Xanadu begins her program

[Kohinoor]

Hi Xanadu,

I love your nick - but then, I'm an Olivia Newton-John tragic !!!

Where are you? I've enjoyed reading your positive posts for some time (long before I registered) and I'm seeing your ticker dropping consistently.... You're making fabulous progress, but I'd love to HEAR it from you (you write so well).

How'd you go with Easter? Was it the problem you thought it might be after all? (Your ticker says "No!")

Xanadu, COME ON DOWN !!!

Regards,
Kohinoor

[xanadu]

phew, I am back for another post. Sorry for the absence. Thanks for your post, Kohinoor. I am smiling that you get the Olivia Newton-John conection. I love her also, and that movie changed my life when i first saw it as a kid, I thought it was magical. So, i thought, since i am changing my life again, I should use that nick as my inspiration...tragic as it sounds writing it here, but it has helped me every step through.

It has been a hectic few weeks, work, home and life has been testing lately, but really, nothing that no one else experiences...so no complaining.
So how have I been going? Slow and steady, one meal at a time and I promise not a single deviation. I am now at 57.2kg, which is the top end of my weight range (santa told me i should be between 54 and 57kg). I had my final blood test on Saturday and re-feed will be in the mail this week!!! Hip Hip HOORAY. I am so pleased that I am aproaching the final lap, and truthfully, it wasn't nearly as difficult as i imagined it would be when i began this. I am giving myself a high 5!

Let me go back to Easter. Mum was so kind, instead of preparing a feast that she normally does, she organised a BBQ and I measured my meat and salad and ate with everyone else and i didn't feel left out. Dessert was a large fruit platter and once again, I was able to eat with everyone else, so there was no need to deviate. I didn't miss the chocolate, i simply knew i couldn't eat it. and i didn't. I have a stash of the stuff hidden in the depths of my cupboard just waiting the day.

A real test came when i had to go to Brissy for a meeting. This was the first time I was required to eat away from my normal routine. luckily for me it was a day trip, so no big deal. I took with me a whole days worth of food measured out. I hadn't seen my clients in BNE for a good 6 months and needless to say they were all surprised at my change. In fact we spent the first 30 mins of the meeting discussing my weight loss and laughing, a GREAT way to begin the day. I had to eat lunch really late, and I was so hungry that i didn't even care what i looked like pulling out my tuppaware-packed-meal in business class. The hostess came by with her trolley and all i asked for was cutlery and a glass of water. Both her and the pilot I was sitting next to were curious, and we spent a bit longer talking about my weight loss...hahaha, what a day!! Got back to the office late in the afternoon and happily reported to my bosses about the agenda of that days meeting!!

I have since bought SIZE 10 (!!) jeans and look super smart, if i do say so myself. I still look at them cautiously before i put them on. My fat visions make me feel dubious before i put them on, but they slide on with ease, like magic!!! So many other clothes I have (that once upon a time were way too tight for me) are also loose and looking like a potato sack over my body. I have also bought a pair of Boots that actually fit, if not a bit loose, around my feet and legs, what a miracle!!!! And you know what, I don't feel thin, i am still surprised people call me skinny, that has never been an adjective to describe me.

Speaking of thin, i cannot believe how peoples perception sof me have changed. I am seriously given more oportunities at work. The bosses notice me more, joke with me more and want to include me in things that previously i was overlooked for....my my my how appearances are important in my industry. A shame really, I am still the same fat girl on the inside!

Now that i am at the top end of my goal weight, I am starting to get the pangs of hunger before meals now. I cannot wait to beign re-feed and finish this once and for all. The next challenge is how to control myself when santa isn't looking. I think I will do it, as Kristine says, being slim tastes better, i really do feel so good.

I was looking through some old photos of me at Christmas, you know, i almost cried with how fat and terrible i looked. I can never go back to that, never. I look at my round face and my eyes are sad, I don't want to be posing in those photos because i know that the image will immortalise something I wish to hide. I am so happy with myself now, so i am sure it will be easier than ever to maintain this weight.

The moment i begin refeed, I am going to eat a banana the first moment I am allowed. Oh how excited i am. I will post more regularly then.

But for now, i have to sign off. Thank you to everyone for your posts and encourangement just by reading my chronicles. Good luck to all and hope you are in good health

x xo

[Kohinoor]

Hi Xanadu,

Thanks for "coming on down" !! Yep, your ticker has been telling the story, but you say it so much better.

I think the "Xanadu" nick is a brilliant idea. Nothing like using emotion to help you meet a goal. I think we get FAR better mileage out of emotion, than will-power. But then, each to their own. And willpower can/does work - but it seems to me a healthy dose of emotion cuts in the "turbo".

What a nice Mum you have (you must've trained her well ).

I think workmates translate your weightloss into more respect for you, as they watch you succeed. I don't believe it means "lack of respect" when people were bigger (doesn't work that way with me anyway). But, when someone sets a goal, then goes marching toward it, and achieves it, I think that action demands respect. It says so much about that "new" person !! And that's you (and many/all others on here).

Congrats on reaching "refeed" - and I'm looking forward to your future entries (as always).

K

[xanadu]

Today ends day 3 of my refeed program. I began on wednesday and was thrilled with the additional food i as able to eat. I enjoyed feeling full again. Right before i began the refeed program, I was beginning to get so hungry that i would get a bit manic, you know, like those first 3 days when you begin the program and your body craves more sugar. I read and re-read the new program and it still confuses me. I have decided that it is best that i prepare every meal the night before.

I ate bread for the first time in 4 months just yesterday, I sat in the lunch room at work and ate the toasted wholemeal slice topped with tuna and tomato in absolute peace, as though it were some kind of spiritual experience, and i relished every bite. I enjoyed it so much that i had to have the same again today. As the bread quantity increases, the crackers decrease, and i miss my vita wheat snacks a bit. On an extreemly positive note, there was no bloating or lethargy after my one piece of bread, the next day i woke up fine. So i guess this tells me that bread in my diet is ok provided it is controlled. Thank goodness, i didn't want to be one of these people who have a phobia to bread

I began the refeed program at 56.8 and I am now down to 56.2, somehow my body required more food because i lost the same amount in these 3 days of refeed as i did in the last week and a half.

I feel quite bony now, and it alarms me to see my hip bones or the bony peak at the top of my colar bone on my shoulder, or my knuckles so pronounced...actually it saddens me more to see the sagging skin on my belly which has never recovered from being stretched during pregnancy. Otherwise the sagging skin is not an issue everywhere else, everywhere else has gone back into place. I honestly can say that i don't think i need to lose more, however the urge to see loss on the scales is overwhealming. I guess you always need to know where to stop, don't want to go overboard. I realise that i wont make it to 54 kg, nor do i really want to, I like how i am at 56kg so i think i will work to that and have adjusted my ticker accordingly. In the future, post Cohens, I guess i wil be aiming to maintain a 56-58 weight range, ideally staying at 56. Hope that is doable.

will post more as i progress, refeed is a total of 17 days, which means i will be finished in 2 weeks. Hurrah!! I sort of fel like i am accepting an Academy Award by being granted my refeed program, all that hard work and determination has earned it!

Take care everyone and good luck with your individual challenges. I can honestly say that the mantras 'just one meal at a time' and Kristines famed 'just start, continue and finish' have helped me through. And i couldn't forget to mention my idol, Olivia, without whom, none of this would be possible....

x xo

[banana split]

How's it going Xan?? I'm very interested in the refeed part of the program (and looking forward to being there ).

17 days! From what I can suss out on the net it seems to be between 14-21 days???

[xanadu]

Do you all remember the first day of the programme....the elation, the confusion, the pressure I felt weighing all those things....well, this is how i feel about refeed, everyday. I am finding it so particular that it is confusing me a lot. I have used the menu planners etc and still managed to mistake a day. Not to worry, weight sitting at a steady 56.0kg and that is the positive part.

I LOVE that food is increasing and I LOVE that the fruit has increased, I am eating a lemon with more meals now, something i really enjoy now but previously didn't wish to sacrafice one fruit allowance . I em enjoying a banana with my yoghurt in the morning and bread (in all honesty) has never tasted sweeter, i eat it with tuna and tomato and it is like a spiritual moment. I have never appreciated such a common food item.

I do have to be careful with it, as i have noticed, excess of bread makes me hungry. I ate a slice one day with my breakfast and i noticed i was quite hungry all day. I now choose to enjoy bread in the evening and substitue the crispbread at other meals. That is working out fine for the moment.

Last night, i cooked tuna steaks, based wholey on the reccommendation of Less Fatty (in an entry within his diary somewhere) and i have to say i thought it was sensational and far better than the tinned meat. I think i might make it a regular meal in my life post Cohens.
Another meal i am enjoying is poached chicken, i boil the chicken with lemon wedges, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper and it tastes great.
I also got to eat a 50g portion of cooked rice, i made brown rice, and i devoured every little piece. I honestly had to be quiet for a moment to ponder the experience. I think it is great to be able to experience and enjoy new foods with a clear palette.

I am continually worried about how life will be after the programme(s), when all i have to rely on is my will power, I guess i wont and shouldn't stress too much because i have demonstrated i can hold myself back if i want to. Balance is such a difficult thing to achieve sometimes.

CLOTHES! oh my godness, fit into size 8 clothes on the weekend, nearly fell off my seat. Ok, it was a bit of a squeeze but the 10 was definately roomy. I was quite happy in the size 10's, so i will keep it there. My boobs are still a generous size compared to my frame, so i don't want to look disproportioned...the aim was kate Moss, not Pamela Anderson.

Well, this is all from me for now. Refeed finishes on Friday for me, so only 4 more days on the programme to go, very very very happy.

good luck to everyone and I hope you are all well and staying strong.

take care
x

[Kohinoor]

Hi Olivia (I mean Xanadu)

Wow, you've done so well (and so quick) - I hope you stick around and give updates from time to time. Seems you're almost done, and I applaud that. But I also hope we don't lose you (it's pretty much all over now for you - but others might need your input). I hope you stick around to help others.

Any chance of a photo of the new you?

Well done, anyway, and I bet you're knocking them dead out there,

Kohinoor

[xanadu]

YEHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, it is all over. I made it to the end. Ok, officially there are still the remaining hours of the day to complete the programme, but essentially, it is finished.

These last few days of refeed have been very enjoyable. I had this whole week in food predetermined and protien all specifically weighed up, so it wasn't the struggle and confusion that i had at the beginning of the refeed programme.

To those who are reading, and who don't know what refeed is, it is an additional prgramme that builds on your original programme. Every day (mine is 17 days of refeed) a new thing is added or amounts increase, so essentially every day is different....beginning by adding more of the 'old' veggies and portions more of the 'old' protiens (but only the meat, poultry and fish protiens, no additional cheeses unfortunately) then there comes a point where you are allowed to try new veggies and protiens (of the fish, meat and poultry) and then you can mix between the protiens (but only between the meat, fish and poultry...no cheese and eggs from what i could work out...other refeed programmes may be different?), and when that happens, you don't have to wait the 5 hours anymore, which i found to a real plus, because sometimes i would have to eat my lunch early because i knew i would meet with a client at a certain time.

These last 2 days of refeed I was allowed a plain biscuit and a glass of alcohol (the alcohol is to the sacrafice of a bread portion) so that has been really fun, i got to have a sociable cup of tea at a friends house and very slowly enjoy one biscuit...just one. And i must remember post Cohens that it really is just one, maybe 2 if i think i deserve it, but not 5.

On another socialable note, I met Peter 14.7 on a flying visit to SYD. Turns out we are in the same industry, small world afterall, and that our kids were born within a month of each other....we chatted over a cup of black coffee and exchanged annecdotes of our experiences...lots of fun. If anyone else is in SYD or coming to and would love to catch up, I am all for it. I work in the city from Monday to Thursday so i would love to meet up and trade stories.

So in summary, I began refeed at 56.6kg, which is just in the frame I was given (54-57kgs) I began refeed because i was beginning to feel hungry within 3.5 hours after a meal, at which point i remembered what the programme notes said, that the body was close to using all the fat stores and required more energy to burn. During the refeed i lost a further 0.8kg which is great for me and for the amounts i was eating towards the end. In honesty, the amounts increased such that i was eating almost double. I had to leave aside some salad and protiens some meals because to continue would have made me burst.

I will post some before and afters....i have plenty 'before' photos, but the after photos are non existent. I'll get my husband to take some on our outings this long weekend.

Like the Cohens nerd that I have become, I have planned tomorrows meals...I know i don't have to but you know, I am so nervous about stuffing it up all over again that I want to be sure that i am in control. Breakfast, I am taking a leaf out of Kristine's book...as i have throughout this whole experience....and keeping the breakfast Cohens, 1. because i have come to enjoy the fruit and yoghurt or eggs and tomatoes/mushrooms, and 2. because i know it is the only meal in the day i will be able to fully control, lunch and dinners are usually uncertain where i will be, so i will leave flexability there.
Lunch, my husband is making a lovely argentine BBQ (asado) with the ribs and sausages. With this there will be no bread, but i will make a nice salad to go with it.
Dinner, we are going to a birthday party, so this is the test for me...birthday cake....how will i behave????? I'll let you know.

I will continue my visits to this forum, sporadic as they have been, i have really enjoyed and needed all your suport. thanks to all for the help. I sincerely note that i could not have done it without you all and this forum (oh here i go....). This programme has changed my life for the better. To those reading who are contemplating signing up...do it. It isn't a fad, it isn't too good to be true. It is quick and sensible weight loss, and really, it is up to you to change your bad habbits. Just do it.

You know, I am going to do the city to surf run this year....just thought i would mention it....

So i guess my closing words in this post will be the mantras that have kept me focused throughout....just take one meal at a time and start, continue and finish.

I am going to have a small glass of red wine and toast Dr. Cohen, you all and your successes and ME(!) for being stronger than i had imagined.

Take care and good luck to all

love from x.

[Kristine..]

Hi Xanadu

Well, you have certainly run from 'City' to 'Surf' already this year - what an amazing feat to lose more than 25 kilos, or about 60 pounds on the 'old scale'.

I have appreciated reading your posts, and following your journey. We are each of us different, but this common bond of the Cohen's experience unites us all.

Congratulations on this wonderful Personal Best. At 55 kilos, you must be so dainty now, and I'll bet you feel fantastic!

Best wishes for your slim future, and don't forget us here at New You. Many Happy Returns for the 55 kilo you!

Regards

Kristine

[Peter 14.7]

Great to read your post of success, Xanadu.

I was great to catch. A girl who did not look like she needed Cohens at all.

I am jealous re: refeed. I can cope with no more cheese or even the bread but a glass of wine, even one, with a fine meal would be very nice.

Congratulations, Peter

[lessfatty]

Well done, on reaching your goals, onwards and upwards (except the on the bathroom scales).

You have now been elevated to the special rank of "Goal Weight and Refeed Completed"

[Peter 14.7]

Hey Xanadu

I am 12 days away from refeed as I go the blood test this Tuesday. My god that close!

Anyhow I ask you and others on the refeed, I understand you need to weigh daily to see what the food does your metabolism? Can you confirm?

If so I am going to buy new 0.1kg increment scales over my 0.2kg as I want to be very accurate.

BTW congrats on finishing. Those “holy” experiences tasting bread and wine (pun intended) I can understand well.

Makes you realise that today society of “instant satisfaction” with a Starbucks, McD, Gloria Jeans on every corner that we miss the simple pleasure of fresh crisp apple, wholesome bread, or crisp vegies.

It is with great pride I love to have my “Appy” aka Apple stolen by my toddler daughter when custard and other less wholesome delights ar eon the table in front of her.

Peter

[Lonniecee]

Peter, 12 days from refeed, great guns. Yes, you do need to weigh daily when on refeed and the clinic suggests you continue even after refeed completed for a few months to keep a check on things as we are super sensitive to carbs post plan. Good luck with it.

Xanadu, congratulations on hitting the end. You must be so pleased with yourself and what you've accomplished so far. The 'city to surf' will be a great goal to work towards with your new bod. Well done.

Lauren

[I want to be in control]

Hey I have about the same weight to lose as you and I would liove to see yor before and afters for a little inspration. i should be finished in 4months like you coz we both lost 14kgs in our first two months. Also I was just wandering how tall are you coz you must be shorter than me coz you had to go a little further than me.

[meagain]

So Xanadu, life after refeed has been...

come on, fill in the blanks.