I was curious-how often do you guys cheat? Is it once a week or once a day? For example, tonight I've taken nothing out for dinner (running late) and I'm armed with my low carb work day fare...but I'm thinking a cheat of some chinese food won't kill me tonight. What do you think? I'm not condoning the de-railment that I've done a few times, just a once a week cheat.

Amy

DCH,

Sorry but only you would know that answer. I couldn't tell you if its okay. Now me, I cheat at every meal thats why I don't lose weight You need to do whats best for you and your plan.

Love, Leens

Enjoy your supper Amy!


Liz

Oh, I'm gonna cheat either way. I was just wondering when/how others do. Just getting some conversation going. I'm bored at work

Unfortunately I just cheated (again) yesterday! Enjoyed it then but paying for it this morning! puffy-puffy-puffy!

If you're craving Chinese, just try to forgo the eggrolls! lol Seriously, just make smart choices and be prepared for the water retention tomorrow. Hope it doesn't set off further carb cravings for you.

J

I will say it depends on how bad I have been doing the worse i do the worse i cheat and so on, but when I am doing good if I have to have a bad meal I try to amke it as legal as possible like no rice on the chinese, and try to use less of the sause, shake it off the meat. or I order pizza and just eat the wings or make tuna for me or eat a salad that i have. If nothing else then enjoy it and do not look back! eat off plan and enjoy it then do not look back when you get your next meal be prepared for some logy feelings and also some munchies the evening or the next day. but get back OP when you do low carb an then have a carb fest many people can suffer from craving like crazy, the longer the carb fest the harder the craving the harder it is to get back op that is why i say do not look back. you will have less problems that way.

that is what happens when people say that low carb diet people always gain the weight back. it is because when they go off plan the go right back to eating the same way they did before. this is a woe and you need to make it so you can live with it for the rest of your life. All the resourses say when you get to goal you start adding carbs back in slowly that way you will slowly regulate your body to the carbs, and you will get adjusted to them and know to limit them. when you go off with a binge and keep on binging you are not showing restraint and that is what will get you in trouble. so making a long story short. goa nd have fun but be right back OP afterwaqrds. this is what i call a controled carb load!!!

if I say that I haven't cheated at all since I began Atkins induction on 4/15? It's true...... NOT that I haven't thought about it , it's just that this whole thing is so hard for me that I am afraid if I cheat one little time I will totally derail myself and not be able to get back on track! Actually, I am still doing induction, and will probably continue for another 15 or 20 lbs (so far I have lost 14 lbs) ....... since I need to lose 60 - 70, (I'm not sure what I want the total loss to be - that will depend on how I am feeling/looking!) I figure that 30 lbs will be a good base from which to begin slowly adding back carbs, like the book says

Samsgrandma...we won't hate you...because you are beautiful! Keep up the good work....Liz

I think my original post came off wrong; I was just curious to know if I'm the only one that follows through on the thinking about cheating. It was kind of meant to be funny!!! So it wasn't. Sorry I'll just say that when I cheat, I don't cheat bad. Except on those darned family outings where I fly off the wagon. BUT get this: this Sunday we're off to dads to bbq (he'd rather burn his own meat than go to the Outback or something) and I was asked to bring chips and salsa. I said NO.....NO CHIPS. I'm taking salsa dip and veggies. I'm sure dad will whip up enough grilled steak to keep me happy-what a relief!

Sorry, I just caught myself babbling.
Oh, I wanted to tell you all that if you see on tv that "All of Colorado is burning" it isn't. I live in SW Denver, in Littleton. The fire is only 20 miles from me, in the foothills. They haven't evacuated 20,000 people. I saw on the BBC news last night a reporter that said "Denver suburbs are being evacuated". We aren't. The towns that are evacuating are south of Denver, and they are their own entities. Mind you, I live so south of the metro area that it's very smoky and ashy at my house all of the time, but Denver itself isn't on fire.

A

I had neices and nephews that lived in Littleton! Small word! They were there during the Columbine ordeal but went to Littleton High.

On cheating: I may do little cheats nearly everyday (like adding a few baking chocolate chips to my spoon of PB - trying to break this habit) but I try to 'plan' a cheat of something I have really been wanting at least every 3 weeks/ a month or so. If I didn't do that, I would just feel too deprived and chuck the whole thing. The planned cheat is really the way to go if you are going to cheat. The spur of the moment cheat leads to other slips (as in, "Oh well, I have already blown the day ANYWAY!") but the planned one is so controlled and you are motivated to be OP leading up to it and directly after it!

We are, after all, human and we have to live and eat in this world.

Kel

I "cheat" about every three weeks...and it is almost always planned! I have lost 28 lbs. since 042002. I "cheated" on Mothers Day. I "cheated" on my dh's birthday...both these "cheats" were planned...one day I was just depressed and went to eat mexican food...but my appetite is so much smaller now..the damage was really minimal...I boxed up more than half the dinner to take home for my mother in law...she got sick and couldn't eat it so I threw it away...I never throw food away! That was a real milestone for me. I realized I did not have to eat it just because I bought it...and if I'm not comfortable throwing it away..don't order it because if I don't eat it during the "cheat" meal, it has to be thrown away. What a revelation!

I'd also like to add; I hate the term cheat. It implies we are doing something sneaky, underhanded... that we are some how hurting someone by eating off program. We are eating lc for ourselves, right? So how is it cheating if "we" make a conscious decision to eat something "we" want. We are not hurting anyone. Not even ourselves, because one meal of rice and egg rolls is not going to cause us severe bodily harm. It may make the following few days mentally difficult (due to increased cravings) and physically uncomfortable (due to bloat), but we lived with far more serious health issues if we are obese...which I am...so, a couple of days of mild discomfort in order to ease the mental strain associated with being on a "diet" seems a small sacrifice to make.

Another point worth rementioning is eventually we are all going to be adding back carbs to our meal times. I think it is beneficial throughout the program to splurge every now and then...get back on program and start losing or maintain our weight (depending on where you're at in your program). As I said before, I have splurged once every three weeks. I went right back op the following day and I have lost weight steadily. Admittedly, the weight loss slowed down once I started splurging, but I don't feel bad about that. I had 167 lbs to lose when I started Atkins. I know that this is a lifestlye choice for me for my lifetime and having splurged, then successfully gotten right back op gives me more confidence then I've ever had on any other weight loss program..and I've tried them all.

So I say SPLURGE every now and then if that's what makes you feel better. Just get right back op the next day and if the cravings start to get overwhelming...start planning for your next splurge (all the while staying OP til that glorious day arrives)...and enjoy yourself! Life is too short!

"Cheat" is really the wrong word. Especially if we are talking about planning, looking forward, etc. to an off plan meal or goodie. If we are upfront about it, announce it to our families, not hide it, then it is in no way a 'cheat'. So much of my bad carb addiction eating was done in the car, food hidden way from the family, etc. that it really feels good for them to see me eating healthy but then every once in a while being so open and up front about eating some cake or whatever. It is really modeling healthy eating habits for them and I like that.

Kel

i AGREE! this is a woe and cheating is not the word. a slpurge is good aslong as it is contoled. I go many days without contoled splurges and feel great. it is when it gets out of control that I have problems and well I must limit them.

Well then, I splurged last night; sesame chicken. No rice, no eggrolls or anything, and can I tell you it was worth it. I'm back to normal today, and I didn't crave anything else last night after the chicken. I deserve it. We all do. VIVA LA SPLURGE!!

Great going!!! you did fantastic!!!