My mum's progress: 8 weeks down!

[ozi]

Hi all,

I thought I'd give you an update on how my mother is progressing with Cohen's. It has now been 8 weeks since she started the program. She has been weighing in and taking measurements weekly. Below are her results:

Week No. Total Measurements Measurement Loss Weight Weight Loss

0471cm-87kg-


1458.5cm12.5cm83kg4kg


2454.5cm4cm81kg2kg


3448.5cm6cm79kg2kg


4443cm5.5cm78kg1kg


5439cm4cm77.5kg0.5kg


6436cm3cm76.5kg1kg


7431cm5cm75kg1.5kg


8431cm0cm74.5kg0.5kg


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


TOTAL40cm12.5kg

She has followed the program 100% and has NOT deviated once. I'm proud of her and she is looking great! She was off to a flying start the first month however the past few weeks her weightloss has slowed down significantly. I am just wondering if others have experienced the same thing and if so, have you been able to do anything to kick-start the fatloss again? I am just a little worried that my mother will lose hope with her progress slowing.

A few things I should point out. My mum has kept her diet fairly stable and the meals she generally prepares are simple. She will normal just grill or pan fry/boil her veggies and meat and not add anything to them. I guess she is worried she will do something wrong and likes to keep it simple. She also has a routine going, so her meals and snacks are normally eaten at the same time every day. Could it be that because of this, her body has gotten used to the routine where it is no longer as effective. From my experience, once this occurs you should change things around a bit to "shock" the body, to get things moving again. Is this the case? Is there anything else people can recommend?

Also not that she does very little exercise. She would be lucky to do a 30 minute walk 1-2 times a week, but she is on her feet most of the day so I guess that counts as exercise.

Note: her goal weight is 57-60kg. Is anyone able to guess how long to go before she should reach her goal weight?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Regards,
Ozi

[Supershrinker]

WOW congrats to your mum Ozi.. she's doing fantastically.

No one can say how long it'll take her to reach goal and therefore refeed.

But it'll definitely be before Christmas that's for sure.

xxoo

[ozi]

Thanks Supershrinker!

Christmas? lol

I was hoping she would be done by about week 20. Do you think this is a reasonable goal?

Regards,
Ozi

[Kristine..]

Hi Ozi

Your Mum (does she have a name?) is doing very well.

When I look back at my excell spreadsheet there were weeks when nothing much seemed to happen, then the next bracket of time would be double the weight loss or double the shrinkage. The body needs and takes time to adjust.

Regarding the exercise, it is more important if Mum is getting enough sleep!

Exercise puts the body under strain, sleep allows the release of Human Growth Hormone and the repair of muscles and tissues.

It doesn't really matter if the food is much the same, provided that across the 21 meals of the week that most of the shopping list is used. eg not more than three cheese meals, not the same meat protein twice in the same day, that sort of thing. Fruit is a bit different, in that at this time of year the apple, kiwi, citrus fruits are more readily available in Melbourne than the stone fruits.

If Mum is enjoying herself, let her alone. The program recommends not weighing more than once each four weeks, but personally I weighed every day and saw the pattern which encouraged me, but for some people daily weighing may be discouraging if they expect miracles to happen.

Each body is different. It took me 20 weeks to lose 25 kilos. I was more than happy with that. Three of those weeks had no loss at all, due to deviations. However, Asy is losing at more than 2 kilos per week, lessfatty lost 1.5 kilos per week, heavenlylamb has a different rate etc

If your Mum is well, feeling proud of herself, diligently following the program and looks terrific, then leave your own anxiety at the door! She seems to have it all organised and is undoubtedly very pleased with herself. I'll bet she is the envy of all her friends!

Dont' sweat the small stuff. At her average rate of 1.5 kilos per week she should be finished or at least approaching refeed by the end of the Financial Year! The aim of this program is not just weight loss, but reconditioning the body to be healthy and stable. Remember, I have been stable for nine months now and this is the proof of the steady weight loss and overall shrinkage. People I meet now have no idea how fat I used to be. But I remember and I am not going there again.

Give your Mum a bit of space and a bit of credit for the job she is doing. She will be there in just a few months, not long in the scheme of things.

Best wishes

Kristine

[ozi]

Hi Kristine,

Thank you for your response, I appreciate your advice. Yes, my mum does have a name... its Zali

She is doing everything you suggest, i.e. not eating the same meat protein twice in the same day, cheese 3 times a week, 3 litres of water a day, etc.. I think she averages about 7-8 hours of sleep each night and sometimes as a snooze during the day.

My mum is happy, its just the past few weeks with lower weight loss I can sense she is a little dissapointed. I just need to keep reminding her that she is doing great and I'll point out that her weightloss will fluctuate from time to time.

She is the envy of all her friends and the ladies at work The only problem is, she is looking like a bit of dag these days with those extra loose pants and shirts she wears! hehe. Time for a new wardrobe I think

I will take on your comments and pass these onto her for a bit of encouragement and motivation. Thanks!

P.S. I'm off to Europe mid July so I really hope she is finished by then

Regards,
Ozi