Just Started? Information for the first few days.....

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Here are a list of questions that get asked often in the first few days:

1: SALADA CRACKERS

Salada Crackers come out of the box in one BIG square made up of four little squares. ONE SERVE of a Salada is TWO LITTLE SQUARES. The one BIG square would constitute two serves.
You may have your crackers WITH or BETWEEN meals, but no more than two serves at a time (then must wait 2.5 hours between serves).

2: CAFFEINE

Yes, you CAN drink caffeinated soft drinks… BUT… You may only have three caffeinated drinks per day. You may either have these as Coffee OR Soft Drinks.
So, if you choose to have them as soft drinks, the one litre rule still applies. You can have three glasses of caffeinated soft drink, which will make up part of your 1lt, the balance of your soft drink allowance must be non-caffeinated.

PLEASE NOTE!!! Giving up Caffeine overnight can give you SERIOUS DETOX HEADACHES. Please consider whether you’ve inadvertently given up caffeine when you start the programme. So often people say “the food is giving me a headache” only to find that it’s Caffeine withdrawl!

3: TEA DRINKING

There are only certain teas you are allowed to drink. Basically, you may have any as long as no sugar, fruit, dextrose, maltrose or glucose.
Yes- you may have these - Lemon grass, Ginger, Kapha, Rooibos, Jasmine, Fennel, Camomile, 'Camomile and Spearmint', Peppermint, White, Green Tea with Mint Flavour.
No- you may NOT have these - Stinging Nettle, Aururvedic Rejuvenate, Noni, Rose hip, Barley, Aniseed, Chai, Lemon Myrtle, Kombucha, Liquorice, Vanilla, Gypsy Weed, dandelion, Chicory Root, Green tea with Lemon flavouring or any tea with fruit extract.

4: CONSTIPATION

Before you decide if you are constipated, please remember it’s NORMAL to only have a bowel movement every 3 days or so on the programme. If you’ve gone more than this, or are uncomfortable and feel you’re definitely constipated you may use Psyllium husks or Metamucil as directed on the pack, BUT, remember, you must NOT use any flavoured types. Especially beware of the Metamucil’s fruit flavours.
The other thing you can take is Coloxyl with Senna. Be careful not to get the Coloxyl without the Senna, The Coloxyl will ‘move it’ but the Senna ‘softens it’. The LAST thing you want is it moving without softening

5: REPEAT BLOOD TESTS:

The first of these is due 4 weeks from your start date.
Repeat blood tests are NON-FASTING.
No, the programme doesn’t change after a blood test. Your programme will stay the same until you reach your refeed.
Make sure you do NOT MISS your blood tests. If you go more than 12 weeks without a repeat blood test you will NOT get a refeed. Asking Dr Cohen to write a refeed without repeat blood tests to go by is like asking a kid to write a book report without letting them read the book first.


CONTINUED NEXT POST:

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6: WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.

It is NOT mandatory to go into a clinic to ‘weigh in’. You can go in when your weigh in is due (see page 14 of your programme) however due to distance or time constraints some people are unable to do so. In this case just keep your own data, and email it to the clinic every 4 weeks.

If you do keep your own weight data, try to weigh on the same scales every time. It doesn't really matter if they aren't perfectly aligned with the clinic scales, so long as they are accurate within themselves.
It may pay you to put fresh batteries in when you start the programme.


7: HOW OFTEN CAN I WEIGH MYSELF?

It’s recommended, by Dr Cohen, that you only weigh every 4 weeks. This is so that you hit the same point in your hormonal cycle, and you are then averaging the loss rather than looking at fluid fluctuations.
And YES, Men DO have a hormonal cycle. And SO do women who’ve had hysterectomies.
You can weigh as often as you like, so long as you understand that weight loss is cyclic. You lose weight, then size, then weight, then size, etc. So it may be that you see a week or more with no actual discernible movement on the scales, but you are losing size. And you may ACTUALLY be losing weight but it’s being masked by fluid gain due to your hormonal cycle.


8: SUGAR SUBSTITUTES:

As noted in the programme, you may have only TWO varieties of Sugar Substitute tablets. HERMESETAS and SUGARINE.
In addition to this, you must be very careful when buying Hermesetas that you buy only the original one, NOT the Gold.
Here’s a photo of what’s allowed:
These are the ONLY ones allowed. NO OTHERS.

Adding sugar to your yoghurt… Some people don’t like the taste of the plain natural yoghurt. What I do is make up a sugar syrup to add to it. Here’s the recipe:

Take a well cleaned out “popper bottle” (a drink bottle with a popper lid).

Click quite a number of sugar tablets into it. I usually do about 30.

Add 1tsp warm water per tablet. I weigh it out, 1 standard tsp is 5ml, which weighs 5g. So, for 30 tablets, I add 150g warm water.

Close the lid and shake vigorously till the tablets are dissolved.

Then add the liquid at the rate of 1tsp = 1 hermesetas tablet!!!


9: CHEESE:

Please remember, Cheese should be eaten a MAXIMUM of THREE times per week.

Also, GRATED MOZARELLA is NOT allowed. The pre-grated stuff has an “anti-caking agent” added, which is basically cornflour. If you want it grated, you must buy the block and grate it yourself.

The Cheese is a BIG issue, having cheese more than 3 times a week can literally stop your weight loss in it’s tracks!

LOW FAT CHEESE: Dr Cohen says to buy the low fat option if there is one, but, if you can’t find it, don’t fret, just use the ordinary version.


9: MEDICATIONS and HEALTH ISSUES:

Please DO NOT STOP TAKING ANY PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS without the express consent of your Doctor.
If you START or STOP taking any prescribed medication please let your clinic know.
Yes, you MAY take painkillers while on the programme.
If you are diagnosed with any illness while on the programme please let the clinic know. If it’s serious, they can then check with Dr Cohen if necessary to see whether you can continue on the programme.
Please also remember that this programme MAY INCREASE FERTILITY. All women on the programme for whom this is a possibility should take ADDITIONAL PRECAUTIONS. If you discover you are pregnant while on the programme you MUST stop the programme. Call your clinic to discuss.


10. NOT LOSING WEIGHT.

Occasionally people say that they're just not losing at the rate they feel they ‘should’ be. Not that there’s a right or wrong amount to lose, but there is an indication of what you might expect to lose. IF you are losing less than this amount and believe you are following the programme 100% please have a look at the following checklist:

Have you read your programme.
Have you read it AGAIN!?

The usual culprits are these: (and the suggested remedy)
Are you leaving 5 hours between meals? (you should be)
Are you taking the RIGHT Vitamins? (i.e. ONLY the ones listed in your pack).
Are you eating cheese more than 3 times a week? (you shouldn’t be)
Are you eating mozzarella that has been bought pre-grated? (see point 9)
Are you using the RIGHT sugar tablets? (see point
Are you eating the RIGHT Crackers? (double check the list in the programme)
Do your kitchen scales have a FRESH battery? (change the battery)
Is there any chance you’re pregnant? (panic)


And remember. WHEN IN DOUBT RE-READ YOUR PROGRAMME.

And further. IF YOU STILL CAN'T WORK IT OUT - RING YOUR CLINIC!!!