No Way, I Can't Be Pregnant!

I think that title caught your attention, didn't it?!  Tsismosa!  Actually, this would make my mom ecstatic!  Hahaha.

I've been hearing about Cohenites complaining about the side effects of this weight-loss wonder diet.  My cousin experienced headaches.  I think this usually happens in the first couple of days into the program.  I'm guessing these headaches are just the same as those regular hunger headaches.  Not much to be concerned about because your body will adjust to the food portions in a couple of days.

Many experience hair loss.  At the clinic, the consultants recommend a daily intake of Biotin.  This should solve the problem but it takes a while for the effects of Biotin to manifest.

I experienced dry skin.  So I simply applied lotion in the morning after a shower and at night before bedtime.  This seemed to work quite well.  The dry skin spell lasted a couple of days and is now gone.

The most concerning side effect was losing my period.  Since the age of 12 I've gotten my period every single month, no fail.  Then on my Refeeding month, I missed my period.  This was really worrisome especially since I can guarantee that I am not pregnant.

Having been delayed for 3 weeks, I visited the doctor last Monday morning.  I told her my concern and also mentioned that I had lost a drastic amount of weight in the last 3 months.  She asked how I did it and I told her about Cohen.  I told her that I started at 141 lbs last January and I'm now 107 lbs.  She was amazed and said that she's about 141 lbs too.  I won' be surprised if she'd be calling the Cohen clinic anytime soon :).

Back to my period... The Og-Gyn said that kind of weight loss would surely cause some hormonal imbalance just like exercise and stress.  It was not unusual.  She gave me a prescription for some pills to take for 5 days.  She said that in 2 weeks, I should get my period; and if not, I'd have to see her again.  I meant to buy those pill right after my doctor's visit but because of the traffic, I decided to do it in the afternoon instead.  Well, that was a pretty good decision because when I got home that same day, I got my period.  I guess my ovaries just needed a little scare from the doctor :).

I think we shouldn't be too concerned about the side effects of this diet.  I've had worse side effects with the other diets.  Have you tried the Atkins Diet?  That diet gave you bad breath.  How about Xenical?  That pill's effect was filthy!  Imagine men buying sanitary napkins because they're taking Xenical. Bangkok Pills?  There were some packs that did wonders for me.  I actually didn't mind the palpitations and the increased energy but there was this final batch that gave me headaches.  That was the end of those pills for me!  I'd say Cohen is the healthiest, most sustainable eating lifestyle thus far.  Their motto is simple:  "Let food be your medicine".  And this diet has given me the best side effect:  a 25-inch waistline!

Weekend Challenge

Weekends are the best.  This is the time when I can walk around in my pajamas all day.  But best of all, this is the time I can hang with my good friends.

My weekend starts on Friday night.  Usually my good friend Bubut would send this text message in the late afternoon:  "Let me know if you have dinner plans later".  Most times J and I don't really have dinner plans but when this message arrives in my phone, we get all excited and we make plans for dinner.

All Cohenites must agree that eating out is always a challenge.  For those on the Eating Plan or Refeeding, the challenge is explaining to the restaurant your food allowances and method of cooking.  Most times you don't want to deal with this hassle so you just BYOB (bring your own baon).  For those on Maintenance, like me, the challenge lies in choosing the right food from the array of deep fried, sugar-rich, cream-laden dishes on offer.  For me, I will always order a salad and then a steak or some seafood.  I try to veer from dishes that I know are swimming in rich sauce.  I noticed that this ordering method jacks up my food bill but I realized that ever since Cohen, I have been eating out less often and thus justifies ordering a premium dish whenever I'm out.  When my credit bill arrives, I still notice the big savings I've had since I've began cooking at home.  Thank you again, Dr. Cohen for teaching me to cook :).

Now the scary part.  Since we're all excited catching up on kwentos about the past week, dessert becomes the justification to extend the night.  Immediately, we decide to drive to Slice, that deadly delicious cake shop that just opened at the Bonifacio High Street.  Like a true Cohenite, ever since Maintenance, I always order the cheesecake.  (Maybe I can start comparing cheesecakes in my next post).  Anyway, Slice has one of the best cheesecakes in Manila.

Ever since we've discovered this cake shop, we've been here every single week.  It's like going to mass on Sundays.  We go to Slice on Fridays.

Of course by the end of the night, my tummy feels really full.  This is a feeling I used to get ALL THE TIME during my pre-Cohen days.  Now it just happens on weekends :).

Come Saturday morning, the previous night's delights register 0.80 lbs!  Ok lang, I tell myself.  That was worth it.  I just have to cut down today.

And then comes Sunday lunch.  My Sunday lunches are always at my Mom's place.  Mom is a great cook but given her age, she only likes to cook on Sundays.  And she cooks a feast.  Since I go to her place after Sunday Mass, I usually arrive at around 1 pm for lunch.


Mom knows that I have replaced rice with vegetables so she makes sure to prepare a vegetable dish.  She even knows which vegetables are Cohen approved so she will have asparagus, broccoli, zucchini.

I have cousins and friends who arrive for lunch at 2 pm.  So I get to sit in the dining table munching with every new kwento until about 3 pm. Imagine extending your munching to two hours.  So obviously, I'd have to help myself with dessert.  So as the Cohen plan says, I must eat carbohydrates before dessert.  So I eye-ball about 50 grams of rice, a tiny serving of vegetable and protein; and then get a serving of cake :).  Yes, there is always some cake during Sunday lunch.  This is usually brought by my Tita Patsie because her kids and grand kids love dessert.  Maybe I should tell Tita Patsie to bring some cheesecake next time :).

And just as I'm done with lunch, the dishes are replaced with merienda:  suman, ginataan, bibingka, tsokolate, cheese platter.  Again, I subscribe to the Cohen plan so I choose the cheese platter.  My brother, Popit, is always in charge of this platter.  He sits by the table with his sharp knife and a block of cheese and just slices away.  Ang sarap!  So Sunday lunch is actually an eating marathon that stretches from 1 pm to 5 pm.  Four hours of munching.  We only realize it's time to end the meal when "The Buzz" comes on air because Mom immediately tunes us out and concentrates on the latest show biz gossip.  This is our signal that the eating marathon has ended.

I've learned to mitigate the effects of this fat-inducing marathon by consciously making "smart" choices but it's really difficult to resist good food when there is good conversation!!!

For that entire weekend of feasting, this is what greets me on a Monday morning

 
 5 lbs. for a typical weekend!  Imagine how much I'd gain if this were a long weekend?  Oh well, thank God for weekdays!