For your "cheaters" out there :) !!

[Chloep]

Hi,

I enjoy reading the Confession Booth threads coz it makes me feel more human.

We all cheat or want to cheat from time to time.

I remember, long MYStime ago, when I first started dieting (not LC though), I used to BEAT ELF UP every few weeks.
Coz every few weeks, I'd SIN REAL BAD !!
Its a BINGE, a PENT UP BINGE !

And from a 1000 calories a day rule, I'd end up with 2000 calories of real BAD stuff.

I dont think an additional 1000 calories every few weeks will kill me. But I think the greatest pain is felt emotionally !
"why am i so weak ? why do i have so little self control ? Will I be binging more often from now on ?? etc "

After those experiences, I've made sure I always allow myself a "little treat" here and there.
My Small treats are A small pc of GOOD choc (100 calories, 10g of carbo), or half cup of real ice-cream (250 calories, 25g of carbo), or few bites of real cheesecake.
I allow that once every few days.
In doing so, I tell myself, there's a treat for good behaviour every few days so there's no need to BINGE on a box of truffles, or half a cheescake.

Your style of eating will have to stay with you for life, you have to make it bearable and acceptable to yourself.

I had alot of difficulties during my Induction. And the atkins diet said NO SUGAR, NO FLOUR for life ...
I dont think i can go sugarless and flourless for life.
But I think I can make myself cut down the sugar and the flour to abt 20% of what I used to take last time.
I wont be losing 20lbs in a fortnight.
But I know i'd be able to lose that 20lbs slowly ... without losing my mind :)
And the slower the weight loss, the more likely you will be able to keep it off !!

P.s. each time I have that pc of godiva chocs, i tell myself "life is good, i love chocs".
And I dont feel bad or sinful abt eating "bad food" coz I know its allowed, and its my REWARD !!

Life is short, we shd be allowed some "happiness" from time to time :)

[upncomer]

Chloep:

Some people can cheat like you suggest without any adverse problems - I cannot do that. I don't think I have the will power to just stop at "one little piece". Therefore, I go without completely. It has been 6 weeks on my WOE and I do not have any cravings for anything high carb.

When you do "controlled cheating" like you explained, you will never get rid of your cravings, so you justify them by saying you are controlling your cheating. All that does is stall out your ketosis for a couple of days. Then, by the time you get back into ketosis, you are doing your "controlled cheating" again.

Since I am also a newbie, some of you vets out there might be able to explain it better than I could! ;)

[sheri2kids]

Hi Chloep

I am sooo glad I read your post!! I feel the same way, there is no way I will be able to cut out sugar for ever either!! I have decided to eat more practical than chips and chocolate for meals (as well as for my kids) but I need the "treat" once in a while.

What my husband and I are doing are having one reward meal a week (this was after induction) So we have something to look forward too. Plus I am getting tired of cooking every night!!

My sis-in-law has been doing this for a year and looks GREAT so I know that it can work. I dont want to feel deprived because I love my food, but if I am getting satisfaction then I will be happy with losing weight a little slower. Plus we are still eating much much healthier!!

You have just made my day!!! :dazzle:

Thanks, Sheri

[Karen]

What I think is important with your new WOL, is not doing it perfectly, but striving towards it. Not being perfect is fine. It's part of the charm of being human and part of what keeps us striving.

Part of the attraction to carbs is physical. Eat carbs = feeling good. It stimulates the feel good chemicals in your brain: seratonin and beta-endorphins. Your brain literally screams out for more when it is cut off from its quick high supply.

I used to do the same thing. For 6 months I was on a LC high, lost lots of weight and indulged here and there. Then everything came to a grinding halt. When I realized what I was suffering from, I started to change it. I've spent the last 2 years dealing with my carb addiction. I have conciously chosen to do this because with addiction, your focus is on what you are addicted to. You think about it, you can't wait for the next time, you tell yourself you need it and can't live without it. You don't understand why you are drawn to it and it causes you grief and anguish. An addiction takes you away from the true joy of living. I would rather live "clean and clear" without the monster on my back. And truly, that's what it felt like. I only realized it when I started living for longer periods of time without carbs.

You CAN live without white sugar and flour. You can even live without artificial sweeteners. It is a choice that becomes a journey.

Karen

[Chloep]

Hi,

Think only Sherri here thinks like me :) !!

My suggestion is more for slow weight loss and maintainence.
I feel that if you totally deprive yourself, you will feel like you are "different" from other people. And that may make you feel deprived or funny when you are with friends ?

To me, dieting is not my life.

If I can make a plan for myself, stay healthy and not be overweight.
I'd allow abit of sugar and flour if it makes me happier :) !!

I think I'd have arrive if I am able to take some carbo, and not lose control ...

Sherri - hang in there :)

[Lessara]

I have to admit that I have a carb addiction. I was so sure that after induction I would be over it but I've used carbs as a comforting thing when my life was very tough. I am now looking to find another activity to go with: Watching TV. (I've been sewing my familys clothes that have been needing attention)
Long car rides. Movies. You know things like that.
Also when life tosses me lemons I need to find another outlet than food. Only then will I be "clean" of my addition.. or at least at a point where the cravings are only whispers...

[razzle]

it's pretty possible to tell who has the metabolic problems (insulin and brain chemistry) that make carb addiction a meaningful term....just look at the stats. People who are only 10-20 "overweight" (if indeed they are overweight at all) probably got that way by selectively overeating. People who are 50+ pounds overweight did not, and eating fewer calories will not remove their excess weight. They have other very real physiological problems...including sluggish beta cells and the addiction itself, which is not about character so much as it's about chemistry. Our perspectives and understandings shift depending on which group we belong to and then on how much we listen to (or read about) the experiences of the other groups.