Exercise? Not to exercise?

[Elle]

Hi Guys,
I have decided that for the next 8 weeks or so I am going to do my 2 spin clases and my 2 PT sessions only and work them around my food so that I am not starving when I get there but I will be able to have a meal not to far after. I have been exercising like this for 10 months.
I totally understand the logic for not exercising but I have spent most of my adult life in a wheelchair so I just love the fact that I can even do this stuff.
I also agree that the gym has not worked for me weight wise...I need a big kick start to get rid of my weight.
After a lifetime of being told that diet & exercise are the only way to lose weight...I think that reconditioning the mind might take a little time.
Thanks for your insight though...you have all made some extremely valid points

[Elle]

I have now done my PT and Spin in my first few days on Cohen's...which are supposed to be the worst days.
I took it a little easy at Spin but the headache that I started the class with was gone by the end and I haven't had it back. I felt so good after my classes. I think because I have been doing it for so long now, it is part of me.
My hips are great now because they are metal, the muscles around them have to be moved all the time as the atrophy if I don't use them.

Daisy: They don't modify the eating plan at all for exercise, that is why they don't recommend it as the quantity of food is not enough to sustain you without getting hungry. I organised my eating around it so it worked for me and although I would not recommend exercising to anyone else, it is part of my new life and I will continue with it unless of course something goes wrong...Cohen's comes before exercise.

[Andy46]

Just had to post this - here !!!!!

Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $5000 per month.

My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. Now she's 97 years old and we don't know where the hell she is.

The only reason I would take up exercising is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I joined a Gym last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a kg yet. Apparently you have to go there.

I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing.

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

The advantage of exercising every day is that you die healthier.

If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.

And last but not least: I don't exercise because it makes the ice jump right out of my glass.


You could run this over to your friends but why not just e-mail it to them!





Forget exercise, I'm going to bed.



I need my beauty rest...

[magenta]

Andy, you're a crack up, lol!!!

[Pudge]

Probably a little nuts too

I can tell ya on this exercise thing. I had to pull my buck out of the woods with no snow (he would have slid better with it)
had to walk backwards and pull him I could feel the burn. Legs started shaking nearly fell down with his head in my lap. That is not where I wanted his nose. Then I had to walk back to the house 1/4 of a mile to get the ranger,my mom and granddaughter and pulling him into the back of the ranger I thought I would die. Good thing my 79 yr. old mother was there to help. As I pulled him up she guided his legs. I only weigh 10 lbs more than him. I came in an ate a apple then i was good to go again.
My cheeks,legs and arms are sore. Guess it must be from not using those muscle's much eh.......
notsopudgy

[kathy]

Hi all,
I've lost almost 11 kg and over 1/3 of the way to goal. I can see that I need toning. Is anyone doing any form of toning exercise and if so, what is working for you?
Kathy

[Pudge]

I just started on the eliptical but not overstrenous 3 or so miles in 15 minutes. Don't even work up a sweat. I do barn chores so that helps out with the arms anyway. Don't want to get hungry so am not pushing it.
pudge udge:

[shell]

Hi,
Just wondering about walking for excercise?
I have lost 34Kg and have approx 14kg to go, will walking for approx 1 hr+ at a steady rate (not power walking) hinder my weight loss?
I like it now, didn't used to! I have a new ipod which makes it not feel like excercise, and I am reallly enjoying it, and feel better afterwards.
Thanks
Shell

[Serene]

Hi Shell,

I actually don't know the answer to your question, and am interested to see what others say as I think I will be asking the same question when I get closer to goal weight and feeling better about myself.

But can I just say WOW - congratulations on your weight loss - sensational effort!

Serene

[kagiesen]

There are 2 reasons against exercise:

One, when you exercise, the blood sugar level changes. When you exercise, your body responds be increasing your blood glucose (sugar) levels. This occurs through so called "glucose-sparing pathways" that occur in the liver and other tissues in the body (your liver is the main organ that stores and releases glucose). Okay, so there you are getting ready to work out, or starting to do so, and your body has released all these hormones to cause your liver to increase your blood glucose levels - now what?

Basically, your muscles use glucose as a primary fuel source during exercise - so your blood sugar levels are maintained at a higher level while you are working out until you use up all the stores your liver had available. So with the blood sugar levels, maybe that will slow down your weight loss slightly, as the blood sugar level will not be as stable as without exercise. However, you don't seem to be over-doing it, anyway.

Second, you get hungry.

So if you've managed so far without problems and hunger, stay with it. It's healthy and good for your BM. I exercised all through Cohens and refeed and am 4 kilos under lower target so it might have taken a bit longer, but I didn't care.

Cheers

Katrin

[bottecelli]

hi,

have been reading what people have been writing about excercise and the general consenus appears to be that it will not contribute to making you lose more weight and may actually slow down your weight loss efforts.trying to get my head round that after years of conditioning of the opposite.it also makes me feel like im clueless as to what this program is really about.from my own understanding the eating plan is balancing your hormones in order to burn fat and create balance in your body.when you go on refeeding you eat more portions and introduce other foods,as your body is now able to cope with them.once you go on maintance you can have some bad foods either in small amounts on an every second day basis eg 2 biscuits one day then a small square of choc in the next couple of days or alternatively be very strict for 5/6 days a week and opt to be less so one day a week.

so my bemusement is causedby the following question if one was to stop cohens and then go and do say one hour of cardio/interval training before breakfast.follow a diet of 800-1000 calories a day(including calories from eating some sweets,small amounts,bread ,milk).do another hour of exercise cardio,after being on cohens would you still lose weight or have you changed your body chemistry if you have been ion cohens for a while and this calories in/out diet will no longer work?or would it take a week for your body to adjust.before doing cohens i had been on this type of diet and lost weight similar to the amounts ive lost on cohens.some of you may ask why are you here then on cohens.well id lose/binge then put it all back on,so here i am.then i had an epiphany and thought enough is enough and went out to look for another diet.also the thing that is keeping me strict on cohens is im terrified that ill put all my weight back on quick smart.

so basically what im asking is if you ve been on cohens for 14 weeks and stop it and go on the above type of the diet will it still work?also i want to stress that im not asking if you go and eat choc,biscuits,cakes etc after being on cohens before refeed would you put on weight.as i know the answer to that.

has anyone tried this?
what are people thoughts/opinions
thanks bottecelli

[FatCat]

Can't help you Bottecelli, as I have the same question myself.

also the thing that is keeping me strict on cohens is im terrified that ill put all my weight back on

Did you get these words out of my mouth??????

I just got a reply from my consultant after asking a similar question, and her answer didn't really answer the question. On the one hand, she was saying "yes", but on the other hand she was saying that "Cohen's is the only successful program" which I know is just a sales pitch, and I know that no program is infallible without the continued diligence of the dieter. I bet you any of our graduates could be fatties again if they went back to old eating habits!!!

I'll be interested to hear the points of view of the gurus. I can't see any reason why someone who stopped Cohens to eat in an otherwise healthy manner, would put on weight. But then, I guess that's the whole point of Cohens, realising the effect that some "healthy" foods have on your individual body chemistry whether you like it or not.

[hexi2]

Not that I am a guru but my understanding is when you go through refeed and introduce foods back into your body you are 'stablising' your hormones. This is a lifetime program and once finished refeed you get your 'management guidelines' if you follow those then you won't put on weight. This is a LIFESTYLE not a once off diet - according to the doc we have 'Obesity Syndrome' that will make us prone to putting weight on when we introduce too many sugar and carbs. So if you think once you have finished the Cohens eating plan it is all over and this is a miracle cure THEN THINK AGAIN

We have a medical condition which we have for life and therefore we need to remain on management guidelines OTHERWISE simple but true we will be fatties once again

[baloo]

Can't say I have tried it. Can't understand why you'd want to swap a successful diet midstream.

If you're problem is losing weight and then binging it back on, then no diet in the world is going to help you until you can control whatever it is inside your head that is causing you to binge.

2 hours a day of workouts just to eat chocolate ? It sounds like you have a fair bit of free time on your hands. Could be boredom be the cause of your binging ?

[meagain]

Bottecilli,

My maintenance guidelines state that I need to do 30 -40mins per day of excercise, to total at least 3 -4 hours per week.

My maintenance guidelines also state that I can continue this excercise if I do my program for less than 14 days, and I should do a couple of days if at any point my weight exceeds 67kgs.

As I understand on Cohen's, you only receive sufficient energy to fuel your body, and when you excercise any carbs (including those in vegetables and crispbreads) go straight to fat stores as your body thinks you are starving it.

[kagiesen]

I reckon that you should either decide to believe in Cohens, and do it, or continue with other programs. You need to believe that Cohens is right. You need to be convinced that the hormones are to blame for cravings, putting on weight, binging etc etc. You need to understand how exercise plays havoc with your blood sugar levels, and hence on the 100% program is forfeits the purpose of getting you body to produce ADEQUATE amounts of insulin rather than to much, sending the signal "store everything you get as fat".

This delicate balance of food is the key to reach your equilibrium, and the re-feed is the key to maintain it even when introducing new foods. You need to be convinced that none of the other diets actually achieves the hormonal change. Why woudl Cohens stuff up your calories in/calories out? And How has calories in/calories out ever worked. Off course, bottom line is: if you eat more than you burn, you get fat. But there is so much more to it: I"ve never been more than 15 kilos above what I wanted to be, I've never ever had a BMI above the "norm", I've been sporty and active doing about 7 hours of mixed cardio and weights, and I've never been happy with it. I was weighing and counting and even had a pulse monitor with which I could count everything incl all calories in, and then the calories out through exercise. I had that set so I only had 1500 per day, be it by eating less, or exercising more, and still NO WEIGHTLOSS at all.

Cohens won't work if you don't see it through, believe me. I have been know to deviate a bit, had more than allowed crackers, and once in a while ONE piece of good chocolate. I thought I'd go back to milk and bread once allowed, but haven't apart from the odd slice of bread. Tastes change.

Do you want to have to obsess about calories in/calories out for the rest of your life? I don't count a single item of food anymore, and when I go exercise now (nearly every day), I actually only do it for fun, not to burn calories. That has changed the fun and approach, and makes it so much nicer.

You need to learn to get off the road of calories in/calories out, seeing food as a reward and exercise as the punishment. I eat what I want (what I want has changed), I run when I feel like it, I look at my muscles growing, and it's awesome.

I agree with Baloo: You have to run for about 40 mins to exercise off a bar of chocolate or so. Not worth it! with the maintenance guideline, you can have 50 gr of chocolate within a certain amount of time after dinner/ lunch, and I don't put on any weight with that. Certain things I avoid, such as fatty carbs, cos my body reacts. Why do you want to eat bad foods?

Cohens helps to address emotional issues such as binging. It's a worthwhile journey!

Katrin

[Kohinoor]

Hi Kagiesen,

I know a "gem" when I see one !! Applause to you girl - that is one outstanding post,

Koh

[kagiesen]

Thanks, Koh, I felt good when I wrote the post, and even better now to have it endorsed by you! I appreciate all your time and dedication you put into this forum!

Katrin

[Faithy]

I have to say I can't understand why you would want to do that either.

Being a person myself who has tried every other diet under the sun & failed & finding that this one 'is the one', well for me anyway, I would never even dream of it.

Yes this program is different from everything we've been taught, but does that mean it's wrong? We can all see the fantastic results that everyone achieves when they stick to this without deviating, & some do incredibly well when they have deviated. Surely the results speak for themselves.
As others have pointed out it's about medicating our bodies. Not about calorie controlling & the ins & outs.

I'm curious to know what's going on inside that head of yours .. is this what you are wishing to do? Or just general curiosity?

I personally think it's awesome that someone such as myself can lose so much weight so quickly without exercise, cause when I was so HUGE I dreaded the thought of doing anything physical.. & knowing as I slim down that I become more energetic & really looking forward to when I reach my goal cause I KNOW then I will be ready to take on the gym.

[bottecelli]

hi again,

thankyou all for sharing your thoughts.I have a lot to say in reply!

firstly Fatcat just checked out your diary and well done!you are going great.yes i hear you re being petrified on this program.i asked my consultant today the same question if you were to go off cohens and go on a low calorie diet say 8ooish calories a day what would happen and she said it depends where you got those calories from.if you got them from cohens type foods then yes youd lose weight.but if you introduced bit bread,choc,milk etc before refeed even at 8oo cals youd put on weight.she also said your body now is a train in motion and you cant stop it,before refeed,so basically dont deviate and try and get there asap.And it feels exactly like that a train in motion,so my fears were justified.hmmm.

Then Babloo,because I have done exercise for 2 hours a day a few times a week, in the past, ipso facto in your world Im bored??Get real.If you want the insiders scoop I was just committed and focused and chose to manage my time very well.I dont think its unheard of for people to exercise say 8 hours a week or more.Dont be so quick to think the worst!

Katrin,you seem to be very clued on to the mechanics of this program and what you wrote was informative.cheers!that said while it goes without saying to get the benefits of this program you need to stay focused in following your personal food plan,but in terms of needing to believe that cohens is the holy grail of fat loss,lets back the track there.the whole point of a forum is to write what you feel as authentically as possible(if you chose to) without fear that if you mention any doubts,queries or criticisms of this program,its just not on.That why im here to nut it out and if im having a day or a bulk of time where i doubt this program so be it.one should never be afraid of looking at the dark side of things and bringing it here to forum to be discussed and debated.not told believe and get on with it,its the best thing ever,dont you dare doubt it..I for one do not believe that I have to fain positive cheer or feel compelled to reproduce positive affirmations for fear of being voted off the island of australia(aka this forum).Its it taboo to say anything even remotely anti-cohens here?Im getting the sense it may well be!Thats outrageous for a forum and im going to candidly say it like I see and feel it.

Faithly you ask what was going on in my head-isnt it obvious?I wanted to hear any thoughts/experiences regarding my question.

bottecelli