Hello!
I have been reading the boards for the past week and just want to thank you all for sharing your stories. It is partly do to information I found here that I decided to start the Cohen Lifestyle!!

I just received my bloodwork referral and had a question. I live in Alberta, Canada and was wondering if I could just take the referral letter to the lab and that would be good enough or am I going to have to go to a doctor first and get a requisition. I just do not want to book the appointment, get there and then have them turn me away. I want to get this program started ASAP!

I would appreciate any words of wisdom you guys want to offer (on the bloodwork situation and on just getting started and suceeding on this).

Congratulation to all, I have read some truly amazing stories and WOW is all I can say on your successes!

Thanks in advance for letting me join your support group

Hi Greenie2009, & welcome to the forum! I think it would vary from country to country so can't help you re the blood work.Your clinic or consultant should be able to tell you. I did not need a referral from a doctor but I am in Australia. CohenInAz is from Arizona so may be able to tell you how it worked for her if that helps you at all(possibly not). You have made an excellent decision to do the program & should never regret it. Cheers for now, Cate

Hey there -

They will tell you the company to call and you pay them via the phone, not at the office you go to.

It might be different in Canda, but that is how they do it for the US folks

Thanks for the responses Cate & CohenINAZ!

So I still have not received a resonse back from the dr. cohen website but I sate on the phone with a 24 hr health hotline and found out what to do. since I moved here I do not have a doctor yet so I went to the walk in clinic last night to get the requisition to get bloodwork since the labs here will not take just a referral letter. I am going this morning for the bloodwork (and can hardly wait since I have not had my morning coffee yet do to fasting requirements and I am a much nicer person with my morning coffee)!! I then have to wait two days and go back to the walk in clinic and pick up my results then I can send them to the cohen peeps!

Long process it seems but it will not cost me anything for the bloodwork so I guess it all evens out. I just want to start on this journey!! If I send out the bloodwork results on Friday how long do you think it would be before I get the diet plan? As well how is your goal weight determined?

Thanks for your help,

Hi Greenie, only usually takes a couple of days from when you have your blood done. In the meantime you need to think about cutting back on the coffee - I still have a regular cup of black coffeee in the mornings but then it's mostly decaf. One of the hardest things for me was giving up milk in my coffee but I'm used to it now and won't go back. I quite enjoy a decaf long black when I go out -and it's so hot it almost lasts through a whole movie if you're out!
The first week is hard but after that you get used to Cohen's food and feel great. After a couple of weeks I didn't need my asthma preventer medication any longer so I'm on no medication at all which is terrific at 48!
Good luck and keep in touch. Del xx

Hey Del
That is amazing you do not need your asthma inhaler anymore!! Job well done.

I have to admit I am more worried about giving up my milk in my coffee right now then I am about giving up certain foods for the time being. It is encouraging to here that you would not go back to having milk in your coffee and actually like your coffee black now! Now I did just have a friend come back from a month long vacation in Austrailia and says your coffee hands down is the best she has ever had and ours in Canada is nothing compared to it!!

I am so looking forward to getting started with my new journey next week hopefully if it comes. Thanks for the advice.

Hi Greenie, I, too will never go back to drinking coffee with milk in it, even a cappuccino when I am out. I have tried it since finishing Cohen's 18mths ago & it made me feel sick. I do not drink instant coffee either. Ugh! I now believe in only putting good quality food & drink into my body these days. Your tastes will change you will find. Cheers Cate