Interesting that you went to that talk Sue! Yes, he does keep out of the limelight these days, and in a lot of ways I don't blame him. There's SO MUCH FLAK in the weight-loss industry these days, and so many nay-sayers. Never mind, I'm thankful he's been prepared to publicise his system because it has sure helped me. And - like everything else - it's a choice.

Weekends are always tough, but I find it best to be prepared in advance, already have ready what you are going to eat, and maybe even eat it before others eat so that you don't feel tempted, or feel bad resisting the urges of others to eat different food. Once you eat your own, you'll be fine and you can forget about what everyone else is doing.

You've probably got through the three toughest days already, so the good news is that each day should get a little more tolerable and a little easier, until eventually you realise you are REALLY ENJOYING THIS and FEEL ABSOLUTELY GREAT!

Hi Sue, That's really interesting that you went to Dr Cohen's lecture all those years ago & stored it away in your memory bank. I'll be forever grateful that I found out about it when I did. I laughed when I saw that you are not going to tell anyone that you are "dieting." You won't be able to hide it soon!! I have to go as it's lunchtime for my GS & I & then we're off for a walk. Cheers for now, Cate

Cate I only live in hope that they will notice. But right now I don't want to say anything because I am not sure of the reactions to the diet. All the health issues and ?s that people who don't know about the program will ask. Let's see how it goes.

Have a great weekend.

Hi Sue! i also live in Jhb!! not weighed myself yet... in fact when i went to my consultant to get my diet i was rock bottom that i asked her not to even tell me how much i weighed as i could not bare to hear the number... however i've just been going by my clothing and i've had to pack a couple of suits away as they falling off... which for me is mind blowing after 2 weeks!! so i'm pretty excited for my next visit to weigh! Cate's quite right your not going to be able to hide the diet for very much longer as i was going to do the same thing however everyone started noticing the remarkable change!

I've asked bf if we can limit social events next couple of weeks as i really want to stick to this 100 % and he's been so supportive! this weekend we going to a braai and he first asked if i was keen before he commited and said don't worry we'll weigh your food beforehand and nobody will even know you on your eating plan! i don't won't to advertising to the world right now i'm doing this i know they will be negative and i want to avoid any negativity!

I've also got a hormone inbalance and insuline resistence and my tummy was always bloasted and i've got skinny legs.. i've gone to so many dr's to find out whats wrong with me i've lost count... told my friends i should write a book about some of the diagnosis the dr's have come up with... actually now i can
laugh about it but at the time i felt horrible!! i'm amazed at how my tummy has come down it's something that really bugged me!! Sham my secretaries told me yesterday at one stage they thought i was pregnant which if they told me at the time i would have been gutted but now because i'm going full steam ahead and getting healthy i had a little laugh with them!

This forum had also really helped my journey cause it's great speaking to people on a similar journey who understand what you going through!!

Well have a great weekend!!

Hi Nik

I can so relate to you. I have been asked on more than one occasion when I was due. Which I can sort of laugh about now but really was a shocker to hear at the time. I do have 5 kids so there was a good chance that I was preg but not at that time.

I am also trying to limit the social occasions. At the end of the month I have 3 social occasions that I have to go to almost in one weekend, so I am a little anxious about that but I will try my best. I have to deal with one day at a time.

It's great that you can feel a difference in just 2 weeks. Wow. Have you weighed yet or are you waiting until 4 weeks? I can't stop myself from weighing, but I will only report back on my official weight loss.

I am loving being able to post on this forum, I am finding it a great support so far.

Have a good weekend.

Sue

Sorry Nik I saw that you haven't weighed yourself yet .

Hey Sue!
Hope its all going well for you!
I cant relate to being asked if i was pregnant (Being a man and all) but i have had in the past children ask why i am so fat......... God its horrible!! At the time its the worst thing some one can say!! But thats why we are here to change all that!!

Looking forward to hearing how your day has gone!!!

Jim

Hey Sue,
How is day 5 going?? Hope your doing well as i'm sure you are!!
What has been the hardest thing so far and what has been the easiest??

Keep up the good work!!
Jim

Hi Jim

So Day 5 down and it really hasn't been that difficult. I am not feeling hungry, except just before the 5 hour interval is up. The portions are more than adequate and some days I have had not had the full cracker allowance or the full fruit allowance for no reason other than I was not hungry.

I think the hardest thing is the preparation in advance of weighing the meat, chick and fish. Also having to cook a stir fry takes a bit of time. I also have to figure out some different ways to spice the food so that it doesn't get boring. At the moment I am using balsamic vinegar on almost everything.

I find if I have an egg for breakfast, then I really am not hungry. Before I started, I tried having yoghurt and I had a headache, but I will give that a bash again and see if I get another one.

I haven't had any dairy products at all yet, so I am not sure how I will do with cheese.

As for the easiest, I am not sure, I just have this amazing sense of being in control right now and it is great. So I am going to hope it stays.

I will go to be weighed on Tues and see what happens.The weekend is half done. Let's see how Sunday is. I think the key is to keep busy.

By the way, I changed my ticker because when I first met with the consultant and the next time I met with her to collect my plan, I was already down 1.3kg, so I thought I might as well put that in.

When do you get your blood results? I am sure you are keen to start. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Sue

I reckon you'll find that feeling stays, Sue, as long as everything in your life is reasonably smooth.

Once you are in the swing, it's just so easy to stay that way. Knowing exactly what to do, how much to eat and when, makes it all so easy. But - you can choose the combinations. I think we all get into "patterns" and tend to do the same thing for a while - that makes it easier - but you can always have a change if you think about it when you've got some free time. Making up soup or something is a good weekend thing.

I find at work the quickest thing is the stir fries. I just keep them simple, only two vegie choices with the meat, so the preparation is easy. I buy the mushrooms already sliced, which makes it easy. I'm quite prepared to pay just a little more to get some of the prep done for me these days. I just don't have time to do every last thing myself!

Hope you get a good result on the scales tomorrow! But whatever it is - it's not the numbers that really count, it's the lifestyle change and the feeling of being in control of what happens with your weight and your body which is important.

Hi Sue!

how did weeekend go? went to a bday party Sat which is probably the first time i took strain as they had this divine food and desert but i'm so proud of myself resisted all temptation!! weighed my meat before i went and took my salad along and nobody even knew i was eating differently! right now for me nothings beats the feeling of my clothes getting loose not even a tiny cheat! one of the ladies in office has been on holiday for a week and when she saw me this morning she could not stop giving me compliments which really really helped as for so long i've been feeling HORRIBLE

Preparation really makes this a whole lot easier! i got into a habit of just popping into woolies during the week but now i make sure on Sat i go get all my food for the week and also do a menu. Have you tried the paw paw smoothie yet? ah divine! i've really liked paw paw but now i'm loving it!!

Good luck with the weighing!

Niyah you are so right about the control, I feel great right now because I am in control and of course you are also right about it being easier when things go smoothly. This weekend there was an issue with my FIL who spoke out of turn about something quite dear to me and my eldest son. So the whole weekend was quite traumatic until we had it all out on Sun afternoon. But I was so proud of the fact that I didn't deviate. There was a time not to long ago (about a week in fact) that I would have dived head first into the nearest chocolates or chips. I know that there will be times when I will revert to previous behaviour and want to gorge myself but hopefully I can learn new coping mechanisms. The fact that we actually aired our differences is a new step for me, I come from a long line of "bottle it all up and keep it inside". It was actually quite liberating to deal with an issue like that and not by smothering it with food.

Nik How long have you been on the program, is it 2 or 3 weeks now? Remarkable that you have seen such a difference is such a short space of time. On Fri night I had the family over for dinner and I ate my soup before they all arrived and then just kept busy with serving supper to everyone. I had an apple while they were eating dessert. Feels good to be so in control.

Oh funny thing my hubby said how is the food. In two months if I carry on I will look great if I lose 8 kg. I laughed inside because he is delusional if he thinks that 8 kg will make much difference. He has no clue that I need to lose 35 kg.

Gotta go do a lift now.

Hi Sue,

Firstly, i hope you dont mind me writing on here. I just wanted to say that i have found your comments just as inspirational as cate's. I am just starting my cohens diet tomorrow and a so excitied, and nervous. I am really worried about the 3-4th day. i have heard a lot a people saying that it will be difficult. i know i can be strong but i am just not sure what to expect. I must admit i am no where near as organised as you were when you started. I haven't done any of that pre weighing or sorting. Im not sure what my plan is yet, so i find that out tonight and then its straigt of to the supermarket to get the food i need for the rest of the week.

Nik - seriously well done at your party. I dont know how im going to go with that situation, but taking your food and no one noticed has given me hope. Good work

Keep the stories coming, its amazing how motivating it is to read other peoples comments, and know that your not the only one.

Kayla, thank you for the compliment. You are welcome to post anytime you like especially if you keep saying nice things about me! I can honestly say that being a part of this community is what keeps me going. So when you do start, start a diary it's really motivating. I was lucky and didn't experience a headache apart from the 1st day. I don't drink a lot of coffee (no ordinary tea) so maybe that was what helped me. I didn't have any coffee at least 2 weeks before starting.

Last night I was saying to my hubby that the food is such "clean" food. Apart from sweetener, if you have it or sprite zero and the like, the food is not processed and really natural.

So today was the day, I went for my first weekly weigh. And I am down 3.9kg.

The first time I met with the consultant she weighed me and when I got my plan she weighed me and I was already down 1.3kg - so I thought I should include that in my ticker. So I am now down 5.2kg in total. I am so pleased and it really hasn't been that hard.

I will be back later.

Sue, What a great start!! Fantastic! Cheers, very tired, Cate