Cohen's Lifestyle Starting on Cohen's

Prefix for Cohen's Lifestyle
Another hard week at work but I think I am getting somewhere with it and hopefully it will calm down soon.

Went to the doctor who made two contradictory claims - firstly that the only safe weight loss long term is 2% of body weight per year and that the recommended amount to lose is 10-15kg per year. That assumes most people weigh 750kg - as a Maths teacher I am aware of the shocking lack of numerical understanding in the broader community as I read and see it every day, but coming from a medical doctor who prescribes medication it's a bit terrifying. I guess I went to her for sensible help and she seemed more helpless than I was. She did talk about doing a mental health plan but recommended going to a nutritionist first. I explained the program but she obviously thought it was unhealthy and I am getting blood tests, which I think will show I am healthy. Certainly, I am much healthier than I was when I weighed 25kg more. She said she could get me the referral to psych. if we did a mental health plan and I found a psych. who specialised in this area. For this she earned $85 and the government paid about $70. I am pretty annoyed. On top of all this she told me about her attempts to lose weight, which is friendly I suppose but again not very reassuring. I conclude I have to help myself to find help.

I am now going to the market every Saturday to buy fruit and veg rather than the supermarket and buying really lovely flowers. I am trying to find ways to replace my use of food as reward.

The clothes situation is getting dire - not for work but casual clothes - but I object to spending lots of money on clothes that I may only wear for 2-3 months. I also have some kind of block about shopping in stores for normal sizes. I remember a conversation with a friend of mine who got to goal weight with WW last year and she said she still feels fat and thinks of herself as big. And while I still have lots of weight to lose, I can't bring myself to embrace the idea that I fit into normal sized clothes. It will take time I suppose.

Enjoying the teaching this year which is good. The rest of the job is huge, my workload has more than doubled with no time allowance. We will see what happens.

eloise
 
Still working and trying to get the chores done at home. Not succeeding very well. Maybe am asking too much of myself. While I am sticking to the program with no deviations since xmas (and they were silly too) and I back to plateauing and can only see this taking another 4 months. I don't know if I can do another 4 months- really, this isn't just complaining about how hard the diet is but that I am really tired and not hungry so much, as feeling I need more energy. I assume this is normal as I have lost about 28kg and to get to goal have another 26kg (the bottom end of goal).
Another weigh in this week - we will see if my last blood test showed anything different but I think not. It just feels like there is no relief right now. Am sure I will come good by the weekend.
 
Eloise, I'm sorry that I haven't been around for moral support but have been under the weather myself. Speaking of which the weather can get you down, you have gone back to work after a lovely break, it's daunting how long you think you have to keep going...etc. What you are doing is so about you becoming slim & healthy. It is so good for you in the long run. If you are lacking in energy try taking another multi-vitamin in the afternoon, talk to your consultant & ask her for tips. I think that it's best to not overdo things while you are losing on Cohen's. Your food intake is low. This will be something you look back on & be so proud of one day. That day is not so far off. Instead of thinking about how far you have to go make sure you remind yourself of how far you have come. Be proud of yourself! Take each day, one day at a time, give yourself small rewards along the way(an eye fillet steak instead of cheaper cuts)or a massage or manicure etc and you will get there. Are you measuring every week? If not please do so. Some weeks you lose kgs, some cm's, but I'm sure you will still be losing. A good friend of mine had a similar amount of weight to lose as you. She has PCOS & it took her a year to lose it. She was single at the time & wondering if she would find the man for her. She is a lovely person & we met through the forum. She has recently married & has gained a scholarship for further study. She is so happy. I'm quite sure that losing her weight has taken her from strength to strength. It will be something that she will be proud of doing forever & it has changed her life.
I look back now & am no longer ashamed of how big I once was. I also am proud of what I have done. You do feel that if you can do that then you are capable of big things. You will love the new you Eloise. Give yourself every chance. Love & strength to you, xoxo Cate
 
Hi Cate,
Thanks so much for your support and kindness. I was on a bit of a rant and feel better today.
Love,
Eloise (now going to sleep!)
 
Feeling a lot more postive this week. Had a lovely weekend (no work!!) and did two hours of gardening on Sunday, which made me feel really relaxed. My appointment last week was good and I got some advice about how to proceed to find psychological support which I will try to sort out over the next two weeks. I know I have to sleep well and not push myself too hard and the weekend rest proved that. The weather helped too - I am becoming a very sensitive soul I think.
 
eloisem said:
Feeling a lot more positive this week. Had a lovely weekend (no work!!) and did two hours of gardening on Sunday, which made me feel really relaxed. My appointment last week was good and I got some advice about how to proceed to find psychological support which I will try to sort out over the next two weeks. I know I have to sleep well and not push myself too hard and the weekend rest proved that. The weather helped too - I am becoming a very sensitive soul I think.
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Good for you Eloise! Nothing wrong with being a sensitive soul or seeking support. I found that I become quite emotional on Cohen's. There's a lot of stuff (emotional baggage) that I had suppressed with food & I hid behind my fat. It is best to deal with it so you can move on in life & find new, healthier coping skills. It's not something that happens overnight & it's good to share them with someone outside your inner circle of friends & family.
It all sounds like you are taking the necessary steps Eloise. Sending you love & extra strength, xoxo Cate
 
I am still seeking that strength, Cate, and I have to give myself credit for not going off the program, as the longer I am on it, the more I realise that I used to eat to control my emotions. I have now to take steps to get an appointment with a psychologist and deal with the emotions - although the strength of my feelings may not change, at least I might understand why more.
Thanks for all your positivity and thoughts, Cate, especially when I have not been online for so long. And I hope things are going well with your mum & your plans.
 
Hi Eloise! Good on you for being able to take the first step in seeking psychological support... I wish I had the courage to do the same. Still trying to muster up some so that I can sort out my weight issues.

I've also been experiencing a plateau/slow down in my weight loss... I'm just trying to take it all in stride knowing that eventually, I will reach my goal weight.

Hope you have a good week ahead! Sticking to the plan is hard -- I can't imagine doing that with everything you have to do. Good job!
 
Hi everyone,
Again I got caught up with the scales and now the weekend is over, I find I have lost 0.9kg since Friday - I must remember that this is a monthly cycle not a weekly one! I went shopping yesterday and tried on clothes just to see where I am at and I fitted into size 14 jeans - they were at Target so not particularly small ones but I am really happy about my progress probably for the first time on the program. I am now a little lighter than I have ever been before and I can actually feel the spring in my step- I am still in the process of seeking psychological support because I know that the line between staying on the program and eating everything I can lay my hands on is a thin one. However, it seems to have taken nearly 29kg weight loss before I can feel really positive about it. Thanks everyone for your support - I have been fairly down for some of this time and what people have said has kept me focussed on my goals. I must remember I deserve to feel good about myself and that sticking to the program is important to me feeling good.
 
Oh Sweetie, Do hang in there. I'm sorry that it is taking so long for you to feel better about yourself. You are so worth loving & if you can please get some help. It's hard to talk about it all, but very important for your own sake. I loved to hear that you have some spring in your step. Enjoy that. That's you- the inner you. The you that will be slim & loved & loving. The you that deserves to be happy. There is light at the end of the tunnel & you are capable of doing this. Don't forget to remind yourself how far you have come. Sending you love & strength Eloise, xoxo Cate
 
Hi Cate,

Thanks. I am going well except for one deviation - an extra apple on Thursday. I had one less piece of fruit on Friday so hopefully that will be okay. I was just deperate to eat something more on Thursday and I was at home with no choice but to eat Cohen's food so an apple was all it could be, which is good I suppose.

I am really hungry this week - I don't know why particularly but I will just have to work through it.

Lovely long weekend and caught up with several people for coffee (free choc had to go home to someone else's child).

Hope everyone else is okay and thinking of Japan- puts my little battles in context.

Eloise.
 
Eloise, Try eating other fruit than apples as they can make some people hungry. Also try taking an extra multi-vitamin in the afternoon. Are you getting enough sleep, drinking 2-3 litres of water per day? Switch your meals about a little. Try having a meal 3 meal at lunch time & your meal 2 meal at night. Sometimes that can be enough to shake things up a little. Without knowing exactly what you eat & when it's hard to say why you are hungry. If I have gone too long before eating a meal I can feel hungry for the rest of the day. Don't ever skip a meal. Hope things improve for you soon, xoxo Cate
 
Hi Cate,
I think it might have been hormonal and I am now trying to switch up my meals a little. I love apples more than most fruits so I am reluctant to give them up, and they fill me up more than stone fruit which is one of my other options because I don't like mango much. I should try oranges I think.
I am really settling into a pattern with eating, the only thing I change very much is dinner. I usually have yoghurt & an apple for breakfast or an omlette, along with the crackers, grilled chicken with cabbage and a small amount of onion for lunch with crackers (vinegar and mustard powder for dressing), and either beef or tuna with cooked vegies for dinner with my final cracker for the day. I usually have my second piece of fruit mid-morning or about 3 hours after breakfast.
I am up very early so I do try to eat the majority of my food in the am (I start work at 7 am at the latest). I am about to go to bed though so I am not up late.
Today I was only hungry in the morning which is more normal for me. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
Thanks for you advice, Cate.
Hope anyone else reading this had a successful day today.
Eloise.
 
I too love apples more than any other fruit. I found when I cooked them they didn't seem to make me hungry. I would cook 10 apples with a little cinnamon & a bit of water until soft, divide the mixture up into 5 containers, freeze 4 & then 1 container would be 2 fruit portions. I could have it with my yoghurt for breakfast 2 days in a row, or have the other half(1 fruit portion) as a snack sometime during the day. It would feel more like a dessert that way. How far off your goal weight are you? I used to get hungry a lot, on & off, when I was within 10kg of my goal weight. Cheers, Cate
 
Better few days

Hi Cate,
I still have approx 20kg to go. It depends whose scales I count - the hunger wasn't a problem today or yesterday so I do think it might have been my hormones, which is a pattern that has always existed for me whether I am dieting or not. I might start to cook apples as it gets colder - I like the idea of warm apple with my yoghurt in cold weather. I am planning on trying some of the soup recipes then. I have only been on cohen's in spring or summer so I may have to make some adjustments. I still can't imagine being at goal although I have changed a lot already.
Thanks. Eloise
 
Hi everyone,
Went to my appointment on Thursday and have been told to take another lot of multi-vitamins at lunch. You were right, Cate! I have been doing so but am still hungry of an afternoon, not so uncontrollably though. Have had a lovely weekend but am a bit behind with work - will just have to manage it tomorrow.
Eloise
 
Hi Eloise, Am glad everything has settled a little. Hopefully your hunger will fade away. It makes it harder when you do get hungry & everyone is different with it. You have a busy life too & are probably quite active with school & use up lots of energy. I think you're doing well. I hope you are able to get lots of sleep. Take care, xo Cate
 
Hi everyone,
I am really feeling the weight loss at the moment - the clothes I bought as my in-between clothes are starting to look slightly clown like, which is pleasing but surreal. I don't really think of myself as the size I am.
Will I continue to feel weak in the evening - it's not really weakness in the sense of light-headedness but just tired? When I think of what I have done today, it's not surprising really.
Hopefully I don't sound like this is drudgery because it's not. Things actually feel like they are together rather than all over the place.
Eloise
 
eloisem said:
Hi everyone,
I am really feeling the weight loss at the moment - the clothes I bought as my in-between clothes are starting to look slightly clown like, which is pleasing but surreal. I don't really think of myself as the size I am.
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& it will take quite some time for your brain to match your body. I still sometimes feel like that fat person that I was, even after 4 years!
eloisem said:
Will I continue to feel weak in the evening - it's not really weakness in the sense of light-headedness but just tired? When I think of what I have done today, it's not surprising really.
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You have answered your own question there sweets. Tired is good when you have done so much in one day, without a lot of fuel :D
eloisem said:
Hopefully I don't sound like this is drudgery because it's not. Things actually feel like they are together rather than all over the place.
Eloise
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Not one bit. It's good to hear! My MIL who has survived Cancer complains of dandruff. It cracks me up!
You are doing well sweets xo Cate
 
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