Justine's refeed

[Justine]

Start weight: 58.5


Hi everyone,

Well, here I am in refeed. Yesterday I was so conflicted thinking that I could hold out for another week or so to lose the extra bits I really want to lose. I am also going to Melbourne for 4 days next week and thought I could manage better on the old program. But by 6.30 last night I was soooooo tired. I really need to be able to work etc. at night and I found all I could do was lie on the couch. So, hopefully, I will find a way to ditch the extra 3.5 some other way.

Up 200g on my low today. Again, not an auspicious start. And I suspect TOM is on its way 1 week early again.

I am so scared starting this and not in the least excited because I feel like a failure not reaching my own personal goals. But, my family needs me and over the past week or so, I definitely haven't been here. I feel it would be terrible to wake up one morning to find myself skinny but with no family or business left, because I had been lying on the couch exhausted concentrating on being thin! Am so looking forward to getting back to the gym and having energy again.

So, I think I may have already messed up the refeed rules. I am allowed to add one good fruit today. I added some mulberries from our neighbour's tree that have been in the freezer for a while. But I also had them with some mango. While my guidelines do not specifically say not to have two (whole) fruits together, I think I read on someone's refeed diary that this was a no, no. I scooped as many out as I could, but I think I was still over the limit. Does anyone know?

Get to have bread today - oh my gosh!

Thanks everyone who wished me luck and who has made this trip with me, particularly Ruby, Francesca, Chailee, Mette, Cindy and Kate. I couldn't have done it without you girls. Thanks Ruby for all your calculations yesterday. Yep, I am 1.64m. I know my BMI is on the lower range, but my thighs are still bigger than I would like. Hopefully lots of cardio will fix that.

J

[lucylou]

Hi Justine

Welcome to refeed, yes it can be a bit confusing. I spent a lot of time re-reading the guidelines and reading completed refeed diaries. Once we get to 4 fruits we can make a fruit salad and divide it into only three portions. I would mix my fruits into my fabulous fruit muffins...see the refeed recipe section...but would only have the equivalent of one fruit at a time. Just keep it simple and you'll get through it. How long is your refeed? I'm sure you'll lose some more weight during this time.

x

Loulou

[Justine]

Thanks Lucylou,

I tried your apple muffins during the program so will be sure to try your refeed recipes.

My refeed is 15 days. Thanks for the advice - I need all the help I can get!

J

[Francesca]

Hi Justine

Congratulations on starting your refeed!! This is so exciting. Ceburoo just started as well, and I will join the two of you sometime this weekend. Looks like we have a ready-made Refeed Gang to cheer each other on.

I think you did the right thing to start when you did. We have to balance a number of factors when deciding these things and I think you made the right decision overall. Plus as Loulou has said, you may lose more on refeed. My husband dropped another 800g.

How did your body react to the bread? I suspect I may have a slight wheat intolerance so will be watching the bread bit very carefully.

All the best gal!

[new_ruby]

WOW
Look who I found all the way over here in Refeed Land...!!
Well done Mate...
I will follow your next little journey with great interest, and I'm hoping you'll help me out when I get there ?!?!
3 cheers for J !!!

[indiana13]

Congrat's on making it to refeed Justine, great effort!

Hope you are feeling full of energy again soon, I'm sure you'll lose more during refeed and when you get back to the gym as you say. Goodluck with it all...sounds confusing but I'm sure you'll power through it!

Em x

[Mette]

Congrats on reaching the magical land of refeed, Justine! Sounds very exciting and a bit confusing. Part of me is quite happy in my little Cohens cocoon! Another part is quite envious of you! You've done really well, and don't stress about not reaching your personal goal. Your body is where it wants to be, and the most important thing is that you're healthy for yourself and for your family!

[Justine]

Start weight: 58.5
Today's weight 58.5
Change:0.0

Thank you so much to those of you who stopped by. You are so great to me.

Well no change overnight. I guess that's better than a gain.

Had a STEAK SANDWICH for dinner yesterday! Yum, yum. I don't really want to have carbs at night, but was out yesterday so couldn't try the bread any other way and I had been thinking about the steak sandwich for a couple of days!

I took AJ's advice and bought some organic, three ingredient bread. It was a sourdough which I believe is better for you, but not sure if it is allowed. In refeed instructions can be a bit vague. I don't think it had any effect, but I did feel a bit sick last night. However, I did make it to 8.30 pm before dropping on the couch. Still a bit tired and I was very hungry by dinner yesterday, but hunger is easier to deal with than the dizziness and vagueness I have been having.

I think today is basically the same as yesterday, with just a few extra grams of 'old' protein and 'old' veges.

Looking forward to Ceb and Francesca joining me over here in refeed land. I am so glad there seems to be good public transport to here and that so many of you are able to visit so I don't miss you too much. I miss the downward weight however!

J

[Kohinoor]

Hi Justine,

I am so glad there seems to be good public transport to here and that so many of you are able to visit so I don't miss you too much.

lol - yep, sure seems to be pretty reliable, unlike Sydney's....

I miss the downward weight however!

Hey, it's not in your rear-view mirror yet ..... Just enjoy the extra food, stay happy, and "learn your way to Maintenance". You are keeping a daily diary, aren't you?

Well done being here too, Justine - it seems you won't be lonely here at all - two or three more coming by taxi VERY soon

Koh

[TwoZeds]

MMMMMMM..Steak Sandwich......

[new_ruby]

Taxi Koh ? - I'm waiting on the platform for the next Express Train!!
See you at the station soon J !!!
xx Ruby

[lucylou]

Hi Justine

I ate sourdough bread most of the time on refeed. I did try some regular bread just to see what effect it had...and got indigestion. Go the sourdough I say!

Loulou

[Justine]

Start weight: 58.5
Today's weight 58.5
Change:0.0

Yawn, yawn, yawn. No movement at all. Really not happy about this.

Think I will give bread a miss today. It isn't doing anything for me. Will wait til I can have butter and put it on warm Turkish bread- mmm!

No real change in program today. I do continue to be starving. I was up for about an hour before I ate today and then suddenly desperation set in and I had to eat NOW! Less distracted and the dizziness has all but gone, which is good.

Now just to will the scales down a bit more.

J

[shell]

At least you are not gaining any weight!

[Annabelle Joy]

Welcome to refeed Justine. Don't be too concerned about what is, after all, just a number. If your body is ready for refeed and you try to force it to go lower it's going to be difficult to maintain a lower weight anyway.

Sourdough should be okay, it still has wheat and yeast in it, although not the same yeast. I think it's mainly tolerance to wheat that's being tested with the bread. I suggest you keep going with eating bread unless you discover that it's causing you problems, as it is a test for your body. I only tried a sandwich once, found that two slices of bread in the same meal early in refeed was too much for me.

I ate all of my fruits separately, but if you had two at the same time there's no need to be too concerned. Just look at it as an additional test for your body. You've given it a larger than usual injection of fruit sugars, and may have experienced some extra hunger and cravings as a result.

It's a few days before you get enough food to stop feeling hungry. Once you are able to mix proteins you don't have to wait five hours any more. Soon after that you will be complaining about feeling too full.

AJ

[Justine]

Hi again AJ, so lovely of you to drop in. I have been following your maintenance with interest and you seem to be doing really well (tummy bug excluded!). Good tip re the fruit sugars triggering hunger. I hadn't thought of that. So many rules to live by!

J

[ceburoo]

Hi Justine,
Sorry to read that you are having some problems on re-feed. Hopefully all will work itself out for you before you get to the finish of re-feed. I look at the whole picture knowing that Cohens does work. If it is not doing do well for you at the moment you would have to imagine that it will in the long term. Be patient, re-read the rules for re-feed and keep it simple. That is my philosophy on this programme and for me it works.
Good luck Justine stick with it and you will get the results you want.

[Kohinoor]

Hi Justine,

Keep with it, J - you are doing well. BTW, don't be concerned about "weight not dropping" as people are all different. A read around some of the "completed refeed diaries" will yield some interesting results.

As an example, SMS (SundayMorningStaple) actually gained a few hundred grams over the first few days, then came back down to "start weight" over the next few, finally going under start weight on Day TWELVE, then continued to lose until refeed end.

What will happen to you? Hell, I dunno - but you will as it unfolds in front of you Through it all though, just do your best, and stay light and bright (don't want anxiety and stress upsetting the scales - you need those to tell you of food reactions). Think of it, at WORST, you might choose later (say, in Jan 09) to go back on plan, and another refeed to "lose a couple more". That's not a real bad "worst", is it?

Justine, just revel in the fact that you now own the knowledge and have the tools to forever be in control of your weight - now THAT is something to get plain excited about



How's that smile on your face now?

Koh

[Justine]

Start weight: 58.5
Today's weight 58.2
Change:0.3

Hi all,

At least today was a drop. Thank you to all who have encouraged me while I have been miserable. I know those of you still on the plan wonder what I am complaining about, but I am a perfectionist and I'll just leave it at that.

I think I get two new fruits today. This is great for me because I love fruit, but also dangerous because fruit is one of the ways I got here as well. My granddad was a farmer so fruit was always around. And my mum was of the philosophy 'If you are hungry have a piece of fruit'. But when I worked on a kibbutz in Israel for three months, I worked in the grapevines. It was soooo boring we ate all the grapes - hello 75kg by the time I felt Israel. That and the pita bread of course.

So, I hope I don't get too used to the fruit on refeed and that I am able to wean myself back off it.

Did anyone find their stomach expanded on refeed? I was hoping mine had strunk and wanted to keep it shrunk!

Have a great day.

J

[Francesca]

Well done, gal! A loss on Refeed! I've planned my meals for the first eight days and I have to say that I'd be plenty surprised if I lost any weight on Refeed given the sheer amounts we have to consume.

But what everyone else has said is right. The important thing is that we're equipping our body to handle "normal" life and regulating our hormones and that forms the building block for healthy living from here on.

Two fruit at once - my understanding from my consultant is that you're allowed two fruit at one sitting on refeed.

Any idea where we can find refeed recipes? I'd like to get more creative if I can, time-permitting, of course!

Have a good weekend, chicky! Will start my refeed diary tomorrow (sunday). Last day on the loss phase for me today.