and fruit each day I think because they help keep me satisfied, and if they aren't going to slow down my weight loss, then I guess its not a problem :)

Hey Cate, my cracker allowance is 5 and my fruit is 2. Even though, when I was feeling really drained etc earlier on, my consultant told me to increase my fruit to 3. On days I'm feeling that way and dizzy I sometimes have 3 which helps me feel better, but mostly I just stick to my 2 fruit. I do always make sure I weigh the fruits that need to be weighed. I love my mango and honeydew so I want to make sure I get every last bit I'm 'allowed' haha! ... It was a shame about the car pooling, but I feel better now I'm surrounding myself with people who support me. I do have the odd few people at work who are quite nasty though eg: my junior admin girl. Most Friday's she and another girl go to maccas for lunch (I never even used to do it pre-cohens, not a maccas fan..) and STILL every Friday even though she knows I'm on cohens, she rings me and says 'Going to Maccas, wanna cheat today?' ... argh! why do that?

I also do not get a lot of support from my BF's family. They try and attempt to sabbotage me where ever they can. When ever we go there for dinner I just take my own food and a fruit salad for dessert... but BF's mum always trys and makes me have 'just a little bit' of what they are having for dinner. I have explained the program and how it works and I cannot just have a little bit... but still, everytime. Also when we were there for BFs bday last week, his Dad was quite cruel I thought. He cut me a piece of cake and gave it to me, even though he KNEW there was no way I'de eat it. Also as I was leaving he said 'now dear, dont starve'... i did get quite upset because I was very very tired that night, normally I would not let those kind of comments get to me, because I'm happy doing cohens, whats it to them what I eat?

Hey Angel, thanks! I'm glad you found my diary entertaining haha. I should go back and read through my own diary and see how my thought process has changed over time. I think it's only getting better. I am definately going to be using the 'dumb little piece of chocolate' thing instead of 'mm nice creamy yummy piece of chocolate'... its so so true that the more you talk food up, the more appealing it is. This afternoon at work we had some farewell drinks and there was chips, lollies, chocolate, nuts etc (that I had to go to the shops and buy, grr). I just looked at it and said to myself 'greasy salty chips', yuk!! And I found I really didnt want them as much!!! So thanks L-Jay, for the advice on that!

Happy to report I did not have any deviations today (cracker/fruit allowance kind of deviatios). I am really going to get strict on myself again with those little things, as I know they really do count. I'm going to think of every week as week 1!!

Anyways, waiting for the BF to get home from the work xmas party, sorry about the long post!

Have a great weekend everyone, Im sure ill be back tomorrow!

Kristy xo
 
Hi Kristy, You are doing really well despite the obvious attempts by others to derail you. Look closely at those who are trying to get you to eat off-plan. Are they slim & healthy? From my experience I think it's usually jealousy. It is a curse. The olds just think everything is made better with food! In-laws can drive you totally nuts if you let them. Basically they want to keep their son to themselves & can cause trouble at every turn. I have learned a lot from how my MIL has treated me over the last 38 years & all my DIL gets from me is support. I only give advice if she asks & then only try to encourage her & empower her to trust her own judgement. That doesn't mean that I agree with everything she does but I don't think that I should criticise. I love my son so much that I don't ever want to put a wedge between us. Being positive & encouraging is my role as a MIL.
Perhaps it would be a good idea to have a chat with them about it without your BF being about. By that I don't mean an argument but let them know that you want to be slim & healthy not under-weight & would appreciate their support. It does not hurt early on in a relationship (with the future outlaws) if you establish that you won't be pushed around. Perhaps your BF might talk to them.
Re the junior staff member- If people see doubt they can play on it. If you could manage a shudder or a horrified look at the thought of eating unhealthy Macca's she may start doubting whether it's a good idea after all. I loathe Macca's & fried food so much more & the thought truly does horrify me but then I never really did see the attraction anyway, except perhaps the price. That's coming from a comparative "old." LOL. Maccas=Ugh!
Stick to your guns Kristy. You are getting much stronger every single day. It stands out. By the way, your diary is never boring!
xoxo Cate
 
Hi Cate. The more I think about it, the more I feel as though a lot of the people around me are definately trying to derail me, but it makes it that much more rewarding to prove to myself and them that I am strong and that I will do this no matter what and no matter how much other's doubt me.... My Dad was very very sceptical about the program and quite negative, did not want to hear me out about it, I ended up just saying 'you'll see'. I have not seen him since I started (he lives in the country sno its quite rare) and will prob not see him until Xmas, and then he'll be shocked....

You're totally right Cate, none of these people that are trying to derail me are slim & healthy. I feel it is just jealousy sometimes so I shrug it off. But I also get a lot of people making remarks like 'ooohh no, you dont have to loose anymore weight'... when they stand before me at their healthy weight. Depending on who it is, a couple of times I have said 'So why do you get the right to live your life at a healthy weight, and I don't? Do I not deserve it as much as you?' Or something similiar, if i am comfortable saying that kind of thing to the person. One person didnt have anything to say back.

Today I have woken up with my face the size of a balloon from my wisdom teeth. I really have to get them out but me and my BF now have a mortgage (since Feb) and this year has just been a learning curve for us! mortgage repayments, maintenance, rates, extra bills etc. We just have not had the time or money to get on to getting health insurance. Anyway, it was even hard trying to swallow my multi-vitamins this morning. I then had kiwi fruit and yoghurt for breakfast and that took me awhile to get through........ HELP!!!!!!!!!!! What am I going to eat for lunch and dinner? I honestly feel like just eating yoghurt for every meal. But I know I cannot. I probably need to try and make a soup. I would make some mini stuffed mushrooms or something if i could but I have had cheese 3 times this week already :(

I don't know if it is the bacteria or whatever it is (cant think of the word, keep thinking venom haha) that is associated with my teeth but my stomach is also really upset. Or that could possibly be the nurofen. But I did take it with food. sigh.

If anyone has any suggestions on what I can eat today, please let me know. Ill check back in here soon to see if anyones had time to pop by and reply.

Thanks for listening guys.
Kristy xo
 
You poor thing. Your teeth need to be fixed asap or you can have serious health problems. Kristy make some soup. Throw all the ingredients for a meal 2 meal into a pot (chicken, celery, onion, asparagus...) & some spices & blitz it if you like when it's cooked. Same with meal 3 but vary it if you want. I used to use some coriander, ginger & garlic salt. So simple, no fuss & easy to eat. I ate soup almost every day over Winter on Cohen's. In fact I ate soup for breakfast today! Take care of yourself. Get to your doc asap & get some anti-biotics to get rid of that infection please, xo Cate
 
I will do that, thanks Cate. Do I use a stick blender or just a normal blender to blitz it?

It's on the top of my list, I am looking at health insurance now. I'm not sure if this time round its an infection, I can feel a new tooth coming through - and it's a different feeling than when I have had infections.

Kristy
 
Hi all,

So I went to the op shop today and found some great stuff. I got a really cute black cotton dress for work which is quite figure hugging but still looks pretty good, some black shorts which for now I'll probably just wear around the house (legs are not quite ready for the public), a nice dark blue work shirt, a really cute purple casual top, a pair of pin stripped work pants (miss shop brand, size 8?????? fit perfectly...$5.99!!) ANDDDDDDDDDD... a gorgeous pair of jeans west skinny leg dark blue jeans that are size 10, they dont quite fit me yet but for only 9.99 i thought why not buy them and have something to work towards!!!! So i'm very happy with my purchases.

I then just browsed the shops very slowly (still with my face the size of a balloon from my wisdoms, but I needed to do something to keep my mind off it!). Finished off my Christmas shopping, now only have the BF to go which is proving to be a real challenge - I'm sooo stuck! I really do not want to end up resorting to cologne! I ended being gone for 3 hours and got home and realised it was 2.30 and I had not eaten and should have 2 hours ago, opps. I ended up having grilled chicken with veges and cutting the chicken up very small, it went down fine. I didnt have time to make the soup! That is on tomorrow's agenda....

We are now off to make the most of this beautiful night and go for a drive down to Fremantle, and have dinner. Just going to a fish & chip place called Ciccerellos which we can sit outside and enjoy the beautiful night. I checked the menu and they do a grilled barramundi and garden salad, so I'm happy with that and an icy cold diet coke. Looking forward to getting out of the house!

Cheers
Kristy xx
 
Hi everyone

Last night was really nice. I ordered the grilled barramundi with salad and they were insistent on giving me the chips, I said I would really rather them to please leave them off but they wouldnt? I forgot to ask for the salad without dressing...dammit. When it arrived it had some kind of dressing ALL over it... so after moving all of the chips on to the BF's plate I had to go and buy another garden salad without the dressing. The fish looked a little oily so i patted it with my napkin to try and get as much oil as possible off. Overall once I got sorted it was very nice!

Today I had a great sleep in until 9am, normally I always make sure I'm up no later than 7.30 so the times I eat are quite normal.. but today I thought oh well, i dont have anywhere to be, I can eat when ever! My teeth are feeling a little better today. I tried another new yoghurt called Mundella, which I quite like, different kind of texture but still quite creamy and yum. So after my mango and yoghurt which I really really enjoyed as the mango was so delicious, I have cleaned my whole house, done lots of washing, had a visit from my Mum & Step-Dad, made BF breakfast & lunch...OH and a chocolate cake!!!! Every Sunday I make him either cake/muffins/brownies for him to take to work for morning tea each day... he's doing a lot of exercise these days riding to and from work so he its his treat each day....and now I'm waiting for it to be 2.40pm so I can eat my Tuna & Salad!

BF just put my new full length mirror up in the bedroom that I got from IKEA last week. Looks good. Must say I enjoy looking at my reflection a lot more these days :)

Was planning a walk in the park this afternoon but now I have sat down I'm feeling very tired. I think after lunch its just going to be time for sitting down with the air cooler on me and watching a movie.

Cohens wise I'm feeling really great. I'm so back on track with even the little things I was slipping up with ... so I'm really proud that I jumped back on the wagon after my bad week. I weighed this morning and I still havent really changed ... 3 weeks Ive been the same. Im hoping by this time next week I would have lost seeing as I should be all balanced again.

Hope everyone's had a great weekend - mines turned out to be really good apart from the teeth.

Talk Soon
Kristy xo
 
It all sounds good Kristy, except the teeth, as you say. Don't ever be afraid to be specific re your meals out. If you had a serious medical condition you wouldn't be embarrassed about asking so don't be. I used to take a small container of my own dressing with 1 teaspoon of Mayo, some Balsamic, a little garlic & some salt & pepper. I used to have some of them in my fridge made up, ready to go. You should see a loss again very soon. It goes to show that it's easy to mess with our hormones, xo Cate
 
Your are really doing great Kristy. It's so empowering to make choices you know are best for you, epecially when it seems easier to go with the flow. Reading how others handle situations really helps me by reminding me of what's most important, and that if they can do it, I can do it too.
Cate makes a very good point about the fact that you wouldn't hesitate to speak up if you needed a specific diet for a health complaint.
Remember, the scales don't tell the whole story when it comes to weight. You will sense it in the way you and your clothes feel, and in others comments when you have lost. Have a great day x
 
Thanks Cate and L-Jay.
I am feeling really great today - woke up with the teeth still quite sore but after my breaky I popped some nurofen and gargled some cepacaine and they're not hurting at all now. Im wearing my 'new' op shop clothes today and feeling great. Cannot believe these pants are a size 8????? They really must be a large size 8, I'm still 62kgs, I'm NOT a size 8 haha. But it's a great confidence booster. Also I do a walk up quite a steep hill to and from the train station each morning and it seems to be getting easier and easier. I'm hoping it will do wonders for my legs so by the end of the year when I've lost more weight (fingers crossed) my legs will be looking a little more toned, and on our mini holiday down South, I can wear shorts!!!

OK so here's what I ate yesterday - i'm hoping if I'm donig anything wrong and not realising, people will pick up on it. I'm also going to start a food diary and give it to my consultant each weigh in for her to flick through.

B - Yoghurt with 1/2 a mango
MT - 1 x cracker and half an apple
L - Tuna Salad + 2 crackers
AT - 1 apple
D - Grilled steak with a sprinkle of paprika & grilled mushrooms, salad with a splash of balsamic + 2 crackers

WATER - Nearly 3ltrs
Other drinks - 1 glass of diet solo, 1 glass of diet sprite

I know the weight will start dropping off again eventually, just got to stick with it and keep a positive attitude. I do want to start exercising more but I always feel like I need more fuel for it to not completely exhaust me. Im getting 30 mins a day of walking to and from work which is good.

I iced the BF's chocolate cake yesterday arvo and the evil voice popped into my head. I must say, I did a great job on the icing. It looked so great and argh! I had a little on my finger and I accidently licked my finger out of pure habit. It was the smallest amount and I didnt even really taste it so I'm hoping it wouldnt have sent my body haywire. Opps :( stupid habits. I was considering sneaking a piece of cake but then I just kept my goals in mind and remembering that there will be a day where I will be able to have a small piece of things like that again, that time just isn't now. So I got through!!!

Hope everyone has a great Monday. I'm surprised how great I'm feeling for a Monday.

Kristy xo
 
Hi all! Hope you all had a great day. I did, was feeling really great today. Posting today's food :)

B - Yoghurt and 1/2 mango
MT - 1 cracker
L - Tuna & Salad & 2 crackers
AT - 1 serve kiwi fruit
D - Chicken & Asparagus soup & 2 crackers
AD - 1/2 mango

Oh the chicken and asparagas soup was realllllllllly nice!!!! I was quite skeptical about it but I really really enjoyed it. I made double so now I have it for tomorrow's night dinner as well, looking forward to it!!!! It was very easy to eat with the sore teeth, as the chicken was so nice and tender!

Well I forgot to make my lunch while I was cooking dinner so off to do that, shower and then sit and relax and watch a movie.

Will check in again soon :)
Kristy xo
 
Hi Kristy, It all sounds good. You're doing well! Your ticker looks good too. Well over 1/2 way now & cruising, xo Cate
 
Hi everyone

Was feeling really good this morning but kind of flat now. The BF is having some personal problems and has been since I can remember. He has depression and was on medication for it for awhile which really helped, but he decided he didnt want to take them anymore.. and since then he's just gone down hill again. I know its a hard thing to come to terms with, I truly believe it is a disease and it needs medication. It's similiar to cohens really...our bodies are chemically in balanced and our food is our medication, and people with depression are also chemically in balanced and need their medication. (hope that makes sense, I know what I'm on about!). I just wish he would swallow his pride and decide to treat himself for it... because he's soo up and down, and even though I really dont mind supporting him through it, after nearly 5 years of trying to work through it, its starting to take its toll on me ? I hope that’s not a really selfish thing to say…. Ah anyway, I have suggested perhaps seeing a naturopath because he wants to try out some natural remedies, so hopefully we can find something to help him.

I also ran into the ‘car pooling’ lady at work this morning. She went on and on about how wonderful I’m looking and I got the good old ‘Oh there’s no way you need to loose anymore weight!!!’ … ahh yeah, thanks for telling me whats best for me!!!!!!! I think I would know that! And then went on to again tell me her thoughts on the reefed and that it’s not needed etc etc… I just ignored her and got out of the conversation as soon as I could. She is such a negative person to have around and I now realise how much she really did influence me at the start of my journey – and not a good influence either!

This afternoon I’m catching up with a good friend of mine for a light walk so I know that will make me feel better, we always have really good talks. I then have my chicken & asparagus soup to go home too, so I’ve got to be happy with that!!!!! I’m thinking of making the same one but with beef. I have a dinner to go to on Sunday at the BF’s parents and thought I would try and take something a bit different and show them that I am able to eat yummy things apart from meat and salad!

Sorry about my rant and my flatness. Hopefully I’ll spring back to life tomorrow!

Hope everyone is having a great day. And thanks for reading. This blog/forum really helps to be able to vent even if sometimes its not exactly about cohens related things, I know you lovely ladies will always give good advice.

Cheers
Kristy xo
 
Hi Kristy, That's a shame about your BF & his depression. I think it is a chemical imbalance & hopefully he will be able to find something natural from a Naturopath to help him. I, too, have suffered from depression over the years & find my exercise has really helped with it. It seems to be much better these days but I use various tools to help me as well as the exercise. Feeling healthy & fit helps, as does reading positive sayings & also just the knowing from experience that it does pass.
It's good that you are learning strategies to keep on track. Avoiding negative people is a good idea. Re your dinner at the BF's parents one of my favourite take out meals was a prawn salad. You can eat a surprising number of prawns really. Stir-fry them with some garlic, ginger, coriander & add a splash of Balsamic at the end. Keep them in a separate container. take an attractive looking salad with some fresh herbs through it, a little tomato just for colour & a small container of dressing(1/2 teaspoon mayo, balsamic, mustard, salt/pepper) & throw it together when you get there. It's delicious. If you don't like prawns use chicken breast.
Don't ever apologise for saying how you feel in the forum. Your diary is for you to say whatever you like, xoxo Cate
 
Miss Kris, maybe do some research on the role of neuro transmitters in the disease of depression will help him understand exactly what goes wrong and why it is so hard with merely self-will to climb out of the hole once you are in it. If he understands that the nerves in the brain don't just work electrically, they have a whole series of small gaps to cross which has to be done with chemicals, and that if critical ones are in short supply (which happens in depression), the messages to the limbic system to calm down can't get through, he might realise it's nothing to be ashamed of, and you can get help.

I've recently been caused to understand that in long standing depression, the white matter around the neurons in a critical part of the brain can also deteriorate, which adds to the problem. This is newer research and not commonly understood either. I think understanding all this is the key to recovery. Once you understand that if you treat the problem, your limbic system gets a chance to calm down, rebuild and recover, you actually do begin to think straighter and can then take in better ways of handling things etc etc etc.

It's hard with men - they like to be tough and just plough through things, but depression affects men the same way as women - they just are slower to admit it and get help.

But... it has to be his decision. So be gentle, supportive and persuasive, but try and let him see that help is around the corner. Some of us are predisposed by our genes to suffer depression under much less provocation than others. It's not that we are weak - it's just how we are made. We have other strengths instead.

By the way, congratulations of how well you are doing - great ticker!
 
Hi everyone!

Cate - thanks for that recipe! I haven't had prawns since I started cohens because I wasn't quite sure how to cook them. That sounds great! I am definately going to give that a shot. It's going to be a scortching 37 degrees in Perth on the weekend, so that will be a really nice cold, refreshing meal :) thanks!!!

Niyah - thank you for the tips on depression. I think also it is very important that he understands the reasons behind his depression. I will look into the role of neuro transmitters and hopefully be able to find some useful information that he can have a read of. thanks again :)

I am feeling a little better today. I didn't end up catching up with my friend yesterday arvo as she got called into work.... BF ordered pizza & garlic bread for dinner. It didnt bother me as much as I thought it would...pizza was one of my big weaknesses pre-cohens, but I must say I never liked the dominoes/pizza hut ones and that is what he had last night. So it didnt appeal to me. It did stink the whole house out though! But I had my chicken & asparagus soup and it was just as nice 2nd time around.... mmm now I wish it was winter again so I could have soup every night!

For some reason I was extremley tired last night. I think it might be because its my TOM. I ate at 6.30pm so was not supposed to go to bed until 9pm. I just could not keep my eyes open though. I tried for so long but then ended up falling asleep on the couch at 8.15pm - what the!!! I dont normally go to bed until 10.30ish so this was quite weird. Must have needed it...!!!

Here's what I ate yesterday.

B - Yoghurt & Mango
MT - 1 cracker
L - Feta & Salad + 2 crackers
AT - 1 serve kiwi fruit
D - Chicken & Asparagus soup + 2 crackers
AD - 1 apple... (I went over here by 1/2 a fruit) ...
Water - 2.5ltrs

Check in later! have a good day everyone.
(oh i also updated my ticker, I forgot to update it after i put on a bit after my bad week, so I’m exactly half way!)
 
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