This is the easiest diet I have ever done! Because I am drinking SO much water (3 liters) each day, I feel full all day long.
When you say don't eat two hours before bed, is that your dinner, or does it include your fruit or crackers too?
One thing that I'm so pleased with is that I'm just not a salad lover and thought that was all you ate on this program. I haven't had one salad yet. I have been trying so many of the recipes on the website and the ones included with my program. My favorite lunch is the cucumber sandwiches (cottage cheese with cucumber on my 2 crackers, I make sure I can include celery in my veg allowance and this makes a big bowl - so tasty). The baked 1/2 tomato with the steak inside was a wonderful dinner too! And for break, the yogurt with my fruit (I just use 1/2 apple), sprinkle of cinn, and 1 packet splenda - yum!
Lastly, I have been 100% pleased with the support I am getting from Cohens. My program is all by email as there are no consultants closeby (USA) and they are very fast to respond. I didn't even email them, they were checking on me! They did say to put the scale away for the first month, but for me, it's been so long since I've seen any weight loss that I just am enjoying the initial results. I think they don't want us to get discouraged when the numbers slow down, but I understand that will happen.

The eating before bed thing is supper.

I have dinner around 6pm, then supper at about 8.30.

asy

I'm half asleep, delerious and procrastinating.... Need to go to bed, it's been a hell day, but I thought I would just have a quick look on the forum and see whats going on, Then I saw Melissa Ann and I thought I was losing my mind.. that is my first and second name!! haha Funny! OK Goodnite Cohen's chicki's and Lessfatty. X I hope you all had a better day than me!! See you smaller tomorrow.

Oh just quickly, Ichooselife - I have joined the biggest loser challenge too, lets show these Exercise Junkies how it's done!!

Thanks Heavenlylamb. Your support and comments are really appreciated.

I've got back on track and I'll pick the best thing off the menu tonight. From then on, I will just eat beforehand and if it's a restaurant deal - well we just won't go.
There will always be other birthdays - and if everyone continues to have birthday dinners, then I'll tell them to start being original. Cause my ass aint gonna go away if they wanna dine to another year of getting older!!!

Asy - more than you could ever imagine. I've never been a normal weight my whole life. I know it's a mental thing - it's an addiction, something I don't really know how to answer myself.

Am I this way only because of me? I don't know that. I think my upbringing has a lot to do with it. Food was a reward - never can I remember a balance.

Cohens may be fixing the chemicals in my body, but how is it going to fix my mindset. Which - most of you can probably relate to - why do some of us fall off more than others?

The Cohens plan needs qualified support. We are paying enough for our plan that we should be able have something that helps us mentally as it does physically.

Am I just ranting in my frustrations, or does anyone else out there think the same?

Enjoy the weekend all.



I'm sticking with my goals as is. Tonight will include a deviation, but from Sunday it's going to all change.

Goal 1: start on Sunday.
Goal 2: Go 1 week without deviating.
Goal 3: Lose 10kg.

Hi all,
Does anyone know if we are allowed rocket. I'm not sure if this is classed as lettuce.
Thanks

Dreamer your mindset will change as you progress on your weight loss journey. it takes roughly 21 days to form a habit, and over the time it takes to loose all that excess weight, your eating habits will become ingrained to a much healthier and fat free perspective!
You will find other ways to reward yourself, because you are unable to do so with fatty/sugary foods or amounts that are bad for you.

In regards to some people falling off the wagon while others don't, it's all about will power and the desire to succeed and take responsibility for yourself and your actions.
We have a fantastic diet made available to us that does work, and all without exercise (how easy!) however it does require you to absolutely and totaly follow the program.
Deviations will just slow you down, and when weight loss slows down, you feel like it isn't working so you fall off the weight loss wagon.... Usually finding an excuse as to why (Blame the consultants not contacting you, Dr cohen for going on holiday, the supermarket cause they only sold EXTRA HUGE apples....) but never accepting responsibility for YOUR OWN ACTIONS.
I know i am overweight, i have always been overweight, i have also always eaten healthy food and i exercise regulary but it just keeps pilling on. My body had managed to put itself into storage mode, and everthing i tried could not break that.
Cohen's re educates your body, as they say "your food is your medicine" which is why we eat similar foods but in varying amounts, your individual amount causes a shift in your body's perception of the fat that it has been frantically storing for so long. What we eat and the amounts we consume encourages the body to finally burn and expell that excess fat because it is not needed.
I look at it like this: i have been overweight all my life, i have paid for and used many gym memberships - devoted months at a time to following a diet and exercising like mad (most gym memberships are a minimum of 6 months), so i now make a 6 month commitment to do something different.
All i have to do is watch everything that i put i my mouth, and follow it exactly and "hey presto!" in 6 months maximum i'm gonna look shit hot!
6 months out of 28 years of being over weight...... hmmm hard choice....NOT!
If i continued to do what i've always done i would probably have gained another 2-4 kilos in that time frame, while losing quality time with my other half cause i'm at the gym 3 nights a week.
I know that the sacrifice of 6 months (For some more, others less) of just making sure i put the rights things in my mouth is a really, really small price to pay for the extra years of high quality living i'm going to gain.
You can make the decision to stay overweight (it dosen't matter how you got there) and continue living the way you do, or you can make the decision to change and experience life from a different perspective.
"If it's to be, it's up to ME!

RJM i have rocket, as it is classified as a lettuce/fresh herb so it is allowed.

My belt is now on the last notch!!!
I will have to get a hole punch and put some more holes in it. I am going to shorten it (cut off the excess) to my original hole, so that i have a type of measuring stick.... Kinda like my watch...I'm refusing to get the links removed untill i have lost ALL the excess fat! so i now have 2 permanent reminders of where i started and how well i'm doing.
(as well as the photo's on the fridge)
However with the photo's i find they don't really motivate me as much as the shrinking belt and wrist, because i was so used to seeing myself everyday in the mirror and never felt really fat. Kinda like an aneroxic never feels skinny!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and hopefully some more cm's and Kg's lost by monday!

Hi everyone,
Does anyone know the tried and true rule on when not to eat before bedtime. I understand it with 5 hours between meals or more. The time before bedtime has me stumped because I have been having crispbreads at 9. I don't have food afterwards but if it is 2 hours before bedtime, I've been deviating......
Cheers,
Jo@Bribie

Hi Briezel,
Thanks for the post ... you are absolutely right, we are all responsible for our own actions...and this is an exercise in accepting responsibility for ourselves...I can relate to everything you said....I have made my decision there is no going back now to being fat.......

Wow you have done great in a month at losing.

ASY---- Great job done too on the diet... I enjoy reading your posts as you are like myself just down to earth and says it like it is....you give us all great support too....

Take care and enjoy your wet saturday here in Queensland....woo hoo we have rain finally.....
Jo@Bribie

[/SIZE]

Hi Dreamer,
I hope that tonight you can choose a really healthy option so that you don't feel that you can never go to a restaurant while you are on the program. We don't need to be so limiting on ourselves. Otherwise you end up staying at home all the time and feeling resentful of the program. I think it can also result in you gorging when you do finally go out somewhere - to catch up!

I think its probably unrealistic to expect weight loss consultants to be psychologists as well!! They may be able to give you some tips, but if there are long terms emotional/mental issues, it may also be worthwhile investing in some counselling alongside the weight loss.

I have experienced depression for many years, (not any longer!!) and have had counselling for part of that time. One of the best tools for counteracting emotional/mental stuff is cognitive behaviour therapy, where you think about what you are thinking and how that effects your emotions. So, the basic theory is that our emotions are dependent upon our thoughts, and if we change our thoughts, we change our emotions and therefore our actions.

eg this morning I had a disappointing weigh in with my consultant. So, I have a few choices on how I think about that...... I could say "I'm terrible, hopeless, I'm never going to lose this weight" or "this diet is hopeless, I thought I would lose 10kg a month, and I've only lost 4.5. I might as well give up"................ that type of thing. So, the result of that type of thinking is likely to be coming home and eating more, because I'm feeling hopeless, giving up because I think the diet is hopeless or some other bad emotion/ action.

So, instead I say....... " well, that's not a great result ( (which is the reality, we don't need to deceive ourselves) but I was away for a week, its that time of the month and I'm blocked up. So, all in all, it was probably as good as I could expect. I've lost 25kg, so I'm progressing really well. I just need to keep going and I'll reach my goal." The result of that type of thinking is that I don't react emotionally to the disappointment..... I can see my progress and see why it was maybe not as great as I wanted. and I just get straight on with the long term goal

There are some really good books which explain Cognitive Behaviour therapy in more detail, but it is worthwhile getting some counselling. A couple of years ago I had some counselling specifically related to weight loss.... I didn't lose any weight, but I felt that a lot of emotional baggage was left behind.

Hope that helps!

I did have a disappointing weigh in this morning!! 4.25kg for the month, so 24kg in total. I was 1.5 kg lighter on my home scales this morning, so I thought I would have easily hit the 25kg mark.... frustrating!!

But, in total, I have lost 17cm of my waist and 18cm off my bust.

Sometimes I think we forget how ENORMOUS these amounts we are losing are. 24kg is more than a big bag of dog food, which I wouldn't even be able to pick up!! When I put the tape measure around me showing the size that I started with, it is HUGE - and its not just the flat measure, but all the bulk that was in between where I am now and where I was that makes it so amazing.

So, not a great result this month, but I'm up to 65cm loss overall, which is great, and ready for a good month next month!

I'm now at the weight that I STARTED losing weight several years ago. So, now I'm heading into harder territory - old weight. But I know I can do it!! I'm nearly half way now!

It certainly is mostly mental, especially at the start, Dreamer.

I know I struggled with many demons, and continue to do so. But each day a new battle is fought, and with lots of determination won.

At the end of the day Cohen's is just an eating plan. The other side to weight loss, dealing with our demons and finally growing up and taking responsibility for ourselves is entirely up to us. As hard as that can be.

I've not heard from my Cohen's consultant since I picked up my program last Monday! I have had many mental battles, and won them all. At teh end of the day it's me and me alone fighting this battle, with as much support as I can get wherever I can get it. Hence my residence on this forum.

Be strong, and know that YOU have the POWER to CHANGE YOU Dreamer. All the best.

Attitude is the most pivotal issue on this program. We all need positive focus. Think the little red engine but not "I think I can I think I can" I know I can I know I can. Take comfort in the fact that hundreds of other clients with problems and difficulties just the same as us have succeeded. Although everyone is unique, the mental battles are the same - if we allow them to occur. It sounds simplistic, but get it done asap, then start living in way you haven't for years. - IN CONTROL

Hi everyone,
Dreamer, a few years ago I completed the Betalife program which didn't help me lose any weight, but really helped with my "head" issues. They have DVDs that you watch and complete a little workbook. I'm sure I still have the DVDs somewhere. If you think they might help you, I would be happy to look for them and send them to you so you could give them a go. You don't really need the workbook, any old note pad would do.
I am feeling so good today and have heaps of energy. I finally getting on top of my housework again! Thank goodness. It gets me really down when the house is a huge mess.
Have a great night all. Talk to you all soon.

Brieziel and Heavenlylamb;thank you both. The time and thought in your replies is really appreciated. And I fully relate to what you are saying.

I lost 30+kg first time around. I didn't finish - as an extended overseas holiday, stressful job and other reasons that really are no excuse were a result in a 20kg gain over 12 months.

I'm going to work my demons. I have great support from my partner - and I find the more I talk about it (here and with him and posting is actually really supportive and a great drive) the more I've come to realise that what most of you are saying is dead on. I'm the one who is ultimately in control. What I put in my mouth is totally up to me.

IchooseLife, L-jay - thanks too for your comments. It's great to have the support and understanding. I know everyone here can relate to each other and I look forward to the journey with you all.

rjm, thank you for the very kind offer. I will see how I go in a few weeks, and if I feel I need the material, I will take you up.

Wish me luck all. I have studied the menu over and am positive it will be a good night! Heavenlylamb, I think staying in and not going to restaurants for say 6 months isn't so bad. It will save me so much money which I can spend on a new wardrobe!

I know I can, I know I can I know I will!
WE ALL WILL!



Goal 1: start on Sunday.
Goal 2: Go 1 week without deviating.
Goal 3: Lose 10kg.