Just Curious

[Carlito260]

Hello Everyone...I am currently on my 5th week of LC..and have lost 17 pounds...My question to everyone that has been on LC for a while is during the normal week after induction phase ofcourse how many times do you guys cheat? now when I mean cheat I mean how many times do you guys maybe have 1 or 2 cookies, or a handful of M&M or a couple of bit size chocolates? you get my point..I am just corious because even tho I really have no more big cravings for these things they are always laying all over the place at work and sometimes the temptation is too much...

[Kim8461]

To answer your question, once I made the decision almost 3 years ago to go on Atkins...I've never eaten anything off plan. This is a lifestyle change.

[mimi2]

Once you get to goal and see how much better you feel, to start up taking in things that can throw you back into an old lifestyle to me is treading scary waters! You know life has lots of balance and if you personally can balance the intake along with right excersise then once in a while probably isn't going to do much. It's the whole thing of how in control are you when you start eating a bunch of sugar. Just hate to see you get to the place of health and then find yourself back. It truly is a lifestyle and your body will respond to what you choose everyday.

Good luck and welcome from 1 newbie to the other!
Mimi2

[bkloots]

even tho I really have no more big cravings for these things they are always laying all over the place at work and sometimes the temptation is too much... True of most offices. It's just one of those things where you have to develop a blind spot. A cookie here, an M&M there, and you're right back where you started. Voice of experience.

When you reach your goal, you might begin to make some conscious choices about occasional carb treats, like a special dessert now and then. But a snacking habit at the office or anywhere will undermine your Atkins program over time.

No matter what anyone else may do, or get away with, your decisions and the consequences are all that really count for YOU, right? You decide next time you pass by that cookie plate.

By the way, 17 lbs!!! woo-hoo! You're doing great. Please don't sabotage yourself.

[Kisal]

There is no HC food that is so irresistible that I would dare risk even a taste of it until I'm well into maintenance. I know I would just regain all the weight I've lost. I have made a permanent lifestyle change. A couple of cookies here, a few M&Ms there, that's exactly how people slip back into their old eating habits. Before you know it, they're right back to what they used to weigh, and often even heavier.

Not for me! I've done my share of on-again off-again dieting over the years. I'm tired of it. If I feel that I must have a treat of some kind, I make a low-carb treat. Perhaps you should check out the wonderful low-carb recipes on this site. Maybe there's something suitable that you could keep handy at work for those moments when you feel tempted. Better yet, look at yourself in the mirror and decide whether or not you really want to lose the weight! More importantly, you should remember that the low-carb wol brings improved health.

Reread Dr. Atkins books. You may find that they give you added encouragement and help you to regain some of your initial enthusiasm.

Just my opinion.

[KvonM]

Hello Everyone...I am currently on my 5th week of LC..and have lost 17 pounds...My question to everyone that has been on LC for a while is during the normal week after induction phase ofcourse how many times do you guys cheat? now when I mean cheat I mean how many times do you guys maybe have 1 or 2 cookies, or a handful of M&M or a couple of bit size chocolates? you get my point..I am just corious because even tho I really have no more big cravings for these things they are always laying all over the place at work and sometimes the temptation is too much...

honestly? never, at least not in the sense that you're describing. i do have a bag of mixed tootsie-roll stuff in my desk drawer that i got before i started back on lowcarbing (in july), and the stuff just doesn't appeal to me in any way.

if i decide i want chocolate in some form, i have one of two choices... i can create a lowcarb chocolate dessert thingy (usually whipped heavy cream, cocoa powder, vanilla, and splenda), or if that's not an option i can have one piece out of my fiance's chocolate stash. knowing that it's in the back room isn't any kind of temptation for me, because i know sweets aren't part of how i eat.

some of it is mindset, some of it is allowing yourself alternatives... so instead of grabbing a handful of m&m's, drink a diet soda. instead of a chocolate chip cookie, have a spoonful of the lowest-carb peanut butter you can find and keep in your desk. instead of pretzels, have pork rinds. figure out what works for you and keep it handy... the temptations will lose their appeal pretty quick :).

[jkmfrog]

when I cheat its in a more planned way and my plan gives me a bit more flexibility to do that. Having said that on avreage I "cheat" about once a month and I never cheat with sugary snacks like cookies because they tend to trigger too many cravings for me. At work I keep some legal snacks and I usually have a few low carb cookies in the freezer; if tempted I will tell myself somethign like, "If you resist, you can have a lc treat later - 9 times out of 10 I don't even eat the treat later - but knowing I can helps me get through the momentary temptation.

You might want to bring some fatty/protein snack with you to work like cheese or salami or whatever fits your plan so you have something else to eat until you develop new habits.

[ditzy]

For me, one cheat lead to another, then another,then kidding myself I was on diet. Then another then another and before you know it I gained all but 6 lbs back. Now I have to start all over again. Just say no, get used to saying no.

[DawnD]

I can't grasp the idea of cheating or a couple cookies here or there. What I am planning on doing this time around is once I reach my goal I am going to have a "cheat day" and then go right back into Induction and then move into OWL and then Maintenance.

If you need to look forward to cheat days maybe you should set a goal, for instance, every 30 lbs you lose you can have 1 cheat day but remember you will have to go right back into Induction again for 2 weeks.

I wouldn't cheat on a weekly basis or a little piece here and there cause I think it will really cause havoc to your body and the diet itself.

You have already lost 17 lbs and that is AWESOME, keep up the good work and remember opposed to thinking about cheating check out the LC recipes posted, you can find things on there that will satisfy your cravings and fit into the diet plan!

Good Luck

[joesfolks]

When you are no longer on induction here is a treat that atkins folks can have I think. Take lc peanut butter and combine it with a jolt of splenda. mix well and carry it to work. Tastes just like the inside of a reese's. If you guys can't use splenda then use whichever sweetener is allowed.