I am just starting week 3 . I have been OP totally. One thing that keeps me from cheating is the fear that I will kick myself out of ketosis. What amount of non program food would it take to throw you out of ketosis? And does a person start all over and have to go thru the headaches and trauma that happen that first week? I have heard several people go off program while on vacation and start back up again later. Is it like having to start all over again???

It would take prob more than 40-50 carbs to kick you out of ketosis. Some can handle more carbs. But it's a slippery slope. Yes, you have to go through all the symptoms to get back in. And 3-5 days worth of food and time and money. It's like a weeks worth of money and time gone. Not worth it.

I know a few times that I've had things I shouldn't, the next day or two I was starving, had cravings etc. so I think I kicked myself out of ketosis. They weren't big cheats but I think we're so close to the limit if you have a restricted item a day. I was "perusing" the Atkins site for some of their carb counts etc. and they start with 12-15g net carbs (carb-fibre) on their phase one and then add 5g netcarbs per week or something.

I got the KetoStix and other than not working correctly (they always tell me I'm not in ketosis when I know I am), I thought they'd help me know, but whatever.

I felt a cold coming on the other night so I took some NyQuil and later realized that it has 19 carbs per serving, which I'm sure probably kicked me out of ketosis the other day, which sucks (wont be taking that again while on this diet). I hate that even the littlest thing like medicine can do that to you :S

I also got the Ketostix and my result was that I was BARELY in ketosis. I think it was just on color up from the original base color. I asked my coach what to think about that and she just gave me a blank look! Oh my.....don't get me started on my "coach".

When i was On vacation i had some balsamic vinigar...it was my only choice, and little did i know it has a lot of carbs! For the next two days i was just starving! It did not take much at all. So i am much more careful now.

However, if you follow the plan, you will be fine. Don't worry too much about it.

I seem to be very sensitive to carbs. I try to stay around the 25 mark. A couple of saturdays ago, I had my normal bar, and I also had a crape (wanted a bun for my turkey burger), well a for a couple of days I was feeling unusually hungry. So I went back and added everything up (good thing we write it down), and I had 34 for the day. I'm amazed how sensitive I am, but now I know!!!

I got the Ketostix too but my coach actually told me that I should be one color up the original. My husband is two colors up.

I've heard of false negatives on ketostix but hopefully they don't have any false positives! I'm also concerned about kicking myself out as I'm on week 3 and am thinking of eating most of next week's food from the alternative plan. IP is just getting too expensive for me.

This last week I was a councilor at a sleep away camp for girls. I cheated a lot. Most of my cheats involved eating a phase two type meal instead of a packet. I actually tried to eat "real" food when possible because I was working with teenage girls. I found out the was a fridge I could use, so I went out and bought vegetables and ate those with the meat served. I could not measure the vegetables, so I guesstimated two cups at each meal. These "cheats" I do not consider bad because I was still following phase 2 if not phase 1guidelines. I never ate any of the desserts or treats served, I also did not eat breakfast there because it was all French toast and cinnamon rolls and potatoes, I just had a chocolate shake for each breakfast. I did do three bad cheats. For one I was on a very long hike with the girls. I had prepared beforehand for this hike by bringing an extra restricted, but they moved the hike up a day due to weather and we did not have time to go back to our tents. I headed on this hike with only a chocolate drink in my system. Halfway through I needed more energy badly, and someone ended up sharing half a granola bar with me. I don't think this kicked me out of ketosis because of what I was doing at the time. I think my body burned all of the carbs during the hike. The second cheat was the worst. It was cookout night where we teach the girls to cook over a fire. I had left my food supplies in the kitchen. We made pizza over the campfire. I had a little personal pizza. I made this decision because I was working with teenage girls. I did not want to be an example of disordered eating by not eating. That was Thursday night. On Friday, I had my third cheat. They had some nice chunks of chicken they were serving for dinner. After eating a bite, I realized that they were seasoned with sugar. My body was sluggish the day after the pizza, but other than that, I had no problems. When I got home on Saturday, the first thing I did was check for ketosis, and I was in ketosis again. Then I weighed myself, I thought that I probably gained from that pizza. I discovered that I had lost four pounds while I was gone. I believe without the cheats I would have lost more, but four pounds in one week is more than I have lost in several weeks. I have been 100percent back on plan starting Saturday morning. I believe the ONLY reason the results of the week were not far worse is because of how incredibly active I was during that whole week. I would NOT try to eat pizza to see if I stayed in ketosis while eating it. I have also been lucky that I have not been craving carbs since eating them, so going back to 100 percent on plan has been easy.

My coach told me at our very first meeting that if I was to eat a grape at the grocery store to see if the bunch was sweet or have a little square of cheese on a toothpick, I would stop my weight loss for 3 days. Ketosis or not, that has been enough to keep me 100%.

When i cheated it seemed like forever before i felt like i was in ketosos again, like a week. i usually just wait untill my breath starts stinking again lol. But it really wasnt worth it! i felt sooo sick the next day it was aweful and the guilt that i may have completely ruined all the hard work and effort i put forth kept me from cheating again!! also my weightloss slowed dramatically it took me 6 days to lose one lb and beforethe cheat i was dropping no less than 5-6 lbs a week

I started IP on Thursday of last week, went through the headaches etc for the first 2 days and by day 3 was feeling great. I weighed myself at home on day 5 and found that I had lost about 5lbs. The evening of day 6 I was at my aunts, she has several fruit trees and vine fruits in her backyard, my son handed me ONE concord grape, and not even thinking I popped it in my mouth and ate it (then just about cried when I realized what I had just done!). I weighed in the next day, and I had lost 7lbs...however, that night I was back to the headaches again and I was really hungry, when I weighed myself this morning I had gained .6lbs...I know that I kicked myself (at least slightly) out of ketosis. I think I reacted so strongly because I was only in my first week, but I will not risk it again!!

From all of your stories, I would say that being 100% OP is the only way to go! I'm a believer in that! I am ready to get to my goal and make it as easy to get there as possible in the meantime. At this point, 4 weeks in, I can't imagine any thing as satisfying as laying down in bed at night, feeling proud of myself for getting one day closer.

Gosh...if one grape or a cube of cheese on a tooth pick will throw you out, then I am so glad I have not gone there! Can't tell you how many times I have almost stuck a small grape, strawberry, etc in my mouth! The LAST thing I want to do is throw me out of wack. Not worth it! Now when I am hungry I wonder what I did wrong!

I think your coach does not know her facts well. Most cheese is 0 to 2 carbs and a small sample should be 0 carbs.