11 Shades of Health

FOOD is the MEDICINE

May 26, 2016 – 180 pounds, Day 3 EP, Round 2, 12 pounds over UGW

Pictures are worth a thousand words. 11 Pictures of a journey I am taking again. 11 shades of Health. Need to look at it to remind myself of where I’ve been and where I can go to. If this is really important, and I know it is, I will make it happen.

Lest I forget, over the past year (May 2015 to May 2016) I did personal experiments on diet and exercise and none worked as good as the Cohen program. I juiced vegetables and fruit, went high protein, high fat, low carb; did gym and high intensity tennis- these where all nice and tiring but I gained back 10 pounds, slowly but surely. Went as high as 187, and the feeling was not good. The tight clothes did not lie.

I passed my April 2016 treadmill stress test and 2D echo with flying colours but my blood chemistry was not as good as a year ago and I don’t feel as healthy as last April 2015 which was my best ever.

But it doesn’t really matter as I know I can do it again.

More than my personal gain (or weight loss), the greatest reward is that as I succeeded somewhat in my journey to better health, was 2 of my children, Kristine and Jeric, silently, slowly but surely watched and followed. I did not force them but they wanted the same results. In many ways, they were more disciplined than me. Kristine, 17 years old, is now a competitive, bemedalled badminton player- #1 player in the School of Holy Spirt. Jeric, 19, freshman BSEE, is a member of the UP Varsity Tennis team, Yes, this too I must remember… as this is not just about me, it never was.

Better health translates to better quality of life for me, my family and the people around me.

Below was my blog post last May 19 2015 (unedited)

I have been overweight and unhealthy for 95% of my life. Not anymore. And never again.

This was made possible with the knowledge, support and expertise in the Cohen lifestyle program. From 226 pounds in Sep 2014 to 173 pounds by Feb. 2015.

What are the health benefits from losing 53 pounds in 5 months? After a series of medical tests prescribed by my long-time cardiologists, internists, gastrologist, the following were confirmed:

1. No more need for daily hypertension medicine as my BP has stabilized to the range of 120/80 to 110/75. I was taking hypertension medicine Micardis 40 mg for the last 15 years. This was reduced to a lower strength lower dose sometime in December 2014 but the BP improved to normal, that even this was no longer needed. Look ma, no more prescribed medicines!

2. My fatty liver (seen via ultrasound) has become normal (no more elevated liver enzymes too)

3. My cholesterol levels improved from borderline bad to excellent (total cholesterol within range with the good cholesterol at the high desirable limit)

Other benefits, while not supported by medical tests, are what I feel and enjoy everyday:

1. Improved quantity and quality of sleep

2. More endurance when I play rigorous singles tennis every weekend

3. Improved over-all performance at home and in the office

Of course, the compliments you hear from well-meaning friends and relatives are a good inspiration to continue the program. Never mind that some of them warn you of losing too much weight or tell you of somebody they know who lost all the weight and gained it all back and then some.

So I will never forget, I decided to document part of my Cohen journey with 11 pictures. This is why I call this 11 shades of Health – the same me over a 5 year period…

The last 7 pictures above were taken by the same camera (my ipad-mini) by the same amateur photographer (Ate Josie) and in the same corner of my house (hence the same yellow background).

So it didn’t take a whole lot for the Cohen team to convince me to participate in their campaign to promote the program. Here are the photos from that shoot:

The success of the program for me does not guarantee the same success for anyone else. It takes a certain mix of motivation, personal system and loving support to do so. But I can also say factually that I have tried other diets (Atkins, Fit for Life, South Beach, Carbohydrate Addicts), other programs (bodywraps, hypnosis, vitamins) and the whole range of regular exercise options (weekend tennis, 3 times a week gym exercise, yoga, home gym, jogging) for the last 30 years- and only Cohen helped me achieve this. Its a good thing that I didnt consider the more drastic weight loss alternatives- liposuction and lap band- though I’m sure that they too have their own target customers.

At 50 years old, I feel healthier and stronger than when I was 20 years old. That is a lot to say. And a lot to be thankful for. Thanks to the Cohen lifestyle team: Erika, Carmela, Norie, Olive, Sue. Special mention of course to my wife, Maris who has been very supportive of the transformation. Also to Ate Josie- our 20 year long kasambahay who attended 12 Cohen cooking classes and has always prepared the daily meals since I started the program.

Finally, this large photo (on the left, taken February 2015@ 173 pounds) in our sala is a testament to the change…

A friend commented, that we just don’t look good, we look even better than we were when we got married 22 years ago. (see picture on right, taken June 1993@ 202 pounds)

Food is the medicine!

Cohen Testimonial

Name: Bong De Ungria

Age : 50

Weight Before:226

Weight After: 173

No. of Months in the Cohen Program:

5 months to reach Upper Goal Weight.

Currently on my 9^thmonth (still at my target weight)

Why did you take up the Cohen Program?

I wanted to improve the quality of my life. I had been overweight for 95% of the time and I knew my life- personal and professional will be better if I was fit.

What was your lifestyle like before undergoing the Cohen Program?

I have always been physically active- playing 5 hours of tennis during weekends, and exercising about 2 hours during weekdays. I was very conscious about the effects of obesity and being overweight. The longest diet I tried to stick to was the Atkins diet – high protein, low carb and I started this in 1997. I stuck to this because I had some degree of success with the program, losing rapidly from 220 to around 190 pounds in 5 months in 1997 and then stabilizing around 200 pounds for another 6 months. After that, I gained it all back and was always around 215 pounds ever since. I noticed that my food cravings increase whenever I eat carbohydrates so I stuck to the high protein variety ever since.

What were the difficulties you experienced being overweight/obese? Did you suffer from any medical conditions.

I developed pre-hypertension and was taking maintenance pre-hypertension medicine since 1997. I always had elevated liver enzymes which was also manifested in fatty liver results during ultrasound. I felt lethargic when I overeat especially when eating carbohydrates. I developed sleep apnea and also had colon issues from having a low fiber high protein diet.

Have you tried other diet or weight-loss programs before Cohen? What are these?

I stuck with Atkins and the high protein-low carb diet for 17 years. The diet worked only for 1 year and was not effective for 16, but then I did not know of any alternative. I tried other diets- Fit for Life, Carbohydrate Addicts diet, Southbeach diet. I never believed in the standard medical association recommended diets since even the smallest amounts of carbohydrates stimulates my food cravings.

Please tell us what makes the Cohen program different.

The main difference of the Cohen program is that it tells exactly what you can and cannot eat, when and how. Other programs recommend but there is a lot of leeway for interpretation and experimentation. Others were more intent on selling books, videos and supplements.

The presence of the Center, the Facebook page and the required monthly consultations was also very different. The program is there to increase the chances of success.

How did you find out about the Cohen Program?

I heard about it, read it on the website. But the real trigger for me to start the program was when I saw a work colleague after she lost 90 pounds from the program.

Was it difficult to adapt to the Cohen lifestyle? What adjustments did you have to take

The Cohen lifestyle was relatively easy for me since I had the support of my wife and my officemates. I was fortunate to have had the budget to first enroll in the program and also enough to have my kasambahay, Ate Josie, attend 12 Cohen cooking classes, so she can prepare all my meals, all the days of the week. I just put everything she cooks in 1 bag I bring everyday.

Are you happy with the results?

I am very happy with the results. I often wish I learned of the program earlier.

How has your life changed for the better since you started losing weight? What medical benefits did you observe while and after doing the program?

I am now healthier at 50 than when I was at 20. My energy levels are up and I am performing better at the office and at home. All my medical conditions have normalized- no more hypertension, no fatty liver, no more elevated liver enzymes. Skin itchiness, body aches have disappeared. I have stopped taking all prescription medicine and reduced supplementation to simple multivitamins. Life is so much better when you are fit.

What advice would you give to people who are struggling with their weight?

Just do Cohen. If you are successful, do tell others. Better yet, be living proof that the lifestyle system works. If you are not, then don’t blame the system- you just might be one of the few who need a different program.

March 11, 2019