I was worn out from carrying the extra weight, especially when I have work shifts that start at 2:30am. Besides… the clothes just don’t look that great.
So on the 1st of January I decide that enough was enough. It was time to get serious and get this weight off for good. I started my personal Cohen’s Eating Plan on the 21st of January and it took until the 13th of October for me to reach my goal weight and complete my Program. This is my second week of maintenance and it is going very well.
Drink heaps of water, take the vitamins and keep reading your personal Eating Plan to make sure you do not forget anything so you get the most out of your Program.
The Refeeding Program was good fun, especially since I could have pumpkin and lamb again. I learnt a lot about my body and found out I can not eat bread as I put on too much weight, but I honestly do not miss eating it at all. For a treat I will have a scotch finger and a little milk in my afternoon coffee.
I heard about Cohen’s Weight Loss Clinic from a friend who lost weight quickly on the program and was looking fantastic. She also mentioned she had done some weight loss coaching so I decided to go along to an information session to find out more. I was extremely overweight and unhappy but having lost weight before on different diets and putting it back on over time, I knew for me, it was essential to get my head in the game, as well as eat differently if I was going to not only shed the weight but keep it off for good. I always knew I was going address my weight issue again, it was just a matter of when because I needed to be in the right head space and do it for me, no one else.
The combination of weight loss coaching and the Cohen’s Program was it for me. I was extremely daunted at the start when I heard what my goal weight was. I honestly wasn’t sure I could do it. But my consultants were fabulously supportive and they knew I could do it, so I just decided to start.
I found the program very straight forward and easy to follow because I made up my mind ONCE at the beginning, to do it properly with no deviations. It was more money than I have ever invested in myself but that helped me to commit to the program. And the funny things is, I saved SO much money on my grocery bills that it really wasn’t a big cost at all in the end. In fact, it probably paid for itself. Plus, making the decision to invest in myself and my health was a very important mental step for me to take. I had to decide I AM WORTH IT.
I began my Cohen’s Program on the 9th of October and started Maintenance on the 19th of March. During that 5 months, I had holidays interstate, Christmas parties, birthday parties, family gatherings and celebrations, weekends away, and LOTS of temptations and reasons to have a break, cheat or deviate. But I never wanted to. I packed my scales, hit the shops whenever I landed at my destination and I made it work. I even lost 6 to 7 kilograms over Christmas when everyone else usually stacks it on. I was steadfast in my resolve and I had learnt to acknowledge and be curious about my thoughts and emotions but not to let them make the decisions on what food I ate.
I was never hungry whilst on the program. Most of the time my meals looked way more appetising than those of the people around me and I have learnt to listen to my body. The Cohen’s Program does require commitment. If you want to shed nearly 36 kilograms in 5 months, then I think that is worth the effort. I did a lot of planning, cooking and preparation and we chose not to go out much over this time, however I knew it was a very small time to make a few sacrifices that would change my life in the end.
I feel completely different about myself now. I understand so much more about the impact that food and alcohol was having on my body. I have reframed how I view treating myself and I am loving the freedom to wear clothes I never thought I could from stores I never even felt brave enough to go into. The Cohen’s Program has given me a healthy lifestyle change, a formula to follow, more energy, confidence and peace of mind and probably added 20 years to my life. What is not to love?
