Hey Jools,

Never a problem

Keep in mind you NEED the anti-inflamatories, and mending your broken bits is more important than sticking 100% to the plan. There's no point being skinny and not being able to walk properly because your leg hasn't healed straight.

Stick to the doctor's orders, then to the clinic's plan, in that order.

Also do what HL said

Oh, and, I take Anti-inflammatories daily (for full body arthritis) and narcotic based pain killers daily for a back condition, and also take panadeine and nurofen as required, and doesn't seem to have made a difference to my loss (but then I wouldn't know what the loss would be without them coz I've been taking them for ages)...

asy

Trying really hard today to drink the water... Going to get a drink again...


But really just a ticker update...

Tam

Dunno why.. this morning weigh myself... instead of maintaining, i gained in my weight... hai... is it just a phase?? very sadz..... anyway i am going to drink more water and hopefully i will go back to my 75.9kg... wish me luck....

Eleni,

Take this as you will.

The point isn't whether Dr Cohen exists or not, frankly I couldn't give a brass peanut if he does or not, the point is this diet is working where NO OTHERS HAVE for all of us.

I couldn't care less if there are published testimonials in glossy idiot-mags, coz I don't read them, and I seriously doubt these testimonials would have appeared in Nat Geo, or Aust Photography, which are the mags I do read.

Gluten and Glocose are not "horrible things" they are parts of the food system. The idea isn't to have NONE, it's to LIMIT what you do have.

I'm sure you're looking for a "there, there dear, you'll be fine" answer, but hey, I don't do those, sorry. The answer from me is "Do or Do Not, there IS NO TRY".

The blood test is an indication. It simply means your body reacts differently to the foods we are eating.

We've all (well some, but I know I have) been following the plan religiously, and I DO eat the crispbreads, although admittedly I sorta stick to Salada, coz I like them. And yet somehow my blood tests have come out juuuuuust fine.

Perhaps check everything you're ingesting. There may be something different there, or something you're doing differently to the plan. Discuss the problem with your clinic.

Ask all those who we know who HAVE finished, like Chelsea, and others who post here, whether they care if Dr Cohen exists? I bet they don't care if Ellie May Clampett wrote the plan. I sure know I don't.

You sound as if you're angry, OK, I probably would be too if I got a -ve reading to the blood test, but I'd look for a reason within my foods, not to have a go at the system. Do you really care who gives you the results? Would you be questioning it if your result was OK?

If you're looking for an excuse to give up, don't bother looking too hard, you'll find one, people always do when they're throwing in the towel. If you really want to succeed, suck it up, understand that "Dr Cohen" whether he exists or not isn't the issue here, and get on with it.

In any case, to reiterate, IT'S WORKING FOR US, DON'T RAIN ON OUR PARADE.

asy

Hey Babyegg,

The other thing that can affect loss is bed-time. I'm awfully naughty where that's concerned, quite often don't get to bed before 2am, then up again at 7.

I think Sleep and Water play a far bigger part in this plan than I've previously given them credit.

I'm going to try to get to bed before midnight tonight.

Are you a night owl too?

asy

Hi Eleni,
I wouldn't be too concerned..... are you losing weight regularly? Focus on the good things...... I'm pretty sure that Dr Cohen does exist, but whether he checks every blood test is questionable! But from my point of view, it wouldn't matter if he doesn't check them - so long as the person who does has clear guidelines on what they are looking for.
I have had "borderline OK" with both my blood tests. But some of things our clinic said can give a negative result are not drinking enough water in the days before hand, some herbs and spices, obviously actually deviating in a major way.
But our bodies are adjusting to a whole new way of working and it may take a while to get all the biochemistry happening. So, don't give up too soon.
In relation to the crispbread, gluten and glucose in themselves are not actually bad..... lots of the foods we eat will have glucose in them. It is the quantities and combinations that matters.
and with the success stories, surely you just need to look at the tickers on this site to know that its a successful approach...... whether people are able to keep the weight off long term is a more challenging proposition, but it is the same with ANY diet. We need to make long term changes to the way we eat to get a different result.
So, don't be too discouraged, or angry. Just keep taking steps along the way to weight loss.

Are you going to let a bad test result or frustration over crispbreads sabotage your weight loss goals????! I hope not!

Now, if you are going to break the rules and weigh yourself regularly, you have to get used to the daily fluctuations!!

I weigh myself daily, and have found there are a multitude of reasons why my weight fluctuates....... if I've drunk any water, if I haven't done a #2, during particular times of the month, etc......

I find over 3-4 days, everything evens out. Like others have said, I'll get no weight change for 3 days and then on the 4th move down a kilo, for no apparent reason.

Interestingly, deviating doesn't cause major changes to my weight, unless I deviate for several days in a row with high flour food.

So, if you are weighing yourself daily, make sure that you don't let the weight distract you from following the program. Just let it be a guide to learn about how your body works.

I like to think of Dr Cohen as being like the wizard of Oz, living in the Emerald city so very far away... he sort of has that annonymity (spelling?) but I don't think his history is medical science and photo on the website has been fabricated, anyway have a weigh in this time next week, I hope to lose some of my spare tire already!

Hi everyone!
I was so excited to hear about this prgram that I phoned up straight away to join. I spent hours last night reading through all your posts and it's hard to believe that it is working so well for everyone! You are all so amazing! I go for my blood test tomorrow morning and i hope to have my plan ASAP so I can start. I am getting married in 3 months time and the lady I spoke with said i may lose up to 20kg by then if I stick with it! AND I WILL! My starting weight is 87kg and I am 160cm tall. I am 21yrs old. I look forwarding to getting to know you all and posting my blogs regularly. I just really can't wait to get started and start losing weight. If anyone has any tips or strategies for me, I would love to hear them! Talk to you all soon...

They say you must have "deviated" sounds like more than a bit of BS , do you have the figures from your last blood test and the one before? Lets have a look (if you dont mind) us snooping on your blood sugar level and total protein levels.

Gluten and glucose are hardly the subjects of food horror stories, gluten is a very common protein in wheat and grains and glucose the simple natural sugar which we eat around tablespoon full worth each time we have an apple or orange. For a true horror food, AsyOz mention in her blog Battered mars bars deap fried and if it was fried in oil heavy in trans-fats (hydrogenated vegitable oils) we arrive at a true killer. I am sure there are more than a few traces of milk in the yogurt we eat. Nut traces...well sureslim include nuts in their program, I think this is a weak point of our program, nuts and fish fats have oils in them that we need to be healthy (eg flaxseeds etc) are not included. Logically we should not need vitamin or fish oil supliments if the cohen diet is providing a true balanced diet.

OK before everyone screams at me, Cohen diet is, by design, not a balanced diet, in particular it is a diet low in energy from sugars/starches (starch is just chains of sugar molecules) designed to keep us in on the edge of ketosis so our bodies metabolise our fat! The fruits supply the sugars (glucose) just enough for our brains (nurons need glucose to work) to function well and our normal muscles and metabolism consume the ketone bodies released from our fat.

I think a dietician would describeCohen diet as a protein sparing modified fast (PSMF).

Bridey, I have one tip and strategy for you.

It's a really good one, are ya listening???

Here it is:

Start, and STICK TO IT.

that's it, it ain't rocket science. (bloody good thing it isn't!!!) hehe

I started on 1 July, it's now 24 October, which is 3 months 3 weeks, and I've lost 40kg. So, 20kg in 3 months is not an unrealistic goal. Of course having less to lose, you'll lose it a little slower, but hey, even if ya lost 10, it'd be great, wouldn't it?

asy

Welcome it wont be easy, but nothing in adult life is easy.

As I said before Cohens is as much a test of preparation and organization as it is of your willpower. Best is to have a plan for all your meals for the coming week and at the minimum the following day.

If you want to get "prepare" for cohen have a look at my ideas here

It is quite possible to lose 20KG however I think 15KG is absolutely possible.

Also, I forgot to mention that I am a vegetarian... Is anyone else here a vegetarian? What do you normally get to eat?
Thanks!

(heavenlylamb in her best Homer Simpson voice.... )
Mmmmmm, battered deep fried mars bar...

I thought mentioning food like that was banned on the forum!!! Actually, can you imagine eating something like that now........ its enough to make you vomit.

If Eleni's situation is the same as mine, you never get to see the actual tests, they just give a descriptive answer of whether you are OK, borderline OK, borderline deviate or deviation.

The test that they do is a "UEC" test, non fasting.... when I google it, this is what I find.......

UEC's. Urea Electrolytes and Creatinine. This test is a measure of kidney function. We see an elevated serum urea or creatinine with dehydration or if the kidney function is impaired. The electrolytes are the various salts in the bloodstream...
things like sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate. The potassium level is of particular importance in people on diuretics or fluid tablets. Frequently the level falls in these patients and oral potassium supplements are required.


Because the first test is fasting and the second non-fasting, I don't think you could compare them that well. I think they are more a test of kidney function and whether your kidneys are coping with the extra protein intake. I'm not quite sure how they work out that you are deviating, and like I said previously, things like not drinking enough water in the days previously can affect the results.

I'm vegetarian, I'malso the same height as you. I am hoping to lose all my weight within three months.

I have started weighing myself twice a week - Saturdays and Wednesdays. I have lost 1.2 since last Saturday.

At first my weight loss was quite slow but since I have started taking vitamins I do feel it almost falling off.

Make sure you're organised as this makes it much easier to stick to the program.

Eleni - your post doesn't make sense to me. Are you on the program or not?