A Fresh Start For 2013: Embarking on my Cohen Program

Weighing portions of Cohen-approved food, according to my eating plan.

On New Year's Eve, I took part in an ancient tradition and embraced the cliche: I made a New Year's Resolution.  It is believed that early Christians embraced the first day of the New Year as an occasion for reflecting on past mistakes and resolving to improve oneself, saying their prayers at a midnight mass.  The Romans before them, began each year by making promises to the god Janus (after whom the month January is named).  And before them, the Babylonians too, promised their gods to pay their debts from the previous year. So as 2012 came to a close, I too, looked skyward, and whispered a prayer as I watched the fireworks display on New Year's Eve.  I prayed for fitness and health, and a fabulous figure to match.  Yes, it's really such a cliche.  I join the hordes of fat-fighters all over the world who make "losing weight" a perennial entry on the Top 10 Resolutions List.  Somehow though, my resolution didn't feel like an empty wish whispered to the wind.  I felt the firmness of my resolve.

As the popular saying goes "nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa" (roughly translated: Mercy resides in God, deeds reside in people). My prayer for divine assistance had to be coupled with actions. And I tell you, I took action indeed!  It took a few weeks to orchestrate my New Year's Eve moment.  It started in early December with a trip to Cohen's Lifestle Centre in Makati where I attended an Information Session on their Weight-loss and Wellness Program.  I signed up, paid, and returned for my Blood Test, the results of which were sent to the US for analysis.  I had to wait until after Christmas to receive my Personal Eating Plan.  It took a couple of days to shop for essentials: Extra-virgin olive oil spray; Jacob's crackers; multivitamins; and approved proteins, fruits, and veggies.  I spent an evening happily weighing portions precisely down to the last gram, as prescribed.  I bought organic greens, and choice lean meats, and my mouth was watering as I prepared my food for the next few days.

Our current best friends in the kitchen: the tabletop grill, salad spinner,  
and for Oliver: the juicer and blender for his fresh fruit shakes.

On December 31st, I woke up excited to start my Cohen Eating Plan. I had a mushroom omelette for breakfast, a calamari salad for lunch, and I packed my grilled chicken breast with grilled veggies for our New Year's Eve dinner.  I ate my meal happily, while the rest of the family feasted on paella and lengua, gambas and calamari, beef stew and bbq... I munched on my approved amount of crackers as my loved ones enjoyed their slices of ham, and cheese, and pasta.  And when desert was served, I munched on apple slices as everyone had a slice of cake.  It felt GREAT to be in control! I was surrounded by sweets and savory treats and I did not cave in! I was triumphant over temptation! 

I am more hopeful now, and empowered as I never have been before, to face my weight issues squarely and deal with the problem with finality.  There are several reasons why I am motivated more than ever: 1) Oliver and I just had our annual executive medical check-ups. The results were rather sobering. I had fatty infiltration in my liver, linked directly to my being overweight. The medical recommendation: weight reduction.  2) There are also indications that my hormones have gone haywire. I've been bleeding excessively, enough to make me run to the doctor a few times on suspicions of miscarriage, but repeated ultrasounds have ruled that out, and a pap smear also ruled out infections.  A more plausible cause: hormonal imbalance.  This is what made the Cohen Program attractive to me - it is not just another diet, but promises to re-set hormones.  Signing up for the Cohen Program, in itself, is another source of motivation because... 3) It doesn't come cheap.  But I guess it's also because of the monetary investment in the program that one feels more committed to make it work.  Another cliche comes to mind, the idiom: "you get what you pay for".  I am truly hoping that in this case, something higher in price is proportionally of higher quality (because this is not always the case, necessarily).  There are less-restrictive Cohen programs online that cost a mere fraction of what I signed up for, but I decided to go ahead and do the full formal program (thanks to Oliver's support) which offers continuing blood work and analysis, monthly weigh-ins, and consultations for the next six months.  I want to find a way to peek into my blood chemistry to get some assurance that I am truly addressing my issues from within.  I don't just want weight loss - I want to reboot my entire system, and reset my metabolism, restore hormone balance and really, really start fresh.

My lunch of grilled chicken breast fillet with garden salad.

And somehow, even though I'm only a few days into the program, there are clear signs of good things to come.  Even if I am the only one in the household enrolled in the program, everyone else seems to partake of my resolution in their own ways.  Oliver took me grocery shopping and together we bought lean cuts of meat and fresh vegetables. He coordinated his food with mine, although he didn't do the measuring, and didn't hold back on condiments.  He had a nice lean, flavorful steak for dinner, while I had my steak ground up so I could apportion it to exact weight specifications easily.  I formed it into a patty (with no binders, just salt and pepper to season) and had it grilled.  Last night, we both had grilled chicken breast - his had more flavor, mine was simply seasoned.  He accompanied his meal with brown rice, and soup and salad (with dressing), while I just had plain greens with a few sprays of olive oil and vinegar (no rice nor soup).  It felt good to have him "accompany" me, even if he wasn't on the program.

Narra and Guijo too, are catching on.  They see me preparing my food, and they ask for bits of whatever I am eating.  I snack on apple slices, and they ask for some.  I carefully weigh my food, though, so I don't share my plate.  I give them their own separate servings - and this act of separating my food from my children's is helping me a great deal!  It means learning to resist to finish their leftovers.  I've also reprogrammed myself not to reach for food on display, specially now that our house is full of holiday treats - gifts of chocolate, cookies, cake, and candies.  Oliver suggested we purge the house of forbidden food to create a controlled environment at home, but I refused the offer.  I told him the world will be full of tempting treats, and I must learn to embrace my new principles with conviction from within - that my ultimate goal is self-control / self-improvement / self-mastery.   Narra and Guijo used to love to "feed" me.  They'd affectionately pop a piece of grape, or pop corn, or jelly bean into my mouth.  But they don't do so anymore.  It took only a day for them (and everyone else around me) to catch on.  

Beyond our household, I heard that over at my parents' house, my sister has followed my lead and has also started eating healthier.  She called me last night to report that she prepared her own steamed tilapia (and that's a miracle in itself - tilapia and my sister don't usually go together).  She, in turn, has inspired my dad, who wants to jump on the fat-fighting- bandwagon too.   I first heard about the Cohen program from my cousin Debbie, and later from a friend, Kit, and they inspired me to go for it (thanks girls!). Now, it's my turn to go through the process, and I'm so psyched up!! 

So I had a great New Year's Eve, because I made a Resolution I am excited to live by.  Here's to a fresh start in 2013!!!

Here's the Website of Cohen's Lifestyle Centre Philippines (for the full, formal Cohen Program):

http://www.cohenlifestyle.com.ph/

Here's the Website for the On-line, less restrictive, and cheaper version of the Cohen Program:

http://www.belletoday.com.ph/