Ten things I've learned on Cohen:

1. It works! Seriously, just do it.
2. Protein for breakfast is the way to go. Gets the day off to a good start.
3. "Death by chocolate" means exactly what it says!
4. Food does not have to be fried to taste good.
5. I crave mangoes. Nothing else quite does it now that mangoes are mostly of out of season around here.
6. There are more clothes colours than black. Black helps to hide bulk - no more!
7. It's a lot easier to exercise when you aren't throwing around thunder thighs!
8. Tomorrow is another day. If it all goes pear shaped today, put it behind you and get back on deck tomorrow.
9. Love yourself. You won't "put yourself at the top of the list" if you don't take time to look after yourself.
10.This forum is a great place to hang out!

Niyah- I agree with you whole-heartedly! Although I think it could be 1 million things I've learnt on Cohen's! Always learning & it's all good, xo Cate.

Tea last night was a bit of a disaster. I'd completely forgotten that we'd agreed to eat at my SIL's place, and hadn't brought anything with me. At about 5.30pm my husband said - "Are you OK to go now?" and I suddenly remembered.

However, the meal she made was pretty good - just braised chicken with lemon grass and a bit of other flavour. A few vegies in there. There was a couple of vegies that aren't on the list, but no potato or anything horrible like that.

I just had to leave all the rice, and definitely didn't eat dessert!

Maybe I should get busy NEXT weekend and put a couple of frozen Cohen meals in the freezer here at school for just such times. It just seems to keep happening that unexpected things turn up.

I've been a bit distracted by needing to cook slices and biscuits at the moment, and late last night mixed up yet another batch. I figure that if I just throw together a batch of something every other night, it will all get done somehow. But this isn't leaving me much time to "plan" as FlaMie advised DeDe.

Well, on with the plan today. TODAY I am prepared!

Hey Niyah! I got around that "mixed up" problem with ziploc bags! I bought ziploc bags (sandwich bags) and used them to identify the weight of food. Ok, basically I knew the weight combinations of meat/vege for lunch and dinner. So I used the ziploc bags to seal up the exact portion and indicate the weight outside the bags with black markers...tada...easy and I never mix them up and the ink never fades! Hope this helps you too!

I could put a few of those in the school freezer - that would sure help for such occasions. I've got bags of meat all measured in the freezer at home, plus a bag of fresh vegies in the fridge here at school, but if I don't have the protein to put with it it doesn't help! I usually only bring one meat portion from home each day for lunch, however if I stick some more in the freezer here, I can do tea if I need to (and I seem to be needing to often!)

Sometimes when I've been stuck before I go and get a Subway salad bowl, but last night did not have time to do that and then get to SIL's place.

However, will get busy on the weekend and organise something ready here at school for next disaster day! There's sure to be another one around the corner...

I just WISH I hadn't forgotten my husband told me we were going there for tea!

Well, today sure is an exciting day!

I got on the scales with trepidation to find I was under 80kg! 79.3kg to be precise!

I really didn't expect that to happen this week, for sure. I've had a couple of meals I couldn't control all the ingredients of etc, but tried to compensate as best I could. Looks like luck was on my side this week.

It sure feels like a long time since I've been here, and I'll be savouring that feeling all day.

This is the end of the 11th week I've been on this, and overall, with all the variations etc, I'm averaging over a 1kg a week loss for the whole time. Of course it was faster those first couple of weeks, but seems even with slow downs at EOM, a few irregularities, that's how it's been overall. I'm really happy with that.

At this rate it will take me a full six months to get nearly all the way there, and I'm almost half way - all I have to do now is keep doing the same thing for the same time. But there's no pressure - I don't have any reason to want to be a certain weight by a certain time - this is just a lifestyle change that I have to complete, and then work out a sensible way of going forward to maintain the desirable weight range.

Well, back to work. I've been too distractable this week, but today for once I'll be able to get on with it knowing the result is the best it could have been for me today.

Hope you're all having a great week.

It's not luck Niyah. You have made informed choices!
Congratulations on
a) reaching the 70's &
b) being positive about your lifestyle change and
c) knowing & dealing with the fact that there is no hurry. It is a "rest of your life" change for the better.
Thanks for your support to everyone, including me. You have such a busy life & you still take the time out for all of us.
Cheers, xo Cate.

Well done Niyah. Its gr8 that u have got to under 80kg like u wanted and now u make ur way to ur next goal. Its gr8 news things are moving for u and that u can now look forward to the next weigh in. Im not with a consultant anymore so i rely on my own scales to be accurate- they are digital. I moved them to the lounge kitchen and put them under the ironing board out of way as the bathroom i keep them actually is used for a storage for vax, steam cleaner and stuff (its our 2nd bthroom- only 2 of us and we have ensuite). I know i am not meant to do it each day- but i do at the same time, after bathroom use. I cant wait to get to my goal weight of 62kg- but iv put 65 as my INITIAL goal. Fiance thinks 62 will be too skinny!!!! Lowest i was last time was 67kg. Will reassess at the 65kg...... keep up the gd work and although we dont all have perfect lives and have things that crop up that dont allow 100% for the diet, we do what we can to remain as close to it. Ur doing a gr8 job and look forward to reading more!!!!!

Thanks Cate and Dede for the encouragement.

Well, I wasn't going to come back on here today. Was actually going to get stuck into some WORK, but it's coming in fits and starts today.

I'm not back with a clinic either Dede - doing it under my own steam till now, and will keep it up as long as I feel I don't need the extra help. So far so good. If I think I'm falling off the wagon, I'll sign up. I am scared, though, of "relying" on them to make me keep the rules, then having to do it on my own at the end. This time, I'm confident that I'm the one responsible for making the correct choices. I guess it depends what works for each individual, but at the moment, that's working for me.

I only weigh once per week at home, but always same day, time, place etc - first thing on Friday morning. I think I would go loopy seeing the daily fluctuations, but can't wait any longer than a week to find out how I'm going!

I'm currently sitting on Size 16 clothes, down from 22. Can't wait to get into 14's because I've got lots more things in that size available to me. For the moment I'm making do.

Well, work really is calling from my desk, so seriously, I'm now going to DO some!

Niyah!!!!! I'm so jeaaaaalllllllloooooouuuuuussssssss!!! Congratulations on coming down to the 70s! Geez...you'll catch up with me in no time...I'm just like 2kg away from you...we can literally hold hands and walk the journey together. Actually, you've less to lose than me...so you'll complete your programme ahead of mine.... Good Job!

You've been steam rolling the program, FlaMie, so I'm sure you'll continue to go forward in leaps and bounds! Those stairs at school are going to really help you trim up too.

I'm about to go into a week and a bit of retaining fluid, so not expecting more miracles in the next week and a half. HOWEVER, I'm looking on the bright side - all I have to do through this next hard bit is keep the first number on "7" and the rest will catch up later.

My husband bought me a new top to celebrate yesterday! So sweet of him. He just said he was going out to do some paperwork, but came home sheepishly with a bag from a clothes shop. I think he's even more pleased with the weight loss than I am!

Hey Niyah! Both of us are online at the same time! What a wonderful feeling...something so magical about it hahaha. So you're heading into the hateful TOM period huh? ARGH! I've just had a taste of the "first" in Cohen programme. HORRID feeling...in fact, I'm only at the tail end of it...it had better payback all the stagnated loss FAST! No worries, I think we'll be able to walk down the "aisle" together...rofl!

Well, I'm past the middle of the month, well into Week 3. What usually happens in the next week is I gradually feel myself getting less patient and a bit more crabby, and the fluid starts sticking around.

The last few days after that are usually really horrid. I feel awful and depressed, and don't lose any weight. (Well, we all know it's not really fat we're talking about, but I can never keep it properly in perspective at that time of the month!) That's how I've always been.

I was hoping the sudden strict diet might make my body decide to go slow on this subject, but not so far!

I just love the first two weeks of the month - I feel quite relaxed, patient and happy - would love to be like that all the time! The weight seems to come off easily.

No wonder men do it so much more easily when they do Cohen's! What would it be like to be on an even keel all month!

I've been really, really tired the past two days. We've had quite a lot of stress at work, and it's hard not to let it affect everything else. Husband is quite stressed, stomach pains and so on. I don't think many people realise just how difficult it is running a school. Anyway, he had an icecream and fizzy drink binge last night - I just had to watch, of course! I didn't want the icecream anyway - never been a big fan. But... have to get used to the idea there's no "food treat" at times like this that is worth having.

A kind friend has just helped me clean my office at school, so that helped heaps.

I love not having to worry about the old TOM. It's something else for you to look forward to!
The old "But it doesn't matter" doesn't work sometimes does it! I don't know how the 2 of you cope ever! For what it's worth I think you must be saints! I have always appreciated teachers, especially after having my own children. Well done, Niyah, not resorting to non-Cohen's food under so much pressure.
Where would we be without our friends & family? Sometimes kindness, when I am particularly stressed, can overwhelm me & I end up in tears.
I hope you both are able to take a little time out for yourselves tonight & tomorrow Niyah. I'm sending you back one of your special hugs x 10, xo Cate

Cate - we're definitely not saints!!!!!!!!! We just work hard, that's all. Wish that translated to burning fat easily, but looks l like only if I am very, very strict on the diet.

Well, horrible, horrible has arrived!!!! I'm doing a FlaMie!!! EOM has come, and it's OVER A WEEK EARLY!! I wondered why I had such a grouchy day yesterday. Mind you, I was struggling with a horrible return to the WA Govt which just kept getting rejected - minor database inconsistencies. I would fix one, then have to re-fix, and re-fix, then fix another, and re-fix. I was SO GRUMPY!! Husband very patiently came and took over. After being non-plussed for a while, he assured me that his "male brain" had conquered it.

But if I look on the bright side, now I don't have to stress about a week of fluid build up etc. I can't believe I dropped below 80kg now in view of the fact I was so close to EOM! Well, I guess being early has a few advantages.

I was very hungry yesterday afternoon, which I thought was strange. Now I know why!

Anyway, I GOT INTO SOME SIZE 14 CLOTHES TODAY when we went to church. I didn't know if I dared try them on. Well, the skirt was rather "snug" but I pulled down a stretchy Size 14 top over it and it LOOKED GREAT! And I FELT GREAT TOO!!! The skirt was one I've never worn before. I bought it when I was about a Size 16 and going upwards, and kidded myself I was going to lose it again, but didn't. It sure feels great to be fitting it now!

I was so excited this afternoon I pulled out all my smaller bras and pants which have been put away the past couple of years. I don't know exactly when I'll fit what, but this is feeling SO exciting! I'm not really exactly a 14 yet - I know there are others that are still too small, but I'm just really pleased to fit any at all! (Specially ones that looked so nice!)