Kristine's 2017 Diary

[Kristine..]

Dear New You Forumites

Yes, I am back. Here I am. G'Day.

I have got a brand new Program from the lovely Gardenvale (Vic) Clinic and Sunee has weighed and measured me

So, I'm off!

I had intended to start on 4th February to track my progress against my amazing 28 kilo loss in 2006, which started on 4th February, but once Australia Day was over I realised that waiting another week served no purpose, so with Sunee's agreement I officially commenced the 2017 Program on Monday 20th January, 2017

In May 2006, I wore a pair of brand new size 10 pants to my Birthday dinner. I still have those pants and I still have - and again wear - the size 18 pants I wore to work in January, 2006.

A whole lifetime has happened in the eleven years since, and I hope that this time I will be able to maintain my Goal Weight indefinitely. No Global Financial Crisis, no Giving Up Smoking, no other major distractions or calamities ..... well, if you believe that!!!

I have chosen the same ticker as previously, I look forward to dancing my way along the time line of this amazing program, the kilo melting away

Looking forward to meeting you all in cyberspace over the next few months

Lotsa love
Kristine

[manilamommy]

Hi Kristine!
There's a handful of us doing a second round of our eating plan.
I'm impressed you had 11 years in between! It just took me 5 years to get back to my starting point. Sad.
But I'm eager to go through this journey again. Luckily you're here too so we can cheeer each other on!
MM

[Kristine..]

Hey, thanks Manila Mommy!

I shall put up a precis of my weight activities since 2006, but suffice to say that stopping smoking eventually put me over the edge of the weight maintenance cliff

In September last year (2016) I went to my GP for advice and was referred to a Dietitian ($$$). I followed her instructions .... and put on another 5 kilos!

Getting the wrong information can be very problematic. My Mike said 'Well, you know Cohen's works for you, rather than spend more money avoiding the issue, why not get another program and just do it?"

Once the decision was made, it was such a relief, and this program is quite different to the 2006 program. Same food but the weight combinations are different. And even though I don't usually eat it, I asked for tofu to be included in my meal choices just to widen the food options.

At Day 13, I realise I had forgotten what a culinary resource the wonderful cellar of vinegars can be .... it is quite an adventure and a lot more fun than feeling really horrible and obese and so fat and frumpy .... and doing nothing about it!

Dinner tonight: Pan fried lean Rump steak, pricked all over with the point of the knife, seasoned and sprinkled with dry mustard powder, oregano, and marinated in balsamic vinegar while I make a mushroom, tomato, squash and celery top (including the leaves) salsa, dressed with parsley and creamy mayonnaise and served with a side of Salada crackers.

I plate the steak and while it's resting, de-glaze the pan with the remaining marinade, reduce the liquor a bit, scrape all the lovely herb bits from the bottom of the pan and pour over the steak. I must admit to licking the plate after this, yes, licking the plate is a very bad habit I developed during Cohen's #1 and I seem to do this only when eating my Cohen's meals!

Yes it is very bad but I am going to continue doing it!

Lotsa love
Kristine

[jessy]

Hi Kristina and welcome back !!

I will love reading your diary going forward , all the best and Cohen's on

[Kristine..]

Dear Diary

Monday 13th February
Start of Week Three
Start: 87.70. Today: 83.5 Kilo. Loss to Date: 4.20 kilo.

I am adapting to this getting up by the Alarm caper.

Working from home means that over years my circadian clock had drifted to late starts and late ends, everything about five hours out of kilter all the time.

During the first week I didn't sleep too well as I was waiting for the Alarm! You know how it is ... I didn't want to sleep through it and as a result I didn't sleep much at all!

But I am now in the zone of going to bed by about 10:30pm, reading the Kindle for a while, and waking up for the 7:30am bell!

I figure that if I don't complete Breakfast by 8:00am Local Time then the whole day is thrown out

And we can't have that.

After two weeks I feel very good indeed. Not quite into the happy bubble but much more calm than usual. I tend to be a bit noisy and Out There and I am starting to feel centered, balanced, less frayed around the edges

Eating regular meals, getting regular sleep, allowing myself to focus on this program, it is all giving me a lovely feeling of calm.

Maybe even no alcohol helps, I think that everything is rejuvenating, I will be a New You!

My Consultant emailed me today, I like that she does this. My 2006 Clinic did some follow up emails but not on a regular basis and after they closed, Margaret in Perth took over the customer base and I heard from her a few times but by then I was well into Refeed so the need for support had lessened somewhat

I did the 2006 Program essentially by myself and put a Diary up on the then Somersoft Property Investment Forum as there was no where else to post such a thing. I am glad to say that my Diary influenced a number of people to consider Cohen's and at least a few to undertake the program for themselves.

So I was pleased to hear from Sunee today, it is nice to have someone in my corner, cheering me on!

Lunch today was Chicken Saag. Yummy! I don't know what it is about this food, it is just chicken, just mushrooms, just frozen spinach with a rice cake in the bottom of the bowl but Oh Golly Gosh, it sure tasted good!!!

Thanks, Jessy for looking in. I would love to hear more about your life in Remote Australia. Mine here in Suburban Melbourne is pretty good but I am sure that your endless sky must be fabulous!!

Lotsa love
Kristine

[jessy]

LOL , Endless dirt and dust it always seems

[Kristine..]

Wednesday 15th February
Week Three
Start: 87.70. Today: 82.6 Kilo. Loss to Date: 5.30 kilo.

Is it my imagination or am I not quite as swallowed-a-basketball-bulgy as yesterday?

My particular body shape when obese is big bellied. That's about it. Big bellied.

So of course my belly is what goes through the doorway first, it is what stick out from between the lapels of my jackets, it is what people first look at.

No one stares, it is simply an automatic reaction, the flick of the eyes, as the belly is seen, noted and mentally filed away in the part of our brains which stores information on facial recognition, voice recognition and general body features. That big bellied woman.

From today, with just a tad over 5 kilos gone, I will start to shrink. By the time I reach goal there will be no saggy baggy belly to make me feel gross, ugly, frumpy.

I am starting to feel the excitement of this program. The serotonin levels are starting to build, the Human Growth Hormone daily dose will be nominally higher from almost nothing to possibly measurable and I feel that I am close to being in the Bubble of well being that this food generates in the body.

Why on earth do we go off and scoff rubbish? Sure chicken and mushroom sounds somewhat woossie when everyone around you is eating bagels and roasted lamb shanks with crispy potatoes roasted in goose fat (whatever are they thinking?) and finishing off with Death by Chocolate loaded with double cream. Probably the paleo diet!

But we Cohenites just swan around in this gleaming, happy bubble and shrink like a cellophane bag in a hot oven.

Bring it on, I say!

Lotsa love
Kristine

[Kohinoor]

Hi Kristine,

Well, you DID it girl!!! After receiving your email today, I just thought "To hell with everything else - I want to Log on and just see what is happening on Newyou!" Especially with you.

And, just like before, you treat us all to a wonderful description of your experiences as you walk the walk - just like last time (the Somersoft one that I still recall).

Your writing is a true gift to everyone else reading it. And I am totally behind you as you "Get on and get it done" once more and become that svelte wraith that I recall seeing in that old photo.

So you have chucked the ciggies too? Well done!! So have I, two years back now - and I now have "the belly" that shows
1. I like a beer too much, and
2. I maybe snack too much with no ciggies

Despite all that, I remain about 83Kg at a height of 187cm these days (I've shrunk just a tad) so I am maybe teetering on early Overweight - not sure, haven't done the Maths. Still, I feel pretty good, and with 71 looming, I guess that is not too shabby.

Go hard young lady - I will stop by to see how you go...

Rock on Kristine,

Koh

[Kristine..]

Hey, thanks Koh

No ciggies .... I swear that smoking for how many years, then not smoking, either creates or stops masking, some sort of metabolic structuring

And .... (yes, more dots) why is it belly fat? Answer me that! Why not shoulder fat or knee fat or eyebrow fat (well we are all meant o be 5% Neanderthal!). Smack dang right there on the belly for all to see.

And that's got me thinking, is the belly thing exclusive to ex-smokers? Everyone I know who used to smoke has The Belly, even if they are slim to skinny everywhere else!

But once the dreadful night sweats and the gingivitis and the craving for jelly babies has passed, I am very pleased that I don't smoke any more.

Koh, you have inspired so many people on and along their Cohen's Journey. You answered how many posts, always with good humour and such strong support, you are a Natural Phenomenon, a Force of Nature in your own right!

But, time and tide wait for no man, and your life has taken you in other directions. The Forum is much quieter now but there are still embers in the grate, and we will shine again.

Please do look in from time to time, you are a Freeman of the Forum, you have the keys to the City, and are always welcome here

Thanks again for you comments today

Lotsa love
Kristine

[Kristine..]

Dear Diary

Saturday 18th February
Saturday of Week Three
Start: 87.70. Today: 82.4 Kilo. Loss to Date: 5.30 kilo
Less than 20 kilos to Goal!

We went off to Coles yesterday and when I put on one of my classy and fashionable Miller's tee-shirts, suddenly thought that perhaps The Belly wasn't as prominent as it had been a couple of weeks ago.

Did the fabric drape just ever so slightly, instead of being stretched taut across the front?

Were my tatty old Millers Comfort Jeans, stretched beyond recognition, actually feeling not quite like the tourniquet they usually inflict upon me?

I went off with a spring in my step, chose Ruby Grapefruit for a change instead of just the usual Oranges, found a large vacuum pack of the Harris Black Label coffee which actually tastes better, black and yay! rice cakes were On Special so overall it was a successful Shopping Expedition!

And today is Saturday: The sun is shining, the birds are singing. We seem to have had more of a Spring than a Summer, this season. We shall don our hats and go for a walk at low tide, see what we shall see. The Bay is still showing >20 degrees on the Port Phillip Temperature Map http://www.baywx.com.au/sst1.html but that doesn't mean that .... even wearing my new End of Season Special Millers Swimsuit ... it would feel warm enough to full body splash about in!!

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend

Lotsa love
Kristine

[manilamommy]

Hi Kristine!
I noticed that too! The tummy is the first to shrink up. Doesn´t it feel amazing!?
Keep that spring on your step and keep in skipping onto your skinny you.
Cheers, MM

[Kristine..]

Dear Diary

Thursday 23rd February
Mid-week, Week Four
Start: 87.70. Today: 81.6 Kilo. Loss to Date: 6.10 kilo
Less than 20 kilos to Goal!

Well they say that Variety is the Spice of Life

I enjoy various herbs and spices and Cohen's 2006 the herb of choice was Oregano. This was quite by accident, I thought it was dried Parsley and sprinkled it over just about everything but once I'd used it all and bought Parsley as a replacement, realised my error. Well, I don't usually Do The Cooking so how was I to know?

I had not really used Oregano before except perhaps on pizza and had not used it again since.

Now, Cohen's Program 2017 I am hungry for Oregano again. It is cooked into and sprinkled on everything (except yoghurt). Go figure!

Anyway, yesterday the Sunbeam Mini Bake n Grill which I bought on impulse arrived, just as we were going out. We couldn't get home quick enough .... Mike just loves new gadgets ... who doesn't? and he set to work unpacking and testing and finding a place to put it and all the palavering that goes on with a new kitchen gadget.

So, yesterday's lunch for me was Cohen's Salada Pizza grilled to perfection, and Mike did Cauliflower Cheese for his dinner, and I took the iPad to bed and looked up 60 Meals You Didn't Know You Could Make In A Toaster Oven (yes, sad I know, I really should Get A Life!!) and this morning leaped out of bed to make:

Baked Egg:

• 1 Mini / Toaster Oven
• 1 small cast iron fry pan or small heat proof dish
• Mushroom
• Tomato
• Spinach
• Egg

Method:
Slice / Chop x Mushroom & Tomato and arrange in pan, crack egg into centre, season lightly (salt & pepper, oregano, chilli flakes etc) and scatter chopped Spinach over
Cook in Mini Oven for 10 minutes on high or until hot enough to smell and hear the food cooking
Turn off Oven and do other important things for a few minutes like get your usual Breakfast Fruit ready, drink a couple of glasses of water, take your fish oil & multi vitamins etc
Sit at table and enjoy your Baked Egg with salty crispbread and freshly brewed coffee
***

I like baked eggs done on the stove top but if I can avoid using the stove top I do, simply because it is heat critical and I get distracted and tend to wander away from the stove. I manage this tendency to wander by using other methods of cooking if I can, but the oven is too expensive to turn on to cook just one egg and the grill in the oven is too slow and too expensive to turn on for just one Salada pizza, so this Mini Oven / Toaster Oven is just the thing to add variety and safe cooking (set the timer and it turns itself off) for me.

And, an egg for breakfast means an extra vegetable allowance, it is not just that the egg replaces the yoghurt, it is that the Egg & Vegetables is an option to Yoghurt in that Meal #1 Menu Selection.

So, I ate the Kiwi Fruit while cooking the egg. Unfortunately Mike found yesterday's evening Orange still in it's cup, peeled and ready to eat, put into the Microwave for safekeeping while I ate my Dinner .... but then I got distracted and somehow forgot to eat it!

What was that about Yesterday's Dinner? Well, this morning's Snack will be Yesterday's Orange!!

And yes I now have some fragrant Rosemary from the garden by my computer to help me remember to turn things off and to check the Microwave for forgotten Oranges!!

Lotsa Love
Kristine

[manilamommy]

What a funny post, Kristine!
Using undercover parsley (when it was really oregano!) lol.
Why do you have an orange in your microwave? And the need to safekeep in there!

I love new kitchen gadgets and cutlery too! Funny how I ended up buying all these gadgets while I was on Cohen´s 5 years ago. An airfryer, food chopper, blender, double sided pan, little ramekins and cute plates ... and it was when I was eating the least!

Oh and another thing on Oregano. I wonder if youre dealing with some kind of inflammation. Its a known herb for its anti-inflammatory effects. Maybe youre craving it because your body really needs it.

Have a great day and enjoy the new toaster oven!
MM

[Kristine..]

Dear Diary

Saturday 25th February
Late-week, Week Four
Start: 87.70. Today: 81.6 Kilo. Loss to Date: 6.10 kilo
Less than 20 kilos to Goal!

It's been an interesting week.

I got offered a job!

Yep, I have been self employed since leaving PAYG when my Daughter was about twelve months old and I decided to do volunteer work while I had the opportunity to do so and then along came Baby#3 and after a few years being on Committees and involved with Working Groups, I stood for Election (as you do) and then, bought a Child Care Centre and over the years have had a few different enterprises, currently 13 years writing Home Loans which is very interesting but ....

Hilary Clinton is one of the greatest modern Role Models women and girls can have. Hilary has worked all her life and has been a significant influence not only in American politics but around the World.

Hilary is 67. Our very own Ita is 75 and continues to take on new projects and commitments. A lot is said about Early Retirement. Ask Hilary and Ita what they think of Early Retirement!!!

So I have been actively looking for work for about two years. I have been offered three commission only jobs over that time, only to find that in each case, the people themselves were mad as snakes and the placements were therefore short lived ... having achieved nothing but expense and frustration on my behalf.

My Sister has worked in the Public Service since leaving University and commented that her Department couldn't run without the Contract, Casual and Temp placements who come in for specific tasks

So, I broadened the Key Words in my SEEK search and suddenly there was a whole new world out there! Reading the Job Descriptions was like turning back the clock 30 years, to when I was on all those Committees and all that infrastructure and support and resources were all there for the taking!

Anyway, I applied for this job and got the not unexpected 'Thanks but Not Suitable' response, and then a couple of weeks later, the phone call (interviewing the B List before re-advertising) and the rest is history!

But not only that, the Interview Panel apparently proclaimed themselves delighted and are excited about the experience I can bring to their service, and I am delighted and excited, too, so for once the Moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars and by the time I start (later in March, past the Ides!), I will be another 6 kilos down and will be in size 14 so the people who meet me will meet the slimmer version, not the obese version, of me.

And, as this will involve shift work, I don't have to burn any bridges and will still get to write the occasional Home Loan on my off days, so it's all good!

Just thought I'd share!!

Off to Gardenvale Clinic on Monday, Blood Test #2 and Weigh In #2, looking forward to completing this four week bracket and moving on to the next

Lotsa love
Kristine

[jessy]

That's really cool

[Soon2BSlim]

Nice going Kristine! Well done on your losses to date.

I love the way you write - you have a real gift. Have you ever thought of writing a book?

Louise

[Kristine..]

Dear Diary

Sunday 26th February
Late-week, Week Four
Start: 87.70. Today: 81.1 Kilo. Loss to Date: 6.60 kilo
Less than 20 kilos to Goal!

Well, here I am at the Eleventh Hour of Week Four.

Sunday is Measuring Day but you know even though I feel tighter and look tauter that Tape Measure is coy and not showing much difference from the starting measurements.

However, in 2006 I shrank about 1.1 metres overall so I mustn't expect too much in the first month; it is the overall program results which count.

I would be delighted to be under 81 kilos tomorrow morning Dry Weight but I know by the time I get to the Clinic I will weigh more. If I can record an Official loss of more than 6 kilo for the month that would satisfy me.

We are enjoying our Toaster Oven and Mike baked Damper-For-One for his dinner yesterday, to have with his freshly made celery soup. It is nice to have the novelty of a new kitchen gadget, we are both figuring out ways to use it and haven't had the big oven turned on since unpacking the mini oven on Wednesday

Thanks for looking in ManilaMommy:

Living in Melbourne we get lots of House Flies although not as many as when we lived in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. I never leave food uncovered in the kitchen and either put an insect net (one of those umbrella thingies) over food on the bench or if it is just one bowl, put it in the microwave or oven for safekeeping against insects.

I would use cling film or put the food into the fridge, but when I intend to eat it soon I don't bother with the Glad Wrap. If it is a warm day I won't leave it on the bench and I don't particularly like cold food, so the microwave is a handy place to put eg an orange next in line to be eaten. But, I sometimes forget what is where and am surprised to find it still waiting for me, the next day.

Right now the microwave is sheltering today's meat portions which will soften in their packs but not fully defrost by the time I start preparing Lunch and I will marinade the steak back in the microwave, for my Dinner.

Thanks for looking in, Jessy and Soon2BeSlim:

I appreciate your comments and encouragement. I enjoy writing and looking back over my own Forum diaries I feel as if I have said it all before and of course if I haven't, someone has, but while we all share many commonalities we are each unique. It is the personal experience of the everyday which makes reading other Diaries and writing our own, an important part of this particular experience.

If you, gentle reader, get a surprise or a laugh or can take anything away from what I write then I am very pleased indeed! My Darling Mother was taught by the Sisters of Mercy and to be able to read and write was such a privilege, something never to be taken for granted. My Brave Daughter is a nomadic political and environmental Journalist living out of a Rivers bag wherever she may find herself. Daughters of Women Who Work, eh!

Beautiful day here in Melbourne, The World's Most Liveable City! After such a moderate Summer we will probably have one of those Autumn we are famous for .... long, calm, sunny, just a delight to be in Melbourne through to Easter. A walk at Low Tide sounds like a great reward if only I can get FY2016 Tax done I will not have a care in the World!!

Lotsa love
Kristine

[Soon2BSlim]

Wow Kristine! Shrinking 1.1 metres on your last Cohen's journey was a huge achievement!!

I tend to do the same as you and temporarily 'store' foods in the microwave rather than putting them in the fridge with glad wrap. I also have a couple of plastic plate covers that I use if I have dished up a meal and it's not going to be eaten immediately or needs temporary protection from flies.

Here's hoping with you for being under 81 kg tomorrow!

Louise

[manilamommy]

Hi Kristine!
Congratulations on your weight loss AND a new job!!! Im so excited for you to be able to go shopping for some skinny work outfits. Dont go overboard tho, you know you wont last long in that size and youll go down even more in no time.

I know how you mean about meeting new people as the "fat" you and the "skinny" you. Im the same -- I just dont have the confidence when Im dumpy and fat. Its almost like how we feel in this anonymous forum. You can be yourself, share your fear or anger, and not be worried about being judged by your weight. My skinny friends tell me tho its all in my head. So yeah, I have issues.

Makes sense on your microwave. It doubles up as a launch pad, sort of. Multi-function. I like that in gadgets! hahaha

Anyhoo, I hope you have a fab day.
MM

[jessy]

Originally Posted by manilamommy

Hi Kristine!
, and not be worried about being judged by your weight. My skinny friends tell me tho its all in my head. MM

Its not in your head dear MM , over weight people are judged more harshly. I am treated differently being heavier by everyone . From strangers, to check out clerks, and friends... some friends and acquaintances can take offense to my weight loss due to their own insecurity.

Then some skinny people have gloated about the Look at me I am fabulous and look at them !! crazy ego monster going on in there heads they invited me to see when I was back at goal weight....... such a crazy world... What annoyed me is I am the same person...I didn't change my body did ....

Sorry for the highjack