Maintenance Phase: A couple of questions

[Jchime]

Hello everyone,

I have a couple of questions regarding the maintenance phase:

1.) Now that I am on the maintenance phase and not having as much fruit as I did during refeed I need to come up with a fiber solution. Dr. Cohen recommends Metamucil. I noticed that there are many different choices of Metamucil. Can we have the regular orange flavored one? The sugar-free contains aspartame and, due to various negative things that I have read about that particular artificial sweetener, I try to avoid it.

2.) One thing that has become very apparent to me during the Cohen maintenance is that there are definite "trigger" foods, so I am avoiding those. If I stay within the overall general framework of the last couple days of my refeed program I do great. One thing I LOVE is the mozzarella cheese...but I can easily go overboard on it. At the end of the refeed I was allowed 120 additional grams of "new protein". Since cheese was not one of the "new .proteins" on the refeed program I am not sure how much of it would be safe to have during the maintenance phase. Is there some sort of ratio I can go by - ie) grams of cheese vs. grams of "new protein"?

Thanks,

~JChime

[Shasha]

{hi} there JChime

I’ve missed you!!! Where have you been? Obviously you have been working hard on your DIET!!!

:bighug:
{congrats} on completing your program!!! {goodjob} How much weight did you drop and how long have you been on the Maintenance Program?

How are you looking and how are you feeling now???

Have you considered WHY Dr Cohen says to only eat fruit once a day, preferably after your starch meal?

It is because he does not want your body to keep triggering insulin constantly throughout the day. (Remember insulin is your fat storing hormone.) So, if you are having your starch meal, you are more than welcome to have fruit or some fruits for desert. By having starch and then fruit all at the same time of the day, you will only be triggering insulin ONCE during the day. This limit on how often your trigger insulin will help to keep your insulin levels at bay and the ‘fat fact*ry’ away!

The problem is not fruit, fruit just like starch is allowed, but it’s how you eat them and how often that is the key. With that said, fruit flavorings such as those in fizzy vitamin drinks or Metamucil or medications can trigger hunger; this is one reason why it is not allowed on the diet especially. If you find that you take this in the morning and you are hungry at 10 am, it might be better to rather drink it at night, or to try to find a different alternative such as such as Duphalac, Linseed or Psyllium Husks.

During the Maintenance Program you can safely use your original diet allowance of lunchtime cheese as a measure of how much cheese you may have per day. Cheese like egg and yogurt does not increase. I don’t recommend that you have more than your original 45 or 85 grams that Dr Cohen has given you – remember, you can have this cheese spread out during the day.

TIP: Always keep a watch on what your bathroom scale is saying: if you gain, you know that was too much of something, cut back, do 48 hour no starch if you are up, then try again until you learn what is right for your body. Remember that tomorrow is another day and food will always be there…

[Jchime]

Hi Shasha,

Thank you for your email. Regarding the apples, the way you explained it is great. I FINALLY understand the whole thing of why you can have apples on the refeed but not on the Maintenance....I have been having 1-3 apples throughout the day on the Maintenance and have not gained any weight gain. Do you think I can continue that? I was having 5 on the Re-feed and that really did the trick on fiber. I will try your suggestions regarding the other fiber options.

I was fortunate in that I only had 10-12 pounds to lose. But for the last 8 years I had tried practically every program and pill out there and could not lose the weight. It was literally magical to watch the pounds come off so quickly with the Cohen program. I was actually concerned that it would take a long time because I have read in many different places that if you have only 5-10 pounds to lose it can take a long time for them to come off. That was definitely not the case with Dr. Cohen's plan.

Because diabetes runs in my family and because I had it during my pregnancy, I have researched low glycemic foods and have been eating them for about 15 years. So the foods on the program were pretty much all the foods I had been eating already. The significant difference was the quantity/combination/interval aspect of the diet. I had to drop out a few things like almonds and wine. But now I know why I always starting craving more foods after an almond snack! Dr. Cohen considers them to be a carbohydrate.

Another thing I do want to mention is that I did the refeed exactly how it was laid out. My program ended up running a bit longer because after I hit my goal weight I had Christmas, and then a business trip to Austin, TX (where there are fantastic restaurants!). So when I got back from Austin I had gained about 4 pounds. After a few remaining social obligations I picked a block of time when I could do the program straight for 14 days or until I lost the 4 pounds (whichever was longer, which for me was the 14 days) and then went straight onto the refeed with no deviations. Finding that window of time was tricky but I am glad that I did it that way as it really gave me an understanding of what my body can and can't tolerate. And I think it also contributes to the Maintenance period going so smoothly.

The other thing I love about the program is just how much healthier I feel - all during the diet, refeed, and maintenance. On those times when I splurge and have the LARGE popcorn at the theater etc. and wake up the next morning feeling like I have a bad hangover, I simply apply the 48 hour rule and I can literally feel my body "calm down".

And then the great support from this forum is icing on the cake :)

Thanks again,

~JChime

[Bronwyn]

Hi JChime,

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I'm about half way through refeed now and it's so good to hear from someone who has completed the program and is living "by the rules". Good for you for taking off that 4 pounds instead of letting all the weight creep its way back on ya. I'm looking forward to "life after the diet" but am nervous that I'll slowly go back to my old habits. I don't think I will, but obviously we're all here for a reason so I hope I can have as stong of will power after as I've had during.

[Shasha]

{hi} there Bronwyn

I’ll make you a deal on behalf of all your Diet Buddies:

AFTER you have completed your Re-feeding Program, keep coming to the Forum regularly if not daily and, keep letting us know if something goes wrong, even if it is ever so slightly, you need to tell us about it immediately!! We will all help to sort you out!!! It's about on going accountability...


{noway} are you going back to being FAT again!!! {noway}

Homework: please make up a list of what you HATE MOST ABOUT BEING FAT! Then stick it to the inside of your grocery cupboard or your fridge or right next to your mirror – small little reminder to walk in self-control… it really works!

So do little slogans: Those who indulge bulge!

Remember: YOU are in CONTROL + YOU SET THE RULES! :dance:

[Shasha]

Hi there JChime

I’m so glad our little talk has helped you… thank you for that feedback!

And let me say a BIG {congrats} and {goodjob} I’m thrilled with you for losing the unwanted weight that you struggled with and then getting back on plan after Christmas again so that you could still successfully and properly do your Re-feeding Program. {goodjob}

About fruit: you get the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY :rolling2: – OOOOPS, SORRY, I mean the DIET Fruit…

BAD FRUIT should ever only be eaten as desert after your starch meal (not negotiable).
Same situation with the Good fruit – try to keep them for after your starch 95 -98% of the time. Do not have these in the morning… save them all for desert.

I do believe that some people can have DIET fruit (apples, oranges, kiwi) more often BUT YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!!

The reason I believe you can have DIET FRUIT more often is because DIET FRUIT is lower in sugar and it is therefore a safer option. Remember how Dr Cohen calls dark chocolate a safer option because it has less sugar?? It’s the same with fruits… some are safer than others…

You were allowed to have DIET FRUIT on your diet program and for most people DIET FRUIT does not trigger insulin and result in hunger.

Many Diet Buddies become use to having a fruit in the mid morning and another in the mid afternoon – when suddenly told to limit fruit once a day their world falls apart… I think you know that feeling…

I find my body is fine with having a DIET FRUIT at 10:30 am ie: my apple. It does NOT trigger insulin for me. How do you know if a fruit does or does not trigger insulin? The mystery is revealed here and now: if the fruit triggers too much insulin, you will be hungry 20 – 30 minutes later. If that happens, then you’re going to have to not have the fruit because your body cannot handle it. Generally the more overweight you were, the more careful you need to be about fruit because your body is much more sensitive to sugar.

However, in your specific case of eating 3 fruits ie: the apples you mention a day and not gaining weight, I really do believe that is 100% fine for you. You should never the less continue to monitor your body’s progress by weighing daily – this daily weighing (AFTER THE DIET GIRLS!!!) is your early warning detection system that something you are doing is or is not working. If you are up, cut back or limit starch and fruit to once a day only ie: BRING DOWN THE INSULIN MONSTER again…

It’s exactly the way you explained with the POPCORN – if you had too much starch you FEEL IT so clearly. Don’t ignore that feeling! Act immediately by helping your body to bring down the insulin. How: simple ZIP YOUR LIP to starch for 48 hours.
The hormones will balance, the weight will drop and you will feel better, better, much better again…

Question: are you spreading those 3 apples out during the day??? Or only having them in the evening? What do you find is working for you??

[Shasha]

{hi} there Jchime

Hope you don’t mind, but I just moved your thread into the new LIFE AFTER DIET SECTION…

Hope your Maintenance is going well!!

:bighug: from me!