Skinny Chic - Soon2BSlim's Diary

[findingme]

Well done!
I think it takes a lot for people to come on here & say they are doing Cohen's again, but it makes us all the more richer from the experiences we've all had. Plus, you know what to expect & do this time already.

Take care
Luv Jen

[Soon2BSlim]

Thanks for the visits BT and Jen - I appreciate the motivation that brings!

It's my first weekend back on Cohen's and weekends are normally hard but today I'm feeling strong. Hubby bought some biltong/jerky to share with me and I was able to pass up the offer because it wasn't in my eating plan. Even he commented on how "good" I'm being!

It definitely is a mindset thing with me. If I decide beforehand that I will not be tempted by X and make alternate arrangements in my mind (e.g. going out to eat) I will be fine. If I just wing it and tell myself a little won't hurt - then I lose the plot and eat everything in sight.

I'm really hoping to be in the zone before the temptations of Easter come around! I LOVE hot cross buns and chocolate eggs so I will have to get my mindset in the right place before the temptations hit.

In the past few months hubby and I have been going out for Sunday brunch (it's easier now with adult kids) and he generally has the works with egg, bacon etc. but the Dome cafe we go to does a junior breakfast which I have. It's not strictly Cohen's but very close to it. They have natural yoghurt (I ask for extra to make up my portion) and fresh fruit. Fresh fruit is a mix of melons and kiwi fruit with sometimes a half strawberry and small piece of banana. They serve it with honey which I ask them not to add. It's totally satisfying and very close to a Cohen's breakfast so I think I will continue with the Sunday brunch with hubby and see how it affects my weight loss. If I find it does affect it then I will stop having brunch with him until this part of the journey is over.

Happy Weekend everyone!

Louise

[Soon2BSlim]

One week done and dusted. Loss for the week is 2.8kg. I was hungry yesterday but for the rest of the week, although I was happy when mealtime came around, I wasn't ever really hungry.

I know some people post losses of 5kg for their first week but that's never been me, not even the very first time I did Cohen's so I'm happy with my loss. I was hoping to be back in the 80's by today but next Monday should see me there

Anyway, off to update my ticker!

L

[blondetastic]

2.8kgs is great!! It's fantastic that you didn't experience hunger most of the first week. That's half the battle in week 1. Regarding the brunch, if you find it does end up affecting things adversely, could you ask for the extra yoghurt and no fruit? You could always take your own fruit too. At least then you don't have to miss out. Social stuff can get tricky even with the best of planning. Good luck for Monday and hitting the 80's.

[jessy]

Hi S2BS Me too I am back... day one TODAY !!! one day at a time.. so far just gritting my teeth and drinking water LOL ... I know I will get into the swing of things if I can just get through the first week...Funny I have for all this time still had M1 and M2 all the way along. I freeze tuna and salad for work still portioned out ... but it all the " Other Stuff " food and drink that wreaks the havoc Stay strong X Jessy

[Soon2BSlim]

Thanks for the visits BT and Jessy It's nice to have your company as well Jessy - the forum is quiet these days so not much going on but it's still a great place to come to.

I have struggled a lot this week (my 2nd week) and not drunk as much water as I should, also been tired in the mornings (I work nights) and had to force myself to get up for breakfast so that I can fit all my meals in before work as it's not practical to eat there. A couple of days I closed my eyes for another few minutes in the morning and before I knew it I was fast asleep again so had a late breakfast which threw the other meals out of whack. I don't like eating too early in the morning at the best of times but do it for my eating plan. So, with a combination of messing up my eating times and being my 2nd week back at work too (and super tired) I haven't lost anything this week so far. Weigh in is Monday so there are still 2 days to go but I'm not holding my breath. Next week should be better as I will figure out a routine that works before then

Louise

[Kristine..]

Hey Louise

Irregular hours are certainly a challenge

When I was working shift work last year, I had to really stand back and think about how each day works. Once I got the Meal 1, Meal 2, Meal 3 pattern worked out it all sort of clicked into place

If it is not practical to eat at your workplace, perhaps you can take a meal to eat immediately after finishing work / on the way home / as soon as you walk in the door at home?

For me, the enemy is Meal 1. I find it unpleasant to wake up and eat, I have to be awake for a while, drink at least 3 glasses of warm water, but I can't reverse the routine and go straight into getting ready (bath/dressed) either!

7am starts and 11pm starts took a bit of ingenuity so I hear your conundrum. My coping mechanism turned largely on preparing cooking meals only once each day and even if I was going to be at home for Meal 2 or Meal 3, I prepared these meals the day before. That way, I could eat with minimal delay so even if I then stayed in the kitchen and cooked for the next day at least that particular meal was completed at the right time.

I am about to start a Refresher x six weeks then Refeed, and also about to start four weeks in the City working shifts. This will involve day and afternoon shifts so I can see that my wide-mouth Thermos flask (I have an anathema towards communal work place fridges) will be put into use again. I figure it should be able to keep a sufficiently chilled salad below botulism level for a few hours and I will practice eating straight from the canister.

Good luck, we can chum each other along as we come to terms with the joys of rotating rosters!

Lotsa love
Kristine

[jessy]

Hi Lady's ... I blend meal 1 in a thermomix... but you can use any blender...... apple egg mushroom and a liter or so of water... Just drink it...Makes getting the day started so much easier..

Also I was in a job that I couldn't stop and have M2 , so same thing but with tuna and froze them in drink bottles and drank it.. It was OK. Just like cold soup. It worked. The weight dropped fast.

Hope this helps

[blondetastic]

Louise, I had that work situation most of last year, and it was a challenge. I probably can't offer any tips. I could eat at my work but only had a couple of minutes when we weren't busy, so it was very difficult to time. Since getting back on plan this year I had a couple of overnight shifts and just ate my to my normal routine albeit a little later so I could have dinner just before 9.00pm. Then took crackers and an apple to eat at 4.30am which would mark the start of my next day. (I worked 11pm till 7am) Then planned to have breakfast at around 8am. I didn't end up needing the crackers and apple.

BUT I think it's largely dependent on your sleep patterns. I would sleep from about 8.30am till 10.30am. Then have lunch around 2pm. Try and sleep from 4pm-8pm have dinner just before 9pm. I didn't always fall asleep when I needed to but I could work my food around it. I found I could then go the 8 hours on night shift with just a cup of black coffee and a lot of water, and wasn't really tired either. It did make it easier in a way because it was a job with a lot of manual work so I didn't sit down much which is when the sleepiness would set in.
My other job was also 8 hour shifts without a scheduled break and only about 3 minutes to eat. I didn't do well with them as I was cooking chips, burgers, making coffees etc and it was just too easy to pick. I would make and take EP meals, not have time to eat them and hours later eat a few fries or grab and iced coffee. BAD BAD BAD!! Anyway, ditched those jobs now.

Current job is 6 hour straight shifts and works in with meal times. They are rotational but so much easier to manage now I don't have to slot overnight shifts in.

It is a lot of trial and error, think I made more errors haha. Hope you can find something that works for you. Oh yeah maybe fruit smoothie with yoghurt and mango?

[Soon2BSlim]

Thanks for the visits everyone and the good suggestions for meals. I like the idea of drinking my meals but not so much with the tuna :P As the weather cools down I could do beef or chicken soups I think.

For now, strange as it feels to me (I didn't realise I was such a traditionalist regarding meals) I think I will have meals 2 and 3 during the day and then when I get home at night I will have meal 1 which is easiest to prepare as I normally have yoghurt and fruit. I could even eat the fruit on the way home or drink my yoghurt meal at work. I don't normally go to sleep straight after work anyway so waiting the 2 hours isn't going to be a problem.

It's nice to know that you all made it work with your workplace challenges too - it gives me hope Thanks for sharing your stories.

Wow! It's good to have that sorted in my mind now and not have the pressure of having to wake up early to start eating!

New week - new routine Watch this space!

Louise

[Donzie]

Hi Louise,

Having a little lurk on your diary today - Hi! - it's nice to see (read) you again and it sounds like your also in a good head space in 2018.

Night shift sounds a challenge, I have no advise (not that you need any by the sounds of things). You've got a new routine sorted - it really is (the whole thing) about finding a system then working that system to the max. At least it was for me, the less mental energy expended thinking about things the better.

Anyway I just wanted to say Hi and hope you are well, and you sound very well. All the best. X

[blondetastic]

Hey Louise!! Hope your new routine is working for you.

[aussueeater]

Hi, Just back here after a looooong break. Getting back on my diet plan too. Thank you for sharing your ups and downs......meal planning is hard at times. I'm definitely a yogurt smoothie/thermos lady when working ,or on the move. Hmmmmm tuna smoothie doesn't sound too fab to me😂😂🤣.
Positive thoughts, less stress, and success to all!
Sue

[Soon2BSlim]

Thanks for the visits everyone! I so appreciate you popping in and leaving a comment to let me know you've been here.

I have had a "wobbly" few days on the eating plan so haven't lost as much as I could have. However, I am an 80's girl again (only just but I am in the 80's) and psychologically it's given me a wonderful boost

In terms of changing my meals so that I have a late breakfast/brunch and my last meal after work - it's working beautifully! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! There is no stress to get up and have breakfast while my body is still asleep and I am enjoying my mango smoothie before I go to sleep at night. Thanks again for the suggestions everyone!

I do have a small hiccup this week with meals as it's my birthday and my youngest son (21 year old) wants to take me out for lunch. He is extremely healthy and fit and watches what he eats so I'm sure we won't be going anywhere too bad foodwise and I expect to be able to eat Cohen's friendly even if it's not exact portion sizes. I do have a pretty good idea of portion sizes by now so will do my best to keep within plan. There's also very little to no chance that there will be cake which suits me down to the ground All in all, it should be a good day for the most part.

I hope everyone else is going well on plan and seeing those kg's drop off

Louise

[Winterboots]

80's girl - well done it is those milestones that do keep us going.

Isn't it great when you find something that works - I do think that it makes staying true that much easier as it does less mental energy and that can be exhausting.

Happy early birthday. You seem to have this sussed as well with guessimating food etc. It is very special that your son wants to take you out for your birthday - you will always have those memories and yes while it may add an extra day or so in the long run you won't remember whether it took 80 days or 82 days.

Enjoy
Winterboots

[blondetastic]

80's Woohoo. Doing a happy dance. Well done!! Happy Birthday, hope you had a fantastic day and enjoyed lunch.

Really pleased you found a way to work the food with your work hours. It's challenging to try different things until you work out the combo that's right for you, but so worth it. I'm sure future Cohenites will find your experience helpful.

Hope the rest of the week goes well for you. Keep up the good work!!

[Soon2BSlim]

It's been another while since I posted but I am plodding along. I've had a few topsy turvy weeks at work with being called in at odd hours and extra long shifts mainly due to my manager having a car accident and writing his car off. Fortunately he wasn't too badly hurt but had to take a few days off work here and there. Of course, this upset my eating plan a little to say the least! Anyway, I'm back on track and managed to cook up about 2 weeks worth of meal 3's yesterday which is going to help immensely. I weighed my portions and cooked them individually in foil parcels then added water to each cooked one and blitzed to make the yummiest soup!! It was way easier than cooking so many different meals and spending hours slaving in the kitchen. I really am not enjoying cooking at all these days, not even quick Cohen's meals, so doing this is going to be a life saver!

My weight is going down slowly but surely but the biggest thing I've noticed is that my skin is changing again and I'm not feeling or looking as puffy as I was

Now that things at work have settled down again I hope to be back to normal meals and weight loss!

Hope everyone is doing well.

L

[blondetastic]

Work is what messed me up most of last year. The longer than usual shifts put so much extra stress on a person.

Great planning with the cooking ahead. I need to do that on Friday.

Isn't it great the little changes we notice in our skin, bodies etc on this EP. There are pretty much no negatives about it. Things that may seem normal for the average person become so remarkable and fascinating. Thank goodness for those little positives that keep us inspired.

Hope the rest of the week goes well for you!!

[Soon2BSlim]

OMG!! Well, it's been about 6 weeks or so since I've been to the forum but I'm back and ready to complete this journey!

The last 6 weeks to 2 months have been crazy. I started with a serious bout of flu that lasted nearly a month then left me aching all over, weak as anything, absolutely no energy, nauseous, gastric upsets etc. etc. and I found it hard to even get out of bed to forage for food. When I could eat I went for what my body could handle so things like plain oats or pasta that would sit still in my tummy. Definitely not Cohen's friendly unfortunately.

Then, just getting over the flu and I came down with an extremely itchy rash with blisters, mostly on my forearms and hands! This has been for the last 2 weeks and has been most uncomfortable. Went to the doc and he tried to say it was hives!! Went for a second opinion and while a rash is very difficult to diagnose she did take swabs from the blisters but there was no definitive diagnosis. Needless to say, I have been a guinea pig in the meantime and had meds from antihistamines to cortisone to steroids and various creams and ointments! Nothing worked so I tried an old remedy from waaaay back - a pinch of potassium permanganate in a bath of warm water so the water goes pink and I soaked myself in that! It was like chalk and cheese!! The itchy blisters started drying up and my discomfort was much more bearable! I still don't know what I had so I'm calling it skittle pox (yes, borrowed from the ad) and am well on my way back to normal.

Thankfully, today feels better than yesterday and while the going is good I have started back on plan. I did put on about 3kg while I was sick but I'm sure that will disappear quickly so I'm not going to adjust my ticker just yet. I will update it next Monday when I weigh in again.

Oh, our old ginger kitty died last week too. Yes, she was old (17) but she was still a part of the family.

Anyway, a new week - new energy - new outlook! I can do this!!

Louise

[ConnieK]

hey Louise .... sounds like we both had some interesting challenges to contend with - but they are in the rearview mirror - so cmon girl, lets do this!

ConnieK