Welcome to maintenance

[kagiesen]

Hi guys

we thought we'd open up a section purely for maintenance. This is not the section for diaries, but one where you can get valuable information. Here you can ask general questions, get help, advice, ideas, tell us how you are managing, nip a weight gain in the butt, you name it.

The reason we split it up is obvious: maintenance is a completely different story. YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN! For the first time, nobody tells you exactly what to eat.

Some people find that Cohens has fixed their metabolism and equilibrium totally, and they might belong to the lucky class of people who can eat whatever they want and not put on weight. Mind you, their wants hopefully have changed a bit.

Other will take a while to adjust, to get used to this new freedom. Bear in mind, nobody is checking on you anymore, so it's trial and error. Trial and errors for me works the best if you continue to weigh yourself daily, until you know what and how much your body can handle. The usual suspects on maintenance are (although they are allowed): too much cheese, too much alcohol, too many carbs, bread, milk. You may find that others are really bad as well, and not worth it.

Some of us won't be able to handle the new freedom that well, and slide into bad habits again, habits that caused the weight gain in the first place. These people will have to continue to address their emotional issues of why they overeat or sabotage their success.

I am a bit of all three. I have done lots of trial and error, I weigh myself every day, my lowest weight was 57.3, my highest 59.7 (OMG, I nearly had a heart attack, so close to 60, which seems to be an emotional barrier!). I can eat much more chocolate than I had ever hoped, IF I stick to the maintenance rules. Milk doesn't like me. Alcohol I don't really care about, which is lucky! I never used to drink a lot until I came to Australia, haha. It's so easy to get used to. However, one rule: Alcohol only with food. So when I'm invited for dinner, I don't start drinking until food is served, before that I will have water. I still eat when I am not feeling 100%, so I am working on that as well.

I would encourage anyone who's finished to post in this section and tell us about how they are going.

Cheers

Katrin

[shell]

Thanks Katrin,

I definatly will be staying on here for all of the reasons you mentioned above.
It is great to still have support once you are on your own.

It will also be great to share our experience's with others on mainenance, and it will also be a helpful topic for those who are heading this way!

Great idea, and thanks again - I was wondering where I would "fit in" after re feed!
Shell

[cherry59]

I find that if I'm out at lunch without lunch organised I buy yoghurt as plain as I can get and have that knowing I'm keeping the protein levels up.

That and a bottle of water!! Oh and the bag of vita wheats in my hand bag!!

There's usually a fruit shop about to get some fruit too.

Yes alcohol is a big issue for lots of us. I keep weekdays alcohol free and make sure I have protein before any alcohol and try to space water between drinks

I've found I'm not really interested in potato or pasta any more and only want a mouthful or 2 of rice with a curry etc.

Cherry

[hexi2]

Hi katrin

I was thinking that we could title this area something different??

From 'The Goal!!! maintenance and life after Cohens' to...

Maintenance community discussion....or something to that effect?

[bibabs]

Yip, maintenance.
I weighed for the first time in a week, and I have gained a kilo. Now that in itself is not the problem, as I am still well within my limits, but it is the fact that I put on a pair of new pants I bought about a month ago....and it feels tight, still fits, but is definitely tighter. So I have decided to do the 100% weighloss bit for about 10 days. I do not want to go as far as 2 weeks, because I do not know if I will have the courage for refeed again.

So maybe the reverse also happnes, as in the scales do not move but we shrink....so now the scales do not move but we GROW!!!! Oh woe is me I hope not.

[shell]

Hi Bibas,
If you do no carbs for 48 hour and Cohen's foods (including crackers) you should drop that 1kg really easily.
You shouldn't have to do the Program.
Shell

[Chris]

Hi

I am still thinking about whether or not to start the Cohens diet. I know a few people who have been on it in my town and they did lose an amazing amount of weight, but unfortunately, have put it all back on again, plus some more.

How easy/hard is it not to put the weight back on again?

I have to lose about 45kg, so it is a long-term challenge for me. Is it worth having a go?

Chris

[hexi2]

I guess it is easy to keep the weight off if you follow the Cohens lifestyle...

The difficulty is where your head is - what emotional blockages you have in your way as well as a life time of 'bad habits' to break...so yes this is definately worth a go and is the best and fastest way to loose weight - no doubt about it and sticking to the eating plan for me was the easiest thing...

But basically you have to work on yourself and your emotional baggage during and after Cohens and if you think you are 'worth it' then expect some amazing results

[Faithy]

Hello Chris

One question I'd be asking those people is did they do re-feed & if they did did they HONESTLY stick to it 100%? The maintenance guidelines work a treat IF we stick to them.. if we go back to our old eating habbits then yes, we do or should I say can, put the weight back on.. it's a lifestyle change & unfortunately most of us wont be able to eat chocolate cake & biscuits & all the bad stuff everyday like we use too.. I suppose if we were to look at any slim person, most of them would have good eating habbits.. usually overweight people have bad ones

[kagiesen]

Chris

I finished Cohens just before Xmas at 58 kilos (I 'only ' had to lose 16 kilos, so it's a bit easier than your goal).

I am on holiday right now (so it's slightly more difficult to stick to what you know as I am sued to the choices in Australia now and now am in Germany. Also, I go out more, have had my first (and second) pizza (shared), one night two cocktails etc etc, nothing excessive at all, but different to what I usually have in Oz, and I am maintaining my weihgt. It fluctuates between now 58 and 59.5, but that is fine, happens to everyone who is slim as well.

So: your first challenge is loosing the weight, the second journey begins after re-feed, when you really have to try out things, and get into a new life-long eating habbit. You know from reading the threads here that most people struggle with the new freedom.

There is a reason you are overweight in the first place, and if you don't address issues like overeating or binge eating or too much of not so good food, then you are in danger. Like Hexi said.

BUT: it's the best thing I've ever done for myself. I am so proud I did it. I broke the cycle of lying to myself, and am astonsihed every day what quantities and choices of food my body 'forgives'.

I have yogurt for breakfast (so 100% Cohens), but then for lunch I have meat, loads of veg, salad and half the time my 50gr carbs and a desert like a chocolate bar or piece of (not cream) cake, and then for dinner 250gr salmon with 1 capsicum and 1 zucchini in a light cream sauce, no carbs, no desert, or 50gr carbs and another desert.

Here in Germnay I walk a lot, incidental walking, I mean, so I clock about 50 min to 2 hours per day, which I think gives me a bit more leeway with the carbs.

Go for it!!!!

Katrin

[flash12]

Hi there - this is exactly a place I need to come to for 'time out' and to reset my eating plan and gain control. I finished Cohens on the 28 March 2008 and lost 20kg's. Since then I have stayed true to the principles and have managed my weight to within 55 - 58kg (Cohens goal weight 55-57kgs). I must admit though I had a shocker of a week last week (day after day I continued to eat too much carbs, alcohol and ate anything actually). I found the more carbs I ate the less satisfied I was and the more I ate. I haven't weighed myself yet because I'm terrified to see what I've done to myself.

I have gathered strength and am back on the program for at least 4 days - then I'll weigh myself. Am just really hungry right now - but feel good that I'm gaining control again - and hopefully b4 the weekend.

Has anybody else found themselves letting loose for a week the pulling right in during the next week to 100% Cohens? This seems to be becoming a pattern for me??

regards

Kylie

[hannah]

Hi there,today is my 5th day of maintenance. The 1st three days i had binge eating, ate lots of cookies n cakes, eat out most of the time, din't drink 3L of water a day, eat lots of carbs, ice cream, cheese cake...gain 1.3kg when i weight my self on 4th day morning. Then i had a very bad stomach spasm on the 4th day, felt really bloated and lots of gas in stomach. Did reset on 4th day, ate yogurt and apple for breakfast, 2 crackers with cheese and an apple for lunch, then some chicken, mushroom,soup and vege for dinner, and keep on drinking water. This morning i weight my self, lost 1 kg!! i think i was eating too desperately the 1st few days, because is our festive season(chinese new year) and felt like wanted to eat and taste everything i have missed for 3 months. from now on i'll slow down, try to eat as cohen as possible and i feel much better now, not bloated and less stomach discomfort.

[hexi2]

Wow Hannah, if I ate all that I would have gained 3 kilos!! 1.4 is pretty good as most of its fluid!!

[Annabelle Joy]

I'm like hexi, Hannah. Count yourself lucky to have gained only 1.3 kgs, and even luckier to have lost most of it the first day of reset. As hexi says, most of it is fluid retention.

AJ

[Chene]

Since it has been awhile since anyone has written on this wall, I should! I have done the Cohen's diet, had great success. Best program that I have ever been on! I've lost 10kg's. Sitting on 60kg to 50kg. I am the lightest that I have ever been! I should have lost a bit more so that I could be on 49kg's but Xmas was around the corner and it was time to refeed otherwise I would suffer over the holidays.

I feel a bit depressed at the moment. Don't think refeed has taught me anything!! Especially starting my freedom right in the week of Christmas I had everything that is insight. It's been twee weeks now and my pants are sitting very tight! Thinking of course it would, I have been having carbs with every meal and dessert everyday. It's so hard visiting family over the holidays as you don't want to feel like an exception and not having all the lovely things for a couple of months, I just want to taste everything! I will be back home on Monday. I will go back on my program until I reach 47kg's and then do refeed again! At least this is the beginning of the new year and I do not have any plans for travels, it would give me some time to really work out what it is that my body needs and to create rules for myself. I just feel very confused as to what would be my normal diet program after refeed, as we do like to go out for dinner most of the time and it's so hard to figure out what to have and what not to have when you are not at home. I will write again soon on how I am doing. I have not had the chance yet to weight myself as there is no scale where I am at the moment. I'm really scared to hit the scale, knowing what its going to say!!!

[forfreddie]

Thanks for 'bumping' this thread!
I don't feel qualified to post anything that would be much use to other maintainers except to say - if you go back to your old eating habits you will regain the weight, quickly. Go figure !
Maybe other supermaintainers out there could give us an outline of whats working for them in maintenance?

ff

[Busy Mum]

Hi I am in one week of my maintainance, Goal weight 59-62kgs, got down to 58.8kg now sitting at 60.8. Have had one blow out, where I did it all, cocktails, wine, cheese, chocolate and cake. I put on two kilos over three meals Friday night dinner, Saturday breakfast and lunch. Came back home Saturday night, could've easily had fish and chips for dinner but went straight back to cohens food for my Saturday night dinner. i feel that was a break through, I have stuck to my cohens food, but have a had a few more crackers than I should. I have lost 500grams but will take your advice and not do carbs for 48 hours and just do cohens food and see how that goes