Not finishing in time for refeed

[Butterfly94]

Hi dear Cohenites,

Is there anyone who could not order refeed because you didn't reach goal weight by the time the contract expired? Did you manage to maintain your weight loss?

I'm making great progress but don't think I can finish in time because I wasted too much time in the initial stages of my journey not sticking to plan.

I foresee that I'll probably have to stick with the refeeding guidelines given by the clinic but how effective are they in helping to maintain the weight loss?

Is it possible to pay an amount just to get the refeed and has anyone done that? I really want to end this properly after all this struggle

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[Winterboots]

Sorry I can't help you with that question but wanted to say congratulations on your great progress and thinking ahead to refeed.

Are you able to get an extention which would then give you refeed?

Have a great weekend
WB

[Kohinoor]

Hi Butterfly,
I had a quick look back when I noticed you joined us in 2013. You certainly have had a tough row to hoe, eh?

From some posts from back then, I wish I had been around (I had taken a few years away from NewYou during that time). Here is one of your posts from your first Refeed period:-
http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17634

Other posts indicate that your consultant might have not been doing you any favours with some of their advice being either confusing, hardline, and even unhelpful..... But then, we are reading only one side of the story, aren't we?

But hey, do take a minute to revisit those earlier posts from you - remember what transpired, and even bring your 5 years worth of experience to re-consider what happened back then.... There could be some learnings in there of merit.

Back to today, here are a few questions and/or comments I would like you to consider:-

1. It seems like you have a Refeed program from last time - or do you? Has it been lost?

2. Did you get Maintenance Guidelines from last time too?
3. Did you succeed in getting right through Refeed? One of your early posts says you gained over a Kg within 2 days of starting Refeed. How did that resolve itself?
4. Did you get to maintain at all? Not all do - as the shackles come off, some "make up for lost time" and go have a bang-up meal to celebrate getting through (a bit like an alcoholic having a beer to celebrate 6 months of no alcohol! )
5. What did the years from 2014 to now look like? You have obviously gained some weight since the first time - what happened? Did you stay slim for some amount of time?

6. Do you still have the same consultant? Are they any kind of help this time? (Maybe THEY were new when you did your first Cohen Plan - and they might have learned A LOT since then....)

And, in case you weren't aware, do have a read of this recent "gem" - and the one after. The one the link takes you to is dynamite, and likely has a lot to do with why some people found Maintenance to be more difficult than expected.
http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthr...649#post447649

Do use that info to protect yourself once you get to Maintenance.

And, Butterfly, one final thought I would like to leave you with - if you were told that having the Refeed and Maintenance Guidelines would make your future much more healthy for years to come, what dollar amount would you be prepared to pay for them? Think of them like a kind of "Insurance Policy", and consider their worth to you.

What if, by having them, this prevented you from purchasing another Cohens Plan (or some other weight-control plan)? Would spending those dollars now be worth more to you by saving much more down the track?

Were they worth it to you last time? That really depends on how things went for you in 2014 - and of course, you have learned a lot since then, eh?




Big decisions, Butterfly - it sounds like you are succeeding this time (and I hope you don't strike the same problem leading up to Refeed this time). If you do, be sure to share it here, as we do have quite some experience to draw on, and can point you toward a solution perhaps - or at least some threads that discuss others in a similar predicament.

Koh

[Butterfly94]

Hi WinterBoots and Koh,

Thank you so much for your thoughts and apologies for such a late reply - life has been swamped!

I did do Cohen's in 2014 and got a refeed and maintenance plan with it. I did initially get a shock on refeed with the weight gain, but that proved to be just temporary - i ended up losing 2.3kgs on refeed and reached my goal weight of 62kgs!

Unfortunately, I did not maintain it at all. I feel really ashamed and embarrassed to say this, but from the moment I finished my refeed, I went on a binging spree that lasted 4 years. In Koh's words, yes, I treated maintenance as if my shackles were off and did not follow any of the maintenance principles or lifestyle habits i had worked so hard to follow on Cohens.

This year, I got a new plan in march and struggled a lot to go on it. I purchased a new plan because I thought putting in the money would hold me accountable, and also my old plan was making me extremely hungry in a way - something i did not experience the first time.

It hasn't been a smooth ride from the time i got my plan in march till now - it took me these 7-8 months to get my head in the game and really follow it 100% without going back to my binging ways.

I've lost about 13kgs to date (in the 4 weeks that I have been 100% on plan - the longest I've stuck to plan in 4 years!!). Even though I have a long way to go till I reach goal weight, I've already begun feeling great! More energetic, more disciplined, even more motivated to dress up nicely (previously, I wouldn't even bother with my appearance - my mindset was "I'm fat. What's the point in dressing up anyway?). I'm still fat, but perhaps just the fact that im finally eating and living well makes me want to respect myself!


I was scared stiff that my plan wouldnt work well for me since it was given in march and i only started following it proper 7/8 months later. But my fears appear unfounded (so far).

My only worry now is that I'm not going to reach goal weight in time to do refeed. I've already taken into account the extensions, and even then, I know I will not reach goal weight by the time my contract expires.

I have struggled so long and so hard to get to this zone now, and not doing refeed means my efforts will go down the drain


Hence, I want to know if anyone else has had a similar experience before. Is it possible to pay the price of the plan again just to get refeed and maintenance? Has anyone done that? Or do the refeed guidelines work well in helping to maintain if stuck to?

I agree very much with Koh that refeed and maintenance are an investment in the future of my health and that is why I want to know if there is anything I can do at this point to get those.

[Kohinoor]

Hi Butterfly,
There is so much good in your reply - keep building on the good and I am sure it will all work out for you. Your comments led me to go seeking out some posts from the past - one of them from Baloo said this:-
"This programme is 90% mental. Look at your weight loss from the positive angle and you'll find it's a lot easier to do. Look at it from a negative, and every day is just that little bit harder."


Re your main question, I would think your clinic has the answer (re extensions, costs, etc). If someone else can come with another answer though, I'm all ears.... (but you all knew that anyway - from my avatar )

I have struggled so long and so hard to get to this zone now, and not doing refeed means my efforts will go down the drain

I agree that doing Refeed is super important, but don't you already have it? And Maintenance Guidelines? The one thing that you might not have is your clinic's (and Doc Cohen's) support. Paying them again can buy you that, or you can "have a go" with your old Refeed and Maintenance Rules anyway. So, (to me) all is not lost.....


Here is another quote from Baloo - it is one of the earlier "Gems" that we have accumulated over many years. It could be a good reminder for you:-
http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthr...607#post107607


Remember how you are feeling NOW, and use those memories to keep you "on track" down the track:-

Even though I have a long way to go till I reach goal weight, I've already begun feeling great! More energetic, more disciplined, even more motivated to dress up nicely (previously, I wouldn't even bother with my appearance - my mindset was "I'm fat. What's the point in dressing up anyway?). I'm still fat, but perhaps just the fact that im finally eating and living well makes me want to respect myself!

If Baloo is right, and the largest part of the journey is in the mind, fill it with all the good stuff you can find - read some of the other "Gems", other diaries, and other topics that can awake huge positive feelings within you - perhaps THIS thread:-

http://newyouforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5249


Be kind to yourself - revel in the thoughts you have today, and bottle them for those times that are a bit tough (we all get them, but we just have to hang in there, don't we?)


You are doing great things for yourself, B94 - be gentle but firm with yourself, and yeah, keep on respecting you !!


Hugs,
Koh