Days 3 & 4 done and dusted...

Ooooops realised during the night that I had forgotten to update last night - did contemplate getting up to do an update but decided not to :)

How did yesterday and today go??  Really well thanks!!  Am really getting in to the hang of things now, probably need to be a bit more adventurous at times but baby steps for me...

Garlic has now become one of my favourite condiment/herbs and using it in both lunch and dinner each day :)  Oh well apart from the days I have tuna that is...  Am starting to experiment with other herbs as well which so far has gone well.

Work was totally shit today, and will be tomorrow too!  I worked late tonight, so it was a tough job calculating meal/snack times as with Cohen's you need to have set times between meals (protein) and then again between snacks.... Then I had to drop off eggs to my sister in law - got home to find Rachel still awake (and very over tired), and all I wanted to do is cook my dinner because not only was I hungry, I didn't want to stay up to late (not supposed to eat for 2/2.5hrs prior to going to bed) either.  And I also had to cook the beef for my salad tomorrow so it was all go.  Then trying to get Stephan to get the washing in (which he did but didn't fold it as he took it off the line as I do, so there is another job that needs doing at some stage) and for him to make Rachel's lunch!    I am going to have to be a lot more organised when working late which will be a few times this month - perhaps try to get a few of the dinners in the freezer so I can have them at work (or as soon as I walk in the door) without the stress!  In the past, I often decided that I would work late at the last minute but there will be no doing that for me this year!

I have my first real social challenge on Saturday when we head to Masterton for a family BBQ as my niece from the UK is out in NZ on holiday and is only in Wgtn for about 5 days so we are all catching up with her then.  I have told my sister that I will bring along my bits and pieces with me which I think she finds strange given that we are having a BBQ with salad but as everything needs to be weighed down to the last gram; I would rather play it safe :)  My consultant has also given me a wee dessert recipe I can have using my fruit/crispbread allowance so am keen to try that and to take it to Masterton with me as my treat.  I have also taken a liking to Soda Water so am having a small glass of that each dinner time so will take a small bottle of that with me over the hill on Saturday :)

Oh I asked my niece (my consultant) are the Nurofen VS Ibprofen situation - the reason that the Cohen's Lifestyle doesn't really allow Nurofen is the fact that Nurofen is almost always sugar coated where as Ibprofen is just a plain tablet.... 

Day 2 done and dusted....

Have now competed two days and am doing well! Have had a slight headache but thanks to some reading I did on a new forum I belong to, I remembered that Nurofen was a no go, so dug out my Ibprofen and after a couple of doses of that, the headache went.

Feel like I have done well today and am proud of it!  There have been a couple of close call's but I have stopped myself and said to myself "that is cheating Karen - that won't get you to 70 kilos"!!! 

I couldn't get over how fast everything added up when having my veggies on the scales but slowly adjusting to that.

And OMG to the number of toilet stops I am having to do!  It is at least 2 before leaving home in the morning, then about 7 times during the day at work, then I run (well fast walk) in the door after getting off the train and straight to the loo!  Then another couple before heading to bed... and last night there were 3 during the night!!  

Bit annoyed with Stephan right now - he is sitting beside me (well in the next chair) eating a large bag of chips (something I USED to do regularly) despite me asking him not to given that it is only Day 2 and I am still craving those things! I have tried talking to him but he is still eating them!!!  Bloody men!!!!

Day 1 done and dusted...

Well I have competed day 1 without to many hiccups.... only two wee mistakes - I had egg with my beef at lunch time which is mixing two different proteins and that is a no no on the program.  Oh well, I now know for future :)  The other wee mistake - well not really a mistake as such - was making Rachel's lunch and putting some grapes in her lunch box and 3 found their way in my mouth!  Something that I used to do all the time but as grapes are not on my "allowed" fruits list so must make sure I am more of aware of what goes in my mouth!

Lunch was devine (see photo in last nights post) so will definitely be having that again! Just wish I could have had more of it but that's all part of the program - limiting/reducing our food intake!  Tomorrows lunch is a beef salad so hopefully that will be just as nice! 

Got a slight headache but just taken something for that and will head to bed shortly as am really tired (after a crappy nights sleep last night).  Managed to drink 2.4 litres of water at work plus about another 500mls at home so all up I managed 2.5 litres so am pleased with that as they recommend 2-3 litres a day and the more the better as it flushes all the toxins out of the body!    I am actually allowed limited diet drinks but trying to avoid them as if I have any of those, I still need to drink the 2-3 litres water as well!  They will be my treat drink for any parties etc that we may go to.

Right - bring on day 2!!!

1 more sleep...

Yeap - tomorrow is the day where I start my new program!

I know I said in my last post that I was "preparing" myself this week by increasing water etc but unfortunately that turned to custard and I have in fact ended up just enjoying myself and having a few things that perhaps I shouldn't have. But oh well - never mind :)

Got all my meat, cut up, weighed and in the freezer for the week ahead.  Got the fridge fill of vegetables and fruit.  Got my multi vitamins and fish oil capsules all ready to go....

Just need to get Stephan to help me with the measurements later on, and then will photos tonight as well... they will all be shared either later tonight or tomorrow.

I am hoping to be blogging every day (or every 2nd day) while on this program so there will be lots of updates for me this year!  Will be nice to have all the support here and on the weight loss support FB group that I belong to!

Oh here are the "before" photos - I will put there here for now as I can't work out the photo's tab across the top of this page as yet...

Back view

Side on

Front view (excuse the water marks - had just finished the dishes)

All my meat, cut, measured and in freezer

My lunch for tomorrow - chicken with a bit of S&P, chilli powder and garlic rubbed in before being tossed in a minimum amount of pure olive oil.

Only 6 more sleeps to go....

Got the program, read it, re read it and re read it yet again (as per their advice)... had my first session (via phone) with my niece/consultant this morning.... and she explained even more things to me so am now ready to go!!!

I was initially shocked at their suggested goal weight (50 -53 kilos) and even my niece was a bit shocked at it.... so she has reviewed it for me and given me a new goal weight of 65-70 kilos which in my eyes is a lot more realistic!  Although, I checked that range on the BMI calculator; and it would still be in the overweight range so once I get down to that range, I may reconsider going a bit lower but hey if I can lose half of my weight and get down to 70 kilos I will be bloody happy!!! 

So will be starting the program on Monday 4th February.  I did contemplate starting it this week but instead I decided to enjoy my quality time with Rachel, and just up my water intake (oooops been a bit slack today though) and try to limit my food intake to get my body to slowly adjust to the big changes that will hit it next week.  If I can up my water intake, it will start the detox and start flushing out the toxins from my body.

So am back to work on Monday, and I am not looking forward to it - I really dislike it at the moment and February is going to be a bitch of a month!  We will be down one colleague for the whole month and he is the only other decent worker in the team!  So it's gonna be very full on and a few late nights!  I am over the shit that goes down in the team - my team leader is aware of how I am feeling but doesn't seem to be to concerned about it... even his boss seems to know as well and wants to do a team building session which in the past is when shit hits the fan so should be fun - not!

Will be back before starting the program!

Waiting...

And still waiting for my program to arrive..... sent my niece an email this morning to see how things were progressing.  Hoping to have it tomorrow or on Monday all going well :) 

Was going to start it and get the moodiness/grumpiness etc out of my system before going back to work on 4th Feb BUT a friend did point out that it wasn't fair on Rachel if I did that - last week of holidays with a grumpy mum!  So may end up waiting until 4th Feb but will see how things go once I get the program and how much I need to buy to make sure I have my food in the house :)

Decided that I should just quit work as I don't eat nearly half as much when I am at home compared to when I am at work and my bad habits I have there!  Since filling in the application form for Cohen's 2 weeks ago, I have lost almost 2 kilos!

Oh for those of you who didn't see on FB, I actually got into the local pool the other day with Rachel and we had such a great time! So will definitely be doing that  more often!

Can't believe that one week of my leave is up already and only have one week to go... and it's shaping up to be another busy one :(  As much as I love being out and about and catching up with friends that I don't normally see that often (they are stay at home mums and me working) - it would be nice to just do nothing at times!  Though that is hard sometimes with an only child as Rachel struggles to play by herself for extended periods of time.... but we are working on that slowly.

Hopefully next time that I update, I will have the program and will be taking the "before" photos and measurements!

Blood test done...

Yeap, had the blood test on Saturday morning - was a bloody mission as well as I have such narrow veins and it took them ages to find a vein big enough to get the blood from!  Not sure which part hurt the most - the drawing of the blood OR the cost of it! Had to pay for it as it was done for private use (i.e. not ordered by a Dr or specialist) - $78.50 later!  Have to have them every 4 weeks until 20 weeks (almost like being pregnant again LOL) and then 8 weekly after that.  Though at least the subsequent ones are only about $20 which is more affordable!

After leaving the lab, I text my niece to tell her it had been done and she said she should have the results today and get them sent off for my program to be written up so all going well this time next week, I will have completed Day 1 of the program!  I think it will be quite good getting the first few days out of my system while still on leave so hopefully any moodiness etc will be gone before heading back to work BUT then it will be poor Rachel who bears the brunt of it so will have to make sure we have things to do each day to get us out and about!

I have a lot of people on FB quite intrigued about my "adventure" for 2013 with a lot of them thinking that I am taking up some new sales adventure!  One even asked me if I was planning to leave Stephan! LOL So I think on Day 1 I will reveal all even though my mum said not to put it on FB just in case I didn't finish the program!  But with her saying that, it has made me even more determined!

I have been doing some more research on Cohen's and have found quite a bit of negative feedback but have taken it all with an open mind and am still moving forward with it.  One thing I did find was a forum where someone had shared their list of allowed foods - was really interesting and one that I could make work for me so hopefully my one is as friendly as that one was.

Am now on leave until school goes back on Monday 4th Feb so got lots on this week with Rachel but not so much the 2nd week at this stage.  Would love to be able to head to Auckland to see my great niece Eden (8mths old) but just can't afford it esp with the program costs now.  And of course while up there, I would want to see Chris, Kate & Lynda off the top of my head!  So I do need to plan something - perhaps it could be a reward for completing the program??? 

But for now.... it's one step at a time and I will do it!!!