When should I start refeed

[Faithy]

Hey AE..

Awesome job on getting so close to goal.. I think it's worth a call to your clinic .. you have to contact them anyway to order your refeed.. I dont think you need to have another blood test if you're ordering it now.. & even though by the sounds of it you may be ready, even if you're not quite sure you still have to wait for it.. & when you do have it if you want it to just sit there for a while it can .. I experienced a hunger that was horrid.. I was cranky & sooky & it just wouldn't go away..

As far as your BMI is concerned I dont know.. have you gone to the Cohen's web site to the goal weight calculator & entered your height & shoe size? You can confirm your goal weight there..

Good luck!

[kagiesen]

Hi AE

I reckon if you can still say the hunger is not unbearable, then wait. Talk to your consultant. It took me for ever to lose the last few kilos (I went below lowerst target weight cos I still had fat to lose and I am so glad I did, cos losing some more later will most lkley not happen). If you're happy with your body, and hunger really hits, then order re-feed. I'd wait til the next blood test.

At the end ofs the' day, it is about whether YOU feel comfortable the way you are. Look at yourself, assess what you have achieved. Let someone else have a look as well.

The goal weight is an estimate. I mean, height and length of feet IS an indicator, but nothing more. There are other websites to help you calculate your BMI with measurements of hips and thights etc etc. I suggest you google some.

http://www.bmi-calculator.net/waist-...io-calculator/ is one which lists all kinds of calculators.

Cheers

Katrin

[Tuti]

Hi AE,

You can always order your refeed and then wait untill you are ready to start. My consultant ordered my refeed when I was 2kgs away from the top of my weight range but I wasn't hungry and actually lost another 5kgs before I started refeed.

I found that when I stopped having yoghurt for brekky and stuck to eggs and vegies I wasn't as hungry.

I am glad that I waited until reaching the low end of my goal weight range.

Cheers

Tuti

[Almost Eden]

Thanks Tuti, Kagiesen, and Faithy...

I have contacted my clinic by email and I have had a few answers given to my questions...I guess I am just apprehensive about ordering as the safety of the program will be gone. But I am looking for more and I don't want to deviate now...not when I am so close.

I am not happy with my body shape yet and I can still see area that are bigger than I would like...like my love handles and boobs and I still have a tummy. Small though they might be they are all still there.

I am so torn as to what to do.

AE.

[krabi]

Hi there, I know this kind of thing has been discussed but wanted to run my scenario by your experienced refeed people.

My Cohen's goal weight was set at 59-62kg and I have had my refeed plan for about a week now (ordered at 65kg) and my consultant said I could start it any time. I really want to get to 62kg before I start it though (currently 62.8 so getting very close). My losses have been so slow lately too!

My question is around feelings of intense hunger.

I haven't yet had the incredible hunger that others have mentioned, although i am certainly getting hungrier between meals and have been waking up hungry some days. Speaking of waking up, for the last 10 days or so I have been waking up at 5am regardless of when I go to bed or how tired I am (and cannot get back to sleep) and have been feeling the cold like crazy. Do you think these are signs that I can start refeed (once i get to 62) or do I need to wait for that "incredibly hungry, i could eat a horse" feeling?

Thanks!

[shell]

Hi Krabi,
Welcome to the re feed waking up time!
I remember it well.

If you are happy to get to where you want to go to, and are not extremely hungry I would keep going.

You have your re feed plan there for when you need it, so there wont be a problem in waiting for it.

Your body will let you know when it is time to start.

How exciting for you, well done!

Shell

[Annabelle Joy]

Krabi, I have the same numbers as you. My goal was set at 65 by my clinic, my range is 59 to 62. I'd really like to get this over as soon as I can. However, if necessary I plan to go down to 59 if I don't get really hungry before then. I hate the thought of having to wait that long (and don't think I will need to) but I want to make maintenance as easy as I can, and it's my understanding that we should go to our equilibrium point to give ourselves the best chance of maintaining our weight.

AJ

[Cheral]

HI Krabi

My goal weight is 62kgs too, I started refeed on 62.9 and dropped to 62.0 after about a week on refeed. I am now a day from finishing and seem to be settling in at around 62.5.

I am happy with my weight now and dont want to go any lower. The cold weather has also been making me very miserable.

So if youre happy with where you are, start if not then if you are not drop dead hungry then hang off for a few days to get to the magical 62.

[KyMMy]

Hi Krabi, my goal weight is meant to be at 52kg. I'm 58.4kg. I rang my consultant when I was experiencing all my hunger and she reordered my refeed for me. If you look at me, I'm a size 8-10. Theres bugger all fat on me, I dont even reckon I have 2kg to loose let along 6kg.

If you think you have more fat to loose, then I suggest you speak to your consultant about taking some Blackmores Sugar Balance tablets. They're damn good! My consultant recommended them to me in my final days up to refeed. They're chromium tablets and it blocks hunger and appetite. I love those things....I know I'm hungry but I don't feel the very bad hunger pains....

[krabi]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I have been taking the Sugar Balance tablets for the last few days as i was starting to feel hungry between meals, so maybe i am masking my hunger a little. I will get myself to 62, lay off the Sugar Balance and see how my body responds. It is exciting to be getting this close!

[kagiesen]

Hi all

there seem to be a lot of threads that deal with the question of 'when should I start refeed?. Off course, the main advice is: talk to you clinic, they are the professionals, and it depends on your blood test, which they have. Just a few thoughts:

1) The Cohens target weight is a good starting point. However, bear in mind that it is calculated by using height, gender and shoe size. I have always had very large (long and narrow) feet, so my target weight came up first at 64 to 67 (I do like my shoes with lots of space), then adjusted to 62 to 65, which was the size that I really have. Some people even lose a shoe size while on the diet. In other words: It is a good indicator, not more. I went to 58 and I still have some fat reservoirs on my belly and bum which I am not happy with!

2) If you feel so hungry you could eat the proverbial horse, then you should start.

3) The clinics want you to start rather earlier than later. The reason is that the hunger may hit in a real pang, and if you haven't ordered you program yet, you might stray and deviate. However, if you think that you can be strong no matter how hungry, until you program arrives, I'd only order it once you start to get significantly hungrier.

4) If you are not hungrier than usual, I would not start refeed, even if you've reached the target weight bottom. There are many people on the program who went below their target weight bottom, or who regretted not having done so. It's much more difficult to get back on the program after refeed to lose that extra 2 kilos than to stay on it for a little longer, believe me! You're just so over it.

5) If you are not happy with you body yet, putting aside unreasonable expectations, then keep going. BUT: make sure you have a true and honest friend monitor you, one that will tell you when they think you are getting obsessive. A friend who is not envious of your success (hence will not say what a lot of us have heard, ie "it's about time you stopped").

Bear in mind: if you were overweight, any loss is great, and to some might seem 'enough', but again from experience, we do tend to look more gaunt right at the end than about 2 months into maintenance. You deserve to look your best, you deserve to look perfect naked.

6) In order to succeed in maintenance, I reckon it's also a very valuable exercise to test your feelings and levels of hunger on a scale of 1 to 10. With 10 being ready to eat the horse, 5 comfortably filled etc. Because the challenge remains on maintenance to only eat when you are hungry, and to only eat as long as you are hungry. Hunger will go away!

That's my 2 cents worth of knowledge. Feel free to correct me, add something etc.

Cheers

Katrin

[Faithy]

AWESOME post Katrin

May I add something here which I was thinking about today?!...

I think you 'JUST KNOW' when the time is right.. there's no question.. your body goes through so many differing feelings & emotions.. I can only go by my experience & those I've seen at the clinic, but they/I just KNEW.. if we're questioning IF we're ready, odds are we're not & perhaps the REAL reason we're asking or perhaps hoping is because you're soooo close to finish that you feel mentally that you're over it when in reality your body just isn't there yet.

[krabi]

Thanks guys for your advice. I think you are probabaly right Faithy, so close but just don't quite feel ready yet so will definitely hold off for just a little longer until I feel it!!

[shell]

You can also start waking up at "stupid" time in the very early morning.
Also, lower back aching can be another sign.

Shell

[Tuti]

Hi Krabi,

Have you tried changing your meals around or have something different for breakfast. I found that when I had yoghurt for breakfast I was more hungry that when I had an egg.

My consultant ordered refeed for me when I was two kgs from the top of the goal weight (59kg) and I actually didn't start refeed until I got to 56.9kg. I was not hungry at all. I was feeling very cold and waking up early but that was it. I am glad I went to the lower weight before I started refeed. I actually finished refeed at around 56kg.

Good luck on whatever you decide

Tuti

[sundaymorningstaple]

I've been waking up at 'stupid' time every morning for years. Anytime that the sun not up is stupid time for me!

[krabi]

Hmm, the waking up thing is driving me nuts! My normal wake up time is about 6am, but anywhere between 4.30am and 5.30am has been the norm for me for the last couple of weeks (although there was one 3.45am which was seriously disturbing!) and being wide awake, no more sleep for me. Unfortunately in a Melbourne winter the sun is no where close to up at that time!!

[Faithy]

LOL Oh my GOSH!!!! I will NEVER forget the first day I woke up at that 'stupid hour'.. LOL.. I was telling my daughter about it yesterday because she's almost there now.. I said to her.. one day you'll wake up at some 'stupid hour' & be WIDE awake, sit up & go.. "gee I think I'll go for a walk"
I would LOVE to know.. what's with that??!!

[rach2008]

Howdie!
I'm nearing my goal weight which is 60-63kgs - i'm currently 64.8... I've read alot in here about people feeling hungry / sick etc when they get close to their goal weight... but i haven't had any symptoms like that? is it ok for me to just keep going?? or do i HAVE to order the refeed when i get to 63? I'm still wanting to loose a bit more weight, so aiming for the 60 mark rather than the higher end of my goal weight range...
Thanks!

[FotoHijinx]

Hi Rach

keep going - you don't have to have any of the symptoms that others are having. If you aren't so hungry that you could eat your own arm off - keep going to you reach your lower end weight.

Cheers
Irene