Hi Lauren

Don't panic I wanted to also lose a few more kilos before starting refeed but the hunger was overwhelming and I still lost a further 3kg and got down to 63kg which I was happy with at the end that was my weight proir to having my 2nd child. My Cohens suggested weight was 65kg.
Overall I was happy. I wish I was their again and not struggling to lose again.

Your doing great Lauren. Keep up the fantastic work.

Sam

Sam - Thank you for your post. It really helped me just chill with it all and your support, encouragement and knowledge is so so so appreciated.

Well yesterday I couldn't get on all day at either work or home so will update for both...

Day: 5 (yesterday)
Weight: 69.8kg
Changes / Additions: Add 60g Protein, Add 80g Vegetables,
Add 2 ‘Good Fruit’, Have 1 slice of bread and 2 Crispbreads
Breakfast: Yoghurt and Blueberries (1/2 blueberries microwaved for 30, 2 TBSP water and pureed 1/2 Blueberries left whole to have on side)
Snack: Peach and crispbread
Lunch: Chicken Salad (added 30g protein and 30g vegetables), Balsamic Vinegar and water dressing.
Snack: 1 serve rockmelon and 1 crispbread.
Dinner: Beef and veg as a goulash (added 30g protein and 50g vegetables)with 1 slice of bread toasted.
Snack: 1 orange
Water Intake: 4 litres.

Day: 6 (today)
Weight: 69.5kg
Changes / Additions: Add 90g Protein, Add 120g Vegetables,
Add 1 ‘Good Fruit’, 1 'Bad Fruit', Have 2 slice of bread and 2 Crispbreads.
Breakfast: Soft boiled egg with aspsragus and mushrooms and tomato and 2 crispbreads.
Snack: 1 Peach
Lunch: Chicken Salad (added 40g protein and 50g vegetables), Mayo and 150g rockmelon.
Snack: 1 Banana and 1 slice of bread (am thinking of toasting bread and putting slices of banana on top)
Dinner: Beef and reef with steamed veggies (add nil beef protein but 50g prawns and 70g vegetables) with 1 slice of bread (will cook steak, rare, and top with some prawns that I will slightly sautee in water and some garlic granules - mmmm cant wait!!!).
Snack: 1 orange
Water Intake: 3-4 litres.

How I'm feeling:
Great - wonderful - not hungry!!! How is it when I have not changed a single thing to my breakfast portion etc have I stopped feeling so hungry so soon. I'm putting it down to the fact my bodies energy stores but be satisfactory again as you would think I would still feel hungry after the same amount of food. Anyway it's all good. Yesterday I sat down and tried to plan out my food for the rest of the refeed as shopping has been anightmare. I went through each day and wrote a shopping list on the day before's plan so I just look at the one sheet for the day and can get the extras I need on the way home for tomorrow. So when I am doing my breakfast and lunch in the morning I check off my list when I still have enough for in the fridge and whatever is left over I will need to grab. It was great until mising proteins and then when new proteins came into the picture... OMG... Other than cheese with everthing (which in the portions and the way you have to do it with cheese, eggs etc) it's very difficult and in reality I just wouldn't have chicken and beef etc in the same meal (except for cold cuts) so I got very confused and flustered so just left the last 4 days to deal with when they come! I can mix my proteins from today which also means no more 5 hours between main meals but if anything I will probably extend that to 6. Before the program I would have my main meals 6 hours apart with my snack at the 3 hour mark inbetween to keep a constant blood sugar level etc and now that I'm not getting hungry after 1 or two hours ever 1 or 2 hours I will probably just get back into that routine!

I dont know if I'm doing the right thing this afternoon by having my banana sliced on my bread as a snack or if it will be too much for my body to handle but I guess I will find out. I'm still going to alternate my bread days - tomorrow I go up to 3... OMG I would have never had eaten 3 slices on a weekday before. On weekends we would be particularily bad with eating a loaf a day, and for me with just butter and jam or vegemite but I've never been big on sandwiches so it will seem weird to have that much in a day even without the program. Tomorrow is a crispbread day anyway so Friday (well Saturday) might be fun!!!

For those who dont have a problem reading about BMs - WOW - I had forgotten what a proper / real BM was like... hmmmmm - enough said!

Well lunch is over... might pop back in tonight and see if anyone else is about!

Lx

Glad to see (read) that you are feeling a brighter.

Sam

Hi Lauren! Re-feed can be pretty over-whelming & you seem to be getting organised with it now. The rigidness of the weight-loss part of the program was easy in comparison. I thought I was fairly well organised but ended up with all these little portions of meat in the freezer, which my LH ended up eating most of! It's great to know it's only temporary! I know what you mean about the BM! Cheers, Cate.

Well it seems like the 'heat wave' here in Adelaide has been playing havoc with all things electrical. Thursday and Friday at work the internet connection was in and out and also at home. I'm with the same provider as work so it makes sense. I documented Thursday and Friday at work in a Word document but the email was just too erratic with some things going through and others (my word document) obviously still in my inbox there! So I will just update yesterday and today for the time being...

Day: 9 (Saturday)
Weight: 68.6kg
Changes / Additions: Add 120g Protein, Add 160g Vegetables,
Add 2 ‘Bad Fruit’, Have 3 slice of bread and 0 Crispbreads (I exchanged 2 bread for 6 crispbreads.
Breakfast: Yoghurt and Strawberries - YUM
Snack: Peach and crispbread
Lunch: Chicken Salad (added 60g protein and 60g vegetables), Mayo.
Snack: 1 banana on toast (ADDICTED!!!)
Dinner: Beef and chicken stirfry (added 60g protein and 100g vegetables)
Snack: 1 orange
Water Intake: 3 litres.

Day: 10 (today)
Weight: 68.9kg
Changes / Additions: Add 80g Old Protein, 40g New Protein, Add 200g Old Vegetables, 50ml milk but reduce old protein by 40g)
Add 2 'Bad Fruit', Have 3 slice of bread and 0 Crispbreads (may still change bread over to crispbread - will see how I feel!
Breakfast: Yoghurt and strawberries and coffee with 50mls frothed milk (cappacino)
Snack: 1 Peach
Lunch: Chicken Salad (added 20g old protein, 40g new protein and 80g vegetables)
Snack: 1 Banana and 1 slice of bread
Dinner: Beef Steak and veggies (add 20g old protein 120g vegetables) with 1 slice of bread.
Snack: 1 peach
Water Intake: 3-4 litres.

How I feel:

Well other than frustrated by internet connections I feel AMAZING!!!

ALthough I must admit I am still a little confused with what is happening with my body and how the body works! I am still finding that between breakfast and lunch I feel hungry. Not the hungry that I was feeling before starting refeed which just had me wanting to look at food all day and imagine cooking all these wonderful healthy and wholesome meals after finishing and just watching people eat but actual tummy rumbling hungry. I drink water to make sure it's not thirst and it just continues. I put this down to the introduction of carbs but it must be the carb stores from the day before or it's just come to me maybe it's the 'new good and bad fruits' with their sugar content because I am still just having yoghurt or egg and veg and no carbs for breakfast. Hmmmm interesting anyway!

Friday my bodily functions went into overdrive and hence I actually felt a whole lot lighter and surprise surprise when I hopped on the scales yesterday morning there said (SHOCK HORROR - GOOD HORROR) 68.6... Oh my... This morning they did read 68.9 but that's still fine with me plus after dinner last night and not drinking quite as much water as I felt I needed to I feel heavy in the gut again.

Yesterday I went through the pantry and cupboard and bought all new storage containers and threw out out of date stuff (WOW that was an experience... I had some stuff in there that was use by 2004!!!) and got everything that was just stored in their bags into containers and labeled and listed everything on my pantry inventory list. This is another part of my new outlook on life which is one of health, nourishment, organisation, waste minimisation and sustainability. We have allocated the back part of our garden which is about 15metres by 5 metres to be a vegie patch, fruit trees, chooks, compost, worm farm etc which will be our part to helping the environment and ourselves plus I am using my bulk pantry stocks (flour, sugar etc) for all my Christmas baking and then we will go and buy organic supplies from my MILs health food shop. I'm not sure if I have already mentioned it or not but the introduction of some of the processed foods have already been reaggravating some of my less desirable habits such as my hair pulling etc. I dont want to go back to this and therefore if I do want carbs etc I want to be able to make them myself with my own grown produce and organic produce but will generally keep it all to a minimum. So as much as I produced an extra couple of bags of waste for the week yesterday from now on using my lists and processes that will definately be kept to a minimum!

This morning I could add the milk by reducing my old protein by 40g which I did purly for the reason of the refeed. I will not use it again but just thought that I would do it the once. I plan on keeping milk out of my diet as much as possible, I have been lactose intolerant for my whole life - actually all milk intolerant since I couldn't even have my mothers milk when I was born - but over the years built up a tolerance for about 1 cup of skim milk at a time. But I used to still have a lot of milk in other forms like chocolate and icecream. Icecream was my biggest downfall with this time last year I would have start to have my McDonalds soft serve on the way home everyday from work. I was huge on milkshakes and thickshakes also even with the side affects. None of that appeals to be now and I dont want to go back to that place but I also wanted to reintroduce it so that I know if occassionally I would like a serve (just 1 scoop now not 4 like the good ol days) of my favourite baskin robbins I should be able to manage it or if we go to a BBQ at my sisters and she makes her amazing potato bake I can have a small amount etc. I plan to keep dairy out of my life as much as possible but also it's in so many things. This morning I was trying to think what can I do with 50ml milk... I gag at the thought of just drinking milk as milk, it must have some sort of chocolate flavouring to be able to do that so that was out so I just ended up frothing it with the cappacino machine and putting it in my plunger coffee... well it ruined a good coffee but there - I introduced it and sitting here 20 minutes later I can feel my body rejecting it - WHOO HOOO... Another bad reaction to a food my body doesn't actually need or want.

Other than that I'm feeling very very full after my meals and today I go up a hugh amount again. I'm still struggling to find ways for the new proteins but I guess I will just work it out over the next few days as it comes in more and more!

Anyway - better go as we want to get a couple of hours of gardening in before it gets too hot. 36 today... and strangly, for the first time in my life that doesn't anger or frustrate me. I guess I'm not as uncomfortable as I used to be in this kind of weather now that I dont have as much insulation!

Hopefully the internet connections will stay steady for a while now because I have been missing coming on to both write and look at others diaries etc.

I hope everyone is travelling well and having a gorgeous weekend! I think this afternoon will be a nice crafty few hours in the cool of the house!

L x

Hi Lauren

Glad to see your internet is up and running. I struggled with finding ways of making my proteins as well and I can't even suggest anything because I have forgotten. I find I am okay with milk but lowfat or soya which is a bit expensive.....I only have it in my tea and coffee's anyway. Bread seems to be the big NO,NO for me....bloated and painful is the only way to describe it.....before Cohens I actually considered being tested for IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) but discovered that whilst doing the Cohens Programme all these symptoms disappeared. Pasta is probably the next one on my list...I can only have this now and again. But I am happy to say rice gives me no irritation (thank goodness) this is my main carb love. But it is something I need to watch obviously.

I read your post in Cate's diary it is good to see you make fun plans post Cohens. I did as well and really enjoyed myself out with my sister and neice and it was nice not worrying about what to eat and when. It was my treat day. But we need to remember to balance this and not get into treating ourselves everyday (food wise) that is.


Congrat's on your 68kg mark as well - how many days left have you left on refeed?

Take care Lauren great to see you back. And thanks for your advice in my diary, was it Susie Elman who lost weight only eating half of everything?

Sam

Lauren- I loved today's post. I found the same thing with milk-UGH! Like you, eating healthy, including as much home-grown food & organic is going to be the path I take. Why waste all of this effort? Nurturing your body is not cramming it full of junk food. You sound so happy. I am really looking forward to meeting you next October, xo Cate.
PS It is so much better on a hot day not having that layer of fat. Every-one else was sweaty & hot today & I felt as cool as a cucumber. NICE.

Day: 11
Weight: 69.0kg
Changes / Additions: Add 40g Old Protein, 80g New Protein, Add 160g Old Vegetables, 40g new vegetables, 50ml milk but reduce old protein by 40g (didn't have milk), 50g carbohydrates.
Add 2 'Bad Fruit', Have 3 slice of bread and 0 Crispbreads (had 0 bread and 9 crispbreads though)
Breakfast: Yoghurt and strawberries
Snack: 1 Peach and crispbreads
Lunch: Chicken Salad (added 40g old protein, 80g old vegetables)
Snack: Watermelon and crispbread and peach just now
Dinner: Cottage / Shepherds Pie (add 0g old protein, 80g new protein, 80g old vegetables and 40g new vegetables)
Water Intake: 4+ litres.

Well last night I got so busy with my pottering around and doing bits and pieces that I didn't get myself organised for today so this morning at the last minute I had to change around everything I had planned. I felt and looked heavy and bloated this morning, way over did the salt last night (must have been lacking something by last night because short of actually grinding the salt straight into my mouth I couldn't stop adding it to my meal) plus having bread both days and no BMs I was feeling it. I weighed heavy as expected but that was ractified this morning about 40 minutes after my strong black coffee on the way to work. Feel normal again and my tummy looks like it did yesterday morning as opposed to this morning! Hopefully that will show tomorrow and serve me as a reminder with bread. Usually salt isn't too much of an issue but I do find that I actually look for it to put onto my food mainly when it's TTOM which it is, well meant to be - well see if it decides to visit this month yet! These are all things I must just keep in mind when back out in the big wide world - all though I am still reminding myself daily that I have chosen to follow this program just as I am choosing to be healthy now for the rest of my lift, so as much as I wont be 'bound' to the program in the same way for structure (because I dont feel mentally or morally bound to follow it - again... I choose to follow it) the Cohen's way of life makes me feel good so there is no reason to be silly and go crazy. I haven't felt deprived this whole time so why should I make myself feel like I have to go and have bread and pasta and chocolate and icecreams and all those things that in the past have made me feel so poor in both health and mind.

I went for a bit of a walk today, mainly because I needed the mental break as my BIL has had another bad incident at work which has meant he has been brought down to hospital in Adelaide and as much as his health and wellbeing are my highest concern and priority I also know how that now it means we will have house guests every day until he gets out etc. It's not a problem really it's just that I have so much going on between refeed and Christmas prep, work being manic and getting things finished off around the house that having an extra 1 or 2 to cook for of an evening and then also moving around the house in the morning when I'm trying to do breakfast and get ready for work etc is going to get to me this week because I am very pre-mentral also.

Anyway - my head is like mush this afternoon so I'm going to head home now and get my stuff sorted!

Speak to you all tomorrow!

L x

Ooh Lauren, You poor thing. Re-feed is quite enough to cope with! Take care of yourself & I hope you have your house back to your-selves soon, xo Cate.

Day: 12
Weight: 68.4kgChanges / Additions: Add 120g New Protein, Add 120g Old Vegetables, 80g new vegetables, 50ml milk but reduce old protein by 40g (didn't have milk), 50g carbohydrates.
Add 2 'Bad Fruit', Have 3 slice of bread and 0 Crispbreads (will have 1 bread and 6 crispbreads though)
Breakfast: Yoghurt and passionfruit
Snack: Peach and crispbreads
Lunch: Chicken Salad (added 60g new protein Chicken Thigh, 80g old vegetables)
Snack: Peach and crispbread
Dinner: BBQ steak and lamb chop (taken the bone out) (add 0g old protein, 60g new protein, 40g old vegetables and 80g new vegetables – maybe carrots, broccoli and brussel sprouts)
Water Intake: 3-4 litres.

Well last night my dinner was just to die for… massive, too much, but just amazing… The about 30 minutes later I felt so amazingly bound up and blah in my stomach – and was this the lamb or the potato. I have been looking forward to reintroducing lamb, afterall it is probably my favourite of meats/meals next to a perfectly cooked rare sirloin steak. But it never has been something I have eaten on a weekly basis, even monthly. After feeling that way I put my thought processes into action and asked myself more questions about my dinner and why it was so good and why when eating the food did I make such a big deal to myself over it. Was it the style of food? Was it the potato? Was it the lamb, the carrots or the brussel sprouts? Was it the amount? What was it…? I came to the conclusion that it was really just because the flavours in it are flavours I have been without for 6+ months. The meal wasn’t really any more special, or exciting than what I’ve been having, nor did I necessarily enjoy it more than what I have been eating on Cohens. Why was I really even obsessing over it?

It was just because it was like tasting something new again. The flavour of the lamb was amazing, but only because I haven’t had it in so long, not because it’s something I want or need to have on a daily or weekly basis. Even monthly. I would be happy to have a roast or rack of lamb every couple of months, much like I did before really, when we go for dinner at mum and dads. One of my all time favourite meals is lamb shanks and come winter I will be sure to enjoy the meal once or twice during the colder months. Like before. When I would eat it then I would relish the flavour and texture and enjoy my meal but it was never something that I would have more than a couple of times a year. I think for the amount of times I actually have lamb I will still enjoy it, but also just have a little less but this whole situation and moment got me thinking the following:

1. Must work out whether if it was in fact the lamb (basing my current conclusion on others feeling similar discomfort when they reintroduced it) or maybe even the potato.
2. The flavour of the meal was great and albit I have to ensure I introduce as many varieties of food as part of refeed but at the end of the day the lamb still tasted as I remembered it did pre-Cohens.
3. There are going to be times where I feel I have to have something because ‘it’s been so long’ or ‘it used to be a favourite’ or ‘I cant remember what it tasted like / felt like to eat it’. This is going to refer to many foods I would like to discourage from my diet (my definiation of ‘diet’ is what I actually eat not the label of something I’m on). When this happens I hope I remember last nights thoughts where really it just tasted the same as before so what’s the thrill and either wont bother or because really I do know what it’s like I wont need to gorge myself but just enjoy a moment / taste of something I felt like having at that particular time.
4. I have seen on some others diaries / forums lists of foods they cant wait to go out and eat and a couple of people have even stated that they want to go 2 or 3kg under the recommended goal weight just so that the two weeks following completion they can gorge themselves, one girl has a 3+ page list of icecream and brownies and new things she has seen advertised. One has even put together a planner for what she is going to have each day for that period. When I read it I was at first disgusted and vowed I wouldn’t return to their diary because reading it was a waste of my time. Then I was disappointed to think that they were willing to put this much effort in and take nothing away from the experience except for being a particular size for however long it would last. And lastly I felt pity because the long term damage and effect on their body will probably leave them very ill and prone to disease. Of course this is my own opinion but one of my lessons learned out of reading these type of diaries is that that’s NOT the person I want to be. I never want to be where I was 6 months ago again and I’m the only one who can ensure that happens. This has stayed in my head space for a few weeks now but the reason I mentioned it here is because while having this little analysis with myself last night I also realised that there is no reason to rush out to eat at a café, restaurant or the like. Coming into this time of year I do already have a lot of things booked at places out or parties but it just reaffirmed to me that I can go to these things and make my decisions and choices for me. I have not allowed others to put pressure on me to eat, try or sip things while on the plan so there is no reason why just because I’m off the plan I have to now say yes when offered such things. I have been thinking ‘oh, I might get myself some dark chocolate next shop so I can have some next week’ and similar but now after last nights meal and thoughts I will actually wait until I feel like it – man it might not be until January or Febuary that the desire to have some chocolate hits.
5. And lastly… nothing needs to change, stay grounded and focused and enjoy life. Enjoy life – that’s another thing – I wasn’t enjoying my life 6 months ago, I now am, therefore, a physically, mentally and emotionally unstable, unfit and most importantly unhealthy Lauren cannot enjoy life… A healthy, nourished, fit, confident, level headed, secure Lauren can enjoy life – AND SO I WILL!!!

Well that’s my book for today. Mainly stuff I just needed to mentally vent. Each day on introducing less desirable food gives me more confidence in myself to staying healthy and happy. I will certainly have something i.e. chocolate, bread, cake etc when I feel like it but it will be because I feel like it. Not because it’s there, it was offered to me, I am sad, pre-menstral, tired, bored or as a reward.

I would like to introduce (drum roll please……….) Lauren as herself. The real herself. The person she has always wanted to be mentally and physically is now a real and living and breathing being, no longer gasping for life.

Well reading back that last paragraph, yes it’s a bit tossy and full of myself but I just feel so empowered and real. Maybe even just realistic – yeah I think that’s it. This is nothing new in the world or to most but this last six months it just become real and realistic for me.

Signing off now. I will come back and re-read and cringe at what I wrote later – it probably wont make sense to anyone.

Lauren x

Oh - got so wrapped up in whats been going on in my head I forgot to say BIL was discharged last night thankfully but then LB had to drive him home because - well actually I'm not even going to go there because that will just frustrate me. Anyway he got home at 10.30pm last night and all is well...

Lauren, I so love where you are right now. Don't be at all embarrassed or cringe at what you said. I'm with you. It is a totally liberating thing that you have taken control of your life (as I feel I have too) Good for you!! Cheers, Cate.

Thanks for your post Cate. Reading it makes it seem like I spent hours thinking and focusing on it where really it was probably less than 30 minutes but today when I was writing other thoughts and ideas were coming into it too... Anyway, thanks for understanding!

Day: 13
Weight: 68.5kg
Changes / Additions: Add 120g New Protein, Add 120g Old Vegetables, 80g new vegetables, 50ml milk but reduce old protein by 40g (didn't have milk), 50g carbohydrates.
Add 2 'Bad Fruit', Have 3 slice of bread can have butter on 1 slice and 0 Crispbreads (will have 1 bread and 6 crispbreads though)
Breakfast: Yoghurt and Strawberries and crispbread with tomato (had been missing it - 27g old veg)
Snack: Peach and crispbreads
Lunch: Chicken and Chicken Thigh Salad (added 40g new protein Chicken Thigh, 73g old vegetables)
Snack: Peach and crispbread and slice of toast with butter when I got home
Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognaise with beef and lamb (add 0g old protein, 80g new protein, 20g old vegetables and 80g new vegetables carrots & broccoli) with 50g spaghetti.
Water Intake: 4 litres.

Dinner was nice and had pasta as I'm making the effort to have a different form of the listed carbohydrates each day for variety! Flat out yesterday so didn't write...

Day: 14
Weight: 68.8kg
Changes / Additions: Minus 40g old protein, Add 160g New Protein, Add 120g Old Vegetables, 80g new vegetables, 50ml milk but reduce old protein by 40g (didn't have milk), 50g carbohydrates.
Add 2 'Bad Fruit', Have 3 slice of bread can have buand 0 Crispbreads (will had 2 bread and 3 crispbreads though)
Breakfast: Egg and vegetables
Snack: Peach and crispbread
Lunch: Chicken and pork salad (added 80g new protein pork, 80g old vegetables)
Snack: Watermelon then peach and crispbread later on.
Dinner: Stuffed Eggplant (mince, vegetable and rice filling topped with mozzarella cheese (add 0g old protein, 80g new protein, 40g old vegetables and 80g new vegetables)
Water Intake: 3-4 litres.

I have just had a horrible day today... I just feel flat and tired and mentally exhausted. My morning started with a workers compensation conciliation hearing straight up and it just left me feeling drained and exhausted and I have just been go go go since and now that I've stopped I just want to curl up into a little ball and have a nanna nap!

I cant believe I only have 2 days of refeed left. It has gone so quick that I feel like i have actually skipped a week! I keep checking the date against my plan and thinking how is that right! I guess it is that time of year where time just seems to speed up for some bizaar reason!

Anyway - sorry guys I'm just not in the mood to write and just cant seem to keep my focus! I am really looking forward to dinner tonight so I will let you know tomorrow how it goes! I think we need to put together a refeed and protein mixing ideas thread because I'm just lost as to what to have tomorrow and Saturday!

L x

well, good to see that you are doing well on refeed!

and since this is your thread and it's your prerogative to post anything & thoughts you like.

the words in bold... pretty sure i'm one of those "girls" you are referring to

ok just thought of sharing that everyone has their own reasons for doing certain things.

writing a list of food i wanna eat is a therapeutic way, strange but true, but it helped me to cope with my hunger better, it came out from a survival instinct. and no one knows myself better than me of course. i figure having indulgences in a controlled manner would help me to sustain my weight & positive eating habits better in a long run. it is so UNREALISTIC in my opinion to abstain from naughty food 100% after the diet. i guess i shall not be wasting my time here to share my plans in details.

anyway, i'm not gonna eat all these within a short period of time but over a period of time when i'm still at maintainence goal wt & when i'm good with my eating most of the time. those are treats i'm looking forward to having. did i say i'm gonna eat them all right after the diet?

i don't believe that even after cohens, the "graduates" can be 100% good ALL THE TIME, can you do it? good if you can!