Cherry's Refeed Experience

[cherry59]

I've just finished day 13 of my 18 day refeed program and it's getting interesting!!
So far I've reintroduced new protein (using chicken thighs, salmon) carbs (potato so far) and new veg (brussel sprouts and carrots)
Milk was reintroduced on Day 10 as 50ml low fat milk reducing old protein by 40g I don't have milk or sugar in my tea and rarely drink coffee so I've used it as marg/butter on my Hot cross Bun which I said was = 2 1/2 slices bread. I can have 3 slices of 30g a day. I bought the cheaper Hot Cross buns and haven't enjoyed them at all, no flavour at all. Didn't realise spices were so expensive they couldn't be added to the buns.

Confusing isn't it?

The Bad fruits I've enjoyed have been strawberries either in my yoghurt or as a snack and bananas which really I could leave alone easily. I had figs tonight for dessert ( and a little marscapone and choc sauce!!)

As a change from colas I've been drinking Agrum by schweppes which is sugar free, it's a nice change from colas and not too sweet.

This morning my weight was 49.2 down 200g from yesterday. Most of my refeed has been 49.4kg.

The changes coming in the next couple of days are :
increasing new protein and decreasing old protein
increasing new vegetables and less added old vegetables
Adding 1 plain biscuit ( I have a pack of scotch fingers hidden for this!!)
Alcohol but reducing bread by 1 slice per drink of 200mls ( I have a birthday bottle on ice waiting for this)

Hope everyone is having a safe and relaxing Easter

[cherry59]

Hope everyone has had a safe and enjoyable Easter we stayed home this year so did the usual long lies in bed with the papers and many cups of tea !!

Monday we drove to Glenelg and then walked to the Somerton Park surf club and back then over the barrage to look at more houses along the waterfront. Then because my legs were still ok , (hubby was complaining but I didn't hear it!!) I dragged him to Harbourtown for a little retail therapy, size 6 Colorado shorts and XS tops from Jeans west. We think all up it was close to 13km we walked in 2 and a bit hours. Distance doesn't seem far when there's lots to look at.

I dropped to 49.2 Monday then after some deviations that night rose up to 49.8 so I'm repeating day 16 just to get it right.

I'm now at the stage of dropping old protein and veg and getting it wrong. I did it mentally for the last 2 days and got so confused today I'll write it down and keep better track.

So today it's Add 200g new protein and lose 80g old
Add 80g old veg and 120g new
2 Bad fruits
3 slices bread with marg on 1
50g carbs and 1 plain biscuit
200ml wine and 1 less slice bread

Food today yoghurt and kiwi fruit
2 slices bread with mozz cheese and old veg as bruschetta. Banana as snack
dinner will be salmon and veg followed by rockmelon
cup of tea in bed with a scotch finger biscuit Went to have my first one last night knew I had bought a packet and put in the pantry. Trouble was 24 year old son knew that too and they were gone by the time I wanted 1 so they are hidden today!!

Won't have wine or extra bread. Will try to keep the week days alcohol free as they have been along the way then know I can enjoy a couple over the weekend.
It's the Friday night one I have missed the most, seems to signify the work is done, time to relax.

Won't have the 50mls milk either need to cut old protein by 40g if Ii have milk



Thursday is my next consultation when I get the maintenance guidelines as the next stage in this journey, which I've just realised is tomorrow!! I lost track of days withh all these 4 day weeks recently.






















Have been told by several people this week that I'm looking so much younger , this feels good, almost more than "Gee you've lost weight", as I was beginning to feel rather matronly before starting cohens.
Now my 22 year old daughter is looking enviously at the new clothes.

[cherry59]

After 18 days I've finished refeed . It was so confusing at the end with the adding and subtracting of old and new proteins and vegetables. Then taking old protein for milk etc.

I started at 48.9, jumped quickly to 49.4 at the end I was 49.9. My goal is 46 -49 kilo. Think 46 is too low so aimed for 49 as start of refeed.

Today I'm at 50.4 after lots of wine, chocolate and other carbs after a big weekend. Today I'm back to the basic program for a few days to get back to prerefeed weight.

I want to sit at 49 so it's only 1.5 to get rid of.

This cooler weather isn't encouraging a water intake that's enough and I can feel myself getting thirsty. When I do have a drink I find I'm drinking 600ml at a time. Something to work on.

[meagain]

Well done cherry,

welcome to the big bad scary post Cohen's world!!

You'll be fine.

[cherry59]

Thanks Meagain

I really enjoyed the "heavy weekend" of not worrying about what I was eating and drinking especially the pork roast with all the veg to finish the weekend.

This was knowing that I'd have to toe the line again during the week. But I suppose this is part of the balancing act that is life itself!!

Cherry

[Tuti]

Hi Cherry,

Congratulations on finishing refeed and I am glad you enjoyed your weekend.

I was just wondering when you say you are back to the basic program does that mean you will go back to weighing your food?

Cheers
Tuti

[cherry59]

Thanks Tuti

Yes just for a few days I'll go back to the actual program used for the weight loss part. I've still got lots of little packages of protein in the freezer to use up so it won't be too hard.

Think I may keep a few packages in the freezer for emergencies and motivation to get back on track when I need to get the weight back under control.

Cherry

[hexi2]

Wow Cherry - refeed really has a mind of its own!


Congrats for getting through it all...and thanks for sharing

[Annabelle Joy]

Congratulations, Cherry. I've really appreciated your posts as refeed has been a mystery to me prior to this.

AJ

[pandora]

Wow Cherry, congratulations on finishing refeed and becoming a cohens graduate! Sounds like you had a fabulous weekend and you now find yourself in the slightly scary territory of making up your own program based on the lifestyle guidelines! You are still maintaining your cohen goal range so that is fantastic and i must say i found the first couple of weeks scary - more fo - more choice etc, but 5 months on i look back and realise all i needed was faith and trust in the program, refeed, lifestyle etc and now know without a doubt, cohens is PRICELESS! I now eat about 4 times the food i did at the end of refeed, just built up gradually - couldnt eat more (+ wine!) if i tried! Have a fabulous week Cherry,

[cherry59]

Thanks all for the thoughts .

I didn't like the scales Mon am after the weekend but just 2 days of breakfast and lunch cohens and dinner protein ( new pork roast ) and veg with no potato but sweet potato, and other new veg I'm back to 49.6.

Yesterday I found myself eating crackers at school even tho I wasn't hungry but feeling the need to chew. If that makes sense. I keep a snaplock bag of crackers in my handbag for this prupose and will continue this. I like the vitawheats cos they don't break up in my bag but still require some chewing to eat.

I've been enjoying the stone fruits on this program but they really have finished and the 2 nectarines I took yesterday for recess were soft in the middle so really was only 1 by the time I cut out the yuck. Have to look for the other fruits to enjoy now.

I've decided to keep the alcohol for the weekends and enjoy sodas of different flavours with dinner. I grew up not drinking anything with meals (parents always had tea after meals) but my scottish husband always drank with meals, cordial to begin with now it's wine!! So I have to change another habit. But it's all for the better for my health.

I have enjoyed having carrots, broccoli and brussel sprout again as they were staple veg for us.

At my consult for maintenance was told to weight myself every 2nd Friday to keep an eye on the weight. But afarid now I'm a daily weigher and don't think that will change. I'm scared of putting the weight back on too much.
Must get off this forum and get to the assignment that's been waiting for 2 months for me to finish!!

Cherry

[Annabelle Joy]

Daily weighing and being afraid to put the weight back on sound like a great start to maintaining the current weight, Cherry. Compared with that, the losing is easy.

AJ

[cherry59]

It's been a week now since I finished refeed. I find that during the week I stick to the basics of protein and veg and leave out as much carbs as I can. Then when I indulge on the weekend I try to keep guidelines in my mind. Protein before wine, if have wine what do I mean if!! then less carbs. Veg with every meal, it's the water that I miss out on. But when I have water I drink a 600ml bottle in one go then really could have another in half an hour or so. I am really recognising thirst and then trying to keep up the fluids!


This morning I had toast for breakfast but had cheese on it so got the protein in that way. Even tho I've had 3 cups of tea already the salt in the cheese has increased thirst!! I have weak black tea with no sugar so it's as my husband says dirty water!!

Met two people during the week that I haven't seen for months and got some great compliments. One even said I must have been good to achieve the loss!! Must keep that one in my mind for when the Deviate monster raises it's ugly head!!

Off to get washing done then I can do 2 weeks of ironing watching the showdown this afternoon.

Cherry

[shell]

Congratulation on finishing re-feed Cherry
You must be so proud of yourself, and a bit scared as this is only the begining!
Keep us updated on how you are going, so we can support you if you need it, and for us to learn from you.
I definatly will be hanging about after re-feed for the senasationsl support and to hopefuly help others comming through.

I am so glad Asy started this forum, as it sure has been a help, and I don't think I would have managed nowhere near as well without all this support.
Shell

[Annabelle Joy]

I am sooo looking forward to refeed (many months yet). Do enjoy reading your diary, Cherry.

AJ

[cherry59]

another week gone and now on holidays us teachers need them even if parents hate them!! I've been fighting a cold (no doubt coming from someone's little darling at school) for the last week so there's been cough lollies increasing the sugar load.


I weighed in at 50.2 this morning after 3 1/2 days of indulgences including wine, chocolate, brownies with ice cream and last night vegie soup with fresh white bread.

So back on the program during the week to get back to 49.5
The last couple of weekends I've gone up by this amount then back down in 2 days. I'm happy with this routine as it means to me that I am taking care of myself and then enjoying myself too. Having my cake and eating it too. I feel this is what refeed and maintenance is all about.

I just need to up the water, yep again!! and be vigilant with the scales. I do find that once I start on a treat I want it again the next day. Been reading the thread about green tea so will up my quota of that along with the chromium too.

All my big clothes are on the way to the op shop so I can't go back to them. I feel a little guilty about all the clothes I've had to buy. I actually now have to stop myself buying clothes by saying I can only wear one outfit at a time so even though there's so many more clothes to choose from I don't need them!!


Thanks to all who post on the forum. I've found it to be so helpful and inspirational.
Cherry

[shell]

Thanks for keeping us up to date

Sounds like you are working out what works for you!
Well done
Shell

[Annabelle Joy]

Sounds like you are doing what I'm hoping will work for me, Cherry.

AJ

[hexi2]

Interesting reading Cherry - I guess we all have to be 'in touch' with our bodies

Thanks for sharing

PS Have you started an exercise regime?

[cherry59]

Well I've discovered that I really can't ignore the pains in the belly any longer. Yep I've let myself a long leash this week and it's not working. the scales are up to 50.7 this morning which is 1 kg up from where I finished refeed and where I want to sit.

My consultant suggested I set a mental limit that if I reach it I go back to the weightloss program for a couple of days and that should let that weight go.

I have had more wine this week than I normally have, also it's been a cheap cleanskin and I haven't really enjoued the flavour of it. Might get myself some better wine and actually enjoy it when I have it. Sure AJ would agree with that!!!

Hexy I've joined the gym but haven't been for a couple of weeks, had a cold and wanted to rest up as the next term looks to be a busy one with school, study and marking the literacy tests the kids do in May. Will get back into routine next week and get the abs toned a bit and some strength back into the quads and hamstrings.

Have noticed that the skin around the tops of my arms is really loose the old chicken wings flapping in the breeze!! Not a nice look!!

So for the rest of today and the weekend it's vigilance, determination and confidence.
Cherry