I need a buddy! Anyone around the 70 mark???

[Silverbee]

I did Cohen's 4 yrs ago and I am doing it again and already have my new program. So if anyone out there who have the same weight and goal it would be good to sort of buddy up with each other let me know. Thanks!!

[Busybee9]

Hi Silverbee, I'm busybee.

I too am a second timer. My first time was three years ago and due to a baby I'm back. I've been on my new programme for 4 weeks now and currently at 80.8kg...well, hopefully in the 70s on Fridays weigh. My goal weight is 54-58 and I'm aiming for about 56. I'd love to buddy with you if you'll have me....us bees have to stick together!

Bee

[Silverbee]

Haahhah Great! 2 bees working together would be phenomenal Thank you Busybee, I appreciate it. Today's my first day and am really struggling..more on my mind set more than anything ( I'm 70 at the moment and would really like to be between 53-54 as I 'm pretty short lol. Can I just ask how long it took you before your cravings stopped?? Thank you and looking forward to the journey with you

Beee

[aussueeater]

Hi Silverbee and Busybee!! I'm restarting too. Stating from 76.4kg -goal 58/60. This is my third go... Cohens works so well, but I guess it's like giving up smoking.....you get better with each attempt, and learn something new too....until you finally succeed. Can I join your little band?

[aussueeater]

Silverbee....I make sure I have my crackers and fruit between meals and 2 glasses of warm water ( gentler on my tummy). Also the chromium picolinate is good for balancing blood sugar, and helps if you get cravings. My first cohens supervisor said to limit apples as they can trigger hunger, also tomatoes and onion, as they are the slightly higher sugar veggies/ fruits on our list. I hope that helps!

[Silverbee]

Hey Aussueeater, I suppose we can let you in our little band even though you're not a beeee hahaha. Thank you for that I can see that we have roughly the same amount of kilos to lose. Can I just ask when you started? I'm waiting for a particular brand of chromium that really works for me an it's coming from NZ as there's no available one here in Brissy at the moment. After that, it should all be good. I don't eat apples just because I find that I get hungry too quick after having one so I have a mandarin or orange instead. Let's keep eachother posted shall we? I'm starting my diary tomorrow so I'll be putting how I go with my diet. Talk soon!

[Busybee9]

Hi Guys.

Silverbee,
How is day 2 treating you?
I take 2 Natures own chromium picconolate with b/fast, lunch and dinner (6 a day) and have one cracker (vitaweat) with every meal and the other 2 crackers (salada) with fruit at mid and arvo snack. I never eat more than half an apple at a time and I eat one a day so that makes half mid morning, half arvo and then a mandie or kiwi just after dinner..
Having said that I'm just about to mix that up a bit and try something else for my next four weeks...it's all in my diary anyway if you want to visit...or at least it will be in a minute when i've put it in there.
As for my cravings...I was already basically processed food, wheat and sugar free when I came back to cohens so craving wasnt a huge problem for me...i dont really remember feeling cravings this time when starting but did miss a few of my favourites like peanut or other nut butter on my apple, walnuts and raw cashew, broccoli and the occassional couple of squares of organic 80% dark choc...for me it was more about getting used to the meal sizes and spaces between that got me...its all in my diary!

Tomorrow is the start of week 5 so I've just had my first follow up blood test. just did my measuring..6cm for the week (bit down to last week) and 32.5cm for the first 4 weeks. I weigh tomorrow.

Aussueeater, welcome aboard! do you have a diary yet? Mine is in the personal diaries bit now...got moved in the other day. Have you started yet and do you have a new programme this time?

I'll look forward to reading more from both of you!

[aussueeater]

Hi 2 Bees!!! I'm on a new program and only 5 days in. It's exactly the same as my 1st program!!!!!!! I have more crackers & fruit than some ppl. 6 vitawheet and 3 pcs fruit.....I think that's because I have a low fasting glucose level.this is the same as last time. I take a liquid iron supplement ,as my hair loss has been spectacular the last times...... I'm not sure about writing a diary.......but I love reading everyone else's!

[aussueeater]

........the hardest thing I've had to do is swap to decaf coffee! I did that before starting cohens due to heart irregularities.
Good luck!!

[Collie]

Hi ausueeater,

Just wondering with your new program, I know all the food is the same between all our programs, but are your quantities also identical to your last one???

Just interested to know......

[Busybee9]

Originally Posted by aussueeater

I take a liquid iron supplement ,as my hair loss has been spectacular the last times...... I'm not sure about writing a diary.......but I love reading everyone else's!

Hi aussueeater, I had large hair loss last time too and the rest that was left was all frizzy....I'm interested, did the clinic suggest the iron supp? I've put myself on blackmores hair, skin and nail tabs and a zinc supplement to help my hair this time. Into week 5 and I haven't noticed any difference in my hair yet but I also can't remember when I noticed it last time. But going by photos around my birthday which was 2 1/2 months in, it's definitely evident then...

Bee

[Busybee9]

Originally Posted by Collie

Hi ausueeater,

Just wondering with your new program, I know all the food is the same between all our programs, but are your quantities also identical to your last one???

Just interested to know......

Yep, I'm interested in the answer to that one too...

[aussueeater]

Hi Collie and Busybee. Firstly no...the veggie and meat quantities are slightly lower....only 5 or 10 grams and only for meal 2...... Kinda strange?
My GP recommended the iron, and Cohens okayed it. It has to be liquid , to avoid constipation. My cohens contact said other ppl are taking it too. The brand I bought is Spatone, and it actually comes from Wales. It's in a large box at good chemists.
It looks like clear water, but has the taste of rusty water ( I drink it in a decaf coffee, or just gulp it quickly in plain water)....I'm hoping it works!!! I take one sachets a day....and will up it to 2 if needed. My GP said low iron is the main cause of hair loss in women.
Hope that helps! I tried the blackmores hair& nails before & it had no effect whatsoever.

[Collie]

I have 2 programs too, ordered my second one after a baby, and the food between us all is always the same, and the only consistent allowance also is yoghurt to my knowledge.....

My 2 programs differ for quantities in all foods, some are a little higher, some are a little lower. They are nothing alike, and I'm a huge believer in the science behind the specificity of our quantities.

I've never heard of a program that's identical in quantity, so that's why I asked. Thanks for sharing.

[Riccadonna]

I'm not a bee either, but my brother is a bee-keeper, will that do?
I'm in Chch, and have my first weigh in on Monday, so far, so good, and cravings have definately disappeared for me. I'd love some forum buddies!

[Silverbee]

Hi Ricadonna, welcome to the buddy club lol. I have decided not to weigh weekly just because it plays a huge role on my mental thing. If I don't get to lose the weight that I'm expected then I know and acknowledge the fact that it might cause me to deviate just because I'm frustrated. MAybe after a month, when I see good results I'll be musch stronger. I'm a weakling at the moment so I'm taking it one step at a time. I was different four years ago, I had the mind set and I was stronger. But I have to build myself a little bit more this time. So I am really looking forward to it and can not wait for my puffy face to be gone. I will post before and after photos too just to keep me more motivated. So here's to us guys! Soo happy to have buddies it just makes it easier xxxx

[Riccadonna]

Seeing as we're all now buddies, I thought it'd be great to get to know each other better, so here goes from me:
I've been chubby most of my life and I'm a long-term Weight Watchers member with yo-yoing success. The smallest I have been is 64 and a size 10 (thanks to WW) which was 3.5 years ago, so I'm struggling to comprehend my Cohens goal range!

In the last 3 years I've had 4 major surgeries on my hips and due to being on crutches for 4-6 weeks each time my exercise went out the window as did my motivation, and I've since piled on 17kg, and lost only a few of those in the last few months.

I'm actually quite like the strictness of Cohens, because there's no in-between. You either can or can't have food, there's no saying I'll have that and exercise it off tomorrow ... and then don't. I don't have any cravings for sweet things, which I think is amazing after a week. The thing I miss most is potatoes of all things! I thought it would be wine, but amazingly not! I'm on Day 8 and my first weigh-in is Monday.

I've only told my family and two close friends I'm doing Cohens, and using a few white lies, like saying I feel like a cold drink rather than a coffee if I go out with friends (just can't do black tea or coffee!).

Anyway, that's me, hope to get to know you all better soon.

[Busybee9]

Hi Riccadonna,
Welcome to our little group.
So how is everyone going? I'm very happy to say that I've just reached a goal...under 80kg! With my smashing the >5kg loss the other day I've completed goal one and am well on the way to goal number two. I tend to have some bigger goals with mini ones along the way.

Aussueeater, my programme is similar to my old one but the amounts are all different and when as last time I could have fish for bfast, which I never did, I only have egg, cheese or yoghurt for meal one this time. The other diff is where I can have meat. It was only meal three last time but now I have two options on meal two also...anyway, it's different and I know its working better for me coz I couldn't stick to the old one when I tried.

Anyway, you can read the whole story in my first journal entry, but here is a recap...
Im married with 3 kids. The youngest is 21 months. I first did cohens in 2009 pre my third child. Had great success but started struggling around the 12 week mark...I got to 72 (25kg loss) then went to Germany and England for a month over Christmas where I wasn't crazy but didn't follow the programme. When I got back i couldn't get back into it, ordered my refeed but never got back on the programme well enough to do it and then fell pregnant. I had my boy November 2010, 80kg post preg which has slowly increased. I just couldn't get back below 80. Eventually I came to the decision that cohens is the onlyway for me and here I am. I'm currently in week 5 and have lost 5.8kg and 32.5cm. I've no cravings but whereas a lot of people tell me they have no hunger, that is not my experience. It wasn't last time either. I just ignore it or drink some water, have a coffee. Last time I was in a dilemma about what to drink and got sick of water all the time, this time I've decided I like black coffee and that helps a lot!

Hope you are all doing well.
Cheers,
Bee

[Silverbee]

Ok about me. I did cohen's 4 yrs ago (all the while I thought it was only 3 yrs ago) and lost almost 20 kilos. But then there were a lot of stress which were quite traumatic to say the least such as our business closing down and all of a sudden my husband had no job, we had to sell our house really fast (I accepted the first offer straight away) and so on.. And I think this is what triggered my hashimoto's and PCOS and I just kept gaining weight. I tried doing the old programme too but I got sick everytime I did it. I'll be very honest with youguys and I am actually really embarrassed to say this but I have not been doing doing the programme 100% these past week or so. I'm like sabotaging myself and I can't undertand myself! I wasn't like this at all the first time. I am so disappointed with myself. Tomorrow is the day that I'm just going to do it. I read a really inspirational quote from ASy the other day and she said Start & then Finish it, how there's no inbetween etc and it was really good. So yes, I'm ashamed but I have to just let it all out.. Tomorrow the 6th of August, no more deviating no more bull. So help me God. Thanks for the support I really need one right now. xxxx

[Busybee9]

Dear Silverbee...your honesty is the first step. I'm behind you all the way...told you us bees had to stick together...take it one meal as a time...if you feel like deviating have a glass of water instead. Remind yourself out loud when you get up why you are doing this and what you want to achieve for the day to come. Write some thoughts dian in point form and stick them somewhere you can see them often...the back of the loo door or somewhere...YOU CAN DO THIS...before you know it you will be in the zone and wondering why you were ever sabotaging yourself...don't forget that you can vent here. And I will be expecting a post tomorrow evening telling me how awesome your day has been! Forget what has happened so far and concentrate on what WILL be....
You can do this.

Bee