Hey coheniets

Yes London is expensive and we had to save for a while before we left so we can survive until we get jobs. Everthing is going really well here now the only issue is the SUPER expensive blood tests costing me a fortune. For a follow-up blood test it costs about $140 AUD!!! I tell you I hope Dr Cohen is apperciating me doing these super expensive tests for him he he he Ow and I still need a job.

Niyah with the exchange rate right now you could bag yourself a FAB holiday in London but as you say it's at the bottom of the list right now- maybe it will work it's way up one day and you can experience it for all it's worth! I tell you it is STUNNING!!!! So much to see and do and the buildings are just gorgeous!

Thanks for the soup recipies people keep them coming!!! I just made the most DIVINE soup and I tell you it does not taste like Cohen's food AT ALL!!! I really cant believe it, it is delicious so here it is. I got the basic recipie from the New You forum so credit where credit is due!

Alla Feta and Cauliflower soup- all quanities are within allowance
Greek feta cheese
20g Onion
Half clove of garlic
Cauliflower- make the rest of your allowance up
Cumin seeds
Corriander seeds
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil cauliflower with onion and garlic until nice and tender, Drain till most of liquid has gone and save for the following step if needed.
Leave cauliflower in pot and with a little bit of it's juice and add the chopped up feta. Use a stick mixer (I bought one from Tesco for only $10 AUD so I can make soup) to blend into a paste and add back in the juice until it's your desired consistantcy. Add all spices and garnish with a little cinnamon or some fresh corriander.
Serve with crackers and dip into soup- it's just like toast! YUM

SO this is my new fave food on cohen's I promise you, you will LOVE it!

I am just thrilled with being on Cohen's right now! I cant believe that I have lost 20.3kgs all together and in my last week I lost another 2kgs! It is so easy to follow providing you have the sticking power and the results speak for themeselves. Okay so I decided to weigh myself everyweek now but I will take it as a monthly average to not kill my hopes if in one week I dont loose to much!
I am really starting to experiment with different recipies and cooking styles and am loving the results! I cant believe that a few herbs, some curry powder, a spoon of mayonaise and some vinegar can make so many delicious and filling meals. Combine that with some fruit and you can make a masterpiece! Some of my new creations I have given my hubby a taste and he just loves it too, so it's good to know that after I finish this diet and follow the maintainence guidelines I can incorporate some of my new discoveries. I think part of the key to sticking to this program is to be inventive and dont let your body think it is missing out so that's what I am doing. It feels strange though as I am starting to feel guilty if I enjoy my meals as normally diet= boring foods and mainly salads.

I cant wait to slide through the 90's now and aproach the 80's again. Each kilo I loose I am kissing it goodbye FOREVER! I think that now is my time to shine and invest some love into me

I would just like to encourage anyone out there on their journey that they can do it!!! I know it sounds cliche but if I can do it you can to- it just takes some sticking power. Hopefully within the next 6months I will finish cohen's (body willing) and keep it off. I am trying to change my thinking so that I accept my new body before I get it and dont reject myself and think that I dont deserve it- cause I DO! Previously I had been yoyoing on and off the diet and it killed my confidence so bad that I thought I could never do it again. I now know that I can and that I am able I just need to think correctly!

Best of luck to you all

xxnicole

Nicole, That's a great post. It's very positive & encouraging. The adjusting to your body when you get to goal & not self-sabotaging is a very important point that should be accentuated for all as I don't think we realise the importance of accepting & loving our new selves & believing that we deserve to be slim & healthy. I recommend seeing a counsellor to help anyone get through that stage. It's half the battle & I think it's critical! I will keep reading motivational books & using whatever tools I need to reinforce those positive thoughts about myself. Thanks Nicole. It's great to hear your joy & for you to share it with all of us. Cheers, cate

Nickychick, you are going so well!!! And under 100kg now, which is a big mental boost. You've survived all the hazards of moving, being in a new place and having to find new ways of keeping to the diet, and done well!

Hope you have a great week.

Hi Nickychick, congratulations on your loss. How I wish I have already lost 20.3kg like you do. I know I will but I just need to be more patient!

Hey all

Thanks so much for your encouragement- it means a lot to me for you to say such uplifting words!!! I am getting excited each week I weigh myself and see that more kg's have disappeared :-) Woo hoo that alone is enough to keep me on track and Cate's Asparagus soup is now my daily stable and is just SO delicious and filling I just cant get enough of it so THANK-YOU Cate!!!

Fortnight you will get there for sure! Cohen's really is a God send and for someone like me who finds it nearly impossible to loose weight it has changed my life Just stick it out and your weight will melt off you! If we can be guaranteed of one thing on Cohen's is that it really WILL work, unlike the millions of other temporary solutions that the media is trying to push on us!

I seem to be having more luck on the job side of things over here at the moment and the interest in my CV and scheduling of interviews is really picking up so hopefully a job will be mine soon! I just cant wait till this darn recession is over and people dont have to stress so much about money.

I went to the famous Borough markets today to check out all the beautiful fresh produce and see if I could find some Gem squash to no avail. Jamie Oliver shops there and we even saw a famous chef that is on TV but I dont know his name. It's so amazing not knowing when you could see a famous person walking around like normal. Everyone seems to just go about their business and not be too concerned. I bought some lovely, delicious vegies like I have never tasted before in Aus- the tomatoes were so sweet and delicious with abundant flavour it tastes like you have picked them from your garden. I will update my ticker this Monday after I weigh myself it's actually like a treat to see how much I weigh were before I would dread the scales even pleading with myself not to get on otherwise I would be depressed! The fact that I can be honest with myself and not hide how much I weigh anymore is so releasing! I have SO MANY bad memories as a child and growing up being forced to get on the scales and how everyone made such fun of me so to be able to have a ticker is a big deal for me. I have now decided that hiding isn't the way to be and although I wont openly disclose my weight to people I find that just being on this forum and being honest is really helping me keep account of myself and my feelings! I just love seeing people succeed on the program and meet their goals!

Best of luck to you all on your journeys and remember it's more about changing your mind than your eating habits. Dont think of Cohen's as being restricted but think of it as freedom within some guidelines to create culinary masterpieces! Something I will take way from it is that there is no need to be so hasty to make food really quickly. It should be an enjoyable experience and not rushed to get it over and done with.

Take care of yourselves people and keep up the amazing efforts- it will ALL be worth it in the end.

xxnicole

Nicole, That post was marvellous! Thank you for sharing your life with us. I could picture you walking around the market & seeing someone famous. I like to just smile & nod when I see someone important or famous & then to continue on. I could see you doing the same.You come away feeling enriched for the experience. I love to read about other people's lives & experiences & am enjoying your diary immensely. I feel sure that your positive, can do attitude will translate into a job very soon. In the mean-time I can see your self-esteem & confidence growing each week. Catch up again soon, xo Cate

Thanks Cate I love writing how I am thinking and feeling and then read it another time if I am filling a bit low!

I am another 1.2kgs down (98.5kg's) so that is good news. I have to say I was a little disappointed as I lost 1.9kgs the previous week but I am going to take a monthy average so I will see what it adds up to then. It will be wonderful when I finally get there and I think if your journey is a little longer then it helps you to stick on cohen's style foods after you finish as you really appreciate the fact the you have finally arrived at your destination with a lot of effort. As the saying goes "Easy come, easy go" so maybe it is a blessing in disguise that I am not loosing at an AMAZINGLY fast rate?

I had the worst lunch yesterday! It was not nice at all!!! I had a job interview at 2pm and I couldn't eat till 2pm so I had to take my lunch with me and eat it after the interview. I thought I dont like eating chicken of beef cold so I made cauliflower with melted cheese and I think the cauliflower must have been a bit old as it tasted grose (I usually love it). Errrckkk YUCK! I forced it down though as I was not going to deviate just cause my lunch wasn't very yummy ha ha ha

No more news from my end though. Still going for interviews and applying for jobs. Geese it can get dis-heartening being out of employment for this long and living off savings in a foriegn country. I am sure that God will provide for me and that there is a perfect job just around the corner! I will keep you up-dated.

Best of luck to you all and hope your staying on-track and on-top of the world!

xxxnicole

That's still a pretty good loss - I would be ecstatic if I had that much!

Anyway, you're doing really well in tough circumstances, so just chip away at it (not the fried sort - ha ha!).

At least you have time where you can suss out supplies etc. Meals are definitely so valuable on Cohen's that there's no point wasting a mouthful on anything that doesn't taste really good - but yeah, sometimes we don't have the choice!

Hope something will turn up jobwise pretty soon.

You just made me laugh. I have eaten some very strange concoctions in the last 2 years! Good luck with the job hunt Nicole. They're mad not to employ you. The fools!!!
Cheers, cate

Another 1.3kg's lost so that makes a total of 22.8kgs all together. Still have another 28.2kg's to go but am feeling a bit more motivated as that makes me close to half way there!! Even if it's just small losses every week like that it means that I am still going to get there and the program is still working for me

What is your average weekly loss everyone? I am going to post a thead to find out as this really does intrigue me. I want to know if I am the only one loosing 1.3kg's a week and if your all blitzing me with your huge numbers?

I am totally addicted to Asparagas and chicken soup at the moment! Ahhhh it's SO YUMMY!!! Thank you so much Cate for the idea.

Still no job as of yet but I have another interview tomorrow with a Charity- Samaritan's. Over here they look after mental health and depression so it would be a great company to work for a noble cause! (and they dont pay half bad either)

Best fo luck to you all with the numbers. Each kg that I go down I think that I will only be it for a week so that's refreshing. It's like I hold onto a number every week and to then loose it, it inspires me to keep going. A kg lost is a kg lost forever!!!! AMEN

I will be totally chuffed when I get the the 80's as I can be a healthy 85kg's and not be considered over-weight cause of my height. SO that will spur me on even more YAY for loosing.

xxxnicole

Oh Nicole, You don't know how many people out there would almost kill to lose as much as you are losing per week. No other 'diet' gives you that weight-loss. The longer it takes the more you will learn, both about yourself & how to eat healthily for the long-term. Don't be in too much of a hurry to 'get there'. Once you do reach the half way point though it's a mental milestone & it feels like you are on the home stretch. Almost there!
Good luck with the Samaritans job. It sounds really good! Cheers, Cate.

Hey Cate

Ha ha ha I totally agree with you.
It's funny I was just saying to my husband today that I could NEVER loose even 1kg in a week on a "normal" diet and that type of plan doesn't change your mind set forever or even address the problems we have. Thanks for re-edirating that to me cause sometimes I think pfftt... surely I could do that in the real world but the answer is HELL NO!!! Just like the people on Biggest Looser if you loose the weight so fast and exercise for hours a day you just cant maintain it so that's why most of them gain alot of the weight back. I think that's the amazing thing with cohen's is that people like you are living proof that it can be done and you CAN keep the weight off forever!!! I also agree that the longer it takes to loose the weight then, the better eating habbits you learn. I would never have thought I would think this but the thought of eating bottled/ tinned sauces doesn't really appeal to me anymore as you have no idea what goes into it. From using fresh and dried herbs it's so amazing what we can make that takes just delicious!!!

Thanks for wishing me luck Cate your such a lovely person and to still be so dedicated to the forum and helping people is just wonderful! I bet you dont even realise how many people you have encouraged on the program to stick to it and the results will happen. I know that I feel much more inspired after reading your honest comments than just being patted on the back! I think you should be a consultant you would be AMAZING at it- that's something to think about?!? Tasmania could do with another clinic even if it's from your home

Hope your doing well and your enjoying maintainence land!!

xxnicole

Nicole- I read your post out to my husband as I was so thrilled by it & said that I would reply later as it required more time to answer than I had this morning. I wish I had the faith in myself that others seem to have. I am absolutely flattered by your lovely comments & am at a bit of a loss to know how to say thank you & to convey just how good comments like yours make me feel. I just really enjoy helping others. If I am actually able to motivate people to be positive and to change their lives which I keep being told lately that I can then I am absolutely thrilled to bits. I know I keep saying how I get as much as I give but it is really true. You have all done wonders for my self-esteem. If I am able to give & to help I am a very happy person. Sometimes I think earning money doing so would be nice but maybe I wouldn't enjoy it as much! My LH has said a few times that it's a pity I didn't have a dollar for every view of my diary. Now that would be nice! ha ha. Money isn't everything. I feelreally at home in here. It's like another room in my home. When I visit diaries I think of it as visiting a friend in their home. That's why I make jokes about having a coffee occasionally. BTW Nicole- I don't think I ever said anything to you about your very first heading in your diary(London Darlings?) I love it ! It always makes me smile! Cheers for now,Cate.

Howdy Nickychick - have a great weekend. Hope London is starting to sprinkle some sun around these days! We're wet and dreary, but that's to be expected around now.

We're off for a few days - hang in there and keep up the great work!