Hello everyone.. I'm new to the forums trying to figure out what to do.

[10rus]

Ok.. I am really new at doing what ever this is called..

My name is Lori I am 43 years old and have 8 children ranging in age from 7 to 21~~ 5 boy's 3 girls, and 2 girl dogs. we had to be balanced. I have been out reading post from other people and find them helpful.

I have been on the program for a month now and I have lost 20 lbs from when I wanted to start losing weight. It is really fun and feels great to feel the inches go around my body still have a weighs to go. Why can't I weigh more then once a month?? Can I measure when I want??

I Love to cook with whole wheat and grind my own which I can't do now and I also cook with Bean flour to make many things and I can't for now. I miss my whole wheat bread:(

I don't really understand the refeeding program and what I will be allowed to eat after I have my body back.

Thanks for all the great posts out that that help inspire espically when it gets hard and I want to cheat.. DID I MENTION THAT I OWN 2 ICE CREAM STORES?? Talk about tempting. I haven't cheated once with Ice cream, I did however cheat with cookies on my second day. MY BAD. :( I have been good since.

Any help understanding the next steps and if I will ever be able to eat different foods again would be great. ~~Thanks

[pumbza]

Hi there u sound very Happy with a very big and lovely family by the sounds of it in this nuclear age families are smaller but my mother came from a family of One Girl and Seven Brothers and they really had a Great Time!I have 3 Children Boy and Two Girls and they keep me very busy so u must be Very Well organised Ha HA!:innocent4:I am only Six days Old and can't tell u to much other than scale watching will make u happy one day and unhappy the next where as if u weigh every 4 week's it will be a BIG suprise and u won't get demotivated regularly!(Any THats JUst my Humble OPINION!).Well Done on the weight loss hope my will be as good - YOU CAN DO IT!Refeeding will be explained to you in detail by the DR Cohen consultants when u get there so concentrate just on getting to ur weight I believe on REFEED u get more food and a lot of so called BANNED FOODS are reinstated so I am sure u could use all Bean Flour etc it sounds healthy!I love ICECREAM who does not but don't miss it all at the moment I think it was a Emotional Food for me !Ha Ha!HAve a GREAT day and remember U CAN DO IT!:innocent3:

[SPDeRosa]

The Refeed questions were HUGE for me -- I don't like doing things without a clear roadmap. Unfortunately on this program, for a variety of reasons, you're asked to sort of take a blind leap of faith on the refeed issue. But rest assured that with the help of your diet buddies here online, it's not that bad, and knowing too much about the refeed too early may not be a good thing.

I have my refeed packet, although I've chosen to stay on the program a bit longer before I refeed. I reached my original goal weight rather quickly, dropped it down by another 10-15 lbs, and now have surpassed (or sur-lossed) that goal weight on my way to an even smaller me. Hopefully I'll get there in about a week as I only have 7 lbs more to go to get down to my next goal. And then we'll see if I want to go more or start the refeed and gear up mentally for that dreadful word: CRUNCHES.

Why do I mention this? I've noticed that once I read the refeed program and then the maintenance rules I was a little disheartened. Don't worry, it doesn't reveal any ground shaking new concepts -- but just hearing that I can't eat what I want, when I want, as much as I want was saddening. I mean, if I want a 1/2 gallon of ice cream after a bad day, why not, right? :) (Talk about poor eating choices!) Even worse, I was all excited after learning that I could have a beer but I'd have to swap out a slice of bread ... then only to read that "a beer" on the refeed is considered 1/3 pint .... I mean, seriously, who would throw out 2/3 of a beer??!! I'd have to skip ALL my bread and just drink the whole darn thing. I was always taught that wasting food or in this case alcohol, was a sin! :)

I also find that knowing that I COULD be eating more foods in greater amounts if I wanted to start the refeed (and actually have a beer - well, 1/3 beer - or cookie) is making me more hungry. It's totally a mental issue because once I refocus on work and not on thinking about what I "could" be eating, the desire to eat goes away. But knowing that I have that option right now is actually making it sort of hard to stay focused on NOT cheating a bit.

So I think I would have been happier not knowing too much about the refeed other than the basics: more types of food are introduced to your body in greater quantities over a period of 2-4 weeks before you're "off" the refeed and into lifelong maintenance which, thankfully, isn't a long list of foods to avoid, but rather a handful of rules to follow (4 or 5 key rules I believe) along with a plan to follow if you gain more than a few pounds.

My new approach to life after Cohen's 1PD - and feel free to let me know what you think of this - is "There's no way I'm going to be able to stick to the maintenance rules 100% (e.g. no carbs for breakfast .. what?!?! No homefries? No bagel? No pancakes? No waffles?) So I'll eat wisely, make healthy eating choices, and when I want to indulge a bit I will (life's too short not to enjoy a bit here and there), I'll be prepared to go back on the program for a few days or a few weeks to make up for my little indulgence." Ultimate goal: keep at a healthy weight, eat a balanced diet (which I'm not certain the Cohen maintenance rules allow for - e.g. 1 fruit per day??? All other doctors/nutrionists recommend at least 3-4 servings of fruit per day), exercise more and enjoy life as a thinner me!

[bitten]

i agree shawn....the re-feed and maintenance is so different than i would have HOPED.

basically is is a very low carb diet, FOREVER.
most of us, who have been obese (it only takes 43 extra lbs to be considered obese!) know that we are not to have starches and sugars. i know for me i feel ill from sugar, but i want more...like an addiction, really.
this is a lifestyle change and we cannot expect to do what we want and maintain our losses.

i am so pleased for you and do hope your approach works.
you are a young guy, it will be fine!!!

bitten

[SPDeRosa]

Thanks Bitten ... my physician called me a middle-aged man not too long ago. I wanted to hit him. I mean, at 37 yrs (shhhhhh) I may be middle aged, but I like "young" so much better! :)

[Bronwyn]

Hi All and welcome 10RUS!!! Yes - I can see how knowing too much about the refeed and maintenance might be a little discouraging, but I'm telling you, at the end of my journey here my attitude towards food has changed so much! I know I will splurge now and then, but my old habits of having whatever I want, whenever I want are done. That is now how I am able to live my life - It clearly didn't work for me before. For now, looking good (oh yeah and feeling healthy) is far outweighing the thought of eating naughty. I do hope this new-found inspiration lasts.

Shawn, I'm with you 100% that the closer you get to being done, the worse (in your head) the cravings are for new/different/more foods gets. Just knowing it is so close is very, very hard. I had an easier time in the beginning and middle of the diet than I did at the end, but now here I am. I didn't cheat - stayed on plan 100% - and I did it!! You all can too.

[pumbza]

Shawn here's a thought and YES I know I am a newbie and shouldn't be partaking with u refeeders but I have tried to look at the BIG PICTURE and what I thought is one does the diet then the refeed and then hopefully one is at the GOAL weight and one sticks to the maintenance diet then one can set a target of say 5kgs or 11 pounds weight variance and when u are in this area after having divulged in some NO NO deviations one can get back on diet for a week or Ten days to bring the weight down maybe with no carbs and then u are back to ur weight u can eat healthy until u have to deviate again say on travelling or functions etc!In that way u can control ur weight and with the occasional treats it might be not that bad as you will be eating smaller portions as well I don't think u will eat as u did before and u will also be aware of what food does what to ur insulin and u know u might feel bad as well so these factors should keep u close to ur GOAL AND IF NOT UR BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES WILL!:innocent3:

[Shasha]

{hi} there 10Rus

A very WARM WELCOME TO YOU!!! :bighug:

{congrats} on having lost 20 pounds, on top of being a Mother of 8 kids and 2 dogs!!! WOW! You must have a busy schedule!!! Well done!!! Where there is a will, there is a way!!!

Dr Cohen says to only weigh once a month on pages 10 and 11 of your New Customer Guide:

‘Only weigh once a month, and note the difference in clothes size.

The body does go through stages during the weight loss where is might seem as if you are not losing actual weight (on the scale), but note the drop in clothes size!

Remember that you are still breaking down fat during these “plateau” periods, but the growth hormone is dissolving the fat in the water so you will weigh water when you get on the scale, and you’ll notice that you are not running to the rest room as often in this period!

If you weigh only once a month, you will focus on the total loss for the month, and the small plateaus in between will not de-motivate you!!!!!’ So basically Pumbza is right!

You can measure weekly. It is also nice to have a pair of jeans that you couldn’t fit into and to keep trying them on regularly…

I’m thinking about your ice-cream stores: Did you see we have a thread called ICE-CREAM IDEA’S in the recipe section?? Maybe you can try some of these ideas in your kitchen and then maybe in your shop… just imagine an ice-cream shop that makes healthy 1st Personal Diet Program approved ICE-CREAM!!! :icecream:

Everything has a time and a place – for know don’t worry about the Re-feeding Program, only focus on eating your diet food and know that afterwards you will need to implement a healthy new lifestyle – when you are overweight your hormones are out of balance because your body triggers too much insulin, after the diet, you will need to control what you eat so that you do not trigger too much insulin too often again…

[Shasha]

{hi} there Everyone

{grouphug1}
Pumbza: Nice to see you already encouraging your fellow Diet Buddies!!!

Dr Cohen does say that you should never allow yourself to gain more than 6-9 lbs (3-4 kg) – if this happens you need to go back on Diet immediately to drop the extra gained and believe me, the sooner, the better! Gaining a bit while you are on holiday can happen and the moment you are back you should get rid of the excess BEFORE your fat goes and finds more friends! In your normal day to day life, Dr Cohen has what I would call a safety net: if you are up from going a bit overboard with the beer / pizza / treats over a weekend, you simply cut out all starch for 48 hours, on Monday and Tuesday, this allows your hormones to come back into a balance and you shed the extra weight during these two days.

Shawn: Sorry, but obesity syndrome is treatable, but not curable… for the rest of your life you are going to need to watch starch / carbs like beer etc. Wine would be a much better choice… Remember, it’s going to be about what you do 90 / 95 % of the time that counts – occasional treats are allowed, but treats should not become staple foods ie: pancakes for breakfast everyday are a clear no no… maybe once in a while you can have them but know that it’s a special treat - alternatively, it would be much better to have them for lunch or dinner…

If you eat pancakes for breakfast you trigger too much insulin early in the day – result is hunger all day long… eating too much and then gaining weight. If you keep them for lunch or dinner, there is not that much time left in the day to eat wrong…

Bitten: Did you know that sugar is as addictive as hard drugs like heroin and cocaine? That is because sugar stimulates the same pleasure pathways in the brain that hard drugs do and so you end up wanting more and more and more and I’m sure you know what I mean.

If there is something in your life that you feel controls you, it would be best to stay away from this altogether – almost like an alcoholic avoids alcohol. There are plenty of sugar substitutes (ones that are used by diabetic’s) and I believe in your case using these products would be better than using ones containing sucrose.

Bronwyn: You are sooooo right!!! Looking good and feeling healthy is by far much nicer than eating wrong and feeling uncomfortable, clothes too small, low self-esteem, backache etc, etc. Just remember, you need to stay in control on a daily base - yes, there is room for treats, but the crux is going to be ongoing healthy foods = ongoing healthy slim feeling... {cheerleader}

[10rus]

Thanks to all.
Sasha you give so much great advise I really appreciate it all to whom ever you give it to. As far as making Ice Cream recipes I will try them but can't sell them as we are a franchisee and have to follow their rules.. Bummer!!

Bronwyn I am so glad that you have reached your goal and I am looking forward to reaching mine it will be a learning process for sure and I will work on not wondering about the re feed so much and take that leap of faith.

SPDE Rosa-- Congrats to you as well. It will be hard not to wonder so much about the finnish, I don't drink so that won't be an issue for me, but for thoses that do like beer I can see it as an issue and it is hard to waste!! My weakness will be Home Made Wheat bread. Learning how to take the knowledge about cooking with whole grains and beans will me a challenge for me. I don't know that for sure but what little bit I can glimpse of the re-feed and maintiance it will be much harder. I'm sure I will have amny e-mails reguarding this with the consults.

Pumbza it is great that you are out there so much you will be a great friend to many and help many along your road. I wish you much success. I kow that together we can all do this.

I went shopping with my 15 year old daughter and she is trying to get me much hipoper now that I am losing weight and need some new clothes. We hit the second hand store then I won't spend so much money along the way of my changing body. She even had me buy a little small because I am losing weight and getting smaller all the time. Great incentive until I need to but a few new things hopefully in another month.:party1:

WE leave for a working vacation Monday to dallas. I am buying an electric skillet to cook my meals on while we are gone and taking a scale and will do my best to stay on my diet to the best of my abilities.. :thinking:

Hang in there everyone!!:)

[10rus]

Sasha, I hope you read this again, because I have a couple of questions for you without spending a ton of time ttrying to look it up. I thought this to be the most direct way to hear from you..

1.. I think I read somewhere that we can't use paprika, why? My husband used old Bay seasoning the other day and I told him not to use it again because I saw that I am not supposed to use it some where.

2. i haven't started taking a multi vitamin. Will it help on the program a lot? If so what is a good one to take? Before the diet I took Juice Plus and have stopped taking them because they are fruit and veggie based and didn't want to mess up the diet.

Please advise I want to follow the plan to the best of my abilities and get this weight off. I am hoping that all my children will be able to come home for christmas and want to be skinny for that. Also in September my son is getting baptized and hopefully my parents will be able to fly out here. My dad is 80 years old. I know that thime with my parents is getting more precious all the time and I would really like to surprise them.:party1:

thanks for all your great advise. Have a happy day:)

[Bronwyn]

Hi 10rus! I answered your vitamin question on another thread too, but it warrants repeating. Taking a good multivitamin is a NON-NEGOTIABLE MUST!!! Because you are eating such little amounts of food during this program, you need the additional nutrients to keep you healthy, keep your energy up, and to keep your hunger low. Centrum is a good one approved on the program and I've been taking the One-A-Day for Women and that has worked well for me.

Shasha will fill you in on the Paprika, I'm sure, and will let you know her thoughts on the multi.

[Shasha]

{hi} there Lori

Bronwyn is right, please do take your vitamins so that your body doesn’t run low on all that good stuff!

About the Paprika – it’s made from red peppers and should not be use, neither should you use cayenne pepper or red pepper…

You may use a bay leaf to flavor food and then take it out… I’m not sure what is in ‘bay seasoning’, but check the ingredients for preservatives, starches, fillers, binding agents etc. – these are not allowed.

Just imagine their faces when you see them!! {wave} It’s going to be a fantastic surprise for them!!! Please keep up the {goodjob} your are doing, in their honor :flirt:

[10rus]

Thanks i will start on vitamin today.

About the spice thing. I can live without old Bay or paprika etc however can i use onion powder and garlic powder without adding them to my vegie weight for the day?

I have used garlic pwd freely thinking it was ok to use. I'm not sure about onion pws as onions are weighed into our vegie count.

My husban made a sucide mix of spices the other night putting all the spices together with the 1 tsp of lite mayo to make a suace for the meat to be cooked in ( I cut my peices in bite size pieces and then cook, it cooks much faster that way ). It was really good. We cooked with vegies and kinda made a stir fry. Sounds gross :love8: but loved it..

[Bronwyn]

Hi 10RUS! Actually that sounds delicious and I LOVE that you are experimenting with the spices and cookies with flavor. That is one of the keys to success on this diet... making your food taste GOOD so you aren't tempted to cheat. Yes - you can use garlic powder. That was an absolute staple for me. I'm not sure about the onion powder as I know real, chopped onion must be counted towards your veggie allowance. That is what I used is real, chopped onions. Keep it up - You're doing great! And kudos to your wonderful husband for being helpful and supportive too! I can't remember, is he on the diet too, or just helping you along?

[Shasha]

{hi} there 10Rus & Bronwyn

The Garlic powder if 100% fine, but onion does need to be weighed and as there is just no telling how much onion goes into a little bit of dried powder, I don’t recommend using it. No point in taking any chances on slowing your progress down.

Your sauce sounds delicious!! :P How about posting your recipe in the Recipe Section under Condiments & Sauces then more Diet Buddies can try it?? Balsamic vinegar is also a great idea to add to stir-fry foods – it gives lovely taste and color too! MMMmmmmm :hungry:

[10rus]

Thanks Sasha for the suggestion of Balsamic Vinegar. I had never had it before so I mixed it with the Mayo and several different varities of spices and it makes many great sauces and it is thicker like a gravy so it is wonderful.

I do have another question. My body feels like jello the fat just shakes and is loose. Is this part of the process of it breaking down? should I be concerned that I will always be like jello?

I have lost 38 lbs now and and feeling so much better then I have in a long time. I look forward to the day I will have it all gone.

Thanks for every bodies great comments they really help to keep you going:flirt:

[10rus]

ok another question. I am having problems with my ticker, I updated it and it is not updating I think I actually might have more then one ticker out there and don't know how to get just one. HELP:thinking:

[Shasha]

{hi} there Lori

I really don’t think that you’ll be looking like a bag of jello at the end of your program… Give your body a bit of time to shrink and slim down – to re-adjust…

I know in the instant world we live in that this is not always easy… we want everything now – in fact, yesterday would have been better and last week would have been really great…

But of course it’s not going to come right overnight… you did not gain the extra weight overnight either! After you have reached your goal you can focus on firming and toning with exercises – but for now, allow your body to produce as much human growth hormone as it can – this hormone will help you to firm and tone and shape while burning fat – but only if you continue to follow your eating plan 100%! {cheerleader}

Your ticker looks fine to me… ???