Hi again,
I posted in your diary as you were writing in it, I forgot to wish you in my previous post a good trip to sunny, warm melbourne, weather is glorious at the moment. Have fun!!

Loved your previous post Cate, it's so true isnt it, we focus so much on the negatives in our lives and barely ever celebrate the positives!!

I am very excited about the 5K challenge (sounds like a marathon)doh!

TTFN
Annie Lusion

Oh Sweets, I was trying to edit my post to add a post-script because we were typing at the same time. I wish I was catching up with you this week-end. Next time!! We will be going to Vic market on Sunday if you find yourself with some free time(??!!) xoxo Cate

Oh the VIC market, love that market, used to work around the corner until they moved us to collingwood...grrrrr!
Vic market is one thing I miss, was a regular every tue, thu and fri...oh the good old days...would love to join you but have made plans for the day. Driving up to the Dandenongs for lunch.

Definetely next time, we will make some plans.

Enjoy!!

Annie Lusion

It doesn't matter how many clothes I have in my wardrobe. I will always have trouble deciding what to take with me, what to wear to the footy, what I need to wear out, blah, blah, blah!! aaaarrrggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Plus nothing seems to go with anything! OMG!
I will have a good week-end. I just need to get out of here so I can't change my mind about what I'm taking. I have emergency Saladas packed-silly I know! It's just a habit I haven't broken.I would rather resort to Saladas than junk food. I think I hear our friends coming now-hooray, so I'm off. Cheers Cate

Cate...please help....

It's my 22nd day...I'm constantly hungry, constantly thinking about food, dreaming about it, dreaming about cheating... doing everything consultants say... and I'm ok with being hungry while on diet, but now I read some posts that even after the diet you have to stick with the rules or the weight starts climbing back on you...
is it true?

So, unless I except the COhen's rules of "having starch just once a day" and all that... it means I could be on my way back to get heavier?

I am ready to workout more, to cut down other food, just to be able to have my apple and 1 tblpsoon of raw, natural, oil poured out peanut butter with coffee... I mean, just a thought of eating chicken and meat makes me sick - I am eating it now, but I don't like it and it doesnt make me feel good and I'm not for all that tofu, soy thing... Can we have beans and other healthy food or just boring chicken and veggies and ...you know what I mean...I have NO intention of eating junk food - but this diet scares me cuz right now junk food is all I am thinking about, it's all I want?!?!? Usually on a diet I craved healthy food, now I crave ANY food, specially hot dogs, pizza...oh God...

So, can healthy life afterwards keep us on the target weight? Or is it only more protein and starch once a day, hardly any fruit....limitation for the rest of our thin lives?

I just need some optimistic thoughts to survive this diet, cuz I am really really hungry all the time...thanks...you're my last hope...

Oh Maya, I have only just got back from a week-end away & did not access the forum! Something is up if you are hungry! I think you should contact your clinic & tell them. I am curious to know what you eat & when. Do you start your day with yoghurt & fruit? When do you eat your crackers? Sometimes we have to change when we eat certain things if we get hungry. Do you eat many apples? Apples can make you really hungry. I had to cut them right down. I used to have an egg almost every morning until I read a post from someone who said that yoghurt & fruit fills you up more. I didn't think it could be right, tried it & it was!
I honestly never felt like eating junk food while I was on the program. I still don't. I don't want to sound like a prig because I don't think I am. I just don't like junk food. I'm also not into tofu or soy or that sort of food. I've tried it but cannot stand it. I learned to experiment on Cohen's. I have never liked cooking much but started trying out recipes & learned to enjoy it. Experiment, be positive, contact your consultants. Life after re-feed is excellent. I am just back from a week-end away. I followed most of the Cohen's guidelines, ate out with friends & had a ball!! Life is great. I am only 2 likos over my initial goal weight range. It's not serious!
I am a bit too tired tonight to concentrate & need to go to bed. I didn't get a lot of sleep over the week-end. Where I live is very quiet so the trams, ambulances cars honking etc in Melbourne was, whilst fun & exhilarating, not very conducive to sleep. I'll come back tomorrow when I should make more sense.
Hang in there, cheers for now, Cate.

Hi Cate!
First - sorry to intrude in your diary like this...but I just sooo needed you...

What a present this is - your answer, thank you!
Well, I used to have yogurt and apple in the morning and that was the only time of the day I actually felt "full". But consultant told me to have that egg in the morning instead of yogurt. So I did. I don't like eggs, so it was like - ok, lets do it...
It DIDN'T fill me up and I only felt I was even more constipated. But I did it for 3 days...and nope.
Today, I had my yogurt back with the apple and I finally feel "full" again. And it was SOOO nice to get your mail, saying that CAN fill you up. Jeeeeze, isnt it amazing how I still dont trust myself????

I am feeling better - I realized spreading those crackers and fruit through the day just kept my mind on food all the time and never filled me up. Just when I forgot about food, I was like - oh, time for crackers or you'll be too late for lunch...and there I was again - thinking about food.
I am having wholwheat crackers that are a bit heavier, so it only comes 1 cracker and half (10-11g total).
I am still on apples. I am so terribly constipated, I keep having apples - besides, they are my favorite. We dont have mangoes here - I LOVE mangoes, but they make me sooo hungry and anyway - we dont have them. No peaches either. Maybe some kiwis, but I still prefer apples...hm...well, maybe you're right, kiwi might be bigger in value? Will see... So far I have these YUMM apples, my consultant just wrote me they can be up to 200g!!!! I had 175 g each time - always tried to find someone to finish that last "piece" I had to cut off... Just feels weird throwing food away (I guess it's still consequence from war, when you always made sure you ate everything)...

So, I do feel better - having 3 meals and nothing in between. I am having 2 apples now - one in the morning with yogurt and the other after lunch (bakec with cinnamon as desert, yummm!) and I save one apple and one portion of crackers "just in case". So far I had all crackers, but we'll see...

I am sooooo grateful for your answer and SOOOOOO happy to hear you're doing so well and enjoying your life in fullest!!! I dont think I lost any weight in last week, somehow it feels like I gained some? But I only weigh myself once a week (this Wednesday is my 28th day!!! YIPPIIIII!!!!) - if I would do it more often, I would be even more impatient as I already am...

Thank You so much again, Cate, you are such a big inspiration!!! THANK YOU!!!!

Last night I typed for about 30 minutes & lost the lot!!!!!!!!!!!
I was so up-beat & still excited about my week-end away.
Consequently I will only give a brief(ish) account-
Maya- I am so glad I was able to help. I had been so tired I wasn't certain I was of any use to anyone but....good! Cheers, Cate.
My week-end- Drank loads of beer on Sat, which I don't normally even like. Did not get even remotely drunk, no hangover on Sunday. Good!
Caught up with lovely friends at the footy, went out for dinner with them afterwards at a delicious, delightful, Italian restaurant at the Crown, whose name excapes me now.
Bought my darling husband the lovely RM Williams jacket that so suited him in the fashion parade. I have earned myself one squillion Brownie points in the process. Got lots of bargains, bought nice presents, spent little on myself & felt great about it. I feel really happy!!
I am getting things together, ready to sell on eBay. Haven't taken the plunge to actually take a photo etc & list but am slowly getting there. I have to feel that I am really prepared.
I kicked my toe on a spare bed leg yesterday & have badly bruised a toe. So much so that I cannot wear shoes today. Ouch!!
I am going to post this quickly before good old Telstra kick me off the Internet yet again. 30 mins seems to be the limit. I must ring them today. I have not been looking forward to it as it takes forever. We now have Broadband enabled at our exchange. I just got their email yesterday.
Ok- I'll be back later, cheers, Cate

Hi Cate,

So glad you had a great time in melb. Footy, dinner, shopping, catching up with friends, all sounds so wonderful!

broadband how exciting, I remember the good old dial up days..hated it!Always got booted off!

Hope to see you over at 5K..new place to hang out !!!

TTFN
a 300 grams ligher Annie Lusion

Annie- I've been looking but was going to wait until tomorrow to post as I didn't weigh this morning because I woke up feeling really bloated. I will weigh in the morning but don't feel confident. I may have put weight on. I do vary considerably from one day to the next. Apparently, with menopause you retain fluid. I blow up like a blimp! It feels just like dreadful PMT but with hot flushes as well.
I'm not weighing my food at this stage & not being 100% in that I'm not leaving 5hrs between & am mixing my proteins. I'll give it a couple of days to see if I can motivate myself to get back on the original program. I haven't psyched myself into that yet.
By the same token I'm not eating garbage or chocolates, icecream etc. I rarely do now.
I'm going to study eBay for a while as I'm almost ready to sell! Yay! Cheers, Cate

I'm having trouble with posting in the forum at the moment. I keep getting cheesed off. I think I'm a bit touchy at the moment. I feel really good about most other things thank goodness. I had a lovely day today. We looked after the 2 younger grandkids, including our 14 wk old grandbaby. Our son, DIL & older grandson then came back & stayed for dinner. It was a lovely afternoon.
Yesterday I went to the vein specialist again & my local GP, who I told I was not taking the Effexor & why. I told her I was ok now & she said it seemed to be the job, which I agreed with. I do like being at home but still feel like I should earn my own income.
Today I had put back the 500g I lost yesterday. It seems to be the norm these days. Tomorrow who knows? I think I'll stay out of posting in the challenge much, even though I think it's a good idea, as I'm not doing the original program really. It will inspire the newbies which is great. What I'm doing is really more like re-feed.
I will try to get back on the original plan. If I put on 1 more kg I will!
My toe has healed enough for me to wear shoes so will go for a good walk tomorrow.
Cheers for now, Cate

Hi Cate

Hope you feel better soon. Sending good thoughts your way.
Take care
Sam

Hi Sam, It may have sounded like I'm not feeling well but I actually feel quite good. I'm just a bit bloated & constipated & you know how that makes you feel. It's the price I pay for having such a great, "naughty"(read lots of beer probably) week-end in Melbourne. Mentally I feel fine & quite positive. I'm just having trouble finding the motivation to go back on the original program! We need a new thread for grumpy sometimes/happy others, fallen off the wagon, post Cohen's "oldies" but I may be the only one who fits the bill! Talk soon, cheers, Cate.

Hey Cate

Yes I knew what you meant. We have all been there at one time or another. It sounds like you had a great weekend and you will get back on track soon. Life is to be enjoyed this coming from a still sick Sam hoping to feel better by tomorrow. Hubby home to help today but nothings been done "yet"...mmmmmm very frustrating when the dishes are piling up and the washing is above the full washing load mark and I also have my ys home sick.
I have got to not stress.
Sam

Hi Sam, I see many parallels between you & my DIL. It's very hard looking after small children. At times I was crawling up the wall, wondering if that's all there was to life-never ending housework! Try to learn to relax a bit about it. Things need to be done, sure, but, in the greater scheme of things housework doesn't matter much at all. By that I don't mean forget hygiene altogether & all end up with some nasty bug but Vogue magazine are not about to arrive to take photos. Your husband sounds like he is fairly supportive & caring. Please try to relax a bit about it & enjoy your family & take care of yourself, xo Cate. PS I have a flu injection every year in April & no longer even catch a cold. I also take a Horseradish, garlic & Vitamin C capsule daily all year round.
My day-
I've had a really good Cohens(maintenence minus) day. No bread, no rice, Mango/natural yoghurt for brekky, crackers mid morning, egg salad for lunch, followed by an apple, beef rissoles & vegies for dinner, followed by stewed fruit & yoghurt. No alcohol at all. Lots of green tea & water. I haven't eaten any chocolate this week at all. I'm still retaining a bit of fluid. I bought some Bekunis tea today & have had some in my peppermint tea tonight so hopefully there will be "movement at the station."
My LH is working for the next 3 days so I am going to have a good go at listing on eBay. I have tried taking decent photos today but it's not as easy as I thought. I'll persevere. I keep adding to the things I want to sell. If I succeed in selling some it will be great!
I had better get back to the footy. Since half time, when the Saints were flogging Essendon we seem to have forgotten how to play footy!! I know, I know, It's just a game!
Cheers for today. If anyone can just say "Go the Saints!" it might just help.......cheers, cate