the Cohen way

I'm not simply a guest in one of my best friend's wedding in LA this October...I'll be the maid of honor and I'm really looking forward to it! She finally sent the dress (a long chiffon-y gown in deep purple) last weekend and let's just say that I'm now on a mission to fit in that dress come October! I need to lose a few pounds (something I've been meaning to do for months now) and this is the motivation I need. Good timing as well since Lyn's wedding (where I'm the bridesmaid) is just about a month away.

I've done the no-rice, eat-light diet and it worked for a couple of days but since I really wasn't that serious back then, I didn't lose much pounds. But this time, I'm dead serious to get fit, eat healthy and of course slim down and fit into my maid of honor dress! This calls for a lifestyle change and the Cohen lifestyle is the way to go. My sister and mom did this last year and it really works! They were able to lose about 20 pounds in just 2-3 months. And unlike other diets, this won't starve you or restrict you to just eat limited types of food. It's more of changing your eating habits to eat the right type and quantity of food.

If you're really dead serious, then this would cost you P55k upfront which includes a diet plan created by Dr. Cohen himself based on your blood chemistry, with regular checkups and blood-work in between until you reach your weight goal. My sis did the whole thing but my mom just copied her diet plan and it worked for her as well. So I'm using the same plan right now.

Basically, you'll be given a list of food (meat, poultry, seafood, veggies, fruits, etc) which you are allowed to eat during the duration of the program, along with the weight for each type of food. There are actually a wide variety of food to choose from. For protein, lean beef, chicken, turkey, tuna, sole fillet, shrimp, crab and squid are allowed - all fresh. Canned, pre-cooked or pre-seasoned are a no-no. For veggies, tomatoes, any kind of lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, asparagus and cauliflower are allowed. For fruits, you can have apples, oranges, pomelo, papaya to name a few. Fresh and dried herbs can be used, but bottled sauces (soy sauce, terriyaki sauce, etc) can't be. Bottomline, everything should be natural. And obviously no fats and sweets. You can't skip meals (which now forced me to eat breakfast which I don't normally do) and each meal is set such that you always have protein + veggies (ex. 1 egg + 85g of veggies, 100g of beef + 115g of veggies, 110g of chicken + 105g of veggies).

The hardest part actually is weighing everything before cooking it. But good thing my mom is around to do that for me! She prepares my meals everyday, including my lunch which I bring to the office. You should really follow the plan for it to work (no cheat days!) and it really takes discipline and the motivation to see it through. I'm now on my 3rd day and I've already lost 3 pounds! Oh, did I mention that exercise is NOT required? Unless you're already on a regular exercise regimen before going on this diet, then it is not recommended that you start exercising since this is a rapid weight loss program already.

The first day was pretty hard, not because I got hungry but because of the cravings! You can only have fruits and crackers in between meals (in limited quantity of course). But surprisingly, I didn't go hungry the whole day. It also helps that my mom is able to make my food yummy (with the right combination of herbs and spices) so it's not like you're eating taste-less diet food. Day 2 was easier and by today, I was totally in the program already. Seeing the pounds slowly go away each day is enough motivation to stay focused and stick to the program!

I have about 2 1/2 months til the October wedding which is just right. Goodluck to me! :)