Fair Rose's Refeed Diary

[fair rose_za]

Hi All
I've decided to start refeed. Many will probably say that it's too early but i am happy with the result thus far and am actually eager to do some exercise. I must admit that i have become a bit irritated with my food as i don't like most of the veggies on the program and have stuck to salads for pretty much the whole of it I read asy's view of waiting for the hunger but i am already thinking so much of deviating that i thought i'd rather go thru refeed. If i am unhappy later on i will go onto the program in weekly or 2 wkly spurts as needed.
So officially:
Day 1
Refeed Start weight: 56.3kg
Change(extra protein/extra veggies/ +1 good fruit)

[Annabelle Joy]

Congratulations on finishing the weight loss part and reaching refeed, Rose. I was determined to go until I felt the hunger or reached the low end of my goal range, but after a discussion with my consultant we both decided that I was already ready for refeed, and that I was unlikely to feel the hunger. There are a number of other, less positive, signals that add up to being ready. I can understand your reason for starting now. Much better to finish properly, including refeed, than to deviate now and maybe never complete refeed.

AJ

[fair rose_za]

Hi AJ
Thanks so much for the encouraging words.I don't know if i've said this before but your presence here on the forum is very much appreciated. SO many maintainers don't seem to come back but u, Shell, SMS and a few others have done so, which makes one see light at the end of the tunnel with regards to maintaining
Today went well i think and my meal was huge...I can't believe i am having bread tomorrow!. I can't say i was really a big bread eater but anything new on the program is sooo exciting!! Let's hope that i am going to be a loser on Refeed*fingers crossed*

[Annabelle Joy]

Rose, the reason that many maintainers don't come back is that they are not having any problems and are getting on with their lives. Occasionally, one of them will come online and post an update. The people who come back here tend to be struggling a little and needing further help. Whether you come back or not when on maintenance, remember that the real secret to maintaining is to not let your weight go up too much before bringing it back down. I think that most of us have found that the first few weeks is very much a learning process and can be quite worrying. Once past that, we all seem to be gain an understanding of our own needs for maintenance.

AJ

[thenewvee]

Congrats on starting refeed Fair Rose! I can totally understand your reasons, and I would probably do the same in your situation.
Hope it all goes well and that you enjoy the new extras that you get to add.

Vee

[fair rose_za]

DAY 2
Starting wt:56.3kg
Current weight: 56.1kg
Overnight change: -200g
Nett: -200g
Changes: extra protein/extra veg/1 good fruit/1 bread
Hi All
Today i was soooo looking fwd to today's bread addition. It's just so unfortunate that i felt sick from just before lunch and still feeling nauseous and having tummy issues. So even though my lunch time cheese and toast looked so yummy...i wish i had an appetite for it. Nevertheless, i forced it down and felt absolutely filled to the brim. It's only day 2 and i am trying to figure out how i am gonna get all the veggies down( i'm sure u can tell, i am not much of a veggie fan) Well, the day is almost over, so maybe tomorrow i will enjoy my bread more and hopefully feel much better.

[Annabelle Joy]

I hope you're feeling better soon, Rose.

Certainly plenty of vegies in refeed. Maybe try mincing them up and mixing with minced meat to make patties.

AJ

[fair rose_za]

Day 3
Starting wt:56.3kg
Current weight: 56.3kg
Overnight change: +200g
Nett: 0g
Changes: xtra prot/xtra veg/ 1 good fruit/ 1 bread

So today the wt has gone up again but i am not worried at this stage. STill early right? I am stil recovering from yesterday's tummy issues and as a result, no appetite so once again i couldn't really enjoy my meals. Kinda just forced it down
At this stage i am not looking fwd to all the extras and tomorrow happens to be an xtra 40 gr of veg . i am beginning to wonder if i shouldn't just make a veggie smoothie to go down with my meals. Any ideas?
Let's hope there is some loss tomorrow although it seems i have lost a cm or 2 since starting refeed. Also got some muscle cramps today so up'd my slow mag. Can't wait for the end. Would be nice to pack up the scale
To whoever pops around, thanks for stopping by...
Bye
Fairoez

[shell]

Have you tried dividing up your extra food into all your meals, not just one?
That will help.
Shell

[Annabelle Joy]

Maybe try that smoothie idea as a soup? Cook up the vegetables, add herbs and spices and blend the lot.

AJ

[katiefrank70]

Hi Fair Rose

Glad to see you have reached refeed. It's an exciting time but also worrisome. From reading a lot of RF diaries I decided not to get to worried until I had hit 800gm gain. Of course I never even got close to that amount and kept losing up until the last day.

Don't worry too much about all the extra food and feeling full. It happens for the first few days, then viola your tummy gets used to it and the increases are welcome. I even got hungry a few hours after these huge meals. I even had people comment on the size of the meal (which I thought was huge) of how can you survive on that!!! Goes to show how different society views food in relation to the high obesity epidemic.

Anyways, you will do just fine. As shell suggested, split them up between meals and trust the good doc.

Will drop by soon. Keep on going Rose

Katie

[fair rose_za]

Starting wt:56.3kg
Current weight: 56.0kg
Overnight change: -300g
Nett: -300g
Changes: xtra prot/xtra veg/ 1 good fruit/ 1 bread


So today was alot better. The stomach is okay but my appetite still out of whack. A bit under stress at work as i am resigning the end of this month and taking over a private practice that has been neglected and i'm stressing abt whether i can make a success of it SO i am moving onto greener pastures and hoping i wil at least have a salary within a couple of months. I also have no experience in this regard so it will be a huge learning curve for me. It's amazing though, cos i have recently lost weight and now gaining some independence with regard to my career. Hopefully, this is beginning of many great happenings in the future

So today i had some loss..YAY!! let's hope it continues!

Shell...I didn't realise how big the portions would be and luckily from Day5 i have actually divided between lunch and supper*sigh of relief*
However, i think AJ is right..maybe i should use most of my veggies in a soup.
I only planned to day 9 and that day is coming up very fast, so i will have to plan the other half of refeed asap!
I made lasagne for the rest of the family and it looked and smelled sooooo delicious. I decided to freeze a small..and i mean a SMALL portion for after refeed.
Has anyone ever during refeed pondered what the first take out would be? and were they healthy choices? I feel guilty for thinking of vinegar drenched fish and chips...or sushi....or thai noodles....or garlic naan bread..I know that i shouldn't even be thinking abt it, but i can't help it...The TRUE test is cominG!!

[fair rose_za]

I take that back...Soup can be too filling

[shell]

After being a HUGE pasta eater, the thing I was craving the most was a salad wrap!

Shell

[Annabelle Joy]

Rose, do one takeaway then allow a couple of days to settle back down again. Hopefully, you won't have too much reaction to a small portion of lasagne.

Once you don't have to bother about the five hour rule maybe you could have some vegetable soup between meals and before bed.

AJ

[fair rose_za]

A bit late in posting:
Starting wt:56.3kg
Current weight: 55.9kg
Overnight change: -100g
Nett: -400g
Change: 2 good fruit

So it was a good day but i am not looking fwd to the rest of refeed. I am actually struggling to get everything down. I know things will be different during maintenance...but at least you have a choice when and how much u want to eat. I do hope i opt for small portions after this is all over. It would be a REALLY good habit. It's amazing how i used to eat 2-3 pieces of chicken at one time or have a 200g piece of meat b4 with no problems at all. Some times wishing for more but too embarrassed to take. It's good to have seen life from a Cohen perspective becos now know i don't need all of it. Moderation is the key!...I should make that my new Mantra
Until later

[Annabelle Joy]

Amazing how easy it is to get used to the small Cohen portions, Rose. However, it's just as easy to adjust back, as I've found today. It needs continual monitoring in refeed to keep up the good habits.

AJ

[fair rose_za]

Day 6

Starting wt:56.3kg
Current weight: 56.1kg
Overnight change: +200g
Nett: -200g
Change: Xtra bread and xtra fruit

The day was crazy. Wasn't home for lunch so only had it around 4pm which meant a late supper which meant a late night! I did, however, thoroughly enjoy my toasted chicken and mayo sandwich

Day 7

Starting wt:56.3kg
Current weight: 55.8kg
Overnight change: -300g
Nett: -500g
[I]Change: Xtra prot

I was convinced that i had picked up wt overnight becos i felt stuffed after supper lst night. Not only did i have it late(just after 9pm) i also slept within two hrs of eating I couldn't keep my eyes open! I had the usual yoghurt fruit breakfast this morn and maybe a toasted cheese for lunch later. Lately i have just been dreading supper times but will hopefully get thru them all
UNtil later...

[Mette]

I can't imagine feeling that the food will be too much when I get to that stage. I think that's one of the things that I feel most worried about with all of this, not feeling full. You're doing really well, Rose! Stay strong and keep smiling!

[fair rose_za]

Thanks Mette for stopping by
I reckon that maybe the lower the BMI you get to the more hungry u'll get? Is that a possibility? I wasn't hungry on starting refeed. So now it feels like i'm stuffing myself. It's amazing how Cohen's has reprogrammed our bodies and minds. It would be AWESOME if i could keep it that way...time will tell