Don’t weight in vain

She started battling the bulge at an early age. At 12, her waistline ballooned to 36 inches. Her classmates would call her names. And yes, for the longest time she was in denial — justifying that she was just big boned, chubby and that her being overweight ran in the family.

“My weight reached about 175 to 180 lbs. I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes; and if I didn’t change my lifestyle I would start taking insulin soon. That scared the hell out of me,” shares Barbara Young, CEO of Cohen’s Lifestyle Centre.

Barbara comes from a family with a very long medical history. Her parents lived long, but they did not have the quality of life in their senior years because they were afflicted with various lifestyle diseases.

“I know how expensive, painful, and difficult it is to take care of sick parents. I don’t want to burden my family later on,” says Barbara.

Barbara tried various slimming programs, pills, all sorts of tea, and even running. She started losing weight, but the pounds she shed off came back in no time.

“If my weight went down by 20 lbs., it came back with a 10-lb. ‘interest,’” she laments.

At that time, Barbara couldn’t find the one program that would work for her in the long term. Well, not until she saw a print ad of the Cohen’s Lifestyle Program in Singapore. It read: “No exercise. Food becomes your medicine.”

“I was intrigued and skeptical at first, but I tried it anyway because I was desperately looking for anything that might finally help me,” Barbara says.

Food is your medicine


Formulated by Dr. Rami Cohen, a specialist renowned for his research on hormones involved in obesity and weight loss, the Cohen Program is based on internationally accepted medical research with thousands of success stories worldwide.

So how does the program work?

“Using your blood test results (not blood type), Dr. Cohen analyzes your unique body chemistry to develop a personalized eating plan to bring back the balance to the hormones causing weight gain and to trigger your body’s natural ability to shed off fat rapidly and safely,” explains Young.

As food is a key cause of the hormonal imbalance, food also becomes your medicine.

There are three stages that in total make up the Cohen Program:

• Eating Plan. Based on your initial blood test results, Dr. Cohen prescribes set quantities and combinations of proteins and vegetables for three meals each day. This program brings about a balance in your body chemistry, which then triggers the body’s rapid but natural fat-loss mechanism.

• Refeeding Plan. This program lasts between two and three weeks, and is based on all your repeat blood test results.  It involves a gradual increase in portion sizes and reintroduction of new and richer foods to stabilize the body chemistry and prevent weight from coming back.

• Management Guidelines. This provides strategies and advice on how much food to eat, which foods to choose and avoid, to help cap the surge in insulin that results from consuming foods such as desserts, chocolate, cakes, and alcohol.  This also includes advice on what to do if you do gain weight.  These guidelines represent long-term lifestyle changes necessary to maintain your weight.  

No two eating plans are the same. The essential formula is the specific quantity and combination of food unique to each person. And only by following the program precisely can one allow his/her body to correct its chemical imbalance naturally.

What’s so interesting about the program, Young adds, is that her hunger pangs and cravings were controlled.

“What helped me stick to the program was the fact that I did not feel hungry at all. The Cohen Program is really not a diet. It’s a lifestyle. I was on the program for four and a half months and within that period, I lost 46 lbs. I noticed the result on my first week. I felt less bloated at the waistline. I lost 15 lbs. on the first month and eight to 10 lbs. on the subsequent months. The results were fast and I was encouraged to keep going until I reached my healthy goal,” Barbara enthuses.

It could happen to you


Barbara Young was so impressed with the results that she and her partners Dr. Angela Rodriguez-Bandala and Regina Chuavon — who are also successful Cohen graduates — decided to bring the Cohen’s Lifestyle Program to the Philippines in 2009.

“We are certain that it can help a lot of Filipinos. The program worked on us and we are living testimonies that the lifestyle change is a proven, sustainable solution to the rising obesity problem in the Philippines, which accounts for 37,000 deaths annually.

Cohen’s Lifestyle Centre, an officially licensed center of Dr. Cohen, serves a broad range of client base — male and female individuals between ages 15 and 65 years old who need to lose at least 10 lbs.

The program’s success depends on how closely the individual is following the program.

“The success rate of an individual who is following the Cohen’s Lifestyle Program without deviation is 100 percent,” Young says.

Since it opened, the Cohen’s Lifestyle Centre has already helped quite a number of individuals transform their lives for the better. Margarita Hermanos Lacsamana is one of them.

“Just like Barbara Young, I was borderline diabetic because I was obese. My body couldn’t hold my weight anymore. There was a time when I had to be confined in a hospital for a few days to relieve recurring edema. I spent a huge sum to cure constant psoriasis flareups, osteoarthritis, and fatty liver,” shares Lacsamana.

To top it all off, the Cohen’s Lifestyle Centre initially rejected Lacsamana to be part of the program because her liver enzymes were uncontrollable.

“I’ve gotten tired of seeing various doctors and spending on expensive medicines. Thank goodness, the center took me in eventually. With the Cohen Program, discipline, and patience, I lost 97 lbs. in 12 months. Now, I am healthier, fit, and wiser. I’m completely off medication. So to those who are struggling with their weight, take charge of your life,” Lacsamana offers this weighty advice.

A celebration of renewal — in pictures

Cohen’s Lifestyle Centre celebrated the successful transformations undergone by their graduates with a photo exhibit titled “Re: New Me — The Cohen’s Lifestyle Photo Exhibit” held recently at Greenbelt 3 ground floor lobby.

Successful Cohen’s Program graduates — Jeffrey Tan who lost 117 lbs. in eight months; Arturo Selim, 62 lbs. in four months; Andrea Tonda, 116 lbs. in 10 months; Alexandra Laya-Zinampan, 88 lbs. in six months; Abigail Lim, 114 months in nine months; and Roxanne Marie Jayme, 82 lbs. in eight months — showed off their new fit and slimmer bodies, as well as their renewed, healthier lifestyles. The photos also included their testimonials on how they overcame their personal struggle of losing weight.

“These incredible men and women have successfully lost weight, which may be impossible to some. This achievement is worth recognizing because they not only gained their confidence back, they also acquired new outlooks in life after overcoming their weight and health issues,” says Young.

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Cohen’s Lifestyle Centre is at Medical Plaza Makati Bldg., Legaspi Village, Makati City. It opened its branch in Cebu last January.

For consultations, call 501-5237, SMS 0917-8926436, e-mail info @cohenlifestyle.com.ph or visit www.cohenlifestyle.com.ph.