Shanara's Refeed Diary

[Shanara]

74.7 and still loosing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow - 60 kgs GONE!!!!!!

I have lost a lot on refeed!! Was worrried I would stop loosing as soon as I ate extra food. More food - more weight is not always true - depends on which food.

Very busy day today so got to get going - but - This little Cohenite is very happy -

60 KGS GONE !!!

[rowemob]

Congratulations Shanara on losing 60 kg.
Obviously going on refeed has been the best thing for you to do.

Cheers
Michelle

[shell]

Good on you Shanara,
You should be walking around with a big on your face today!!

Have a great one.
Shell

[Kohinoor]

Hi Shanara,

but - This little Cohenite is very happy

Hehe, not hard to understand WHY that is !!! Wow, talk about "ease and grace" - and the body stepping up and responding to what it needs....

I love reading of your journey, Shanara - you include it all - the good, the bad, and the hurtful. No way of telling just how much good is being done by this ability of yours to be so open, so accepting, and so sharing.

My hat is off to you girl !!




How's your smile today? (Rhetorical question really - your forum smile has been beaming for many days now - and I'm sure today hasn't changed that, apart from making your smile wider) But, yeah, it WAS a leading question....






Intrigued yet?











Could that smile get any wider?




I noted that today's drop has taken you PAST the halfway mark of your BMI walk through the Overweight Range. Today, you are officially closer to Normal than you are to Obese ..... Haven't been THERE in a while eh?

In the end, it's just numbers - of far more importance is how you feel - and you are sounding like you feel GREAT. Hope that "number news" helps you to feel even greater !!

Rock on darl,

Hugs,

Koh

[louise41]

Pleased to hear you are feeling happy - and so you should be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shanara]

Well 75.4 yesterday and 74.7 this morning so everything is totally on track. I am a few kilos down on when I started refeed and I am over half way there. Day 13 today. I am mixing proteins - and still loosing!

Having 3 three slices of bread a day and feeling fine from that. the one thing that I have identified as a problem is the fruit category. After my experience with the blueberries I realise I have to be really careful about my fruit. yesterday had cherries - that were so yum - and noticed that even though I had them quite soon after my dinner I still could feel a sugar spike. Not as bad as the one with the blueberries but I bet if I had had them on their own - the sugar spike would have been as bad.

This morning decided to experiment with food combinations. For breakfast I had some lamb - for first time - with grilled veges and a piece of toast. Then yoghurt and cherries and banana. Was planning to have passionfruit but my darn son ate them all. Guess it's no big deal really but ..........

I am feeling good after it - a gorgeous breakfast! So far so good with the reactions.

I have had oysters twice - which I just so enjoyed. Tomorrow I would llike to have fresh salmon. I don't think I will have pork - not a meat I really enjoy.

Enjoyed the eggplant and leek yesterday. Oh, had snowpeas !! as my carb yesterday - so good to have them again! I have really missed them. I am very fortunate to have a fruit shop nearby that always has them cheap thanks to our large chinese community. Wonder if we can have broccolini as broccoli or if they are classed as a different vege - must ask clinic.

I think the real secret to refeed is to listen to my body and see what the reactions are. I feel that on the programme I really got to do that and that what I hear now is very clear. I am so interested to see how my body responds.

Today I think I will have rice and see how my body responds. I can have milk but yet I am choosing not to. Would like to introduce the milk once i get a bit clearer about the fruit thing first.

Sorry to all those still on plan - these descriptions might be a bbit hard for you but I want to record this journey of my bodies reactions to new foods.

Louise - feeling great - will pop into your diary soon. Hope all is well with you.

Koh - wow - thanks - hadn't picked that up. I know I am still in the overweight category but great to know I am closer to normal range than obese. At the momment and very happy with my body and am listening to it very intently.

Shell - the attention I am getting at the momment is very direct feedback that I have a smile on my dial and also looking pretty darn good.

Michelle - yes it was a big decision to make to go onto refeed so far from goal weight - BUT for me - it was the right one.

Carrieanne - I will eat blueberries again but they will not become part of my staple intake and I will eat them with yoghurt or other protein.

Thanks for visiting and reading.

Shanara

[thenewvee]

Sounding very good, Shanara!
You are obviously loving all the different foods! So happy to hear it as well as the great drops you have been having!

Belated congrats on hitting that wonderful 60kgs GONE milestone!!
Awesome work!!

Hugz

Vee

[yeti]

HI Shanara

Don't apologise sweetheart!!! I'm sure I can say, on behalf of everyone, that we all LOVE reading your refeed diary. I've been watching the Food channel constantly since I started Cohen's - just because we can't eat it, doesn't mean we can't enjoy it!

[Shanara]

75.4 so have gained about .7 from my lowest of 74.7.

Feeling good and not seeming to react to anything except the 'bad' fruit. Have to be conscious of my water intake and also my sleep. Loving not having to time meals - that is a huge liberation.

Looking forward to glass of wine on Day 17 and 18. Haven't introduced milk yet. Although I think i have made a bit of a boo boo there. It says it is ok not to introduce the milk and when I was able to was when the 'fruit' were playing havoc so I thought I would wait until I get the fruit a bit more under control.

Now I realise I have 3 days left and tomorrow I get a plain biscuit. the next two days I get alcohol. I wish I could introduce just the milk one day on it's own. Might have to talk to the clinic.

Today I introduced pork - I put some pork on my fork. It is not a meat I eat very often but in the interest of seeing how my body responds i thought I would try it. Tasted OK - not my favourite - would rather seafood. The salmon was wonderful yesterday so will have it again tomorrow.

Oh am loving the broccoli and carrots. Leek and eggplant are good to. Loving the extra vegetables. Bread seems to be not a problem.

Yeti - you will have your turn - it's a very exciting part of the programme.

Vee - Thanks - hope all is well with you.

Oh, loving refeed.
Shanara

[Kohinoor]

Hi Shanara,

Hehe, I'm talking to the converted anyway (I know that) but this comment of yours is such a non-issue :-

I think i have made a bit of a boo boo there. It says it is ok not to introduce the milk and when I was able to was when the 'fruit' were playing havoc so I thought I would wait until I get the fruit a bit more under control.

I think you have handled it admirably. I don't think "refeed" is really LONG enough to try any and every variation of "what is OK, and what isn't". Your choices have been "handling what YOU see as important" - the rest can wait.... And you will find out about milk at "some" time into the future.

When you boil it down, Shanara, you have THE REST OF YOUR LIFE to fine-tune "what works, and what doesn't" - milk, schmilk, it will be what it is - and in YOUR time, Seriously - (even though I might sound a bit dismissive, I don't mean it that way ).

Rock on, wee girl - you are still shining

Hugs,

Koh

[carrieanne_c]

Congrats on your missing 60 kilos! About milk, I am just back on the program after a two week bender-and that was one thing I didn't even try. Milk in coffee or an icecream-I think coffee in the morning is just easier without it. Fab work! Glad your still losing.

[yeti]

Hi Shanara -
Milk is an interesting one. Emotionally I still miss my strong cup of tea with a dash of milk in the morning. I haven't decided if I'm game enough to try it on refeed, because it may trigger me wanting it in my coffee too. It's a slippery slope once you start having milk in coffee I reckon. It's a world of latte's out there, and with coffee, comes cake...

I wouldn't worry too much about it - try it when you're ready.

[Shanara]

OMG - I am sitting by the fire, watching TV sipping a glass of wine. very full and satisfied after dinner of mix of salmon, meat, prawns and pork. Used up all the left overs lol and grilled veges as well. Grilled okra for the first time - have never cooked it before - was not too bad. Also had pumpkin - yum - as my carb. Oh tasted so good.

Then i had strawberries and a scotch finger biscuit followed by my glass of merlot. Oh paradise. Girls refeed awaits you all! So much food and this is what I can have every night.

I have some Lindt dark chocolate with orange waiting and when I am on Maintenance that is going to be my first treat. Only 50 grams - not a lot but am going to try it and see how my body responds. I have had it sitting in the cupboard for a few days now and have not been tempted by it at all. It can wait until I am ready.

Oh - 200 mls of wine doesn't sound like much but if it was much more I would be drunk. Glad I had it at home and don't have to drive anywhere. Wow - it is having a great effect for such a small amount of alcohol.

Had my first face to face session at the clinic today. I didn't feel I needed them when I was on the programme. Now as I move to maintenance I need the support. It is a big scary world out there. so I am going to tip toe out into the big wide world.

Pumpkin is so tasty -yum.

Seems like 75 kg is my place of maintaining for now - I am happy with that. I am in size 10 to 12 and the occassional 14. I feel great and have lots of energy. Will start aqua aerobics classes again and more walking.

Well, I will sleep well tonight - very well. Amazing what a glass of wine will do!

Carrieanne - yes I will try milk tomorrow. Maybe in my morning coffee.

Koh - thanks - I am going to try milk tomorrow after speaking with the clinic today they suggested that I should. Think I will still my coffee black on a regular basis but will try the milk to see how my body responds.

Have to toddle off to bed - while i can still walk - boy = 200 ml of wine is a lot !!!

Shanara

[kit]

Hey Shanara

thanks for all your wisdom in your diary

I was just wondering if you know when you are ready for refeed. I have been hungrier - but not as hungry as it seems you were. I feel slightly light headed around the gap between meals - and find that fruit is not quite enough to perk up my blood sugar levels. I need to start in the next three days so that I finish before i jet off to Europe. Any thoughts?

[Shanara]

Hi Kit

I will just say one thing - TRUST YOUR BODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just sit quietly - feel into it and make sure you are picking up from your body what is going on. You DO NOT want to be doing refeed while you are away unless you are in a stable place where you can really plan your meals properly. You need to add and subtract and it is a challenge buying bits and pieces to give yourself the variety.

if you want to ring me and talk to me let me know and I can give you a phone number to call.

What does your consultant say ?

Blessings
Shanara

[kit]

my consultant says that I do need to start soon so that I can finish before I leave. There is no way that I will be able to keep up refeed while backpacking through Europe!!! I think if the worst comes to worst I can start up the program again for two weeks once I settle myself down again (I am moving to scotland for a year, however, am traveling for some time first)

I also probably need to start earlier as I am getting my wisdom teeth out on thursday, and will probably have to go back a couple of days as I will have to skip on at least one meal on the day of my operation

I can feel that my body is ready for refeed in the next couple of weeks, however, I do not know just how ready it is right now. I am slightly hungrier, but manageably.

I have also plateaued since I started getting hungrier - which I spose is also a sign that I am ready

thanks so much for the advice - once again you have proved a wealth of information and inspiration. I am sure that everybody is going to miss you around the still-doing-cohens region of this forum!!!

I think that I will talk to my consultant again today.

[Shanara]

Kit

the plateauing is a key thing - i started to loose again as soon as I introduced more foods. I lost ver 3 kilos on refeed. A sign to me that if i decide later on to loose a bit more i can.

yes speak with your consultant - it will take a few days for you to get your refeed so you must take that into consideration. Also what happens if you don't do it? You don't want your body to go into 'past refeed signs and the gnawing hunger make you deviate.' stage. Your body really does know.

Thanks for your kind words - I will still be hanging about however find I don't have as much time these days to go into diaries. As a moderator I do keep an eye an what is going on even if I'm not posting.

Shanara

[kit]

good to know you will still be around!!!

thanks - the clinic ordered my refeed for me from my last blood test, in anticipation that I would have to start early. It is currently in the post, however, I know my first day so I might start that today. Although deep down I know that I wanted to loose more before i began this process, listening to my body I know that it is probably time to start. I do not think that it will harm anything too much if it transpires that I have started one or two days early.

I have not deviated to date and do not plan to on refeed - so you are right - there is no way that this plan is going with me to europe - i have more important things to worry about over there (like enjoying my brand new body!!!)

thank-you again for the advice (and the timely reply), you are an absolute gem in this place

kit

[Shanara]

Your welcome sweetheart - thanks for your kind words.

Hope you enjoy refeed as much as my body loved it. my last day today! Glad someone is coming in to keep Yeti company.

Shanara

[kit]

yetti and I can be refeed buddies together. enjoy life on maintenance - I'm sure your body will also love that as well

thank you again

kit