Journey to a New Me

[Soleil]

My dear Mesmer!

No, you are not alone... haha... I came here to have a little look see and wow there you are! I wish ofcourse things would be different but hey... After all these years you are still the one I think of when popping over to these pages! I’m doing a ‘modified’ Cohen thingie but after two weeks I’m thinking of throwing in the towel and switching to no-messing-about Cohen. Not really going anywhere here. I’ll write to you more privately in a little while!

Lots of love,
Soleil

[mesmer_eyes]

Soleil! I knew I can always count on you here

I dont think there is such a thing as 'modified' Cohen, because no matter how I try this as well, I end up failing.. just seems really hard and i dont know whats changed..i did it before? why the hell i cant do this now?? come on me! I know beating myself up over it is not going to get me anywhere as it hasnt gotten me anywhere..

frustrating...

[mesmer_eyes]

21st Day - On Plan and Cranky (and the Xiaomi Scale)

I bet you dont get to read that often if you have been on the Newyouforum reading the diaries of those who are OP. Im not totally deviation free. I may have eaten a few more crackers or ate a whole mango in one sitting at the beginning, but no nasties whatsoever. I did have that Cohen high maybe a week ago, but I guess my period is coming up that's why Im a bit short tempered. PLUS, my scale hasn't moved down for 2 days!!

I bought a Xiaomi Body Composition Scale 15 days ago, that shows also the BMR, Fat %, Water %, Protein %, BMR kcal, Visceral fat, Muscle kg, Bone Mass kg and Body age... The weight part is accurate. I dont know how accurate the other metrics are, but it doesn't paint a good picture. As of today:

Weight: 82.9
Body Score:41
BMI: 30.4
Fat %: 41.9%
Water %: 41.4%
Protein %: 13.1%
BMR kcal: 1409
Visceral: 9
Muscle kg: 45.3
Bone Mass kg: 2.8
Body Age: 68

Body age of 68 - FTW?!

Don't get me started on where I am losing my weight, apparently its from my Muscle. Whilst my BF, who is on his High Fat diet, gained muscle and lost weight!! Hmmmm...

My bf is on a high fat diet, 1 meal a day thing. He eats oats for fiber but thats it and he is having tremendous losses per day!!! Plus his work allows him to move by default. He cooks steaks or lambchops and pork belly in our cast iron and I cry inside when the bacon smell hits me and the house smells of bacon until the next day. :'( who doesn't love bacon!??!?!

but i am standing strong, i keep telling him what may work for him may not work for me. Although in ALL of the diets I've tried in my life, I haven't tried the high fat one.

I haven't been sleeping well too. I take a nap in the afternoons due to the shortened Ramadan timings. I tried to read but I keep falling asleep, and then by midnight, I am wide awake.

I feel like im doing something wrong in the plan.. but i cant pinpoint what it is.

[Kohinoor]

Hi Mesmer,
Sorry to hear you are struggling somewhat - and having a bacon-cooking bf who is losing weight by eating what Cohens would say is wrong can't be helping either.


But hey, a couple of thoughts:-


1. I recall Connie some years back saying that some of these fandangled scales that read everything including your bank balance are so "way out" as to be useless. That is as I recall it - not meaning to "verbal Connie" if I have it a bit wrong.


Take from that, you perhaps shouldn't RELY on anything they say, except perhaps for weight.


2. Weighing daily - it never was a good thing to do if you are hanging out to see a weight drop - 'cos we DON'T drop weight daily on Cohens. Never did, never will. AJ showed us her chart (she weighed daily as an experiment, and NOT as a fillip to keep going) - and it showed her even GAINING in some weeks, but often followed by a huge loss that kept her OVERALL trend firmly pointed downward.


3. As per your comments to your bf - it might be that you CAN'T eat the same as him. That is a great comment from you, and it is so true. That is why Dr Cohen sets a different Plan for each person. If you want to check out a bit more, read Tantravaya's post (here http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthr...075#post257075) and then read on.

Ignore the title - it is the content of Tantravaya's post that is important, and the link in her post. But do read on too, as there is some rather interesting other posts that could help you.
I also can find the chart that AJ had posted - it is somewhere in "Koh's Classics" - let me know if you can't find it and I'll dig it out for you.


Meanwhile, hang tough - the fact that you did get into the Zone means you CAN find it again. Meanwhile, do think on the following:-
If you are "starting again" after some years, consider that your body may well have changed, thus any Plan amounts that may have suited the "you" from earlier years might not be ideal now. e.g. You may have now entered "middle age" where a body's needs might have changed. Maybe you have had a child or two - surely that would change a body and its needs. Maybe now, since you lost a stack of weight, you are now more active and exercise a bit more - you need to fuel that exercise with food.

I have long been in favour of "erring on the side of caution" - not to discredit the great man, but simply to keep people who can't buy another Plan that bit more safe. As a maintainer, you are allowed to "try stuff" - so perhaps try Plan, but with slightly larger amounts of foods. Maybe that is all that is needed to bring you back into "a Plan that works for you again".
Of course, you might prefer to buy a new Plan - and why not? Then you wouldn't be guessing, and you may well find it DOES have higher amounts of food today than the last one did. Good luck with whatever you try, Mesmer. Keep on swinging


Koh

[mesmer_eyes]

Hi Koh! Thanks for visiting my page and sharing Tantravaya's post. I immediately went on to google the body types as I only knew about of the ectomorph, mesomorph etc.body types. And a whole new world of information exploded for me to absorb, gotta love prof. google. In a span of 24 hours I learned that I am an Thyroid body type, which was triggered by Adrenal body type symptoms or Liver. Who knew?

A particular Dr. Berg has tons of information about this and I really enjoyed his talk on this video (its more than an hour but I watched throughout) -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m-R4RqRQqM (a way cut version of this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s54ioy8f7ek).

I have 2 major takeaways from this talk :

- There is not much focus on the health part of healthcare. The disease is not the cause, it’s the symptom of having a health problem. You treat your health, and your symptoms will go away/improve.

- We don’t lose weight to get healthy, we get healthy and losing the weight is the result.

I am on a new plan, because my last one was about 4 years old. But I really do feel my losses are not the same, I feel the weight is coming off as slow as it can. Or my body is that screwed up from the past 2 years and correcting it is taking longer than usual. Im not proud of it, but we practically lived on take out for about a year, and tons of sweets in between – a lot… yes, a lot. We both have a sweet tooth (I can almost finish a tub of 1L of ice cream in 1 sitting, mindlessly in front of the TV—shame! And give me the B&Js Truffle Kerfuffle, forget about it. I myself think that there’s something wrong with me here… ).

Plus yesterday, I just realized that 2 nights I’ve been eating the wrong portions of tuna by 10 grams. My head was in the old plan I had! Dammit. “Read and re-read the plan”. I’ve read this advise so many times here. Ugh..

The new plan food servings are lesser and totally different from my other plan, which really goes to show that every plan is tailored for the individual. My goal weight has increased by 2 kgs compared to my old plan (given that im older?)

The daily weighing and the scale, well, that’s just basically to satisfy my ‘tracking’ habit. I like seeing trends.. but this is just annoying. Im keeping myself from measuring because I will measure each and every possible circumference in my body that im afraid can turn into an obsession 😃

Im not sleeping well these days. I take my coffee in the morning, 1 diet soda around 3. So that’s for my caffeine intake. I feel sleepy an hour before my last meal (but we need 2hrs) so I try to stay awake. By sleepy time, im wide awake til 1 -2ish. I tried not the nap yesterday but same thing. Its weird. Have you encountered someone who has experienced the same here (since you’re one of the veterans in the group &#128521.

Im keeping on, there’s a lot to look forward to and that’s basically what keeps me going. Got 2 years before the big 4-0, delaying any action and I see myself being sorry for the years that I kept procrastinating thinking I can do it tomorrow.

[Kohinoor]

Hi Mesmer,
Thanks for the full-on reply. It is when we share on here that good things can come from it. From your words, I immediately thought of two or three things that might help you on your path. And who knows how many others will pop up to share THEIR situation, and even add their own pet peeves, or their own solutions to problems?


So good on you for taking the time. Let's see if some of my recollections can be a help to you.....

Originally Posted by Mesmer_eyes

Im not sleeping well these days. I take my coffee in the morning, 1 diet soda around 3. So that’s for my caffeine intake. I feel sleepy an hour before my last meal (but we need 2hrs) so I try to stay awake. By sleepy time, im wide awake til 1 -2ish. I tried not the nap yesterday but same thing. Its weird. Have you encountered someone who has experienced the same here

That reminded me of Asy's "triage" post - have a read:-
http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7924
Note that the poster's question is not quite like yours, but Asy's answer (read it three or four times) fits your situation to a T.
That post of Asy's is the very first answer in my "Important Information that can get lost in here" topic. Go here to read them all - you never know just how much you might learn:-
http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9170

Originally Posted by Mesmer_eyes

I am on a new plan, because my last one was about 4 years old. But I really do feel my losses are not the same, I feel the weight is coming off as slow as it can. Or my body is that screwed up from the past 2 years and correcting it is taking longer than usual.

Can you compare the losses to last time? Like, did you keep a graph or journal? Or maybe you've been weighing but not recording? Do you want to share a few readings (maybe not weight, but losses per day - I have a realistic idea of "what can/should be happening" for most people).



The other major thing that popped into my head was from one of the very earliest "gems" - here :-
http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3782

That "90% mental journey" seems to be so true - if you are struggling in some way, perhaps consider setting yourself up with a counsellor who might help you to look at things in a better way? So many on here have found it is their head that gets in the way of their progress - so getting your head on straight with regard to the program will certainly help.


And (why not, as it may hold some more clues for you) to finish, here's "back on the bus" to give you a chuckle, and also a refresher re your foods:-
http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7521


Enjoy !!!

Koh

[mesmer_eyes]

This is GOLD Koh! Thanks for sharing all of that, Im going to read through.

And thanks for reminding me to check my past results (doh!). I didnt think of it because I lost a lot of my files in my corrupted hard drive, I did have a look at my Blog (ROUND UP ->Week 1 to 4 & Results), and well, I was more um detailed then. I took my measurements, weight, and other observations in the span of 1 month (mood, skin, hair etc)... It was so detailed that Im surprised that I did that kind of tracking the first time. Like huuuuuhhhh? I lost 106.04 cms all over then.. with a post aptly called STATISTICS.. full worksheet and errthang.. jeez..

hmmm and u know what? There's no point of thinking my losses are slow... coz on my first try, I lost 8.7kgs after 4weeks and now, with 8 days left, I already lost 6.4kgs. So I'm doing my Chandler dance... I think Im comparing myself to my BF's losses, which is not really fair as we are of 2 different builds, lifestyle, and food intake..

Thanks Koh!!

[Kohinoor]

Hey,
That was SO good to read. I think your seratonin just leapt sky-high (and that WILL help with weightloss)!!!

I think Im comparing myself to my BF's losses, which is not really fair

Too true - sorry, but the blokes have it easy in this race. Don't they always? But your weightloss looks really good for your first three weeks, so yeah, go YOU !!

Do keep a journal from now on (of your daily weighings - if you are continuing) 'cos over time they will produce a graph looking pretty similar to AJ's:-


"AJ's post below still remains - click on the thumbnail to "open up" the chart so you can see its detail easily.

AJ's chart (AJ = Annabelle Joy) - another "straight line" !!
http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=168165#post168165

There you can see clearly that in some days and weeks, AJ's weight went UP, but was compensated later with a bigger drop - effectively producing a nearly straight line result....
In fact, DO read the whole thread that AJ posted this in ("Weight and cm losses week by week" - I'm sure it will help)."


Waddaya think of that then, M_E? Isn't it awesome? i.e. you can be weighing MORE at the end of some weeks, and yet, with another day or two, the weight comes crashing down to "catch up" to your usual Cohens Trend Line. I've seen a few of these over time, and the vast majority DO follow this pattern, though the amounts lost per week might vary because of age, gender, past diet, etc
The MAIN learnings are
1. Your weight WILL go down rather steadily over time (with more loss in month one) so long as you stay true to the Plan, and
2. Your weight will most likely NOT drop daily (no matter how much you want it to, but don't worry - it WILL DROP). Just stay the path,

Hugs,
Koh

[mesmer_eyes]

Thanks Koh! I do feel much better now knowing that my losses are not far off the first time. I just need to be realky mindful about my measurements because i still catch myself making mistakes...

26th Day: Food Pushers

Went to see a friend (Friend A) at a common friend's (Friend B) house at night. A knew that im on a diet and she knows very well that i will say no to anything when Im on a diet. B for sire knew about this as well. However B is and always been a nice host, she makes sure everyone is fed and comfortable and enjoying. Under normal circumstances she would have fed me a nice home cooked meal. She doesnt overfeed but she does make good meals (mindful of the ghee, the type of carbs served and the servings)

So, she did not offer me any of that to which I was surprised. But then I guess she couldnt help it. She offerred me something healthy. Its fox nuts thats kind of air popped? By the time she started talking about it, Friend A immediately whispered to me and said "Be polite" and I did. Took a handful of those and ate. Its actually good and it did taste healthy and i didnt feel bad about eating it. And later during the night it happened again.. same fox nuts, in a popcorn form with a hint of jagaree in it.. To shut her up, I took a piece it was good and didnt seem harmful. If I wasnt on this diet I would like to have those as a handy snack.

Anyway, i wasnt annoyed with her at any point. She is like that. I was just never placed in a situation that I had to say NO to her. I thought, like everybody else, she would take no for an answer.

Why must she put me in that situation? Is it because its her house? Why couldnt i just have thrown a hint of annoyance to maybe make her back off? Is it because she is elder to me? Or I found it sweet that she still tried to feed me with the "healthy" food she has around the house? Thinking of me, that since i am on a diet and she cant offer me a nice home cooked meal, she will try to give me something within the boundaries of what im trying to to?

I dont know. I know what I ate was not above 100grams of that. But throughout the evening i felt really hungry. I didnt eat anything else, just water. She was making dosa and fish fry around 10:30 for her son who arrived late. I excused myself before that meal was cooked because for sure she will offer, I will refuse again and will not succeed.

26th day - Not DV free. Thought i was going to reach my weigh in day without touching food outside the plan.. :/

[mesmer_eyes]

How’s everyone?

Just checking in and I hope everyone who’s on Cohens are keeping on and staying on plan. I’ve had my bout from a food pusher a few days ago which caused me to deviate, but Im glad to say Im deviation free since then.

Got a long Eid break. No plans. Not travelling, nothing. So I decided to use these days to totally relax and de-stress my mind and body at the comfort of our home (keeping costs to a minimum or zero, DIY stuff). I kind of feel guilty though as I am ultimately indulging in the luxury of doing nothing..

Have a good day.

Days 28 - 29: Deviation free

[Soon2BSlim]

Well done on getting back to being deviation free! That incident could have derailed you completely but it didn't so go you!!

Nothing wrong with totally relaxing and de-stressing either. I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to perform or make sure we are being productive in some way that we forget it's totally okay to take time out to do nothing. Enjoy it!

Your post about being pressured into eating is a topic that has been on my mind for a long while now. Why do people feel they have to feed us when we refuse? Why do we feel it's rude to say no thanks. No means no. If a skinny person claimed they couldn't eat any more or someone with allergies said they couldn't have any of the food, the person offering the food would be more understanding. Are we in the position of carrying too much weight because we are too mindful of others feelings, don't want to hurt them by refusing their food, afraid to stick up for ourselves because we already beating ourselves up? Could we avoid that trap of eating what is forced on us by saying no thanks, I'm not hungry but I could do with a glass of water/something to drink.

This may not be relevant for you but something I will be implementing as I learn to love myself more. I'm sure there have been many coping strategies posted on this forum, specifically with regard to saying no when offered with something to eat that's off plan. Think I will have to go hunting for them

Anyway, I just wanted to say, well done on getting back on plan after that difficult situation.

Louise

[mesmer_eyes]

Hola!

ROUND UP 2.0: Week 1 - 4 Results

So I have some good news, I weighed this morning and after 30 days being on the plan (with some minor deviations that could have been avoided), I lost 8.6 kgs, that's 100gms below my 1 month result the first time around and this time, I didnt even exercise. The most I did was walk for an hour thrice this month because I was feeling bad for being such a lazy bum.

And the scale also showed some nice improvements, particularly my body age (5 years younger - from 69 - 64 y.o ) and Visceral Fat (down by 1).

I didnt take any body measurements when I started probably because I thought I wil not make it based on the number of times I failed in the past. I will measure tomorrow so I have better reporting next time

Overall, I feel better and cruising along. *fist pump*

[Soon2BSlim]

Nice going M_E! That's a great loss! Almost 30% loss in the first month!

Keep up the great work.



Louise

[mesmer_eyes]

Thanks Louise! I'm so glad i made it again past 1 month. I've tried so many times and failed so many times that Im just giddy that I was finally able to do it.. whew

So on to the next 30 days... the scale hasnt moved since my weigh in day. Dont know about that, but I do feel 'smaller'. And this morning, woke up with no change in weight but my Body Score and Body Age have changed. Dont know about that either. But I think this shows that there is something happening inside you on the days when the scale mocks you with no movement = integration perhaps.

Off to the movies today, I dont mind if bf buys popcorn but I hope he doesnt . Got myself armed with packed lunch, crackers, a fruit and 1 DC - so I have no excuse whatsoever!

Good day everyone!

[Soon2BSlim]

Nice going M_E. Planning ahead is definitely the key for me and it sounds like it is for you too. Hope you enjoyed the movie and your packed lunch.

Louise

[mesmer_eyes]

thanks Louise.. cinema was packed, I was "attacked" by the smell of popcorn, nachos, and french fries in there. The surprising thing was, I didnt even crave. I was honestly --- OK.

34th Day: A Parade of Sugar

We had some time to kill before the movie. While we waited outside the cinema, I observed that every one, and I mean everyone (children, teens, adults, families) were carrying their own item of junk and I'm talking about donuts, slushies, packs of chocolates, popcorn, nachos and sodas.

They passed us by, some rushing to catch the movie, some holding tons of food to take to their families, and others munching on it as they wait. And as I watched, I didn't feel tempted (nor turned-off) with what they were eating... I just sat there, bewildered that off plan, I would be one of them (having my own big tub of mixed caramel and salt popcorn) and water (I dont really like fizzy nor sweet drinks in general).

Having read what I have read here (cue in: ehem- Koh's Classics) I'm sure if i had those, my body will definitely let me know in a way I wouldn't like!

It feels utterly good to be free of the cravings and to have that control back. The internal tug of war and the resulting feelings of deprivation (if you dont give in) or the guilt (if you do) was (almost) not there. And to note, both of those feelings are negative.

Normally I would think, "I have terrible sense of will power," (= self blame) but now I know my hormones have a lot to do with it. I control my hormones, I control my impulses.

I hope I keep this up.

Good day everyone!

[AZ1908]

Well done ME,

Such a great place to be!

[Soon2BSlim]

Wow! What a great victory for you M_E!! And yes! Those hormones have a LOT to answer for!!

Louise

[mesmer_eyes]

Thanks AZ and Louise.

There's a lot to be happy about, but I must say, being in Plateau Island demotivating. Its been 6 days since the scale has moved, stuck at the same weight. I cant help but think something is wrong here.

I havent measured yet (still havent gone to the store to buy a measuring tape) but I do feel like I'm shrinking.. and I cant trust that 'feeling'.. Kinda wished I got that tape earlier and measured!

I'm still deviation free..

[Kohinoor]

Hi ME,
Forget the tape - do you have some smaller sizes of clothes to try on? You could be in for a nice surprise. I don't know for sure, but people often report a slowdown in weightloss as the body "redistributes the remaining fat" as they shrink. It could be, right?

So give it a go - check out something in "the next size down" !!






Koh