Hello everyone,
I have been so inspired by reading everyone's diaries that I decided to start my own. I will try to post daily, but I will only weigh myself once a week. I have been on Cohen's before, and did well, but after a few weeks I grew tempted by all the holiday food. Anyways, I'm back and wanting to do this right, once and for all. I have attempted to restart my program several times with little success, but one good thing has come out of it. I've learned what my downfalls are. BEING PREPARED!!! I do well, but as soon as I get hungry and theres no Cohen's food around me, I decide that I'm going to start over tomorrow, and eat whatevers near me today. So tonight before I go to sleep I'm going to boil my egg, cut my vegs, prepare my salads, fill up my water bottle, and have everything packed for work tomorrow.

Another thing I'm going to do is join my local Weight Watchers. Even though I won't be doing their eating plan, I have found the support groups very helpful in the past. I've always enjoyed their eating plan, but the weight loss is very slow, and that eventually discourages me, but the meetings are awesome. So I'll be there tomorrow. Also, the accountability of someone weighin you in helps.

WISH ME LUCK!!!
Gina

GOALS:

3/1/07 215 LBS--GET YOUR NAILS DONE!!
4/1/07 200 LBS--BUY A NEW PAIR OF SEXY SHOES!!
5/1/07 185--HUSBAND'S BDAY PARTY--BUY A NEW DRESS!!
6/1/07 170--DAY AT THE SPA!!
7/1/07 155--TAKE WEDDING PICTURES!!
8/1/07 145--MY BDAY--WEAR SOMETHING TIGHT!!
9/1/07 135--MAINTAIN, MAINTAIN, MAINTAIN!!

Welcome Gina.
That is so interesting you going to the Weight Watchers meetings.
Do they mind that you are not following their program?
I think that weekly contact would be great motivation.

I love your well thought out subgoals and rewards.
Good luck - I hope you do well.


Lily

Hi Lily and Gina

Do you use your consultants?? You are allowed to have weekly contact with your consultant if you feel that will help?? Seems to me you are paying twice for service if you go to WW as well - Please don't think I am discouraging you - go with what ever gets you there - I just wonder if they will knock the program a bit,

Thanks so much for the encouragement and opinions. Its why I'm here. I should probably clarify that I live in the United States and can only reach my consultant by e-mail. This process can take a few days. Although they are very encouraging and understanding, nothing beats someone standing in front of you, looking at your scale. Well, at least for me it doesn't. Also, I have decided to omit the fact that I'm following a different plan, although it is someonewhat similar to their CORE plan. But I just thoroughly enjoy sitting at the meeting for a half hour, discussing ideas and motivating each other. And they give you little ribbons every time you lose 5 lbs. Thats fun!!

Well, as for my diary, my day started off hectic, so I skipped breakfast. Not a good thing, and I won't be repeating that. I've heard that it slows down your metabolism. I somehow managed to eat the rest of my meals and snacks in between clients, appointments, and driving up and down the city. A new goal I have made for tomorrow is to sit quiety and enjoy my meal for at least 30 minutes. This time of the evening is dangerous for me because I tend to overeat. I'm not sure but I think its a mixture of boredom, and nervousness, if that makes any sense. Actually, I think I just the like the party in my mouth.

I'll be back tomorrow

hey soontobe145

it is very important that you have ALL your main meals so that your system can function properly and get into high gear fat burning mode

if you look at your program that was sent out it says NEVER skip your main meals!



but alas thats over and done with tomorrow is a new day and one more step towards the new skinny you

look forward to hearing from you and seeing your ticker progress!

Happy losing xx

G'Day

On the Cohen’s' website are some great recipes.

For a 'meal on the run' there is a good 'muffin' sort of recipe - it's an egg and vegetable frittata cooked in muffin papers.

If you are in a rush, you can take one of these with you and eat it in the car, or for lunch or even for supper.

I got into the habit of taking crispbreads in a zip lock bag, a Granny Smith (green) apple cut up in a container (rinsed to stop browning), a bottle of water - and a toothpick! The toothpick is so I can eat the apple while driving!

A tin of tuna is also a great stand-by meal. I found the John West tuna slices came in closest to the weight, whereas the sandwich type tuna, once drained, was very short of the mark. Take a small cucumber or a (weighed) chunk in cling film and that makes a meal.

If push comes to shove, take some cheese and celery (weighed) and have cheese, crispbread & celery for a quick meal.

And remember, it is not Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. It is three meals chosen from the three meal groups each day. So if you miss 'Breakfast', but manage to eat a meal somewhere in mid morning, and have 'Lunch' in the late afternoon, then try a 'pizza' (grilled cheese with pizza type veg) for supper with a rice cake.

I work long hours, often not home from appointments until midnight (last night I left an appointment at 9.40pm, rang a customer who had told me any time up to 10pm was OK, and sat in the street talking on my mobile phone until 10.45pm, then drove home and ate dinner at 11.30pm)

When I was on the program I would have had eg a feta salad or a grilled cheese combo or maybe a curried egg and crispbread with some cucumber on the side for supper, then by the time I had packed away the laptop, written up the case notes, glanced at the newspapers, it was time for bed and even though it may not have been two hours since eating, at least I had eaten three meals in the day.

On the subject of eggs, I bought my Son an electric egg cooker for Christmas. I have never had one before and it is just fantastic! I cook (boil) the egg until 'soft', then shell it and drop it into a salad. The yolk forms a lovely, runny dressing and I toss the egg through the salad. With lettuce, mushroom, zucchini and maybe a slice of tomato diced up, this is a real treat and takes about five minutes to make.

If you are in a rush, pack the salad into a take away container but don't break the egg up until you are ready to eat. With cracked pepper and a dash of salt this is gourmet food yet so simple!

I must admit, when I was on the program I got into the habit (when no one was looking) of licking the dish! Well, I wasn't going to leave even 1 gram in the dish, that gram belonged to me!

And finally, don't forget mustard! Powdered mustard is on the Shopping List, and mixed with a drop of water, or balsamic or apple cider vinegar is a great condiment! I got used to using mustard with almost every beef meal, as it tenderises the meat and enhances the flavour without making the dish 'spicy'. If you want to liven up a salad, mix the mustard powder with eg the vinegar in the bowl itself, then put in the salad ingredients, and the 5gms of mayonnaise on top, mix lightly and leave it sit for five minutes. The taste will mellow and it won't be just 'salad' yet again, it will be a taste sensation worth savouring!

Sear a chicken fillet (weighed) in a hot non-stick pan, then turn off the heat and put a lid on the pan for five minutes or so. Slice the chicken finely and scatter over the salad, and pour the pan juices over the chicken. Cracked pepper, a twist of salt, a long glass of soda water, and you would be paying $25 for this in a Lygon Street cafe!


Don't forget veal scaloppini and other wonderful mushroom dishes, cooked to dark perfection and served with a dollop of mayonnaise and a sprinkle of fresh cut parsley (weighed) served on a plain white dish, eat with a checked napkin on your knee while sitting on the patio! (Lick the plate!)


Just whatever you do, eat everything, every day. Have as much variety as you can, eat right across the Shopping List every week if you can manage it. Keep you body guessing, keep it used to variety, don't fall into just 'mince and cabbage' and then expect your body to cope when it's back on a range of foods.

Sit down when you eat, put the food on a nice plate, eat slowly and enjoy every mouthful.

When I look back, it was the irregular meals and the eating-standing-up-on-the-run-gulping-can't-remember-what-I-ate which contributed to the weight gain.

Pay attention, enjoy what you are doing, eat a good variety, and you will not only lose weight but it will stay gone!

Cheers

Kristine

Kristine

I am with you. I travel a lot and preparation is the main key. My consultant asked me to do a travel diary because she has lots of people who say "I can't do this I travel all the time with work".

Anyway, when I do have to travel for a few days, I make sure I stay in apartments that have full kitchens and I make sure I cook. I take my pre weighed and zip lock bagged meat and then either take my vegies and fruit or buy them.

I prepare meals in advance if travelling for the day and it all works a treat.

There are many great recipes on the Cohen's web site that are just as yummy cold as hot (just in case you don't have access to a microwave).

All the best.

Skinny hugs
Allana

For me the diet is all about planning. Failure to plan is planning to fail. Do you a plan for every meal tomorrow? Can you prepare on the weekend every lunch or meal you need to eat outside and/or freeze correct portions of meats/vege so you can make you dinner quick when you get home late.

I cannot offer much for you in regard to business trips over mutiple days, I just cannot follow Cohen during trips, I just do my best to choose meals/foods that "follow" the big picture of Cohen "Small meals of low fat meats, no starches, focus on green and leafy vegetables, sugars only from fruit", it is has been my experience that when I travel I simply stop losing weight but do not really gain, it just means that I will finish the Cohen diet latter.

Hi all!!

It's been a few days since my last entry. Things have been hectic. I run my own business, which is wonderful, but instead of working 8-5, you more likely work 5-8, but today and yesterday I decided to come home early. I've been doing OK on the program. Sunday was really hard because of the Super Bowl. There was all kinds of food around, and I did indulge, but just a little. Monday, was great. But today, all of a sudden, I'm starving. I made a wonderful enchilada casserole, and I started by just taking a tiny piece as a sample, because I had never made it before and wanted to see what it tasted like. Big mistake!! That got the wheels in motion. I think I had about 2 more servings (small ones, mind you). Then, I had to finish it off with a bowl of cheerios. So here I am right now. Sitting in front of the computer seems to have turned a possible full blown binge into a minor detour. I had a cup of water, started to type, and waited for the moment to pass. I've heard in the past that if you just wait thirty minutes before indulging in a craving, it will go away. Seems to have worked. Anyways, I'm down 8lbs. since last week, although I'm sure there will be a slight gain because of today. Otherwise, Im feeling wonderful. Usually, I feel sooo sluggish and tired, with very little energy. I always say that I'm running on a very low gas tank. I'm beginning to think its all the carbs and sugar that were wreaking havoc on my body. I've been planning my meals, and getting everything together the day before, that way I'm not running around at the last minute. What has really helped me, was I went to the 99 cent store and bought three little containers for my meals. Each container is divided into three sections. So, in each one I put my veggies and protein. The other divider, goes with my sliced fruit, and the other one is for my crackers. Really, helps me feel like I've had a full meal. Then I noticed that I had chosen three different colors for my containers. Green, Purple and Red. Suddenly, I decided to make my green one for breakfast (GO!), purple, lunch(neutral), dinner, red (STOP!!), and its had a good effect on me.

well, I better get back to my family. You know if it hadn't have been for me getting on this site, and nosying around all the different Cohen topics, finding all kinds of encouragement, and people experiencing my same issues, I probably would have went completely off course. But thank heavens for everyones input, and information sharing, I always feel much more ready to take on more days of Cohen after being on this site. I know tomorrow will be better.

P.S. Can anyone explain to me how to put those little weight loss tickers on their page. I would love to have one, but can't figure it out. Thanks.

Ok. Last night was baaad. After I got off the computer, my dear husband brought home a box of cookies. I'm sure we're all familiar with what happened next. I ate a bunch of cookies with milk. Then proceeded to have more of the casserole that I had tried unsuccessfully to avoid. I just gave in and thought tomorrow will be better. That is something I'm trying to get away from. I find myself doing that a lot. I'll have an occassion coming up, or a dinner out, and I'll be thinking to myself, "Well, just enjoy for now, we'll start tomorrow." Well, tomorrow never came, and I've got 100 extra pounds to prove it. So today, I'm following along. I didnt go home early, so I wont eat. 3pm is a dangerous time for me, so its best I stay at work. In fact, I think I'm going to have my daughter wrap up the leftovers before I get there, that way I wont be tempted.

Well, back to work.

Hi soontb145

Sorry to hear about the deviations.
You really have to be in that zone to want to lose - I was going to start Cohen's after xmas but i was gorging myself with rubbish so I started earlier and I am so glad I did I have now lost 10kg = 22lbs in 8 weeks.

This diet can't fail if you follow it 100%. Ask your husband to support you and not bring home temptations, that is a great idea having your daughter put the left overs away.

With Cohen's it is all about planning (I sound like an old broken record) but it is really important towards your successful weightloss.

We all have busy lives but if we continue to make excuses for not looking after our health then we would all become failures and stay "FAT" sorry to be so blunt but I have been their so I know what I am talking about.

Look all I am saying is that you can bring a horse to water "but" you can't make it drink. It is up to you in the end, if you want this bad enough then get started and don't make any more excuses-otherwise wait till you really feel that motivation.

Don't want to sound harsh but I know once you start and your head is in the right place you will not want to deviate take it from me on all other diets I've been on I have done the same us you oh.....tomorrow's another day I'll eat the chocolate or biscuit (cookie) etc BUT with Cohen's i have never felt that way. And after the first 2 weeks when I felt my clothes fitting loosely that was all the motivation I needed to keep on that wagon.

You can do it Soontb145 you just have to join the ride.

Good Luck
Sam

hello all!


today was much better! thank god. I dont want to get off track. I'm determined to lose all this weight. I tried changing it up a little by eating my "breakfast" for dinner. I know you can change up the order of the three meals. So I decided to eat my last two meals, first. This change has kept me full all day, and the hungries seem to have waned.

be back tomorrow!

Well done Soontb145

look forward to reading about your successful weightloss over the next weeks.
Cohen's is so contagious.
Sam

Hi soontb145

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Sam

Hello everyone,
well, its sunday night here. the weekend was really tough. there were numerous activities this weekend that involved food. i stayed focus on maintaining my program. today, started off good. we went out for breakfast and i ate my meal, while everyone enjoyed pancakes, sausage, etc. we went to the mall and i breathed in deeply when we passed the food court, but not one cookie. then we went to weinerschnitzel, to get my kids something to eat. i was okay with it because i thought they were going to eat in the car, while i sat in the front. not too hard. but my husband said we should eat in the restaurant. i wasnt too happy, but my kids were starving. watching everyone eat, i gave in and had a hot dog. then at my cousins house, she made chicken pot pie and i had a serving, along with the oreo cookies that were on the counter. i felt pretty bad, but its done and i'm ready to move on. my husband, who is trying to be very supportive has agreed that i should make all my meals for the weekend, and take them with me. since i'm hardly ever home. this week, my goal is to go the whole week, weekend included without deviating. i'm 3 pounds away from my march goal. hopefully, i'll be getting my nails done this week. yaaay!!!

be back tomorrow.