Hi Everyone,

So I just kind of wanted to share what has been going on with me and my new WOL WOE. Today marks two weeks since I have started my low carb diet. My diet is this: keep it under 30g of carbs per day, drink a lot of water and exercise. So far, Its been working. I have lost 5 pounds and 2 inches. Its a lot less than I have hoped, but some is better than none!

I do have to say that I cheated... a lot. And still lost. I understand that it is not realistic to think you can cheat on weekends and continue to lose, but this is what has been going on.

So my first week I was very strict with the diet and come Easter Sunday (1 week mark) I ate a hamburger (bun and all) candy, wine (a lot) and many more other bad things. I still lost 3 1/2 pounds. First week. I could have done better but Ill take it.

Week 2: Strict with the diet all week. I was sick and was not able to work out like I normally would have, but I continued to eat low carb. I was feeling better over the weekend and a family event on Saturday night. I did end up drinking 3 to 4 glasses of white wine... 2 gram crackers and a couple buffalo bites. eeek I felt so crappy for cheating that on Sunday I worked out for an hour drank a ton of water and was able to still lose over the weekend.

As I am going into week three full throttle I realize that I can be losing so much more if I just cut the cheats! But also, I'm trying to be realistic with the lifestyle change. I know that I am not going to live my life without wine, occasional chocolate, and sweets. I decided on having one cheat day a week (Saturday) and enjoying my self. I mean i've been doing it anyways

What are your thoughts on cheat days?

I'm new to this as well - I've been easing myself into the Atkins induction but have stuck to it pretty well (except for a few diet cokes which I'm trying to cut out), I guess it's easier for me to not put pressure on myself!!

I don't think I would be able to cheat on weekends and then get straight back on the diet, but if it works for you and you keep losing then I don't see the problem. Good luck!

I don't think I'd be able to have a cheat day-it would set off the cravings for me. I have substituted low carb items for my sweet tooth though. Love whipped cream w/dark cocoa & splenda Plus, I'm childish enough to like to watch the numbers go down Let us know how you're doing!

Most people do lose nicely during the first two or three weeks on low carb. A lot of it is water weight, but hey, it's still weight. Once your weight loss becomes mostly fat instead of water it will slow down dramatically. That's when you might find that cheating works against you. Or not. There's a lot of range in how our individual bodies work.

Cheat days don't work for me: guaranteed weight gain and a HUGE risk of triggering cravings. I don't want to start all over from scratch again to lose cravings. That said, once I got into maintenance I gave myself the leeway to have a glass or two of wine but not every day. I use a square or two of 90% chocolate for my sweet tooth - but, again, not every day. Psychologically I can't seem to get it into my head that cheese has carbs and causes me to stall. Consequently I do tend to eat too much cheese and always regret it. Like you, I wanted to carve out a w.o.e. for myself that I could live with forever. I was very, very strict at first until I lost all my weight and then experimented to see how much wine and chocolate I could tolerate without weight gain. Cheese is a different matter. Still working on that. Sigh.

I agree with Whofan. Cheating for me is a huge risk. I just cheated yesterday and the only thing that stopped me from absolutely losing my way was my daughter throwing some red vines on the floor. At the end of they day, it comes down to what you can live with and what becomes not worth it anymore.

I thought diet cola was allowed on Atkins phase one? and I'm with the group... I've been low carb for about a month. I feel fantastic!! In the beginning I would let myself slip and cheat. But, I would feel my energy level drop and feel craving start back. I LOVE not craving sugar sugar sugar!!! So much so that I was able to go to the movies yesterday And NOT have frozen jr mints!!! ( a first for me, lol. And Olive Garden I was able to pass on the bread sticks. Just not worth it!!!

That made me smile Aunti, because I remember the great feeling the first time I went to the movies and had no desire to buy any of their snacks. Talk about freedom! But I was with a girlfriend who bought her usual ginormous tub of popcorn with the chemical butter and ASSURED me it was okay because corn is a VEGETABLE. We argued about it for days with emails going back and forth. I finally found an article to convince her corn is a grain and the confusion is because corn oil is referred to as a vegetable oil. She still buys giant tubs of popcorn though.

ThAnks Whofan!!! Ya, those tubs of popcorn really make me sick!!! No good !lol. Does anyone out there sneak any low carb stuff into the movies?? And like what?

I'm "skinny" enough to "get away with" a cheat, like eating bread. However, what it does to ME is to cause my fingers to look like little sausages. When I bend them, they feel like little sausages that are about to split wide open.

They stay that way for two to three days, each time I do so.

Movies? Drop a pack of pepperoni and a packet of almonds or macadamia nuts in your purse...