Dr Cohens Diet??

I have been on Cohens diet for just over 6 months and I havent found it terribly easy to keep to, however, I must admit it has been the only plan where I have lost weight immediately. I have struggled and havent lost weight as fast as they said I would - honestly it is completely not their fault.

One thing I have learn about dieting is to keep at it. It doesnt help to call it a diet because it is a lifestyle change. Its a forever thing.

Cohens is not the answer to anyones weight problems. Your answer is in your mind. We can go on all the diet plans on the planet and lose weight but put it all back on afterwards - if we dont get our minds fixed first. This is me.

In saying that, to lose just 5 kilos is a boost to our self esteem. It can give us the push in the right direction. It did that for me. And Cohens was the vehicle for doing that.

I have,however, been doing alot of research into eating behaviour and seeing a psychologist. Ive also been reading Jillian Michaels book and listening to Dr Phils Ultimate weight cds. Between the two (book and cd) they have helped me get a grip on the things which cause me to reach for food. I dont get it right all the time, infact, 50% of the time, I get it right. But I do get some of it right.

Im on the right track and I do have Cohens to thank for pointing me in the right direction and giving me the push in the right direction.

I too cannot understand why there is so much secrecy about the plan (apart from making money to run the business) and the cost of the plan. Those two things are crazy. The plans are ultra simple and there is not alot of difference between plans for people. Basically its cutting back and not having sugar because it does interrupt your sugars. My hubby is diabetic and over the years Ive learnt alot about fats and sugars.

I know alot of people dont agree with Cohens and everyone must find their own thing to do. Good on you all for searching for something to help yourself. At least you are doing something. You are doing something to improve your health and wellbeing. Just think, if you lose the weight (by whatever means you choose) you are directly preserving your health, showing leadership in your family (being a good example to your kids etc) and making sure you are less likely to end up in a hospital with knee and hip operations, gall bladder removals, back problems, heart ops..the list goes on.

I wanted to have a gastric band op but was told I had to lose weight to have the op. When I lost the weight I was told I didnt need one! I felt like I was deadended so it was up to me to make a change in my life.

I understand totally the feelings involved in being overweight. Its awful and I will forever be working to stay healthy and with less weight. It is a lifelong work and Im not giving up on myself. I am learning to give myself credit for the hard work I have done to get this far. I wont give the diet plan credit because it is MY hard work.

Anyway, this is my take on Cohens and I just want to encourage you to perservere, love yourself and never give up.

Thank you for reading this. Remember, you are awesome! Dont let anyone tell you otherwise.

I have paid twice to do Cohens. Waste of nearly 2000 bucks all up. I refuse to cry over money but jesus if I had known better. Yes, I lost weight but I gained it back and more. Here are the reasons for anyone considering the program to NOT sign up.

1) I find this program is almost like a scam, all those blood tests and what not to make sure your program is unique, what crap. I know 3 different woman who joined and all of them came back with the exact same measurements for their meals. I would tell you what it is but I had to sign a contract saying I wouldn't share the program with anyone else. Which brings up another point, if all the programs are uniquely tailored to every individual, then why the need for the copyright?

2) It isn't just the food that is restrictive. It's the measurements. I never felt hungry on the program even though I was on 100grams of food per meal and that's because I was drinking 3 liters of water a day. You are measuring your protein and vegetables, the seasoning you use, the time between each meals, the snacks etc. Not only that, those measurements allow for no flexibility. It requires being super super organised, it requires giving up on a social life altogether as you can't measure food in a restaurant or if you're running late. And you can't measure cooked food, it has to be raw. Don't get me wrong, it is doable with a lot of maneuvering but it becomes exhausting long term. Not just exhausting doing the program but exhausting to have your life 24/7 become occupied with nothing but food. One of the girls I worked with four years ago back at the program lost over 40 kilos but she started looking and acting like someone with an eating disorder- tense, stressed and borderline paranoid. At the time I didn't see that though, all I saw was how skinny she had gotten. I met her at the start of the year and after a period of being hospitalized with gallstones, she gained most of the the weight back.

3) Paranoid. One of the many emotions you will feel during this program. Others include mania, exhausted, despair and a really low sense of self esteem and self worth. I remember going into melt downs over someone asking for a bite of my meal, or if my green tea had dried fruit in it, or if I had been given diet coke and not diet coke that was caffeine free or finding out that the sugar free gum I was chewing was fruit flavored. If you made a mistake and you told the consultants back at the office, you could feel yourself being silently judged and berated. I laugh now to think that a bread-stick had the sort of power that could lead to a mini breakdown. You live with a constant sense of fear that a 1% deviation will lead to catastrophe. For some people that works for them because it is so strict that it keeps them in boundaries. I personally can't live like that myself.

4) Dr. Cohen has a cult like following. I sound exaggerating, I know. But hear me out. You go on the forum, everyone on there seems nice and really welcoming. And some of them are lovely people. I'd say around 40% are reasonable, respectiful people. The other 60% however will turn on you the minute you question Cohens, just watch the fangs come out. They will tear you to shreds, they tear down other weight loss procedures to shreds. They call the program magical and miraculous, Dr Cohen is even referred to as the magician. I get that the program is miraculous for them but different things work for different people. People who have had surgery are derided as weak. There is a thread on lap banding as well which I will paste and while some of those points are very valid, the tone in it is horrible. There was also constant negativity which included talking about jealous people, idiots who wasted their time exercising trying to lose weight and programs that ripped off cohens such as bodytrim, sure slim etc.

5) Which brings me to my final point. If this program is still appealing to you, pick up the Dukan diet instead. The Dukan diet is very similar, it operates in similar 3 stages as Cohens which includes a refeed and maintenance, it has very similar results in terms of weight loss and there is no measuring each gram of food, it allows you to eat the list of food in unlimited quantities. It allows you to eat out, it has a longer track record of success and has been around longer than Dr Cohen's diet, it explains very thoroughly why the diet works and how the body works- no magician claim here, and finally you can grab the book for under $30 instead of paying $780, which doesn't even include the $20 you spend on blood tests every month. That's another annoying thing about Cohen, they give you the program in stages. So if you don't finish part one, you aren't allowed part two and three, never mind that you paid for the whole program. At least with Dukan he gives you all the information in one book.

Sorry for the long and rambling post, I don't want to make out Cohens to be the devil, I do have to agree that thanks to it I do know what foods are good for me and what to avoid in terms of gain but then again I find Dukan to be more informative. Also should add that just because myself and some people I know had a bad experience doesn't mean that everyone else will, many others do say that the program has changed their lives. I think both diets which call for a total elimination of carbs are difficult to follow but out of the two Dukan is a lot better. So if anyone wants any more information about either diets, pm me and I'd be happy to help.

I agree with the others, it is a personal choice in deciding to have the sleeve. Maybe she wants to ask you questions and is worried what you will say. It is very hard to bring up the subject when someone is not ready to admit defeat!

I agree that you can't make anyone choose but you can inform them. Get her to have a read on here some of the diaries and ask questions. I am more than happy to talk to anyone who would like to know first hand what it has been like. PM if you want any more details.

The main problem I can see would be that your wedding is only 7 months away and by the time she had surgery unless she goes straight in and already has insurance, it might not be viable for the wedding. It would however be excellent for her future health.

I do understand coming from a family point also as when I had mine done my sister said she would NEVER have surgery. I am now a happy and healthy size 10 and she is still getting bigger and more unhappy every day.

You can't help her if she's an adult; she has to come to her own decisions in her own time. You can only do your thing and she may come to the same decision after seeing your success.

My sister supported my decision but said she would lose her weight by diet and exercise and not something so drastic. Now fast fwd a year, I've lost 50kg and she's gained several.. she is now booked for a sleeve. I agree losing it with "diet and exercise" is possible.. but if you've never done it and kept it off your whole life, why would you be able to now?

Hi Everyone,



So glad to see that people had the same response out there for the Cohens diet.



Just a little bit more advise if it ok??



I'm getting married in 7 months now and my sister is the main bridesmaid. She is not that overweight but enough to feel uncomfortable. She had a 30kg loss on Cohens and of course looked awesome BUT it all came back on and some. She has tried now over the last 2 months to "get back on the cohens wagon" without any sucsess at all. She is on and off it and i can only imagin what it is doing to her metabolism (as it did to mine too!!)



How do i help her out without being one of those "look at me, the sleeve is the only solution" kinda people??



I think she is beautiful and would have her in my bridal party no matter what size but ... weddings make you do silly things sometimes (and not just the bride!! hehehe)



Any help would be wonderful



xxx

Ell

I did Cohens as well and lost 40kg very quickly and reasonably easily, as i found it took away all cravings and hunger, all went well until the refeeding stage when I struggled from then on. The clinic I attended was also closed by the head Clinic due to allegations of providing non-genuine programs. I know of a number of people this affected (including one of my family). The clinic closed just as I completed the refeeding so I did not have any support available to help with the continuing maintenance (although it probably wouldn't have made any difference to the eventual result).

I did the Cohens diet. Lost 30kgs and put it all back on. Wasn't sustainable in the long term. Have had the sleeve 18 months and love it. I can eat what I want but just smaller portions. THIS is a lifestyle change I can live with. Been stable for 8 months now and I know I will not put the weight back on. I must say now that if I even think about going on a "diet" again to lose a few more kilos I just about go into a meltdown so I try not to think about that word anymore.

Kylie wrote:

I too did Cohens Diet. Impossible to stick to and they make a big deal out of retraining your metabolism so when you lose the weight your diet isnt so restrictive. Bullshit......I met a lady who lost hers and was on maintenance and the only difference in her diet was she was allowed an extra piece of fruit and 2 crackers more than me. Bugger that for the rest of my life. Was a complete waste of 600 or so bucks.

Taking weight off can be hard but its next to impossible for us morbidly obese folk to keep it off long term without our sleeves. It gives us the right size stomach for our metabolisms. No one on the planet has the will power to fight a metabolism like ours that stores every last calorie. No one! We are not failures! We are incredibly strong in many ways.

HOWEVER.....even the sleeve will not be the magic cure all we all dream of.....you can still bugger up if you dont deal with and sort out why you overeat and make poor choices to start with. Cos no matter what anyone says, we dont get to this size without that. Why when threatened with early death and a miserable existence do we still shovel a block of chocolate in everyday or eat 6 iceypoles at night or eat a whopper serving size then polish off everyone elses leftovers and go back for more 1 hour later.

Never thought of my tt like that Kylie; though you are sooo right; the size of tummy to equal our metabolism.

I too did Cohens Diet. Impossible to stick to and they make a big deal out of retraining your metabolism so when you lose the weight your diet isnt so restrictive. Bullshit......I met a lady who lost hers and was on maintenance and the only difference in her diet was she was allowed an extra piece of fruit and 2 crackers more than me. Bugger that for the rest of my life. Was a complete waste of 600 or so bucks.

Taking weight off can be hard but its next to impossible for us morbidly obese folk to keep it off long term without our sleeves. It gives us the right size stomach for our metabolisms. No one on the planet has the will power to fight a metabolism like ours that stores every last calorie. No one! We are not failures! We are incredibly strong in many ways.

HOWEVER.....even the sleeve will not be the magic cure all we all dream of.....you can still bugger up if you dont deal with and sort out why you overeat and make poor choices to start with. Cos no matter what anyone says, we dont get to this size without that. Why when threatened with early death and a miserable existence do we still shovel a block of chocolate in everyday or eat 6 iceypoles at night or eat a whopper serving size then polish off everyone elses leftovers and go back for more 1 hour later.

I remember feeling flabbergasted that a friend of mine bought himself a new bike and went for a 20 km ride as a reward for being promoted to captain ( pilot ). I would have chosen food as a reward...and a comfort, and a diversion from boredom, and, and , and...


In my 12 month wait for surgery I asked myself "why am I eating this" "Am I actually physically hungry" "what am I feeding if its not hunger" .

Hi!

I followed the Cohen's Program in the lead up to my wedding in 2004. I lost 30kg in 3 months and was attending a gym 2-3 times per week. I was constantly starving. It is a very restrictive diet in terms of variety of food and portion sizes. One day I ate one choc almond, the next day I ate three ... followed this path and gained the weight back VERY quickly. It's not sustainable and if you haven't worked through the reasons as to why you overeat, you will have limited success.

hi there i too did cohens diet and lost about 40kgs but ended up developing severe gall stones and had to have my gall bladder out, then once having it out i couldnt eat at lot of meat especially if it had fat on it and also couldnt drink more than 3 cans of premixed rum and coke or i would vomit, as soon as i stopped the diet (which the docs told me i had to) the weight slowly creept back on and even more.
i had my sleeve done 12 days ago and have lost 7kgs maybe a little more as i think i might have been heavier on the day of op than i thought.
although i will admit i am having a bit of a hard time since the op with pain and neausa and really havnt been able to eat alot, at this moment right now its really hard but from other on here and the resurance from my surgon i know in a few weeks it will be better, i will be even lighter and will finally be able to loose weight and keep it off and feel good:)
good luck:)

I did Dr Cohen's diet...not sustainable!! lost only a small amount but found iut too restrictive...I worked with a women who lost 60+kgs with it but has now put it all back on plus some
I have had sleeve 9 weeks and lost 20 kgs...better chance of keeping it of cos as my dietician says I would have to do some serious continual eating to regain that much weight as quick as I have in the past
good luck

Hi I did it

I hated it when they rang me they told me not to excerise when I told them my daily tasks. I have dog that needs walking.

I didn't lose that much with it. I know others who have done it but none have managed to keep it off.

Just had sleeve 6 days go and 5 kg down so will have to see how this goes but Im not looking back from now on.

cheers

Oh yeah heard of it alright.... I did sureslim which is very similar to Cohen's. Basically it does work but is soooo restrictive and it not possible lifelong. this is where the sleeve comes in.... do you know that only 5% of patients who lose weight keep it off after 5 years!!! only 5%.....
everyone can lose weight, it is the keeping off that we have a problem with..... so SLEEVE ALL THE WAY!! don't regret my decision one bit!

I lost 30kg on Sureslim the first time, took only 3 months to put back on. Then the 2nd time I did it lost 20kg... after I got back from my holiday weight started to come back on due to stress etc etc and that is when I decided on the sleeve..... been happy ever since!

Hi Ella Bella,

I haven't tried Dr Cohen's diet, but have had a go at just about everything else (not the horse urine injections one delightful Dr offered though, LOL). Most of them were successful for a while then, like you with Dr Cohen, the kilos would gradually creep back on again... with interest, plus a fair whack of self loathing as an added bonus. That's why I went for the sleeve, this is it for me and my tummy and we're both doing great. I am eating "normally" now (ie. whatever I want, but little servings) and am very happy. I have been approximately the same weight for about 3 months now but must be exchanging fat for muscle as I am still dropping sizes. And I know as soon as I am ready, I can give it a final push and get to my goal (at the moment I am under Dr's orders to stay put for a wee while due to other health stuff).

Given my past record, I think I would be pushing 180 - 200kg by now if I hadn't found the courage to have my sleeve op..

I think we're all conditioned to failure after years and years of yoyo dieting and heartache but I really believe that the Sleeve is a fantastic solution. One of the mantras on this site (along with "I love my sleeve") is "It's just a tool" and that's true, it is, but it's a magical little tool :-) While you are getting to your goal you do have to be very mindful of what and how you eat but it doesn't take long for that to become second nature. I found exercise really helped me (but not everyone does). Yes, you do have to work at it, but your sleeve will help you get to where you want to go, and the effort is so, so worth it.

Good luck - Carrie :-)

To be honest, i haven't even heard of the Cohen's Diet!!!

Hi There,

Just wanted to see if anyone had heard of the Cohen’s Diet and been on it before the sleeve surgery?

As we all know there are thousands of diets out there and we have all been on 95% of them!!

I was successful on Cohen’s and lost over 45kg's only to find myself 3 years later with it all back on and a maybe just a little more!!

I just went back and read the Cohen's forum (much like this one) but it seems to slam the sleeve and band operation ... so ... just wondering if there is anyone else out there who tried this method first and failed but has been successful with the sleeve ... and KEPT it off?

I have my sleeve booked for 11th July but am still just so scared of failing and being this weight again in 2 years!

Would love to hear your thoughts?