HappyMe's journey to a NewMe :)

[happyme]

Thanks Anc, and all the best to you on your journey. This diet is awesome and really works!

[Annabelle Joy]

It can be a bit depressing when the scales aren't moving, Happy. However, just remember that they will have to move if you are sticking 100% to your diet. Often your cms are decreasing when the scales appear to be stuck. Congratulations on your loss today.

AJ

[happyme]

Thanks AJ. Can't help fretting when the scale's stuck but I think I have pretty realistic expectations. Getting to where I am now is already a huge achievement for me, slow and steady will get me to my goal.

[louise41]

Your so close to your goal - just a tiny way to go, good on you!

[happyme]

Thanks Louise41,

60kg is the lower range of Dr Cohen's goal for me. I'm hoping to get to 58kg but with an impending deadline (due to a planned holiday), I may settle at 60kg, fingers' crossed I reach that in 3 weeks.

[Annabelle Joy]

I know about slow and steady, Happy, although in my case it isn't even steady. However, long term it's always down. I have a deadline that's likely to be at just the wrong time for me -- son's wedding. I'm thinking of asking them to change the wedding date.

AJ

[happyme]

That's funny AJ! Though a less extreme thought, I too am considering cancelling my holiday, cos this diet is after all my only chance to get to the lowest weight I can. I don't want to look back and regret that I could have gone a kg or more lower. We'll see.

Well, this morning, the scale stayed at 61.5kg. Actually, when I first stepped on it, it was 61.4 woohooo. So I tried again hoping it'd go lower (anyone else does this?), and it went to 61.7!!! Some tries later, and it finally went to 61.5kg so I'll take that.

Bfast: Baked Mozzarella on zucchini & tomato
Lunch: Prawns and rucola tomato salad
Dinner: Sashimi (Hamachi & Squid) with cucumber
10 Meiji Crackers, 2 Apples.

[Annabelle Joy]

I always weigh multiple times, and with multiple weights, Happy. I don't trust the scales to give me an accurate reading on a single occasion. I take the reading that occurs most frequently.

AJ

[happyme]

61.4 kg (-0.1kg) and down 8.2kg in 7 weeks. PMSing soon and the last time I PMSed on this diet, I was hungry all the time, bloated too. Never knew I had PMS symptoms till I started monitoring my body and weight and food intake on this diet. Cos in the past, PMS or not, I ate all the time and was hungry lots.

Bfast: Baked mozarella and zucchini and tomato
Lunch: Prawn rucola tomato salad
Dinner: Tomyam chicken

Travelling to Singapore. 4 hours ahead of where I am, in a few days. Not sure how I'll adjust to the time difference. Even if I eat 2 hours earlier than I usually do, it'll be 8pm by the time I finish dinner in Singapore. It'll also be a challenge doing this diet in food-heaven Singapore.

[Annabelle Joy]

I hope the PMS symptoms aren't as obvious this time, Happy.

Good luck for Singapore. It will be difficult, but I'm sure you will be able to manage.

AJ

[happyme]

Thanks AJ, I'll do my best

[happyme]

First MBM in 4 days resulted in a nice 0.6kg drop overnight! Am now 60.8kg, down from 61.4kg yesterday. What a great feeling to be under 61kg, now looking forward to going under 60kg!

Being so close to my goal, I will not deviate again, not even with what I thought was inconsequential, eg a tsp of caviar or a not-so-lean beef cut. This diet punishes you for the slightest deviation, at least it does for me. It'll be all Cohen-allowed meals from now on.

Weight: 60.8kg(-0.6kg)
Bfast: Baked Mozarella on zucchini and tomato
Lunch: Tomyam chicken
Dinner: Baked chicken with zucchini wrapped in lettuce
2 apples and 10 meiji crackers

[Annabelle Joy]

How long will you be in Singapore, Happy? You look to be very close to refeed. Do you have your refeed plan yet? Good luck for getting into the 50s in the next few days.

AJ

[happyme]

Thanks AJ. I'll be in Singapore for a month. I expect my body to be adjusting to lots of things in the coming week or so, PMS, period, flying 11 hours, jetlag and time difference, and possibly not sleeping well on the plane. Hope that will not result in an unintended deviation and plateau again.

I'll be collecting my refeed plan in Singapore but really don't know when I should start refeed. I would like to be the slimmest that I can be. My target is to maintain at 58kg, a goal that seemed farfetched at the start but suddenly looks achievable, but if I can go lower, why not? My consultant said to start refeed when I experience hunger and cravings. But I'll be in Singapore! Of course there'll be cravings!

[happyme]

Seems like taking my full allowance of fruits and crackers is getting me the results I want. Down 0.3kg from 60.8kg to 60.5kg. Sticking to this menu (with minor variations) for the rest of my Cohen journey, no more experimenting with cuts of beef or 'safe' condiments/fish.

Weight: 60.5kg (-0.3kg)
Bfast: Mozarrella cheese + zucchini + tomato
Lunch: Prawn rucola tomato salad
Dinner: Tomyam chicken
2 apples and 10 Meiji crackers
3.5 litres of water

[Annabelle Joy]

Well done on the loss, Happy.

My programme suggests (not an absolute) I restrict cheese to three times a week. Do you have that restriction? Some find that cheese slows down their weight losses.

I eat all my fruit (3) and most of my crispbreads (usually 6) each day.

AJ

[happyme]

Thanks AJ. No restriction on cheese. Just that feta cheese is only allowed once a week. I have choice of cheese on Meals 1 & 2, but can only have cheese once a day.

I've had to stop cheese today as I finished the last pack yesterday and couldn't buy more cos travelling tomorrow. Had eggs instead this morning, not quite as satisfying.

I will be ordering my refeed when I get to Singapore. Consultant said as I'm so near the goal, I should have my refeed on hand, so that if hunger pangs/lethargy sets in, I can start on refeed, instead of deviating. She said many people start to get hungry once they reach their goal weight and tend to deviate. The refeed programme is valid for a month.

After the initial 10 days on Cohen, I only ate 1 apple and 4 Meiji crackers, thinking that would help with the weight loss. The past few days have shown that's not true, I can have my 2 fruits AND 10 crackers. Wish I had realised this much earlier!

[Annabelle Joy]

If anything, not having all fruit and crispbreads slows you down, Happy.

Where are you staying in Singapore? Have you been there before? I wouldn't want to be trying to find the right food in a strange country.

AJ

[happyme]

We're kinda from Singapore so I'll have more choices of food there than where we are now, ie Moscow. I haven't been able to find the right kind of fish in Moscow as everything's in Cyrillic. I managed to find frozen seabass fillet, but when I asked the clinic about this fish which I found to have pinkish flesh, they said better not take the chance. I recognise salmon, trout and cod, but can't eat those.

And then I found Japanese yellowtail; at first the clinic told me it was a kind of tuna so safe to eat. I searched the net and found that it was yellowfin that was tuna. Clinic confirmed that they were wrong, but yellowtail was still allowed. Well, I ate that for a few days and it coincided with my plateau. Better safe than sorry, so i stopped. The nutritional content of the yellowtail showed pretty high fat content.

I miss my fish. And in Singapore, there'll also be many more choices of fruits for me. Tropical fruits in Moscow cost a bomb. I'm really glad to be doing my refeed in Singapore.

[happyme]

0.2kg down from 60.5kg; a total loss of almost 1kg in 3 days. That's amazing considering I'm so near my goal. Feeling a little fainty when I stand up suddenly; consultant's advice, "When you are lying down, always turn to your right first, sit up and then after a while stand up." Can never remember to do that though.

Flying off this evening so no weight update for tomorrow at least.

60.3kg (-0.2kg)
Bfast: Egg & zucchini & tomato
Lunch: Prawn Rucola Tomato Salad
Dinner: Tomyam Chicken
2 apples and 10 Meiji crackers