fornight's diary

[asy]

welcome to fornight's diary

[fornight]

Hi everyone!
FlaMie is the one who told me about this forum and I met her in another forum. I am totally excited to find this forum because wealth of information and number of active members to gain support from. I cannot wait to read everyone’s diaries!!!

My name is Jenny and this is my 2nd time doing Cohen. My first time was back in 2006. I lost approx 14kg during that time (goal was 20kg) and I stopped without refeed. Why? I felt cocky that time and thought that I got the diet concept figure out. I thought that as long as I stick to only proteins but with bigger portion, the loss will continue. In the end, I gained back all the loss within a few months. That is what happened when you think you are too smart for the diet!!

Since then, I tried a few other diets (south beach diet, meal replacement, Chinese acupuncture, and even hypnotherapy!) but they don’t work as well as Cohen. I wanted to go back to Cohen but I switched to a different job in mid 2007 and the job requires frequent travelling. I could only stay 1 to 2 weeks in Singapore each month. I was not confident that I was able to stick to the diet 100% when I was out of country. Main reasons were I was still learning the job (complete change in job nature) and needed to handle the stress of travelling alone to different countries that I had never been to before. There were too many goals to accomplish during that time so I was not sure if I could add Cohen in the list.

After 3 years, I think it is time to look into this issue seriously. I cannot afford to push it any longer. I am 33 yrs old this year and my excess body weight is giving me health complications. I am suffering from cervical and lumbar disc prolapse – at their worst I suffer chronic pain all day long and not able to sit for more than 10 min. In addition, I have borderline hypertension. Diabetes run in my family and it seems inevitable that I will get it in a few years’ time based on what I see in my cousins (even those who are sticky thin). I want to find a soul-mate to share my life with me but what kind of life am I offering? A life filled with pain and medicine? That is not a life but a punishment! I have to do something to change that!

I am going through intensive chiropractic treatments now (3 times a week) and my pain is now more manageable. On good days, I hardly feel any pain. I can sit and work on the desk longer now but still have to remind myself to walk around every 30 minutes before the pain starts. Building up my vertebral health is a long process (at least 6 months). I have learnt to accept this fact and put my impatience aside.

Things at work are slower now. I am getting used to as well as competence in my job. Travelling is now at its minimum due to economic downturn. In addition, due to my disc problem, my doctor has advised me to minimize long haul travelling. I have more stable working hours.

I went to Singapore Cohen office on 22nd May 09 to re-enroll for the program and did my blood test the next day. I got my program on 27th May and started my diet on 29th May 09. Since I was on the diet before, I knew I would have headaches in the first few days. That was why I started the diet on a Friday. This way I could nurse my pain at home through the weekends. I knew my first week will be filled with food cravings so I arranged a busy work week in the office. It helped to take my mind off food that week.
I make myself a promise that I will not weigh daily for my first month. I will only weigh myself at the end of the first month and then subsequently weekly weigh-in. In my last experience, I had emotional roller coaster due to my daily weigh-in so this time I refuse to let the weighing machine dictate my moods.

As for food, my mum and our domestic assistant are geniues!!!! I have complete support from them. They make my Cohen food so delicious that I look forward to eat them every time. I don’t eat beef so I will be sticking to only chicken and seafood for my meals. I don’t really care for chicken breast meat but they marinate them so well that I actually enjoy eating them. I am sure I am making people jealous now because I have two personal Cohen chefs at home but they really deserve to be complimented for being so supportive in my Cohen diet.

I don’t really care for apple but I do try to take them if I find my BM a bit jammed. I do take multi-vitamin, multi-mineral and fish oil supplements. I usually take them in the morning and afternoon. I cannot take them in the evening because they kind of keep me awake if I do. I know that sleep is very important in Cohen diet so I try my best to get to bed by 10.30pm. In order to make sure my mind is also keeping in pace with the changes, I do religious chanting for 30minutes each day. It acts like meditation for me and helps to calm my mind before sleep.

This time round, I am going to take it slow and steady. I told myself I will follow the plan strictly with no “smart alec” modifications like last time. I make a few mini goals for myself.

My very first goal is to reach 70kg which I hope I already have by my next weigh-in (26th Jun).
Second goal is 65kg and if I reach it, I will buy myself a fancy Tanita Scale that will display all kinds of data like bone mass and body fat % (I am crazy over gadgets).
My third goal is 60kg which I will reward myself by doing an expensive gel overlay/nail art manicure. I even have the design ready. I wanted to do this for the longest time but always thought they are too expensive.


My last goal will be 54kg - I will buy myself a nice set of BIKINI!!!!! I am not really sure about the reward for this goal but I am ready to at least shop around and trying them out in the fitting rooms. Heeheehee!

I apologize for rattling on for so long! I am just terribly excited to be able to start a diary here.

[fornight]

The Basics
Start Date - 29 May 2009
Starting Weight - 77.5kg
Height – 159cm
Age – 33 yrs old
Goal Weight Range given by Dr Cohen - 54kg to 57kg
Target Weight before re-feed – 54kg
Target Loss – 23.5kg

Date: Mon, 22 Jun 09
Cohen Date: Day 24
Weight: -
Breakfast: Sunshine egg and stir-fry cabbages
Lunch: Curry Chicken with Cai Xin
Dinner: Spicy Prawns with Spinach
Water: 3L plus 2 cups of Green Tea and 1 cup of black coffee
Fruits: 2 servings of mango
Deviations: Nil
BM Factor: Nil

I know I make a promise to myself that I should only weigh once a month (aka 4weekly) but all my friends think I should at least weigh weekly. I do notice the anxiety in me waiting 4 weeks for results but I am also worried that fluctuations between weeks due to TOM and EOM will affect my moods - demoralize me. Maybe if I try to prepare my mind about it, I will be able to handle weekly weigh-in.

I have an urge to buy Tanita scale soon (despite the promise that I will only get it when I reach 65kg) so that I can start collecting body fat % data. There are so many things I want to do!!!

A friend is coming home for holiday around end of this week or so. She is studying in Brisbane and was on South Beach Diet before she went to Brisbane. She is still on South Beach Diet. She used to be bigger than me (despite being shorter than me) but now she is so much thinner than me now. I am so envious. I tried to do South Beach Diet before and I could not do it because I tend to over-indulge.

I have been taking some head shots of myself using my hp camera since mid last week. It is a recent obsession because I think my double chin has finally shrunk! I am so excited over it because I have a REALLY HUGE face. Without the double chin, the face is still big but at least not “fat-frame” with emphasis.

My Chiropractor told me I am due for re-examination soon. He thinks I am making really good progress and I might be able to downgrade my treatments from thrice to twice a week. I was so happy to hear that.
By the way, I started drinking green tea now after reading hexi’s post on how it can help BM.

[fornight]

Date: Tue, 23 Jun 09
Cohen Date: Day 25
Weight: -
Breakfast: Sunshine egg and stir-fry spinach
Lunch: Spicy Chicken with Cabbage
Dinner: Stir-fry cabbage with Chili fish slices
Water: 3+L plus 3 cups of green tea and 1 cup of black coffee
Fruits: 2 servings of mango
Deviations: Nil
BM Factor: Yes

Why is my personal diary still not active in New You Forum? Did asy lose my application? Did Singapore Cohen office forget to confirm my program number with asy? It is really inconvenience to come to office early so as to update my diary. I kept the document in the office computer. I think I better keep it in my thumb drive and carry it in my handbag.

I read a few personal diaries input from different forums yesterday. There are quite a few confessed deviations and now I am worried I might deviate too! I have to keep reminding myself my goals in this program and self-encourage myself to be more determined than ever! I better start looking up on self-help books like “think slim” or “Beck Diet Solution”. I binged in the past before (not serious type) and I hate to do it again after Cohen diet. I want to make sure both my mind and physical body are going through the right changes during Cohen diet.

I don’t have a sweet craving now but I did read some of the cohen-friendly desserts recipe. I wanted to try it for a change but a little reluctant to forfeit a hot meal for it. A hot meal of protein and vege make me feel that I am eating a meal. A sweet treat just make me feel like I am taking a snack and still waiting for a meal. Maybe I will try out the sweet treat recipes for experimentation. That way I will be prepared should PMS strikes.

[FlaMie]

Hello Jenny,

So sorry to hear about your pain but happy that you have decided to make a difference. Being honest with yourself is really the first and best way to start. You already know your shortcomings from your first trial on Cohen 3 years back so I'm pretty sure you know what you have to do to succeed this time round.

We have about the same height but geez...certainly not the same goal weight. However, I've kinda made up my mind that I would order refeed at 56kg which is really 2kg above the top range of my goal weight. I'm not obsessed about hitting the low of my goal weight before ordering refeed. I believe I should drop further in refeed if I'm careful.

In any case, I'm happy to have you on board. That makes it another Singapore Cohenite here . Getting a bit lonely you know with Imfef completing his journey and making his trip to Turkey right now hehehehe. Also, we can have a strong support team here. A couple of us intend to catch up again so that we can see how each of us is getting along on the programme. Real fun the last time we met at Velocity with sms and Imfef. Make sure you join us the next round too.

[fornight]

Date: Wed, 24 Jun 09
Cohen Date: Day 26


I feel terrible today - caught a chill in the morning and ended up sneezing all morning in the office. I reached the office at 7.30am and by 10am, I just have to take urgent medical leave.

This is really annoying, especially since I am eating really healthy, drinking lots of water and having enough sleep.

[FlaMie]

Hey don't worry about it Jenny, you will recover very quickly on it. I noticed that I hardly fall ill on Cohen and when I do, I'm usually ok after about 1.5-2 days...so hang in there gal!

[fornight]

Originally Posted by FlaMie

We have about the same height but geez...certainly not the same goal weight. However, I've kinda made up my mind that I would order refeed at 56kg which is really 2kg above the top range of my goal weight. I'm not obsessed about hitting the low of my goal weight before ordering refeed. I believe I should drop further in refeed if I'm careful.

I set a target of 54kg so that I can have a buffer. I read Tuberose diary and know that not everyone lose 2kg in refeed. I just want to be more careful this time round. I did a physical assessment before and I know I have more muscle mass than average girls so I might not be able to reach 54kg. I was 54kg once (lasted a few months only) when I was 20yrs old. I looked really lean back then because I was running 4km everyday.

Originally Posted by FlaMie

In any case, I'm happy to have you on board. That makes it another Singapore Cohenite here . Getting a bit lonely you know with Imfef completing his journey and making his trip to Turkey right now hehehehe. Also, we can have a strong support team here. A couple of us intend to catch up again so that we can see how each of us is getting along on the programme. Real fun the last time we met at Velocity with sms and Imfef. Make sure you join us the next round too.

I am glad to find a fellow mate in Cohen too and would love to catch up.

[fornight]

Date: Wed, 24 Jun 09
Cohen Date: Day 26
Weight: -
Breakfast: Sunshine egg and stir-fry cabbages
Lunch: Spicy prawn with Cabbage plus 1 can of Coke Zero
Dinner: Stir-fry Spinach with Chili fish slices
Water: 3+L plus 2 cups of green tea
Fruits: 2 servings of mango
Deviations: Nil
BM Factor: Nil

The cold aircon in office finally caught me. I was sniffing and sneezing all morning. My eyes started getting watery and my mind became kind of heavy after a while. That is no way to work. I made a decision to take the day off and went back home. I wanted to see a doctor in the afternoon but only to find the clinic closed on Wed afternoon. Just my luck!

I could not stand the sniffing and end up asking Cohen office if I can take Panadol Cold tablets. Great answer was received so I popped two and began to feel so much better. I get these chills very often because of my sensitive nose and usually I just need a good sleep and a good jug of chinese herbal tea to get over it. Unfortunately I know there is some kind of sweetness in the herbal tea so this time round, I cannot drink it. I see the doctor merely because I need a certification to apply for medical leave. Since I am feeling much better now, I think I will just use my annual leave to make up for the absence from office. I just need to explain to my boss tomorrow.

I reckon I will go to bed early tonight and hopefully tomorrow I will be more or less recovered. Just 1 more day to go before I step on the weighing machine!

[Jude]

Hi Fornight
Im sorry too hear you havent been well, i hope you will recover quickly !!! Keep up the great work, im excited for you and your weigh in, Good Luck!!!!

Jude

[Niyah01]

Fornight (I drop in here occasionally also) - see if they will let you drop a Star Anise in your tea too. Good for flu.

[carrieanne_c]

Hi Fornight, Hope you feel better-I got a super bad sore throat when I started, due to a cold office, I tried to eat as much garlic as I could, it helped. Good luck!

[fornight]

Thank you everyone for dropping by!!

I am feeling so much better today after a good sleep. The office is still as cold as ever but this time, I put on TWO cardigans. Even a pregnant colleague was talking about how cold the office is and I was told heavily pregnant woman has more body heat than normal people.

One of my Perth colleague (we were on the phone) told me maybe I should just buy a heater and put in the office. Can you imagine that?? I need to buy a heater to put in a SINGAPORE office! I laughed at the thought of that. I don't even know if such an electrical applicance is available in our hot humid country.

[fornight]

Date: Thur, 25 Jun 09 (Blood test day!)
Cohen Date: Day 28 (previously counted wrongly)
Weight: -
Breakfast: Sunshine Egg with Stir-fry Cabbages
Lunch: Spicy Chicken with Mushrooms and Cabbages
Dinner: Spicy Prawns with Mushrooms and Kang kong
Water: 3+L plus 1 cup of green tea and 1 cup of black coffee
Fruits: 2 servings of mango
Deviations: Nil
BM Factor: Nil

I feel so much better after having a good night sleep yesterday. It was a dreamless sleep. Wikipedia wrote that vivid dreams mostly occur during REM sleep. If I have no dream, does that mean I did not have REM sleep? I am starting to over-analyze things again.

Today is blood test day – not looking forward to it since I have a phobia of needles! This is my first blood test after Cohen. I went to the lab before work. The technician was a little rough and I actually felt pain when she drew the blood. I miss the petite Chinese lady who did my initial blood test 4 weeks ago. She was soooooo gentle and I could hardly felt anything. I called up the lab and asked for her name but they told me they cannot give it to me. The lab did assure me that they will make sure someone else who is gentle will attend to me if I can give them a call before I visit the lab again. I hope they will live up to their promise because I ABSOLUTELY COMPLETELY hate needle pain. Just a peep at the needle gives me wobbly legs.

I am not worried about the blood test results because I am 100% DF up till now. I intend to keep it that way. If I put my mind to it, I can do it!!! Note to self: I think I can. I know I can. YES I CAN!

Tomorrow is my first weigh-in day and I am a little worried about no BM today. I took psyllium husks in the afternoon and hope that it will help BM before my weigh-in (tomorrow morning). I also bought Senokot but I really prefer not to use Senokot unless I am really desperate.

My skin seems to be getting drier nowadays. Particularly my hands and lips. I don’t usually bother with my hands but it is really getting too dry for my comfort. I need to apply hand cream more often than usual because the cream does not seem to last very long. I will probably try out the Egyptian Magic Cream that I bought for my mum. It is supposed to be a multi-purpose cream (moisturizer and lip balm). Since it is oilier, it might actually sustain the moisture better. My face seems to be fine but I am worried that lines might start to deepen due to dryness.

[Shanara]

HI jenny

Sounds like you are off to a great start with your Cohens journey. Let us know how you go when you weigh in - very exciting!

Heaters in Singapore - lololol - I wonder if you will find one - may have to light a fire in the office!

Shanara

[fornight]

Date: Fri, 26 Jun 09 (Weigh-in Day)
Cohen Date: 4 Weeks 1 Day
Weight: 70.5kg

Well, I did my first weigh-in today. I lost 7kg. To be honest, I am a little disappointed. I was hoping for at least a double digit loss. In my last experience with Cohen, I was on a "modified" cohen diet due to my weak liver and I lost almost 9kg in my first month. It was presumed that I could have lost more if I started with the REAL cohen diet. Although I did start with REAL cohen diet when Dr Cohen was happy with my liver improvement, the weight loss sprint was lost.

This time, I started my first month with REAL cohen diet with a healthy liver so I was really expecting a loss that is more than my last experience. Maybe it was because my body is no longer a "virgin" to this diet.

Nonetheless I told myself it is still a loss. I am probably losing more inches because it usually take me at least 10kg loss to see fats on my face shrink. Not to mention, I am coming close to the 60s range.

[fornight]

Date: Fri, 26 Jun 09
Cohen Date: Week 4 and 1 Day

Breakfast: Sunshine Egg with Stir-fry Cabbages
Lunch: Spicy Chicken with Cabbages
Dinner: Spicy Prawns with Cabbages and 1 can of Diet Coke
Water: 3+L plus and 1 cup of black coffee
Fruits: 2 servings of mango
Deviations: Nil
BM Factor: Yes

I was a little blue because I only lost 7 kg in the last 4 weeks. This feeling was slowly washed away after talking to a few friends and posting about it online.

I have two colleagues who asked me what was going on because they noticed that I have lost quite some weight. I smiled and told them I am on a diet. They did not question further. I have another colleague who exclaimed that I seem to look so much younger and energetic today. It is Casual Friday today so I was wearing a greyish blue top with jeans. These remarks really filled me up with more positive energy.

There was an office BBQ after work today. I just grabbed a can of diet coke and sat around chit chatting while the rest of the office staff eat. One of our expatriates was in charge of the BBQ and since he is swedish, he prepared a lot of swedish foods (lots of herrings). The dishes look really interesting. I just sat around for 1.5 hour and then told them I need to leave for a dinner appointment. I got out and went back home for my hot cohen dinner.

[fornight]

Date: Sat, 27 Jun 09
Cohen Date: Week 4 and 2 Day

Breakfast: Sunshine Egg with Stir-fry Cabbages
Lunch: Spicy Prawns with Kang Kong + 1 can of coke zero
Dinner: Spicy Prawns with Kang Kong + 1 can of coke zero
Water: 3+L plus and 1 cup of black coffee
Fruits: 2 servings of mango
Deviations: Nil
BM Factor: Yes

Went to the bookstore and got myself the "Becker Diet solution" book. It is supposed to help with sabotage mind when you are on diet and after diet. I also wanted to look for "Think Slim" by Mark Stephen but the store does not carry it and they could not order it for me too. Since Mark Stephen is an Australian, I thought maybe I can get an Australian colleague to get the book for me.

I just finished reading the 1st chaper of Beckers diet book and I really like it. I am looking forward to finish reading it.

I forgot to take my multi-vit and mineral in the afternoon today and ended up with a craving for food before dinner. I must remember to take them regularly in future. My afternoon was not exactly relaxing as I wanted it to be. I got a call from a colleague that I REALLY does not like and hates to correspond unless it is about work. She wanted to know about my Chiropractor because she does not like hers. I was wondering how the hell she knows I am seeing a Chiropractor. I hate to let her know about things in my personal life because she will "use" the information if you know what I am talking about. I have a lot of unpleasant encounters with her in the office.

I got myself another new batch of mangoes today and they are not so sweet but not too sour either. My very first batch of mangoes bought for Cohen was awfully sweet but I learnt to appreciate the sweetness since Cohen is low carb. I only eat mangoes when I am on Cohen. I never really like them in the past because i find them too sweet. Ironic when you are now on Cohen Diet. Tastebuds seem to change. My second batch of mango was really sour which i also enjoy because I find them refreshing. today is my third batch. I like fruits that are light in taste and juicy, examples peach, plums and dragonfruits. Since mangoes are in season, it sounds more economical and logical to get seasonal fruits. I don't like apples because I find that they give me gas. Maybe I am allergic to them or something..... Since I am taking psyllium husks now for BM, I guess I can skip apples for the time being.

[Jude]

Hey Fornight, Congrats on your 7 kg loss, thats an amazing effort and i hope your feeling better about it, because as you said, a loss is a loss!!
I am due for my 4 week weigh in soon and i had very high hopes i would mirror my first cohens attempt, but i have realised and acknowledged that it more then likely wont be the same.... and thats ok because the past is the past and this is now!

So chin up and no looking back and keep up the great work!!!

P.S im glad your feeling better

[carrieanne_c]

LOL, BM Factor sounds better than the X factor heehee,What is kang kong ? King's sister? Have a great weekend. and thanx for poppin in.