Ok here goes.....
I started the program on the 22nd February and my starting weight was 114.5kgs. I have Polycytic Ovarian Syndrome, so Cohen's is exactly what I need to do.
I have 2 friends doing Cohen's and one is at the refeeding stage and is a size 10 from a size 18ish.
I am married to a spunk (I think) with a beautiful 9 year old daughter. In June 2005 we lost another daughter, Catharine in pregnancy. It has been a long journey of grief and heartache with trying for a baby along the way. We tried the fertility drugs and other help but to no avail. I am now at a point where I don't want another child until my body is 'well'.
I am a personal Carer and hope to get into studying Nursing in July this year.
XXXX
Erica

After a week..well almost I weighed in and had lost 4.1kgs and when I measured myself I had lost 15.5 cm's.
I am sleeping better, feeling better and I have no irritable bowel symptoms at all.
XXX
Erica

Hi Erica, Good for you starting a diary. You are off to a great start! Well done. It's good that you are feeling much better. I hope that your life brings joy from now on & I look forward to following your journey, xo Cate.

Hi Erica

A big hello from me too, and welcome to the forum.
All the best with the Cohens plan even though you won't need it if you
stick to it 100%.

Happy Losing

Sam:)

Hi Erica

Glad you started a diary, I think it is very theraputic.

Sorry to hear about your daughter. We also lost our son with our first pregnancy, and the second time around, nearly lost our daughter, but she was a little battler and held on for us, I also believe that she has her little angel brother looking over her helping her hold on. We call her a miracle baby. However we that is it for us now, too hard and risky to go back again.

Well done on you first week. So glad that you are feeling good from it aswell no irritable bowel. I love the way this diet makes you feel. I have never come across any diet like it before. I hope that it also helps with having another baby.

As for the weighing thing, I am a serial weigher and usually weigh a few times a week. I am restraining myself more these days and only doing it on Fridays, however at the start of Cohen's I did sneak a peek midway through for the week for the first 3 weeks. But now that the weightloss has slowed a little I am refraining from jumping on so I don't get disappointed like on week 3 when I only lost 0.7kg. I was so frustrated and upset.

Look forward to following your progress.

Thanx Sal, Sam & Cate.

Sal, I am sorry for the loss of your son. I now help other's that lose a child in pregnancy by bringing 'Treasured babies' to hospital so that families get clothing packs & memory boxes for their children.

So I had my appointment today and my consultant was very excited with how I am going.
I lost another 9cm off my basic measurements and I did hop on my scales at home and had lost another 3.4kgs. But I haven't weighed myself on them scales before so i am not sure how accurate they are compaired to the Cohen's ones.
Plus they are old.

I have to work the next 3 days, 1 day off and then 3 again. I find I get tired but being a personal carer is tiring anyway.

Poeple are noticing my weight loss already.

Hi Moi

Welcome and Congrats on starting your journey. You are off to a great start and the success will only keep on rolling in. Stick to it 100% and the weight will melt away and your size will drop!

Enjoy the journey and it's great you've started a diary because it really does make a difference, especially to those bad / hard days!

Take care.

Lauren

Thank-you Lauren

Yesterday while at work I ate 2 kingston biscuits....there I have confessed.
It was getting to me, serving the oldies their milo's and biscuits and I cracked.
I've worked out that if I have meals that i don't really like during the day, I am more likely to crack.
Breakfast I have a poached egg, fried tomatoe & asparagus but I feel like I am over the vegetable thing in the morning. I wish I could eat em at breakfast and then I could have curried egg for lunch...
Lunch I steamed some chicken, mixed it up with mayonaise and had it on salad....I ate it but I wasn't feeling the best eating it.
For tea I made a variation on my mango/chilli chicken but it was watery and once again, it kinda turned my stomach.
I really have to stick to things I know I like but I am finding it hard as I am sick of the same vegetables.
Think I will pull out the list and the recipe book and come up some new ideas.

This morning I made a mango smoothie for breakfast and it was really nice.

Back to work this afternoon and I vow not to have anything I shouldn't.

Hi Moi

I wrote all this info regards recipes etc etc and my internet must have been down.
It's so frustrating. Bascially I said to check out the recipe thread here for some ideas and said something like keeping your meals interesting because this is a plan which is very restrictive, and I also had added some recipes that I used.
Moi I'll send them to your private mailbag by the end of the day.
You are doing well don't let the deviation sidetrack just move on.
Take care
Sam:)

Thanx Sam, that would be great. I've made up a ew of my own also.

Well yesterday I had a good day and had a mango smoothie for breakfast...yummy, crackers, tomatoe, onion and mozzerella grilled on top...yummy.
For Tea I made chow mien to have at work. It was ok but for some reason I can't get it to taste as good as the first lot I made.

Today I have been extremely tired and feel like I'm coming down with something. I think it's from doing 3 straight shifts at work. I have today off and then back for another 3 straight shifts.
I have a friends baby's 1st birthday on Saturday. The good thing is that there is a friend of hers doing Cohens and we will band together with our fruit and crackers. I plan to take a fillet steak to pop on teh BBQ and bring my salad with me.

I'm actually starting to feel thin..like in my head because I know it's going to be a big adjustment to me. I've always been big. Even when I wasn't fat I was broad.
:conehead:OMG this smilie cracks me up as my 1st daughter was born looking like this...poor little darlin.

X
Ez

I am a bl**dy idiot. I've had 2 meals with Mozzerella and stupid moi bought the grated stuff.
Does anyone know I nice mozzerella? I tried the big & small ball greek one but didn't like it. Maybe I should go to a deli?

X
Ez

Hi Ez, Firstly thank you sweetie for your words in my diary. I needed a little TLC. You're a good judge! Secondly, I eat the Devondale mozzarella, 550g packet. I like it & usually grate it. Before Cohen's I would have equated it with what I call "soap cheese"-(Kraft cheddar) but now I really like it & still have it instead of regular higher fat cheese usually.
I found cheese slowed my weight loss down at times & restricted it fairly well. Also it can be quite constipating & that unfortunately is a common occurrence on Cohen's. If it isn't for you, you're very fortunate. Toss your grated mozzarella in the freezer for later, cheers for now, xo Cate.

Cate, thank-you i will try that brand. It's hard because we can't taste something and then change protiens if we don't like it. i popped it in the freezer and hubby and daughter can use it for pizza or something.
I will keep the slow weight loss/cheese thing in mind also as I really want to get my weight off in the minimum time.
This morning I had steak, tomatoe and mushroom for breakfast. I didn't really like it that early but I have to work this afternoon and I would love to have curried egg on crackers with salad.
I slept well last night and didn't even get up for the loo...but boy was I busting in the morning.

I am a bl**dy idiot. I've had 2 meals with Mozzerella and stupid moi bought the grated stuff.
Does anyone know I nice mozzerella? I tried the big & small ball greek one but didn't like it. Maybe I should go to a deli?

X
Ez


Hi Moi

Thanks for posting in my diary and sorry for not following up on those recipes but hubby has been hogging this computer for his investment forums in the evening.....all that $$$$$ talk. And also one of them was a mozzerella one so I won't include this now (maybe I will)
This recipe is a chicken meatball one.
weigh out your chicken breast allowance and had the herbs of your choice I always added a bit of dreid chill for some omph!! and mince up everthing in a food blender add half of your cracker allowance and blend I would steam this with zucchini and tomatoe......you could do this meatball recipe as curry or serve with salad and mayo or B vinegar.
The mozz recipe was basically grilling the cheese over tomatoe, mushrooms and serving on a cracker or in a rush have a it served with cracker and tomatoe the brand I use is PERFECT ITALIANO.

I hope you enjoy your days off.

Sam:)

Sam, you must have ESP because I made chicken meatballs last night but I didn't put any zuchini or tomatoe in. I will try that next time.
Thank-you

X
Ez

Welcome Ez,

I've been out of town for a while, so this is me saying hello and welcome. Good luck with the recipes. If you want I could mail you the south african recipe booklet I got with my program. There's a lot of really nice recipes in there.

Esthee

Esthee, thank-you that would be great.

Another temptation got me tonight. I had a Kingston biscuit at work.
Right i've said it now I need to work out why....
I've been having so many doubts as to being able to do this, if I have it in me, can I really be thin and is the wight going to come off.
I have been a big girl nearly all of my life and being thin is unrealistic for me and time and time again, this creeps into my head.
Then I get annoyed that I have so much weight to lose and will I be able to do it before my 32nd birthday in early September.
I've got a few things coming up and wondering can I stop myself from having a few bourbons :cheers2: I rationalise having a drink that I would mix bourbon with Diet coke and not sway from my Cohen's eating.

Ok I will think some more on why I am having the wrong foods and try to come up with a plan to not do it.

Hi Erica

Welcome to Cohens and to this Forum! Its a really supportive and encouraging place to be!!

I can see that you have been finding it a bit difficult at time coping with the dreaded deviations.... My ONLY advice to you ... is... I'm sorry for my bluntness... is DONT....

Every time you deviate it makes it so much easier to deviate the next time... and you are taking your body out of its fat burning mode and it takes time for it to get back into the swing of things again.

I would LOVE to be able to say YOU WILL BE DONE by September... but I cant guarantee that... I was positive that I would be finished in 6 or 7 months but I am still not done after 10 months... due to some medical issues of my own. I know from other friends of mine that PCOS sufferers may tend to lose at a slower rate (but not necessarily...) One thing I DO KNOW... You will not be at goal by September if you keep deviating. If you stay the path and stick to it... YOU WILL BE FREAKIN CLOSE THOUGH!!!! :biggrinjester: Surely that's got to be pretty awesome!!

I have NEVER ever been thin! i have been big since before I was a teen and I am NOW in size 10's!!! (Used to be a 26!!) I have lost over 70kgs from my heaviest weight and 46.8 of those have come off on Cohens! YOU CAN DO THIS AND SEE YOUR LIFE CHANGE! I never believed I could do this either... but my first 10kgs... actually my first 5kgs showed me that this was possible! I have also realised that the fact that this has taken me longer than planned has actually been a blessing in disguise! I have really consolidated new habits and understandings about myself and about healthy eating.

Dont wish the journey away. Embrace it... however long it takes!

You can do this!

I look forward to following your journey!

Blessya
Kannadew

Kannadew, thank-you, thank-you, thank-you. I got so much from your post and you are inspirational. Especially as you had medical issues hindering you.
The justification for deviating is being wiped from my doubting head as I type.

I had my app. with my consultant this morning and I have lost another 13cm's from the main measurements. I haven't hopped on teh scales and don't plan to until next thursday when it will be one month for me.

I'm making chicken laksa for lunch and prawn salad for tea. Oh and I found a little deli that has italian mozerella and I will try this one to see if I like it. My consultant said that Devondale is nice to.

I'm sitting here sipping my long black coffee...mmmm I bought my self fresh ground Lavazza and it's devine.

Hello! I have just been catching up on your progress and your doing awesome! Congratulations. ;)

Thanx Jen, you doing fabulous by the look of your ticker. I'm in Newcomb, where abouts are you?

I had one of the best lunches yet. Here's what I did;
de-stalked 2 medium sized mushrooms and layed them upside down on baking paper on a tray.
Then I weighed out my mozerella and mixed with the rest of my vegies, onion, tomatoe, spring onion and a little capsicum.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and squish into the mushroom cups.
I baked it in the oven for about 20 minutes.

I ate it with 2 vitawheats and it was devine.

I had the usual ovulation migraine last night. I knew i wouldn't be able to get up for my early shift at 6am this morning so I rang in last night. I took 2 mersyndol and finally got to sleep.
I had an awful dream as DH went to a pub last night and so my dream was about him with some young chick. It was awful but in amonst all the pain he caused I was like 'well I'm getting skinny and when he sees me skinny he'll be so pissed off that he left me'. How insecure is that?
They say that if you have dreams like that it's not that your scared they will leave it's that you yourself has thoughts it may be you who wants to stray....hmmmmm
Don't get ne wrong, I love my hubby with all my heart but sometimes he is so uncaring and thoughtless it sh*ts me.
So I've woken up and had an omellette for breaky. We are off to Melbourne to a friends son's 1st birthday. I'll eat lunch on the way and take my prawn and salad with me. It won't be so bad as another of her friends is doing it and we can support each other. You can see us there nibbling on our saladas.....LOL

Hi Moi:)

Hi I have been keeping track of your diary and you are doing so well. I wish you were around when I was first doing Cohens....your recipes sound extremely yummy ( very inventive) I will try that mushroom one.
Men are not prone to sensititvy that is for sure.....has your hubby been noticing the weightloss???? He will soon and he won't want to take his eyes or hands off you.
Keep up the great work I can tell you are going to do really well even with the deviations its all about overcoming and getting on with it.....isn't.
Look forward to your next post.

Sam:)

Sam, thank-you for popping in and checking out my journey. Hubby can notice the weight loss already but he isn't a very vocal man...

So I had another migraine last night and had to take mersyndol. So i woke at 1am and went to the loo and was ravenous. I ate a handful of bbq shapes. Now I feel like a fraud but omg they tasted so good. I have decided to have a stradegy in place for this sort of thing......don't bl**dy do it Erica....!!!!!
I have to look at how the weight is coming off me and not be so stupid next time. Like many of you have said before that once you deviate, no matter how small, it opens the door to happen again.

I wanted to ask if anyone else has little deviation like me?
I feel like a failure because I can't stick to the program 100%.

Hey SM...

I have had a couple of deviations... very early on... they were ones I deliberately chose with friends I hadnt seen in 13 years...

I dont think you should FEEL like a failure though... do you keep getting back up? do you keep trying? I think it is a matter of getting through a Day at a time and ticking that off in your diary as 100% done and then tackling the next day and then before you know it you will be weeks into it without deviating. Take it meal by meal and temptation by temptation. But you can do this. Remember the saying:

NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS SLIM FEELS (OR WILL FEEL) and believe me its TRUE

Blessya
Kannadew

Thank-you Kannadew, I am focused now and seeing great results which helps.

So I have gone 3 days without deviations and feeling good. I wlaked into my pottery class this morning and everyone went wow you are getting slimmer. It's funny because other people don't say anything even though they know I am doing it.
I have been having bad headaches for the past week almost and I am about to take 1/2 a mersyndol with panadol because I have to work and couldn't function with this headache.
My dad had an appointment with vascular yesterday which was very stressful and emotional. He has been hospitalised for over 7 months and lost his right leg below the knee and all the toes off his left foot. That foot is not healing and the next step is amputation below the knee. The system is really letting him down wich doesn't help his state of mind at all.
One of the biggest reasons for me to do Cohen's was seeing Dad go through what he has because od diabetes and him not looking after himself.
So I'm off to make luch and tea and does myself up....LOL

Tomorrow night I will put up my measurements. I did a spreadsheet document for them but I want to have a fiddle and make graphs from it also.

Moi im really sorry to hear about your dad. It must be very had for you having so much on your plate to deal with. If you ever want to chat im always around! (the life of a student hehe)

Your really inspiring. Knowing your only a few weeks ahead of me, ill def keep an eye out on how your going! And your cooking sounds awesome!! I wish you were my mum!! (mines not too good in the kitchen god love her, and my fiancee is lazy)

And lastly, can i just say, from your profle pic, you look like rachel griffiths!!

Hi Shrinking Moi, I am very sorry about your Dad & his health problems. I just wanted to say good for you making the decision to take control of your health. That's admiral! Hope your dad does not lose his other leg sweetie. You are obviously a loving, caring daughter, xo Cate

Hi Erica,
Sorry to hear about your dad, it must be hard on him and
your family when some-one you love is so ill, you can at
least be proud of your self for losing the weight that you
have, so you to don't go down the same unfortunate road.
I know it must be difficult, but try and be positive and remember
why you are doing this and how proud your dad must be of you.

Take care Jenni

Ok, I weighed in today, with consitpation and heavy jeans on.
Scales said 105.3kgs. At home I am 104kgs so if you go by my scales I have lost 10.5kgs but if you go by theirs, I have lost 9.2kgs in 4 weeks.
I've done a chart of stats but I just wacked in a weight for last week as i didn't weigh in then.
http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa17/fbmdesigns/20thstats.jpg
See if that works.

I am still saying that I have lost around 10kgs in 4 weeks as I think this is fair....LOL. I have lost a load of cm's as you can see.
No deviations for me...woohooooo.
I just have to get rid of this constipation from taking codiene and I'll be all good.

Jenni, thanx so much for your support.

Cate, thanx, I just hope he doesn't lose it but we have to be realistic in the end. Dad tends to bury his head in the sand.

fattyboombah, thanx for your support. I may just take you up on that. Rachel Griffith...no way...LOL. Just remember it's a small pic...
I think it sounds to me like you need to experiment in the kitchen my girl. If you want any advice or recipes just ask.

Oh and I also found a few things about Cohen's that I didn't realise.
Normally we would eat a set amount a calories to give us energy fo rteh day but as ours are very low, our body burns the fat to use instead and this is why it's hard on our liver and kidneys.

]WOW. [/FONT]


Look at those centremieters flying off! Have you added it up? well I did for you its a total of 97.5 ( if I can count) thats nearly a metre, Thats amazing. I have never really looked at the scales but relied on the size clothes I was wearing. I actually had to go and buy my first set of scales to start the program. I think the cm are more important than kg.

Kisses for a great Easter
Tara

Hi Moi......you are doing so well. and i agree about the inches versus's weight loss I have found that myself after Mondays weigh in.
Keep well over the long easter holiday.

Sam:)

I feel like I need a non cohen's meal. I am getting sick of the same vegies and watery consistancy of my stir frys. I am trying so many different ideas, yet I feel like I'm crumbling.
I had 2 bites of a hot cross bun earlier.......

Hi moi

I hope you are not gettiing distracted by us post Cohens members and our battles.
We all pretty much stuck to the plan with little or no deviatations even myself through christmas 2006. Cohens works moi and maybe you should check out the other Cohens forum which Kannadew, Cate and Jen are members with us well.....if you open up kannadews before and after thread I posted that is the forum. I really would like to see you succeed and that forum is alot more active.....but i hope you don't desert us completely here.
Happy Easter.
Sam:)

Thanx Sam, I am feeling a lot better but have been occupied as my daughter fell over at Lincraft today and split under her chin open. So after 2 hours waiting in Emergency they glued it up for her.
I guess yesterday was just one of those days and I may have them again but I figure if I have a tiny deviation it's better than going to Macca's and having a Machicken meal.....
Because I thought I was going to be in hospital for lunch, I got hubby to cook up some chicken and weigh me up some capsicum and cucumber. I had it when I got home and for some reason he cooks it so that it isn't as dry as when I cook.
Oh and I asked about Turkey breast at Leonards and he said he would ask again and I could ring mext week to see how he went.
I did joing the other forum and your right, there are always people on it and a few popped in and gave me encouragement as you did.

:seeya:
Ez

Your welcome Moi

So sorry to hear about your little girl, I hope she is okay now.
I am glad you joined the other forum I am sure they will be very supportive aswell.
I tend to stick with this one because it was the original but I still go there and have a look around.

bye for now
Sam:)

Hi,
I thought I would drop in and wish you a temptation free easter. I have been so good but tomorrow with all the chocolate open around me it will be hard. I would love just one small earnest hillier egg ( hazelnut praline) But today in the supermarket I found some body wash that smelt like chocolate. So I might smell it everytime I go to eat some. I could also go a fruitless hot cross bun with butter and jam.

I am sure your daughter will forget about her fall when she see's the chocolate tomorrow. Are you catching up with family over easter? We decided not to travel this year, it good just doing our own thing.

Kisses for a great easter
Tara

Thanx for the welcome Sam. Kayla is fine now.

Tara, we ended up down at Indented Heads for teh day and yes I caved....
How did you go?

Confessional..............
I was made to feel like a lepor with hubby's family. Everytime someone walked around with a plate of food, everyone jumped in with 'Erica can't have that'....drove me nuts. but I did also get some saying how good it was that I've lost 10kgs. In the end I decided, yes decided to have a hot x bun and an easter egg.
Today is a brand new day and I know the first month the fat loss is higher so from now on it's deviation free days everyday for me.
I drove home feeling like I was going to be sick and today i am paying for it in the loo..IYKWIM?
On the up side I made hamburgers and had some of my home made sauce I made using the oven baked tomatoe etc. It was really nice.
Yoghurt and mango for breakfast so far.

Day 6 of Week 5
I am feeling alot better today without deviations.
I did however spend most of yesterday in hospital with my Dad as his nurse thinks his left foot(whats left of it) is infected.
I'm about to ring him and see what's doing.
I hopped on the scales this am and it says 102kgs on mine and I think the ones at Cohen's are 1 kg above mine.
I'm not sure if I am responding so well because I have PCOS as I have heard other's say that it can slow them down.
Hmmmm very interesting.

X
Ez

I'm over on this forum from now on.
New You Community Forum - Index (http://newyouforum.com/smf/index.php)
Pop on over as there are so many on teh same journey.

X
Erica