Hey, I'm pretty sure you'd be healthy if you want to be. Gearing up to read your diary if you intend to keep one and there are many good people around to provide you the necessary support. Cheers!

Hi everyone, I am new to this. I started my Cohen diet 8 days ago and have lost just over 4kgs. I am wondering if anyone knows if you stick to it 100% how much you can lose in six months? Its been really great to see what other people are writing. I can't believe I got this big!

Hi Minnie Moo, It depends how much you have to lose of course & everyone loses at a different rate, but I lost 36kgs in 28 weeks (just over 6mths) and was very happy with that. Stick to it 100% & know that you will get to your goal-weight. Cheers for now, Cate.

Hey - do you know how to actually see the ticker. I have one but don't know how to make it show on this? Thanks Cate

I think i have it??

Well done! I just typed a quick "how to" but you'd done it already when I posted so I deleted it. Cheers, cate.

thanks for the welcome everyone!! this week will be extra challenging, being the week before Greek Easter - we go vegan this week, so i might be eating too little (i hope not!!), i'll just be eating fish for 2 meals and vegan yoghurt for brekkies!! then come sunday it'll be lamb on the spit and fruit salad instead of baklava!!

Ok, so here goes...
2nd day on Cohens, still trying to figure out how to use the forum, but even if I can't, reading all these stories is what got me motivated to start, and will no doubt help in keeping me motivated to continue!
Thanks everyone!

I just wanted to say, I'm not on the programme yet, but I've decided I will. We're going to Sydney next week for a holiday, so I'll be doing the application and such when I get back. In the mean time, I'm planning on eating healthy. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has posted, its helped me to make up my mind.

Congratulations MJA - I'm sure you won't look back once you start. It's not totally easy for the first two weeks, but once you get into the swing of it, you should start feeling better and find it a breeze during the middle part when you are shedding most weight.

Come on here for support if you need it - there's a few people around who've been on it a while and can offer tips and help if you want it.

Hi all,

I would love to hear your opinions on my situation...

For almost 2 weeks now I have been hovering just under 61kg. My goal range calculated by Dr Cohen was 56-59kg. During this time of no weight loss one week was TOM, however, thats been and gone and still nothing is happening.

I know I am naughty weighing most days but I only have 5kg left to lose. The reason I want to get to the lower end of my goal weight range is so that if I put on 1-2kg during or after refeed, that I still am within my happy range and have a little room to play with.

I phoned my consultant and she wondered if perhaps I am ready for refeed and this is why I have hit a wall? She asked me if I had been experiencing any symptoms like hunger etc but its more towards the opposite - not hungry at all! And no other symptoms like back pain, lack of energy etc. that some others experience.

I really really want to get to 56kg as personally I don't feel I am ready for refeed just yet as I feel fine. I just feel as if i've been 'stuck' for almost 2 weeks now. Could it be anything to do with PCOS? I tried cutting down on crackers for a few days but didn't have any luck with the scale. My consultant said its probably best to eat all my fruit and crackers at the moment anyway, as knocking back might not help with a stall.

I guess I just didn't think a plateau would be over 2 weeks? Hope to hear some advice from you wise and wonderful people!

xx

Sorry, Hayley, didn't notice this till today.

I would have hoped someone with more experience of conquering the end part would have replied, but as they haven't... I'll add what I can remember from the first time I did the diet.

The conventional wisdom is NOT to skip any part of the meals or snacks, as it puts your body into starvation mode, and makes your metabolic rate slow.

From what others have said, maybe a change of protein might help. Fish and seafood generally seem to help move weight along, so maybe if you are using chicken or other meat, try the fish for meals for a while. I've also heard say that cheese meals cut down weight loss, so maybe change them if you are having them.

Other than that, you could try adding in some gentle exercise, but don't overdo it. Try something aerobic like swimming.

Be patient - our bodies often plateau and try and stabilise at various points along the way, but you WILL get there in the end (or perhaps you ARE there now???)

hey,
just wondering if anyone else has bad a bad month on cohens- i am following it to the letter but i have only lost 4 kilos this month and i still have 16 to loose. any ideas as to how i can get it kick started? should i deviate slightly and start again? 4 kilos is great- still a loss but just no where near what i usually loose- have been on the program for 12 weeks now.
jodi

Hi Jodidean - I wrote this on the other thread you first posted on, but will put it again here, along with a few more thoughts:

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I've been on the program twice - the first time in 2005. In 2005 I scrupulously followed every rule and never deviated. I lost a total of 35kg.

My experience is that the weight loss generally slows down for lots of reasons. Firstly, the most obvious reason is that it takes more calories to keep the metabolic functions of a large body going than those a smaller body. Thus, the more body weight you lose, the less calories you need in any case. However, don't change the amount you eat - just do what they say, and it'll all pan out in the end.

Also, your body gets used to dealing with the lower amount of food, and becomes heaps more efficient.

Just keep it up, accept that the loss rate will probably end up being a curve rather than a straight line, and take a lot more notice of the measurements than the weight.

Some people report finding that changing the kind of protein they eat makes a difference. Those that eat a lot of seafood say they find the best losses on seafood, so maybe try that. Also, some people say that the cheese meals don't result in as good a weight loss.

Apart from that, just keep going and enjoy the new you, the new clothes, and let the weight worry about itself. You'll be healthier, happier, more fit and have lots of compliments, so just enjoy!

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Jodidean, looking back on my second time experience, I noticed last night my losses were like this (as follows). 9.8kg first month, 3.5 kg second month, 3 kg third month. Keep in mind I haven't followed it exactly to the letter because of my circumstances, but I have done the best I can.

It's not uncommon to read of people losing a whole heap the first month, then approximately half or less in the following months. Particularly as you lose more weight, it slows down for some people for the reasons I mentioned up above.

Although it's tempting to deviate and see what happens, I wouldn't recommend it. In the first place, it's hard to get back on again - so many people derail themselves this way.

I will admit the first time around, towards the end I added a few more flavourings to my food than were allowed just so I would stay happy on the food, which had minimal effect overall. This time I've done that all along.

But if you are happy on the food, and your circumstances allow, just stick with it. You will get there, though it's frustrating when the numbers seem to stubbornly stick in one spot. Just remember you are aiming for overall improvement in health and well being, and the numbers are a secondary issue.

You could try a little exercise as well.