Sick as a dog

Friday 29th July, 2011

Day 31

What does that really mean anyway? Have you ever seen a dog coughing his lungs up or sweating his arse off in the freezing weather we are having in Melbourne at the moment. Anyway, I've been battling a cold that my lovely daughter decided she needed to pass on. Sharing is caring mum, she said with a smirk through her pale complexion and sunken eyes.

My symptoms started with a headache and ringing ears and I thought that the easing of the ear pain would make it easier for me to go to sleep last night. Silly me. I was laying in bed watching tv, hoping that the bouts of coughing would slow before I tried to sleep. no suck luck, there it was every 10 minutes. And not only that, but as I had hydrated really well all day every time I woke up, I had to pee. Seriously? This continued until the morning. So with peeing and coughing and my aching body I am totally wiped. Not eating much because of my diet isn't helping either.

So, the disadvantage of all that peeing was that I woke up severely dehydrated. I had a splitting headache once again. Bring on the panadol again!

So I had a shower and got the kids some breakfast and drank about a litre of water in the following hour. After I took the kids to school I had my poached egg and mushrooms then I just collapsed on the couch and didn't move all day. Except to go and pee that is. I took Caitlin to the doctors 2 days ago but had no symptoms then so she is on antibiotics while I just sweat it out. I am feeling so miserable! I haven't been this sick in at least 10 years.

On the upside I may be losing an extra few kilo's with all the water I am flushing my system with and I have had no food cravings at all whatsoever.

Mindful Eating

Saturday 23rd July, 2011

Day 25

You've been working hard on a project on the computer, and it's time for at snack. You've been holding off, waiting for the delicious taste of - here, please fill in the blank. Coffee ice cream? a piece of chocolate cake? a donut? an packet of chips? some fresh strawberries?

For me, it would be cadbury chocolate, usually the whole block.

You take the first square. Very yummy! You take the second square. Still yummy, maybe a little less yummy than the first bite, but never mind. You glance at the computer and something catches your eye. A Hollywood scandal, a facebook friend has come back from overseas, a weird utube video. You click on it, watch, and continue eating.

Suddenly you look down. Where did the chocolate go? Your fingers are sticky and you can still taste the flavor on your tongue, so it must have disappeared down the hatch while you weren't looking . . . or smelling, or tasting, or enjoying. Disappointment and dissatisfaction set in. "That one just vanished! I'd better have another one." Next the internal critic voice pipes up "What are you thinking? Enough is enough!  You know you're trying to lose weight."

Try taking the first four sips of a cup of hot tea or coffee with full attention?
If you are reading and eating, try alternating these activities, not doing both at once? Read a page, then put the book down and eat a few bites, savoring the tastes, then read another page, and so on.
At family meals, you might ask everyone to eat in silence for the first five minutes, thinking about the many people who brought the food to your plates.
Try eating one meal a week mindfully, alone and in silence. Be creative. For example, could you eat lunch behind a closed office door, or even alone in our car?

Enjoy your meal!

Staying Motivated

Friday 22nd July, 2011

 Day 25

You feel ready for anything when you are motivated. You are fired up, ready to lose those kilos and ready to take on the world! But in a few weeks will you feel the same? Motivation is like a fire that constantly needs refueling and stoking, otherwise it goes out. Reminding yourself again and again of what you want, why you want it, and what you will do to get it, is one way to keep your motivation burning.  You need to recognize and prepare for the different phases of motivation.

The first phase of motivation is one of enthusiasm and strong vision, and it is great for getting you started. But rule number one: Do not expect this initial motivation “high” to last.

The second phase of motivation is all about trial and error. You need to test different avenues of organisation for achieving your goals to see what works for you and what does not. During this
phase you experience success and failure. Make sure you acknowledge the successes and learn from the setbacks.  Bouncing back from perceived failure is crucial here.

In phase three your motivation starts to decline. You find yourself remembering when your motivation was high and you felt like you could overcome huge obstacles. Now that it is low, everything just seems too hard and not worth the effort. This is a high-risk phase. The symptoms of this stage can be anything from slipping back to old habits and finding excuses for not following your Eating Plan, to doing and thinking things to sabotage your own success.

When you feel motivation slipping,go straight to family and friends for support and encouragement.

Rapid Fat Loss

Thursday 21st July, 2011

Day 24

Human Growth Hormone and its role in the Dr Cohen's Program of Rapid Fat-loss, Weight-loss and Wellness and its role in Dr. Cohen's Program.

Ensuring balanced levels of naturally occurring hormones are at the core of Dr Cohen's Program of Rapid Fat-loss, Weight-loss and Wellness. The three hormones most central to rapid weight loss are Human Growth Hormone (HGH), Insulin and Serotonin.

Work on the Human Growth Hormone started in the early 1970's and has remained at the medical forefront as one of the most important hormones in the body. It was quickly identified as one of the most important hormones in the body, not just in relation to weight loss but for overall health and wellbeing. Briefly, HGH is responsible for:

• The regeneration and preservation of body, organ and muscle tissue
• The breaking down of fat in the body
• The normalizing of blood pressure
• The return of youthful vitality, energy and stamina
• The improvement of cholesterol and more...

The other hormones which impact weight loss include:

Insulin

Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas in response to glucose in the blood stream. Insulin regulates blood sugar levels. For weight loss to occur, the insulin is controlled or 'blocked' to regulate blood-glucose levels and therefore stopping hunger cravings.

Serotonin

Serotonin (which controls the craving for food... especially starches!), will increase once the insulin is controlled, resulting a remarkable sense of wellbeing.

In people who suffer from obesity (those who are overweight):

• HGH levels are lower than they could be.
• There is a high resistance to Insulin.
• There is a reduction in brain Serotonin level.

All this combines to result in one or more of the following:

• Constant food craving
• Any food eaten being converted into fat instead of energy
• Weight gain (no matter how much or little you eat!)
• Heartburn and constant indigestion
• Low energy and constant tiredness
• Diabetic-like symptoms and episodes
• Water retention
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Through years of careful research, Dr. Cohen created the "Cohens Diet" and now helps people from all over the world. Do you have any of these complaints? Then you may be suffering from 'Obesity Syndrome' and the Cohen's Rapid Fat-loss, Weight Loss & Wellness Program could change your life.

No One Can MAKE You Feel…

Wednesday, 20th Jul 2011

Day 23

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately.

There are times I feel guilty.

• Not being able to do something a friend asked because I’m busy that day.
• Leaving the kids with  my mum or husband when I want to do something for me.
• Wishing I had more time to spend with my husband when my kids need my undivided attention...all the time.

There are times I feel fat.

• Trying on clothes with a skinny friend.
• Reading fitness and fashion magazines.
• Seeing a really fit, confident person walk by me.

There are times I feel old.

• Talking to anyone under the age of 30.
• Walking past a group of teenagers at the Plaza.
• Watching an old movie or not knowing the latest pop group.

These are just a few examples to give you an idea. I can come up with more, and I’m sure you could add to the list.

But here’s the deal, the other person in all of these situations (the friend, the model in a magazine, Mum, etc.) can’t MAKE me feel anything.

They are simply uncovering some internal issue I have.

If you are confident in your decisions, if you own your age, your body, your choices…

No one can make you feel anything. Not guilt. Not Fat. Not Old. Not ANYTHING.

Fight or Flight on a Crazy Day

Monday, 18th Jul 2011

Day 21

I realised something about myself today, I only let people see one side of me. The side that is happy, motivated and full of inspiration. The side of me that is positive and always trying to find a lessons to be learned in every challenge so I can grow stronger and more confident.  The side that doesn't ever give up, that sees the brighter side of things no matter how difficult life is and what obstacles are put in my way.

The truth is, as much as I try to hide it, sometimes I feel discouraged. I can feel like the universe is conspiring against me to stop me from achieving my goal. It sounds ludicrous, I know, but it's how I feel sometimes. I want to stomp my feet in a tantrum and just cry but worse still, give up. I just wish that my life wasn't so difficult, that I can stop feeling so hard done by. Why did god feel the need to punish me with this ugly, fat body!  I want to just forget about the goals I am aiming for.  Sometimes I feel like I can go to the pantry, get a big piece of cake, block of chocolate, packet of chicken chips, cheese and bacon rolls and even the nutella, straight out of the jar and binge like crazy, like I've never binged before. And in the past I have done this, I then end up having the worst guilt trip ever imagined which in turn makes me run to the bathroom and chuck.

I have to just accept a life of being overweight, unfit and miserable.  I am a fat person in a fat body and nothing is ever going to change.  Because sometimes, I just don't feel strong enough. Everyone has their issues but I seem like the one that has to solve everyone else's dramas, I just want to give up.

Then I start to question everything about what I am doing to get healthy and lose weight. Why do I feel like this?  What am I doing so wrong that makes me feel like this?  Why can't I get back on track?

I don't even think that I want to quit, I just do.  Every time I cheat and put something in my mouth that is not on the program I have.  Why do I jeopardise my success so much?  It's like I know that I can't achieve my goal so why even try.

Even though I do believe all those things, sometimes I think I try to talk myself out of it because it is too painful. I think I try too hard sometimes to be the whole cheer squad for myself when the truth is, we all sometimes just need to feel like crap and get it out of our systems.

I am not going to try to talk myself out of it this time.  Because feeling frustrated and angry and upset are part of my life experience. I am not always going to give the whole me but I feel that if I am ever going to feel accepted it has to be with the open and honest me.  I do know that it will pass, but today, I just feel like crap and I feel like giving up.

How Long Before You're done?

Monday, 11th Jul 2011

Day 14

When do you celebrate a weight loss? When do you declare yourself “cured, and fit?”
We’ve all read the stories of people who have lost significant amounts of weight, and then gained it back. God, there are celebrity spokespeople who even with all their vast financial resources, have problems with maintenance.

This is a question I struggle with myself, because while every kilo lost is a victory, should there be a measure of “wait and see” before we celebrate in earnest? There are people all over the world who have lost weight, and then gained it back. For a long, long time I have been one of them. I never lost any significant weight before my final try, but there were times during my diet, that I lost a few kilos and then after I celebrated my success I saw myself regain the weight. Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, but it always came back.  Especially when I got pregnant and started "eating for two."

So when do you celebrate? Is there the perfect amount of time that needs to pass before we can declare someone an “expert” (if there is even such a thing) at weight loss?

I think that every kilo lost, and every healthy change should be celebrated. I always get excited every time another piece of clothing fits, or the scale moved in the right direction. But those celebrations of losses are not exactly what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the declaration of long-term success.

Where do I find the time?

Sunday, 10th Jul 2011

Day 13

Sometimes I get so frustrated with how complicated it can get when I try to get everything done in my life.  I often used the excuse that I just don’t have enough time to get things done.

I feel like a chicken running around with it's head cut off and I seem to get so tired after watching the kids, working for our business, cooking, cleaning, catching up with friends and trying to be a good wife. Although I tried to lose weight again and again, one of my many excuses was that I just didn’t have time to organise, plan and shop for healthy foods. But honestly I know I am not being completely truthful with myself.

I had plenty of time to sit on the couch and eat chips and gossip and bitch to whoever would listen about how hard it was to get everything accomplished. I didn’t really want to eat healthy most of the time, and I used the “I don’t have enough time to get it done properly” excuse.

We are all busy, but I’d like to encourage you to make a plan to continually get everything done so that you are prepared for unexpected events, company, life stresses, kid’s schedule changes, etc.

Now that I plan and make lists I am finding that my weight loss is more successful and I can have more time to do the things I need to and enjoying doing.

Here are some techniques I use to make sure that my healthy food and healthy lifestyle remain on the list of “must get done.”

I make lists – lots of them. Grocery lists, exercise lists, household tasks, writing lists, kids schedule lists, etc.

I set very specific goals for myself – some of these include trying new foods, making new recipes, etc.

I schedule time for me. With four kids – this time is usually after everyone goes to bed.

I thank God that I have a beautiful happy and healthy family at the end of each day and remember that tomorrow is another day in which we can all start with a clean slate.

I Commit......

Sunday, 3rd Jul 2011

Day 7

…to sticking to the foods I KNOW will help me lose weight – lean protein, healthy fats and minimal carbs from veggies and fruits from my allowance.

…to getting off my arse and move more; walking and working, and putting in a real effort into whatever I’m doing.

…to tracking my food.

…to planning and preparing my meals for the week beforehand so I don’t end up starving and/or binging.

...to make a list/schedule of what I have coming up in the week and plan some real time for my husband and myself.

I’m just going to take this one week at a time. But I have to stop falling into this trend of cheating and eating the wrong (non cohen's) foods.

So there it is… I just need to commit.. for real.. and do it…

My Drug of Choice

Saturday, 2nd Jul 2011

Day 6

I have recently found out why am I addicted to Sugar.... Because it's a drug, pure and simple. Are you a sugar addict? If the answer is yes, you are not alone!  Foods with this substance aren't called 'comfort foods' for nothing. Try putting a little sugar on your tongue and notice what happens….for most people, it tastes good and feels good. How can something as innocent-looking as sugar, something we’ve eaten since we were kids, do so much affecting our body?



Sugar raises insulin levels, which then triggers an adrenal response or "A sugar rush" and causes the release of serotonin (one of my body's 'happy chemicals'). Eating sugar is a chemical addiction that provides a 'high' for a while, that is inevitably followed by a dip in blood sugar level and a 'low', and at this point I eat more sweet things to stop feeling bad, and start feeling good. And so the cycle continues…

It's also a psychological habit. Like any habit, it's often something I do without thinking about too much. I am hoping Cohen's will cure me of this addiction before it's too late.

Tales of the Scales

Friday, 1st Jul 2011

 

Day 5

 

Ok so I am going to admit that yes I am a scale addict, admittedly I do love to see that the numbers are going down daily but I am scared what affect it will have on me once the weight loss slows.

I weigh in every day. I don't know why I do it...maybe because I expect to see some crazy number or something. Its disheartening to find you've only lost 200 grams in the course of a couple of days when you didn't cheat or actually worked harder at your goal. But I guess a lot of factors come in to play, like water retention etc. But even knowing that, I still like to weigh in. Self punishment I guess....

Cohen's insists that you do your measurements weekly because you will see more results this way and weigh ins are only once a month when I go into the clinic, this is strictly taboo.

How can I stop getting on the scales? Why do I feel that I really need to?

Exercise is a Dirty Word

Thursday, 30th Jun 2011

 

Day 4

 

I have not exercised in so long I can't even remember the last time I dedicated a solid block of time to it. Except for walking while shopping that is and running after 4 kids!!

I am loving that it is not a necessity on the Cohen's diet, even though I would feel better if I could fit some light exercise in.

Exercise can actually be detrimental to the diet. The burning of energy which happens when you exercise can make you hungry for one, therefor you will be more likely to deviate from the plan because you become hungry. Secondly it can also trick your body into holding onto the fat and therefore hindering your loss. It's not needed during the diet because the food is doing all the work for you.

Gotta Love That!!

Craving Shmaving!!

Wednesday, 29th Jun 2011 

Day 3

I cooked a roast pork for the rest of the family last night and was so craving some. Why do I cook foods that aren't allowed on the program.. I know, so I don't cheat! If they are eating it and I am having beef I definitely can't eat it because the worst thing I can do is mix my proteins. 5 hours between proteins needs to be maintained or they will know.

I have a blood test every 8 weeks and this determines what I can eat on my re-feeding program once I have reached my goal. If I deviate while on the program it will show in my bloods and therefor will be impossible for Dr Cohen to draw up my personal maintenance eating program.

So I guess I am going to fail the next test, I couldn't resist a taste of the crackle!

The Scales, My Frenemy

Tuesday 27th June 2011 

 

Day 2

 

You are not supposed to weigh yourself every day but I can't help myself.

1kg down in the first day, I don't know if it's just a fluke or what but I guess we will just have to wait and see.

The diet is going well and I am sticking to it religiously and surprisingly drinking the 4 litres of water necessary quiet easily.

I am not hungry at all but do have a slight headache, I am told that it is my body detoxing the sugars that it seems to be craving.

 

A New Beginning

Monday 26th June 2011

Day 1

 

I'm about to start something I never got around to finishing right before I got pregnant with my 4th son 12 months ago... a new lifestyle eating plan or in other words DR COHEN'S LIFESTYLE CLINIC DIET!

According to Cohen's Lifestyle Clinic who is supporting this decision I have a medical problem and my food will become my medicine.

Therefore it must be taken at the right time and in the right doses. I will need to treat food as a fuel, my body is an engine and the food is my petrol. I will never fill up on dirt again!

Why I want you to read my change of life eating plan with you is because in the world we live in being the correct weight is so much pressure on everyone, hopefully you can avoid any money wasting surgeries, lapbanding, fat suction, face-lifts etc. You and I both know you would rather loose the fat before resorting to anything remotely to do with surgery.

You see my problem has been that I haven't blamed my excess weight on the fact that I consume too many calories or don't exercise enough.

I blame my hormones.

And happily I have found someone who agrees with me.

Cohen's Lifestyle Clinic believes that hormones have everything to answer for.

Through Dr Cohen's analysis of three of my hormones (cortisol, growth hormone, serotonin) I will be told exactly what I should eat and in exactly what amount and for how long.

I liked the idea of blaming my hormones because everyone knows that it's never my fault!

Everyone's food intake is different according to their own hormone levels but this is serious stuff.

If I put the wrong food in my mouth I will mess with the chemistry in my body that is working to rid me of my body fat.

So if there is anyone out there who has embarked on this journey, is on it or has any advice, please blog and tell me about it.

I'm starting today and apparently I won't be very nice for the next three days (my poor kids) as I detox and try to get used to my small portions as I re-set my body weight clock.