Hi All
ok, so this is new to me and i'm still trying to figure out how it all works.
so if i do anything wrong.... forgive me please
I'm not sure exactly where to start. i guess with my lifetime weight issues.
so, i'm 31, married with a 5 yr old daughter. and i have about 14kg's to lose. and i really wanna lose it badly. i'm so tired of this annoying and constant issue. i was always the little fat sister (and still am actually, minus the little part lol). i went on my first diet at age 11. and have been on and off for yrs. sometimes successful, lately not successful at all. so i know what to do, i just have to actually do it, right? my willpower seemed to have lessened with age. so i have decided to tackle the cohen's diet and get this done!!!
i'm on my fourth day, and although it's hard, i'm still feeling very strong. and very determined. not so easy when i gotta make my daughter lunches that look, smell and taste(from experience - and lots of it) so yummy. it was alot easier to lose weight back in the day. i'm sure age has alot to do with it. and also the fact that i just plain eat too much of the wrong things, and also my tragic sleeping patterns dont help either. but now, a month before the xmas season, and a wedding, i'm taking this change seriously. no more caving in to delicious "poisonous" carbs. not for a while anyway ( i hope). i've been reading some threads, and it's really helped me to stay motivated. i heard the 1st week is the hardest. almost through it tho. focussed!!!! and determined. i read someone (sorry, i forgot the name) mention on one of the threads, that one of the things they would say to themselves to keep on the path to reaching their goal was "nothing tastes as good as slim will feel". and i'm gonna be doing that. so i'll be back soon for another waffling (and highly theruptic) ramble. take care all

hope to hear from all you weight losing ppl

ok, I'm back, cos the day has kind of ended so i feel good that i got through it. earlier i was asked by my daughter to unwrap a chocolate i had bought for her.... oh my, that was hard. it's funny cos i have a really bad sense of smell. but when i'm on a diet i can smell chocolate and freshly made toast from miles away lol. like a bloodhound. except in my case i'm more of a foodhound. ha ha. anyway, i got through it. i finished drinking my 2l's of water by noon trying to "fill" myself up. didn't really work. but at least it leaves me with more time to drink some more. or is that really a good thing??? lol
i'm having dizzy spells today. i expected it in the 1st three days but only getting it now. i keep thinking to myself, "a month is not so long, if i give up now and the end of the month comes it'll annoy me so much cos i couldv'e lost weight by now"... thats chronic dieting and giving up experience talking. YET, still feeling strong. and i intend on staying that way. easier said than done hey. i had chicken stir-fry for dinner, and watched my husband and daughter eating saucy pasta drenched in yellow melting cheese. i could smell that rather well too. any words of wisdom or encouragement are most welcome. i love this diary dieting site. it does seem to actually help.

Hi Kurl, & welcome. Well you've definitely started on the right path. Don't let anything make you believe that age affects weightloss - especially only at 31. I had a woman in her 40's try and tell me that once, and it really made me feel like what's the point. Anyway, I definitely think it has more to do with hormones out of whack, especially after having kids. Cohens will help with that.
Lol I can relate to the heightened sense of smell. Pretty sure I can detect chocolate, etc anywhere within a 3km radius. When you're cooking all those things for family, and feeling tempted, like the pasta DRENCHED in yellow cheese, think about the fact that it is really DRENCHED in fat. You may be able to use this as an opportunity to cook healthier things for the family. The Symply Too Good To Be True cookbooks are great. I have only used a few recipes pre Cohens, but they were really nice. You'd be doing your family, especially you r daughter a favour. If she can learn how to cook using healthy methods , it will be good for her as an adult.
There are lots of motivational sayings in the thread with that title. I feel for you going through the first week, but after that, and knowing you aren't alone on the journey, there are literally hundreds of us out here, will help. We all have to learn to deal with those cravings one way or another. Try and get in the mindset that it is a lifestyle change. If after refeed the old habits return (notice I say habits, not the odd thing here and there), so will the weight, and the old mind set. This is the beginning of the rest of your healthy very happy very active life. I look forward to hearing all your successes.

Hey and Welcome!

Congratulations on joining the team and the forum. We are all on the same, but our own journeys to our new trim bodies.

We don't have to feel guilty about anything we are eating on this plan.
We know we are eating the right amount to achieve our goals.
We are eating a balanced diet of real and unprocessed food, and along with our multi-Vs we are providing our bods with the right fuel.
We are detoxing our systems by flushing our bodies with fresh water (I have even read that we are actually peeing out the fat, which makes going to the toilet so often feel like some sort of majorly good thing).

YES! Nothing tastes as good as thin will feel. That is mine too. It works. It really, really works.

If you can help it, don't deviate, i did, and I spent a week getting my hormones back on track. It felt worse than Week One, I was tired, headaches, hungry... it was all really nasty actually, plus I put on 1/2kg when if I didn't deviate I probably would have lost 1kg. I can see how some people would have trouble getting back on track at all.

It reminded me of quitting smoking actually!

I totally understand what you are saying about preparing food for others. I have a 2 1/2 year old boy, and a husband who don't always eat the same thing. So, some nights, I am making 3 different meals for dinner! Yes, and sometimes, like the pancakes we made for breakfast this morning. We really deserve an extra pat on the back for feeding our families at the same time.

Taking a really big guilt free whiff really works for me actually. I get quite a bit of satisfaction from it! And I don't have to have any regrets afterwards!

hi again
Thank you so much L-Jay and Shine for welcoming me to this site, and for you words of wisdom
You are so right L-Jay, about doing my daughter good with introducing healthier foods.
In fact.... my daughter is really obsessed with sweets. I have allowed her to have sweets and chocolates almost whenever she wants. because i love sweets so much and maybe subconsciously i'm being defiant through her from always feeling or thinking i was deprived as a child. not sure. just thinking too much again but that is a possibility.
interestingly enough, since being on this diet for only 5 days now, she has already been noticing what i've been eating and asking to have the same food as me. i got her begging me for sliced cucumber this afternoon.(unfortunately the sweets were still involved too) but WOW, they really do imitate their parents. wierd. i never realized how much.
Shine... you're so right. about the dont deviate. it takes away all those times you won the war by saying no, and just tosses those little achievements into the trash in one fowl swoop. or is it foul??? lol oops.
So i have completed my fifth day, and i definitely felt less starving today. i'm just nervous cos it's the weekend tomorrow. i know i wont deviate cos i'm too into this mentally, but i do know it's going to be harder.
I have a confession to make, and i feel really bad about this. but am admitting and realizing, so that's ok i guess. i picked on my husband tonight. i almost feel irritated that he isn't dieting with me. that's so selfish i know. i get offended when he eats tasty forbidden food in front of me. feeling as if he doesn't care about how it's torturing me.
but i know that's not true. and i know that i made this choice for myself ( a good choice too). and shouldn't expect that of him. shame, and he's been so supportive (besides my imagined taunting lol). thats probably a part of the process in the early stages. i hope.
my father is grossly obese, and about hmmm now i gotta really think back a long time.... tick tock...... 14 years ago, my father met dr cohen, and went on his diet. i actually did it with him but i only lasted about a week cos i was more interested in socializing being a teen and all. my father lost about ten kg's a month for a period of 9 months. thats 90 kg's ppl. so as his diet ended, he dived straight back into his previous bad eating habbits, i dont think he did any form of re-feeding at all. and ended up where he started, and is still there to this day. it's very sad and hard to watch a loved one battle their whole lives with weight issues. so hopefully i can find the strength within myself, that my dad couldnt, and not end up in the same situation. although i've always been a chubbster, fortunately i have managed to not allow my weight to spiral out of control to that degree. But it hasnt been easy. anyway, thanks again for the welcomes. it brightened up my day and i shall be back tomorrow to report on my first saturday on the cohens diet.

Take care all
Kurl

Hi Kurl. I'm sorry that I haven't welcomed you earlier. Welcome to the forum & congratulations on completing 5 days of Cohen's. I'm sorry that your father regained his excess weight. That is sad & must hurt. You said you have always been a chubster. Make that always was.
I think most of us realise that we must make permanent lifestyle changes if we are never to return to being over-weight or obese. That's fine too I think. I don't ever want to be fat again & I know & am happy to work at keeping it off.
Hopefully your father may be inspired to join you when he sees you being so successful. I hope for your sake & his that he does. Having grandchildren is one of the best things that has ever happened to me & I want to be a healthy active grandparent.
Our children are a mirror to ourselves. By taking control of your health you will be setting an excellent example. Food gets so messed up in our lives. It should be enjoyable & nutritious. It should not be a reward. There is no "good" food, nor "bad" food. Almost everyone I know, including myself has used food as a reward. It should not happen.
I think snapping at your husband 1st week is probably quite common. Before long you'll be preparing things for him & watching him enjoy them & you won't even care.
I'll catch up again soon. Cheers, Cate

it's so nice to be welcomed by you cate, i've seen alot of your posts on sam's weight loss part 2. i still havent caught up till present day. and i plan on reading yours aswel as soon as i'm done
my dad unfortunately has diabetes and heart issues (for obvious reasons).
he suffered a heart attack in Dec last yr. wake up call. for all of us.
i look forward to the day that i dont feel bothered by watching others eat "normal" food. i really do.
I'm still feeling very focussed. there's one problem tho, i couldnt get to sleep last night as i have a cough which kept me awake. so when i finally did fall asleep i stayed that way for way too long. and i woke up way past breakfast time. so i have missed a meal. and am very worried it'll affect my weight loss.
you know the whole slowing metabolism down thing from "starving". so i had an apple and 2 crackers and water as soon as i woke. after that i just had lunch (according to cohen's of course), and will have my dinner later.
is missing a meal considered a deviation?
another thing... i know i'm not supposed to weigh everyday because of fluctuations and all. but my curiosity has been getting the better of me. and i've been stepping on the scale each day (different times) and not taking it too seriously as i will at the end of the months proper weigh in, but according to my scale i have lost 4kg's in 6 days on cohens. wow. thats alot. i'm sure it will change. but just found it interesting and kinda ludicrous.

wot r all your thoughts???? about the missing a meal thing

take care all.

Kurl

Hi Kurl. You're most welcome to my welcome! LOL. I just wanted to say stop worrying right now about missing that breakfast. Stress & worry will affect losing weight probably more than missing that one meal. Forget it right now! I sound bossy don't I? Just relax sweetie & ease your way into it all. You have just taken your first steps toward changing the rest of your life. Enjoy it. About the 4kgs in 6 days:- I don't know what I lost first week but I'm not at all surprised at a 4kg loss. I lost 10 kg first 4 weeks but for all I know it could have been 4 1st week. Try really hard to stay off the scales for the next 3 weeks. You will not lose that fast from now on & you do not want to set yourself up to be disappointed. If you stick with Cohen's 100%, including getting a good night's sleep as often as possible, drinking 2-3 litres of water a day you will get to your goal weight. Trust it & trust yourself to be able to do it.
I laughed when I saw your comment about getting to my diary. He he. I hope you have lots of spare time. It would take you forever!
Well done fellow Cohenite on taking control of your health. Be proud of yourself. Cheers, Cate.

Hello Kurl

Welcome to the forum
Thanks for sharing your story with us...it's funny how simliar we can all be.
Struggling with weight is such a common problem and it is usually for the same reasons.

I can see Kurl even though you have a few doubts about yourself and succeeding on Cohen's.....well you have already made a major committment by signing up with Cohen's and joining us here.
I can;t really add anything too different from what everyone else has said....
Cohen's is not the easiest diet program...but it works
Like you I started losing weight at a very early age and here I am at 41 still at it!!!.
And also like you I found in my early years that it was easy to lose and then struggled as I go older, for me it was after having children that the weight did not budge and I tried every diet imagined to shift it and the only one that worked and continues to work is Cohen's.

Goodluck with it now - you don't have much to lose and if you stay true to your plan you will see that weight melt away in now time. I've been on the program successfully now for 35days and I have already lost 7kg.

I've attaced my diary link for you. Please don't start from the beginning of it. When I re-read my diary it really was the catalyst for making me succeed with this journey. I couldn't believe how uncommitted I was back then (and I would prefer you didn't read those bits).....whereas now I am on a much more positive journey with the losses to attest to my new found way thinking.

The link of my diary is of this weight loss joureny.



http://weight-loss.fitness.com/cohen...rt-2-a-25.html


All the best now - Sam

Heya sam and cate
wonderful to hear from both of you.
ok... sam, i'm sorry to tell you, but i already caught up your diary to the present day last night. I understand how you would prefer me not to read some of the bits in it but you know what.... it's the best thing i could've done. because... thats the reality for most of us who struggle with weight.
it is hard. and i too have had those "why cant i just stick to it?" days. they are frustrating, but every little sidetrack is still what led you to where you are today. those moments that make a person try to understand themselves totally. and it prepares me for the moments of when i'll have to go to social events to be tested. giving me insight, reminding me when i start that its a long hard road. of course i'm gonna be all gung ho in the beginning. your diary has helped me to have a different and more focussed approach to this diet. there were so many times while reading it i just wanted to post to you saying.... "come on sam, do this now, you can get there, focuss" and be all boot campish. because sometimes we need some "boot camp" pushing.
well i do anyway. lol. you have reached a level of strength that those past attempts led you to. we dont even really have that much to lose. my sister (also a sam ) was telling me "imagine how the ppl with tons of weight feel starting a diet". and she's right. if they can do what they needed to, then we (with less to lose) can too.
hey cate today.... is the day that i begin your diary, from the beginning
lol at least i'll save on having to buy some books lol. reading your diaries gives me an inner strength. so thank you ladies. you help so much more than you realise.

oh, and you're right about the scales. i stepped onto mine this morning and my loss had changed from 4kg's to 2 kg's ha ha i expected that. good old fluctuations. my husband has already noticed my arms getting thinner. woo hoo.
i just gotta keep going. like dory from "finding nemo" says... "just keep swimming"

my quick pop in has turned into a mini novel, oops.

enjoy the rest of your day girls

kurl

Kurl- I really enjoyed this post. I think you have a good sense of humour & attitude. Brave you- tackling my diary! It is book length now I think! I type like I talk- a lot! Hope your day was good too. Mine was very positive. Cheers, Cate

Hello Kurl

You need a medal for getting through my diary. I'm glad you read my whole diary, I was concerned you'd read the negative bits and become disheartened with it but I'm glad you stuck it out till now.
And your right you don't have alot to lose and that will be gone in a little while seeing you are doing it the Cohens way. When I was doing atkins I couldn't even lose 5kg and that was with exercising.....so there is something special about this plan that if you follow it correctly it will magically work for you.

Take care now, I am off to bed, so catch you later.
Sam

Hello sam and cate (please forgive my lack of caps)

sometimes I think i'm slow in the head, i started this diet at the beginning of a cold with a cough, and... wait for it... when i started my period!!!!! lol.

so now i can explain why:

today turned out to be extremely hard for me.
i'm not sure if it's just cos of the diet, or cos i'm sick. I think i turned into a creature sometime during my (bad) sleep last night. ha ha. i laugh about it now.
i felt so awful all day, and of course...took it out on my husband. poor guy.
i found that everything i ate tasted just horrid. (except for the treasured crackers). it felt today like i was torturing myself. BUT!!!!! i stood my ground and defied a piece of french toast covered in syrup! woo hoo.
i was thinking while i was in the bath earlier that instead of posting what i eat (unless it's a cheat-which i hope doesnt happen), that i'm going to post everything that i say no to in the delicious decadent food dept.
that way when i look back one day, i can think to myself one of 2 things
1) wow, i said no to that, how strong willed am I?
and
2) jeez, imagine if i'd eaten that, what it would've done to my thighs!!!!

fortunately, although my mind was filled with things i usually dont think about (like waffles, pancakes and pizza), i have completed my day cheat free!!!! woo hoo. i'm planning on doing this diet until my cousins wedding on the 12th dec. then i'm stopping through xmas and will resume the diet for another month in january. i just have to make sure i am as careful as i can be with my eating in that time. or i may have to resume in jan for 2 months instead of one.

thank you for your wise words. they really do brighten up my day (honestly).

lets all wake up tomorrow strong, determined and charging towards thinness

Kurl

Way to go Kurl......

Sometimes we have to jump a few hurdles till we hit the straigt path.....well done on getting through your day.

Take care now - Sam