Clean eating, happy living! GAME ON!

[Soon2BSlim]

Lovely comparison of you in your wedding dress and you mum is definitely right! It does fit you better now It also seems that while you were happy in the original photo, the more recent photo shows a deeper level of happiness, if that makes sense?? You seem to be happier within yourself.

I love reading your diary and seeing your progress pics, they are so motivating.

Keep up the great work! You're a true ambassador for Cohens

[AZ1908]

WOW!!!!

[Chew chew]

You look amazing in your wedding dress LLL!!

[Soleil]

I love what Soon2bslim wrote: a true ambassador for Cohens. I couldn't agree more!
Soleil xx

[Light_Life_Love16]

So I showed the (Facebook) world my wedding comparison pics yesterday, with a bit of an explanation of what's been going on for me over the past 14 weeks. Initially when I started, I didn't want to draw attention to myself or the program for fear people would roll their eyes and say 'here we go again'. But now that I have proven to myself I can do this, I am happier and much more comfortable talking about it.

I am always guarding myself against feeling like I have achieved it all....because the end result is still at least halfway away again. I'm able to guess, based on how well my wedding dress fits that I must be in the low 90s by now, or possibly even in the high 80s. I tried on my yr12 formal dress last night, and it fits too! Wow! Which makes me think i must be sitting around the 90 mark. But I won't know for sure until Christmas time. That's 3 more weigh ins to get through. To be honest, I don't think knowing the number will have an adverse affect on my mentality now, but for the moment I like not knowing.

When I travelled to Cairns last week, I didn't have to squeeze into my chair. My boobs (which previously had their own postcode) are now a normal size for a girl my size. My eyes seem bigger in pictures because my cheeks aren't pushing them closed. I'm trying out some heels (wedges) because I haven't been able to wear them since 2007 after I fell and never recovered my confidence. The backs of my thighs are amazingly smooth as the cellulite breaks down and the fat disappears. My wedding and engagement rings fit and the ring I got for my 30th is very loose...I keep needing to move it up to a bigger finger.

And I'm happy.

[AZ1908]

What a great post!!! You are so positive

Yes - it definitely nice to comfortable sitting on a plane!

What weight did you start at?

[Light_Life_Love16]

AZ, I started at 119kg.

[Annie17]

Look at you go, my beautiful niece I am a long way from where you are and only just starting out, but you are a true inspiration, not just to me, but to everyone you encounter, in person, or online.

Love you bucketloads, and keep up the great work! So, so excited for you and for the rest of your journey!
xx

[AZ1908]

Phenomenol effort!!!

[mesmer_eyes]

just saw the wedding dress comparison.. the weight loss is definitely showing on the 2nd photo.. great job!

you are beautiful.. keep going!

[Light_Life_Love16]

Another week down another week without issue. My new skinny jeans (in true size 1 are fitting better now, and I am finally brave enough to leave the house in them. Eeeeeeek! My husband tells me they look good, when last week we were convinced they didn't fit quite right yet.

I'm starting to develop a theory that one of my best friends is really finding my journey very confronting. Initially she was amazed at my journey, asking me lots and just marvelling at my results each time time she saw me. But a little while ago, she started to no longer ask how it was going, she no longer mentions it at all, and if she does it sounds like she is forcing her enthusiasm. In texted conversations, she doesn't acknowledge anything I say regarding the weight loss, like she is deliberately avoiding it. Everyone else seems very encouraging and amazed at my results, as I am. I don't need the attention, but since it is there from every other person, it seems very obvious when it's lacking from someone....my best friend.

Trying to see things from her point, I'm wondering it if is difficult to watch me...she is overweight, and is pregnant at the moment. So naturally she is expanding as I am shrinking, which might seem unfair. Who knows. At the end of the day, it's tough but it isn't going to change the way I'm doing things. I just really like everyone to be happy with me, but it feels like the opposite. :/ as I have tried to keep my journey low key, I'm deliberately only talking about my journey if people ask me, so I'm not shoving it down her throat.

Has anyone else experienced a friends stand-off nature towards your weight loss?

[AZ1908]

Sorry to hear this LLL16,

I hate to say this but it sounds like she may be jealous, maybe? Give her some time and she'll get used to the idea of you being slim and fabulous. and who knows, once she has had the baby, she may come and ask you all about Cohens so she can do it too!

I have a friend who is pregnant and she has seen my transformation and keeps saying, "I can't wait for this baby so I can do it too!".

Focus on the positives and keep tracking on. You are doing wonderfully!!!

[Scaling_Down]

Hello LLL... WOW.... I think I am speechless (for once) which honestly, doesn't happen very often!
I just stumbled across your diary now and read through it from the beginning, viewed your progress photo's and honestly I don't have much to add from what others have said:

Your attitude towards Cohen's and your journey is honestly inspirational!
How you have manged through this journey without knowing the amount of weight (in numbers) is incredible! It just shows me that you are not driven by the weight loss, per say, but rather by how you look and feel, and I believe that this has made for an incredible mindset for you and it's possibly the best thing you could ever have decided to do! I found from when i originally did Cohen's, more than 3 years ago, I became obsessed... Obsessed with my looks, obsessed with what the scale told me each morning, obsessed with food (I either am 100% strict on myself or I binge - I don't seem to be able to find the happy medium!) but I doubt that you will EVER face these sot of mental challenges because you are viewing this journey in a way i have never seen before and like I said before, it's extremely inspirational!
I think, along with everyone else who follows your diary, we are all waiting in anticipation for Christmas day, when you finally open those weight loss envelopes and can quantify the amount of weight that you have lost over this period of time! I would guess (as I think many are doing) but personally, I believe you have lost more than you believe and your number is slightly lower than you think
Keep up your incredible spirit and healthy attitude! Forget those who don't comment (I ended up losing a friend when I originally did my plan, because even though she is a real gym bunny, I was shrinking in front of her very eyes and she was remaining the same, no matter how hard she trained! One day I innocently said to her, I believe weight loss is 90% what you eat and 10% exercise and since then, she disappeared from my life Very sad, but it was her choice! I gave her all the tools she needed, but she didn't even TRY Cohen's! Gave it one look and said its ridiculous!)
Oops, so sorry for rambling in your diary!
I truly look forward to your future postings and wish you every bit of strength and determination in your future!
xxx

[Light_Life_Love16]

Thanks you guys, I really take so much strength and encouragement from seeing you follow along on my journey, and from your kind words.

I write to you from my sick bed tonight (well, technically it's the lounge!). I'm in shocking pain due to an infection in my cheek, gums and throat that started with my wisdom tooth. It's a really awful pain. It's the first time I've had to take antibiotics while on the program and the first time in a long time that I've been able to take decent pain killers as my daughter has now finished breast feeding (sad face). I've woken up in pain, soaked a cracker in water so I can swallow it without too much fuss, and am now waiting for my medication to kick in so I can go back to sleep.

I've been like this since Monday afternoon, and am pleased to report that despite it all....I'm still 100% deviation free. I'm blending my food so I can eat it, and although it might be easier to have a glass of milk or eat some jelly, I truly don't want to do that, because I don't want to feel crap on top of already feeling crap. Which is an amazing place to be really. Knowing that even in my moment of physical need, I am still seeing this healthy lifestyle as preferable to the sugar, chemicals and preservatives that is in everything else. Hoping these antibiotics kick in overnight and work their magic so this all consuming pain can get lost ASAP.

We are heading away with friends for the weekend who haven't seen me for 5 weeks or so, I am really excited for them to see the updated version of me. They know I am doing the program (we went away together last time too, so they have seen me cook my own stuff off to the side), and were really encouraging of me back then, so I can't wait to show them how it's all going.

It's really nice to feel more and more comfortable in my own skin, feel younger in the clothes I am buying, and feel more able to physically run around with my kids, without getting puffed. It's nice to feel more confident in my choices and take more pride in my appearance....especially considering it seems to be the topic of conversation so often. If I am being appraised, I'd like to put my best foot forward.

It always makes me smile to think of how many of you are starting below whatever weight I am now, and how my joyous times are your worst nightmare. It all depends on perspective, of where your breaking point is and where mine was. Regardless of where I am at now, I can't wait to get to the other side of this time and really truly take a moment to celebrate what I have achieved here.

It's not just the weightloss. I feel like I have achieved self worth in this journey, I have pit myself first by spending the money, by investing the time, by sacrificing family times we may have had around certain meals. I have discovered power and control around food, it no longer controls me. I have discovered a style and interest in clothes that I couldn't afford to have anymore when nothing fit. I have developed a love and appreciation of fresh, good, nutritious foods that I will enjoy for the rest of my life and will pass on to my children. But above and beyond all of this, I feel like I have achieved the one thing I have always wanted to do....to remove the one thing that has always made me feel shame, embarrassment and guilt. I love my life. I always have, and I have always been filled with gratitude for the blessings I have in my husband, my girls, my employment, my family and friends, my faith. But the one thing I always wanted to change was my attitude towards food, and the feeling that I could do nothing about it. In fact, my mum who is also overweight, often would put me in a basket with her saying things like 'we will always struggle with food', and 'you and I are just like that'. But I am not happy with that, and I don't want to be in her box anymore. Because I refuse to be living this same journey of food being the focus of my life when I am her age. In fact, I refuse to even let this mentality continue to my next birthday. By the time I turn 32 in May 2015, I will have arrived at goal, and probably will have done refeeding by then too. By the time I turn 32, I will have this swinging pendulum of weight behind me forever. And I will have only my wonderful life ahead.

Alright, my painkillers have kicked in, so I think I will head off back to bed in the hope that I can sleep. Nighty night.

[Annie17]

You're just amazing x

[Scaling_Down]

Incredible!!!!

[Soon2BSlim]

Well done LLL! Sorry to see that you've been feeling so awful but so proud of you for sticking to your plan despite having to blend your food! That's dedication and the stuff that winners (in this case losers) are made of! With a can do attitude like that you will most definitely succeed with this eating plan and be at goal and feeling fabulous in your new skinny body!

I'm so pleased for your achievements and your winning mindset!

Keep up the good work!

xxx

Louise

[mesmer_eyes]

Well done LLL! I had the same experience when i was on plan.. a sudden terrible toothache struck me in the middle of the night.. no dentist open..and more than 8hrs of enduring the pain..i found out i need to have a root canal.. so i can imagine how u must be feeling right now..

I hope you feel better soon..

[Light_Life_Love16]

Hi everyone,
Just sitting down after a long afternoon unpacking after our weekend away. Phew, it was an awesome weekend, staying at our friends house at jindabyne with about six other families as well, all there to celebrate his 40th birthday. The theme of the party was Nerd or Nude, which of course was hilarious to see people's interpretations. I went as a nerd.

I was complimented a lot by my friends who all were amazed to see me again looking so different after 6 weeks or so, and then it was forgotten. They could all see it was going so well, so just let me plod along and organise my own food etc. it was nice to feel like nothing is ever too hard, either for me or anyone else.

Tomorrow we are having our carpets professionally cleaned. It's funny how all of a sudden, I'm much more interested in taking of myself, my house, my car etc. normally, my husband and I are slobbish. We prefer to cuddle up and watch TV on the lounge and do the minimum required around the house to make do. But as I clean up my act with my body, I also want that energy reflected in our home too. it's great!

I have another weigh in on Wednesday, for week 16. I had been obsessed with wanting to know when I reach my halfway point, 30kgs. I'm not sure why I care, when I don't want to know exactly what I weigh. I've decided I'm not going to get my husband to tell me after all, because it just still doesn't matter. But believe me, as I get smaller, my interest in the scales is more tantalising than ever.

Patience, patience.

[Scaling_Down]

WOW LLL, I wish I had your strength to not know what my weight is constantly! But I think that my 'obsession" came from getting through refeed and into maintenance... In refeed you are advised to become a daily weigher so that you can automatically see if anything you had to add into your previous day or two had any affect on your weight!
Looking forward to you next set of progress photo's

Keep up the amazing journey you are on!

Happy losing!!