Hi Beck, Pumpkin is now a no no! Every step is a huge one for us. Morbidly obese sounds & is so horrible. You are almost in those double digits!! Doing well! xo Cate
This morning I had dropped .5kg ,so GW +2kg. I have had some pumpkin the last 3 nights & that is the only thing off plan so no more pumpkin for me.
Yesterday I did lots of quite physical housework, mostly vacuuming. I move furniture when I vacuum. I hate vacuuming. When I get around to doing it I’m way too fussy.
Today we have been getting wood. We got 3 loads. It is great aerobic exercise & I enjoy spending the time with my husband outside. It is one of his favourite pastimes. He cuts & I tidy up & load up the lighter bits onto the back of our Ute. He’s very fit & I know I’m getting fitter by the day. It does not feel like other exercise can (boring & non productive) & you really can see results at the finish, unlike most housework.
If it’s fine tomorrow we may do some more but we also have to go do some shopping as we are very low on vegies & we can’t have that. We also have to mail our tax stuff to our accountant as my group certificate came today. I should get most of my tax back as I have hardly worked this financial year.
Friday I have to stay home as my satellite broadband should be connected. I am really looking forward to going out that night though. Our OS is going to come pick us up so I can have a few drinks. I asked him if he minded & he is happy to. It’s a little bit of role reversal! He’s a very kind person. Some of the wood from our place that he & my LH got together he gave away to the parents of his son’s best friend, even though he & our DIL don’t have much wood themselves. If it were possible to do the same without offending the family I would but won’t. We’ll leave it to him. I am glad that we have brought our sons up to care about others. We are very proud of them.
I am eating to plan except for the pumpkin which I will now eliminate from my diet altogether. It will join the list of things that I will only have a little of occasionally. I don’t mind as it’s much better than getting fat again.
I’ll go have a look about & add to this if necessary. 35 mins is the max I get on dialup without being tossed off so copying & pasting saves some valuable internet time. Only 2 more days ‘til broadband, la, la, la, cheers, Cate(melancholy has gone back to where it came from- I’ve been getting lots of sleep)

Hi cate, I hope you don't mind me reading up on you again, somehow I feel like I actually know you so.......thought I'd drop you a line.
Tomorrow 8.30am is MY big day...I'm joining the Cohen's Family.....I'm so excited and if it wasn't for this wonderful forum.....you know I would still be sitting on my bum procrastinating....so thanks Cate I hope I get the chance to chat again Susie

Hi Cate, I hope pumpkin is not a no no for me. I just love roast pumpkin but I'm sure I can live without it if necessary. Great to hear the sad sacks have disappeared. I am much the same and think it might be because I have got up and got myself moving. Exercise is supposed to get the endorphins going isn't it? Great that your broadband is coming. That has taken them a while to connect for you, hasn't it, or is it just because I live in the big city of Sydney where everything has to be done at a million miles and hour!! If I order something and it doesn't arrive in 2 or 3 days I think its not coming. I often used to think how lovely it would be to move somewhere nice and quiet but would have no chance of moving my children now and I couldn't live without my family around me.
Susie..good to have you on board. Remember not to expect too much of yourself for the first few days. You can feel pretty crappy for a little while but it is sooo worth it!! Good luck.
Take care

beck

Susie, A big welcome to both the forum & my diary. I love visitors! Try not to tackle too much for at least a week. It takes some getting used to the program & it’s restrictions. Before long you’ll be “in the zone” & scooting along like an old hand. Don’t freak at the small quantities. I only occasionally suffered from hunger & juggled things around a bit (when I ate my crackers & fruit) & it would go away. Water fills you up. I always have a big glass of water before a meal. Apples make me hungry unless I cook them first. I loved stewed apple with yoghurt & a little sweetener for breakfast when mangoes were out of season. I miss mangoes! Look forward to following your progress. I wouldn’t continue with my diary if it wasn’t for the fact that I can see how many views it gets every day. I know that although not many post in my diary that it is read fairly often. Visit any time you like, cheers, Cate.
Beck- I typed a long post in here this morning but lost it & have forgotten what I wrote to you. I’ll go have a look at your post in a sec. You get used to being on “country time’. It took me a couple of years to get used to everything being slower when we first moved from Melbourne. I will never forget the first day I turned on a tap & no water came out because the pipes had frozen. I had never experienced that before. “What do you mean there’s no water?” I said to my husband, absolutely incredulous!
My broadband will be connected tomorrow. They have to come 60kms to us(each way) & the equipment hadn’t arrived in time on Monday to come out here. They were booked out with installations for the rest of the week. It seems I’m not the only one cheesed off with Telstra! I will probably spend more time than I should on the Internet when I do have it. I never download or view videos for example as it’s nigh on impossible to with dial-up. Just remembered- I think I’ll learn to live without baked pumpkin, much as I love it too. Not to worry, cheers, Cate
We just got back from a trip to the local shops (22kms return) & a visit to my MIL. My SIL was working with the client I was with & she lit up a smoke inside today. I had thought that she had been working there for the last month & the client mustn’t have smoked inside so had taken it a bit personally, but deliberately hadn’t asked so I would not know for sure. Today I found out she hadn’t been there since I left. Phew.
I picked my SIL up from the client’s as her car had broken down on the way to work & her husband had driven her in & was coming back later to pick her up. I drove her to her mum’s & chatted for an hour or so. I really love this SIL. Actually I love them both. One SIL is a year older than me & the other a year younger.
My weight this morning was GW+2kg’s. I did not have any pumpkin last night but did have 2 squares of chocolate & 1 stick of molasses liquorice after dinner. I realised this morning that I should not have had any sweets because I did not have Carb’s with my dinner. I must get the maintenance guidelines out & have a really good study of them. I think I will go back on plan 100% again after the week-end or maybe even Saturday, after the dinner out Friday night. I am really looking forward to the dinner & I am going to have whatever I feel like on the night. I know I am going to have sweets as they are usually fantastic at these dinners. The golf club auxiliary do the catering & they seem to love their sweets. They have slices of all descriptions, cheesecake, pavlova etc. Mm mmmm. I will try hard not to have too much. It is much better I think to have sweets occasionally when you go out than to get into the habit of having something at home. At home the temptation is there to ’pig out’ if they’re in the cupboard or the fridge. When I’m out I don’t like the thought of some-one looking at me eating & thinking ’here goes, she’ll put it all back on!”
The truth is probably that no-one else would notice but it’s probably a good thing that I think that way. It’s a check.
Ok, I will go have a look to see what’s happening & copy & paste. I should never make this same mistake of losing a post again. Duh!

Well today is a really good day!
Down 1kg this morning so am GW+1kg. Good news as I'm eating healthily but not weighing & am eating more like re-feed types & quantities. Had 1 stick of licorice last night after dinner.
My broadband is connected. Yay!!!!
I have just ordered a different router as the one we bought (still unopened just in case) is crummy & if we get one form them it will be ready to go & more easily connected plus will work better with our stone walls. No problems there. I might have a trip to Lonnie next week (or maybe tomorrow) to return the other. Broadband is a joy. I have started off on a smallish shaped plan but will see if I need to increase it & can do so easily. I thought I would start small as I have no idea how much I use or will use & the worse that can happen is that it will slow down.
I am really looking forward to dinner & am so happy that I am at the lower weight. I was going to be picked up by our OS but I told him not to worry. I don't like getting drunk so would prefer to be careful & be capable of driving myself home under the limit. He has friends visiting him & was still going to come pick us up but I told him not to worry. I will have some protein before I leave home & drink lots of water as well as some champagne.
I probably won't be back until tomorrow so have a great week-end everyone & cheers from Cate.

wow,how welcome you made me feel, thanks so much.
Well I saved My husband's hard earned money and off I went, a bit like you , it me 1 hour to get there, I handed it over,I have NEVER spent that much on myself before.... so my bloods were taken today.....and yes now the waiting game any way thanks again Susie

Susie- I think most of us forget to think of ourselves & look after everyone else. By nurturing yourself & loving yourself you are much better able to look after others. After years & years of being so overweight that I certainly did not love or care for myself I am now learning how important this is & also how difficult it is. I feelmuch more comfortable in my skin these days & my self-esteem grows daily. You have made an excellent decision to do the Cohen's program. Lean on me/us whenever you like for support. The road has many ups & downs. We don't change our thinking overnight. Cheers, Cate.
Weight this morning up 1.5kg. No surprises there. It will go. I ate reasonably carefully but had some scalloped potato so that I could have dessert. I steered clear of the fried rice but had various casseroles( a little of each-not all of course). The food was delicious. It was very much good home-cooking.
For dessert I had a small piece of lemon meringue pie, a small piece of lemon cheesecake, a small piece of pavlova & a little square of jelly slice. There I've confessed!! Then I could hardly move. I did not eat anywhere near as much as most people but they also ate lots of the main courses & bread. I drank 3 piccolos of bubbly, interspersed with 3 bottles of water. I had both going at once. So I had 4.8 standard drinks over 5 hours. I would have been less than .05 because of all the food I'm pretty sure. I thought it was much safer to drink the piccolos so I could keep track easier & that seemed to work.I also had a coffee before we left.
I didn't get to bed until 1.30 as we came home & watched some of the Tour De France, dozing off in our chairs & waking many times & having a look.
My LH has gone off to his beloved golf, pretending he doesn't have a hangover, & I'm going to have a very lazy day. I might just read a book I think. I'll make a point of dropping a couple of kilos in the next few days.
Having broadband is a bit like getting a new toy at Christmas as a child. It is so quick I'm thinking " what will I look at now?".....
At least my phone line won't be tied up any more.
I'll be back later on today, I'm sure, cheers, cate

Warning- When you over-do the carb's/food the next day you are starving! It has been a battle not diving into my LH's chocolate or just pigging out on whatever! I've done quite well really. Hurry up end of day. I've been very constipated as well which doesn't help. I spent most of the day curled up with a murder mystery. It's poured almost all day so didn't feel guilty at all about that. Cheers, Cate

Hi Cate
Sounds like you had a good night. I can't remember from my "Life After". Why do you have to eat carbs to be able to have dessert. I thought you had to eat dessert within 1 hour of your protein meal?? Maybe that why I put all my weight back on, because I didn't pay close enough attention to my maintenance guidelines.
You are such an inspiration, that you can have so much hunger and be able to control yourself. That is one of my biggest drawbacks. Lack of willpower but reading how you are going is showing me what to look for and be aware of when i finish.
I hope today finishes quickly for you too so you will feel better.
Take care
Beck

Hi Beck, I did have a glass of wine with dinner, but had a piece of cheese first even though it won't help with the C problem! Cravings, cravings.... All to do with insulin levels of course. It's ok that now that I understand more about what's happening & why my body reacts in certain ways. I do feel more in control when I understand what's going on.
From my maintenance guidelines(leaving some out-I haven't quoted it all)
"It is recommended that desserts be eaten within one hour after finishing your meal. You eat both carbohydrates at the same meal, for example, if you have potato with your protein & veg meal, then you may have dessert after this meal, within the hour. If you had no carbohydrates with the meal, then do not have dessert".
I also never have carb's with my breakfast. If I have yoghurt & fruit I wait until much later to eat my crackers. I do have my crackers if I have an egg for breakfast. It's a fine art balancing egg on a cracker when you like them soft.
I am going to keep studying my maintenace guidelines because I also didn't follow them closely enough.
Cohen's food suits me best. Carb's don't! I'm not having a problem with fruit thank goodness but i stick to the original ones mostly.
I am going to get back to the Tour. It is heading to Toulouse today. We know someone who lives nearby. He stayed with us last year for 6 months and is a pastry chef. We may just let him repay some of our hospitality one day as I would love to go to France & see some of the Tour & we might visit him & his family. Apparently they own many houses. Regardless I would love to see some of it even if we don't visit.
We have never been ones to arrive & stay with contacts. We like our independence (together) & aren't the sorts to put people out at all. Our OS & his friend used every slight contact they could when they travelled the world but I don't think I could.
OK back to the tele. I love my satellite thingy(modem?) in the corner of my lounge. I think it's a wonderful thought that it is reading signals from a satellite. I am really looking forward to getting the new router & then I will be laughing! I know I sound like an old foge but I don't mind!
Cheers for now, Cate

Hi Cate,
Thanks for that info. I have just checked my maintenance guidelines and it says exactly the same thing!! I just did't read it properly last time and thought it said to eat your dessert within 1 hour of your protein meal. I know I only glanced fairly quickly at it, thought I knew it all, and went on to regain all my weight back. This time when I finish it I think I will study the maintenance a lot more closely and follow them properly.
France does look lovely. My brother and SIL went there a few years ago and loved it. They said all rumours about the people being rude were totally false. The people were as lovely as their country.
Have a great day.
Beck

Hi Beck(double figures Beck!!) France looks wonderful. What a pretty country. I also love the language.5 years of school French has left me with the ability to read most of it but still not the ability to understand the spoken language. I'm sure that if you make a genuine attempt at speaking the language people are more prepared to make an effort for you. I'll have to study some more. My sister absolutely loved France, especially Paris & I must go there. Before she died she asked me if I would be upset with her if she left me some money. She used to try paying me to look after her & I would get upset with her. (I went to the US 3 times to look after her & then her husband when he was diagnosed as well with cancer). I said that I would look at it differently & told her that I would ear-mark it for travel & visit France one day. She would love me to go there.
Weight this morning same as yesterday- GW+2.5kg. Back on Cohen's only food today & until I shake a few kgs.
It's a rainy, foggy today here today & we are having a lazy day. My husband is about to do some cooking & I will get back on the vacuum cleaner. It's the only real problem with having a fairly big house. I cannot stand vacuuming.
Cheers for now Cate
PS Sam if you're out there- Hi!! Hope you're enjoying life & relaxing a bit. Take care, xo Cate.

I have learned that when I over-indulge, like Friday night, I have trouble re-committing strictly. I am still 1.5kg heavier than Friday morning. When on Cohen's strictly hunger is not usually an issue but when the Carb's are upped hunger is also upped. It's a good thing to be wary of. I know that 2 days of 100% will get rid of it but boy do I enjoy my husband's cooking.
Tomorrow I will go walking. I bought some Burgen bread today,which is relatively low in Carb's(<30%) & will take a sandwich with me as it's very convenient & provides me with sufficient fuel for a hard walk. Hopefully I won't gain anything. Wednesday will be D day, depending on weight.
Nothing much to say today, for a change. I'm a bit tired from watching the Tour. I had better go make a call to get picked up in the morning on the highway, cheers, Cate.

I feel fantastic today after a beautiful walk to Forth Falls. It was so pretty & just the right length for me. I didn't come home exhausted, just exhilarated!
I have made many calls including one to my Mum to thank her for a surprise that I found in my letter box when I got home. My mum is so thoughtful & generous. When she has "too much money" ie she would have to pay tax if she keeps it in the bank she gives the 3 of us some. Good timing at the moment with very little income coming my way.
I used my energy to make many calls. I had been hearing stories of Italy & France & it inspired me to do something about earning more money.
I rang Veterans Affairs, found the contact number I wanted, rang , got some info. Since then I have rung 2 different bosses & TAFE & got lots of info which I will follow up. I need to get Cert 111 in Aged Care & I may pay for it myself. I can claim it back as a tax deduction. I want to do it quickly. I will make more calls tomorrow.
We are now going out tonight so I have to have a very early dinner. I'll be back tomorrow with more info about my walk today. I took a Burgen bread sandwich so will be interested to know what my weight is tomorrow. I don't feel bloated.
Cheers for now, energised Cate.

Weight-still the same but why should I expect it to be different. I have not gone back on to the original program again- yet! GW+2.5kg.
I have been very busy today & was out for most of the day. I made my calls today but have to ring back about the TAFE course. I may be able to start a Cert 111 course in September & complete it in 6months. That sounds pretty good to me.
The walk yesterday reinforces how important it is to my general well-being to exercise & get out there & mix even though I sometimes feel that I am a little like the odd one out. I felt like I fitted in yesterday. If someone does not like me I can actually cope with it. I'm not sure if they do or they don't like me but it's ok. I like most of them, some more than others.
I really feel like watching some of the Tour. I missed Cadel's yellow jersey win & the highlights are on now, so I might scoot. I will make my calls in the morning, try connecting the router & will come back to the forum then, cheers, cate