Just got back from a very nice, no-stress weekend (well, apart from a couple of wild storms...).

Was able to take and cook all my own food as per usual, and still keep hubby happy with a big variety of other things. It's funny, but when I'm on this diet, my interest in making nice food goes up - not for ME, but for him. When I was NOT dieting and fat, I was always too tired etc to be bothered and wanting a "quick fix" for tea for him. Now I'm finding it a real pleasure to make something special for him, even if I have to then turn around straight away and make myself something completely different.

Fortunately our tastes are quite different in some areas, so I don't feel deprived if I make him, say, a prawn dish, because I don't really go for them.

But... it's EOM, so have had about 2 days of tummy worms trying to tempt me with all sorts of things. Fortunately I'm OK if I ignore them, so it's not been a big drama, but amazing to notice how persistently they rear the thoughts in the mind again and again! I seem to have continued a habit I started the previous time I was on this diet. I usually have 4 crackers a day, and then only have 5 during pre_EOM days. This makes me feel I've had "more" and feel spoiled a bit, even though it's just the whole of the allowance. So, most of the time it seems I'm eating one less than the allowance, which feels fine.

Got some turkey steaks in recent days, but was a bit disappointed - have realised I much prefer chicken, even though there's not a lot of difference. We're strange creatures! However, turkey is very low fat, easy to prepare etc. Just need to experiment more with it, I think.

Off to bed, hope everyone has a great week. Hang in there!

An interesting week - very busy, found it hard to keep myself mentally on top.

In one fell swoop, some beaurocrat sitting behind a desk in Canberra has decided to shave $600,000 off the grant our school was going to receive from the Rudd Government. We had the whole project in the planning stages, as KR has been whip! whip! get it done NOW!!!!, and now we find we can't even afford it. We had actually received a fax promising us we would receive the full amount a few days before. But yesterday, it had all changed. We're living in a weird world at the moment!! Money gets given away willy-nilly, then taken off you in another department.

Oh well - a few weeks ago we didn't know we were getting anything! But everyone was pretty high for a while, only to have a big crash this week as we find out that all the RICH schools will be getting the mega-millions, and we will only get enough to build another glorified shed. Never mind.

Carnival day today, a very hectic day. Didn't get to eat "breakfast" till 10.00am. Fortunately a very thoughtful friend made me an almost-legal Cohen salad for lunch, so I was very, very grateful for that. I've been working late most nights, the fridge is bare. One son is on night-shift at the moment, another out a lot of nights, so a bit hard to know what to stock at home. Anyway, haven't got near a shop during open hours lately.

It was a weigh day, and I went down another kilogram. I was hoping for more, but had made a few slight compromises during the week, so I'm happy enough with that. My life is just so ridiculously busy I'm amazing myself that I'm almost sticking to plan the the majority of the time. Funnily enough, though, once again the measurements moved quite a lot. Perhaps I'll sneak in one more weigh on the weekend.

Today I had the runs whilst scoring for the carnival - made it a bit interesting. I think it was an unripe nectarine I started to eat yesterday, but spat out after a couple of unpleasant mouthfuls. It looked absolutely beautiful on the outside, but was TERRIBLE inside... It's a bit hard when it's the only bit of fruit I've got to eat, and it's no good. Hard to know whether to persist or not. I needed to eat something, but realised what would happen if I continued on. Sure enough, even two mouthfuls has been enough to set my intestines off.

Tomorrow we're planning out a hike we're taking some kids on NEXT weekend (yes, that will be yet another busy weekend - an overnight camping trip). We're doing a section of the Bibbulmun Track. Not sure what I'll eat yet - will have to make sure I DO get to a shop when it's open and plan some reasonable food.

I've decided this week to cut out caffeine. I was drinking too much before, even though I know it's not recommended, and not drinking enough water. However, when working late etc it gets pretty hard when I'm tired all the time - I often feel like I needed a bit of a kick-start in the late afternoon. Wow, I had such a headache for a few days - very unpleasant. But I'm sleeping better so it will be good for me all round.

Most days are pretty good diet-wise. I don't feel hungry, and as long as I have enough food in the fridge at work conforming to the plan, everything's great. Poor hubby has had a lot of Subway buns this week - poor man. I took pity last night and went home between jobs to make him something nicer, but not sure what I'll do tonight. I'm so whacked after today!

Well, I'd better get on with the unpacking from the day. Have a great week everyone... keep to the plan, keep up the water, and keep losing!

Yesterday sneaked a peek at the scales again as I knew I'd gone down from the previous day. Another 800g down so I was pretty chuffed! I'm now 82.5kg, so the 70's are drawing tantalisingly close. However, I'll try not to get too hung up on the numbers, and just expect it take another while yet. But sometimes it's really good to get that mental boost.

Busy day yesterday planning out a hike etc. Tried to get a steak and salad for lunch at a pub as we were in the middle of nowhere (almost). Worst meal I've had in a long, long time. Despite paying a reasonable amount for it, just so I could get the most compliant thing on the menu, the meat was very tough and gristly - yuk. I had been going to eat only half the meat, but half was inedible anyway. Well, serves me right for not packing something. Anyway, it got me through a tight spot for yet another day.

Today should be easier, should be able to make my own stuff with the little I have left in the fridge.

Hey Niyah! Just realised that you are a teacher? I'm a teacher too! And oh, our weight are similar and we can indeed hold on hand in hand to our renewed life

Actually, I'm the G.B.D. - that means, 'General Dog's Body'. Though I've worked in schools for years and years, mostly doing accounting and finances, at the moment my husband is Principal of a very small school (80 kids from Kindergarten through to Year 11 high school), and I do all the non-academic administration stuff. That's a huge and very varied role, even though we are very small, and means not only the finances in general and particular, but organisation of lots of stuff, including annual concert, presentation night, some of the camps and lots and lots of other stuff. In between all these tasks, there is a ton of jobs that are on nobody's else's list that my husband and I both do whenever we can - including driving the school bus, yard duty and so on. Occasionally I give him a hand with classes, but usually I'm just in the office dealing with stuff and people and parents - I'm the one who has to listen if he's busy and can't.

One of the problems of being a small school is that you don't have the finances and the staff to organise people to do the other things. We have lots of volunteers however getting good people reliably and often is not always so easy. Thankfully I have a number who help out with general office work, leaving me to give a hand to other things that are not so easy to dish out.

My husband is currently teaching almost a full time job, but has to do all the academic administration, organisation and dealing with kids after hours, which is why we're there all the time till late. There are tons of times I just have to drop everything and give him a hand with whatever is going on.

Anyway, it all makes life very interesting at the moment!!

What do you teach?

Your weight loss is going really well! I started at 95kg approximately in January, now down to around 82.5kg, so I'm pretty happy even though lots of people lose it more quickly on this diet than I do. However, I'm getting almost no exercise done at the moment, so I'm happy enough with what I'm doing.

Have a great week!

Was just reading the old thread about keeping Cohen's a secret. Well, the first time when I did it, I just told everybody what I was doing - I felt it would keep me honest, and I knew a lot of people who'd done it and succeeded, so I felt confident that if it worked for them, it could work for me.

This time round I thought I'd keep it secret and just say I'd committed myself to losing some weight. The main thing for me this time is that I didn't want any negative comments about Cohen in general just because I was silly enough to NOT do what they said last time. It was my decision to stop eating sensibly and ignore the problem for another three years.

But hubby actually told everyone this time one by one - he felt it better to explain to them why I wouldn't eat their food if asked out and so on. So, despite my intentions to keep my mouth shut, it all came out anyway. And pretty soon, I was losing so much fat off my abdomen that people just had to ask exactly HOW I was doing it. Some know I was on Cohen's before, so ask directly "Are you doing Cohen's again?"

I had one interesting encounter on the weekend with a friend I see from time to time - she lives in the country. She's also had weight problems, knee replacements and so on. She's very negative about Cohen's, partly because a doctor friend of hers had condemned it. And she KNOWS I lost a lot of weight last time and put it back on again. So she was full of "Well, that diet doesn't work because you just put it on again afterwards". It seems useless to keep trying to explain that if you DON'T FOLLOW THE RULES, you will REGAIN WEIGHT. She said she doesn't believe in the whole Cohen "premise" (wonder how much she knows what it is), but at the same time kept asking me HOW I managed to lose so much weight so quickly. I just said again and again, "Whatever you choose to do, you just have to be tough and strict with yourself". She believes she can't possibly be "tough" on herself. And I said, well, whatever you do decide to do, it basically amounts to controlling the amount and type of food you eat - if you do that, you will have success. (We on Cohen's just know we'll FEEL better and lose it faster if we do what Cohen says, that's all!)

And this is the whole problem for so many people - Cohen's is a pretty strict diet, very low calorie altogether, and if you want to do it you have to be prepared for it, disciplined, and determined to stick to what they say. But it's also a choice - no-one puts a gun at your head and demands you go on the diet. You CHOOSE to do it, so having done that, you just commit to the rules and do EXACTLY what they say.

So for me, it's all out in the open again. I don't really like talking about it generally, which is why it's so great to come on here and find other people who understand it all!

I agree Niyah. I used to wax lyrical about Cohen's & could hardly shut up about it. People are such knockers and love to shoot something (anything) down. Most people I know didn't notice that I had put any weight on so I haven't needed to tell them what I have been doing lately & I have felt even better about it. Most people just freak when they ask you what you do & don't eat on Cohen's. I personally love the strictness of it. It's black & white but they seem to think they couldn't possibly give something up altogether, even for a short while. It's all about what you want more & I think we both agree on that!
You are so close to the 70's & sound so focussed & positive. Don't you love that Cohen's feeling! ( I know this really should be a ? but it never seems right with such a rhetorical question) . Cheers for now, Cate, laughing at myself.......

Yesterday was a pretty awful day. I was late having breakfast, then COMPLETELY FORGOT to eat lunch! This probably sounds unbelievable, but I found out someone was unexpectedly coming for tea, so rushed to the shop mid-afternoon. I wondered why I was feeling so awful, till I realised I hadn't eaten!

By the time I got home I was really running late to make tea in time, so just ate some more yoghurt. Then I was so flat out getting other things ready I didn't have time to make tea for myself. I ended up having a little bit of meat only. NO VEG at all yesterday! None of the veg I made for everyone else was why I could eat...

Well, I sure hope no other days go like that one did. I drank lots of water and ate the crackers, but today is DEFINITELY going to go better. I've brought a T bone steak to work with lots of veg so I'm looking forward to a NICE LUNCH TODAY!

I also found out my doctor has left town, so have to start again. This happened the year before as well... boy I hate this...

Anyway, can't get much worse than this so will just keep plodding on.

Niyah- What a day! Phew! You've exhausted me & made me feel hungry at the same time. It's good to know that whatever gets thrown our way, we manage, xo Cate

Here are my two gorgeous sweethearts.

Don't have any recent pix of me, though - will have to work on that one!

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Off on an overnight camp tomorrow. It's weigh day, will try and update before I go, but will be very hectic.

Haven't yet thought about what I'm going to EAT on camp - help! I'll have to pre-prepare and take stuff. Fortunately this year we're not tenting, we're in little log cabins in the bush, and there is a FRIDGE!!!!!!

Everyone is doing a 13km hike on the Bibbulmun Track. Unfortunately I get to drive the bus around, pick up exhausted kids, dish out morning tea and all that kind of thing, so I won't get the exercise. Oh well, another day...

Hi Nyah, Mozzarella cheese, tomatoes & celery on crackers, are my choice for the most convenient food to take out & eat "on the move". Salad of course is great. You could take numerous containers of salad, already weighed & then add some cooked chicken breast or cooked beef or those small cans of tuna or some grated mozza, depending on what you felt like....and a jar or bottle of your own vinaegrette (made with balsamic, no oil of course, dry mustard, salt, pepper & garlic salt. With your crackers & fruit, some diet soft drink and a few tubs of yoghurt you'd be set.
I don't care if I eat the same food over & over any more, whereas I used to always want variety. At long last I am thinking of food as just that.....food! About time! Have a great camp & have fun, xo Cate

Actually had forgotten about having Mozarella Cheese - a while since I bought any!

I did a bit of a stock tonight and have got just a few veg and yoghurt, crackers and have meat packed at home. I know there'll be a bit of salad tomorrow night with the rest of the tea - I can't eat the tea, but will see what exactly the veg are.

I have couple of bits of fruit. Should be right until I make it back. A dear friend is packing me a lunch for tomorrow - so nice to have someone who cares enough to find out what the rules are and make something I CAN eat - she makes lunch every Friday for the staff here, and has started doing a special little one for me! I feel quite spoiled.

Well, a yukky night tonight yet again - I'm packing camp gear and didn't get time to organise tea, so I'm having yoghurt again... I'm going to compensate by having chicken and veg for breakfast tomorrow - have it ready to go in the fridge but didn't have time to cook it before it would get too late, so decided on the quick tea instead.

At least now I know I can survive these awful busy patches without just pigging on Red Rooster or some other awful, greasy take-away, which is what I used to do.

Got my son who's a nurse and just woken up for his night shift to find something for my husband to eat. He has a board meeting tonight... oh life is fun with all this STUFF to do. The camp packing becomes largely my business because he's just too busy to do the "bits and pieces". Oh well, that's what a GDB is for - General Dog's Body. I think that will be on my tombstone, with an afterthought "She came in handy..."

Got to spend some time with my little GS tonight. He's such a serious little thing. Normally he sleeps most of the day away, but decided to stay awake this morning, so I had him in my office with me whilst my daughter went down to help cover library books for the morning. He surveys the world most seriously behind his big dark brown eyes. I always wonder what's going on in that little head of his! I have to work hard to crack a smile out of him!

Oh Niyah! They are so pretty...so very angelic...what a gem!

Niyah- You made me laugh out loud! "She came in handy" indeed! I think things like that...."Wasn't bad for an old chook".
How sweet to have a friend make you a special Cohen's lunch. Now, that is what I call a very handy, special friend. I bet she feels the same way about you, xo Cate