Weekend cheater...need advice

[RobsGal]

I started induction last week and did so well all week long. I weighed myself on Friday and had lost a couple of pounds and was thrilled. Then I went out Friday night and drank beer and ate a burger (w/ fries!) I went home feeling dissappointed but thought I'd do better on Saturday. WRONG! We went to this pizza park place and I had pizza...thick crust...even had a cinnamon stick...oh, and lemonade (not sugar free) because their water tasted like rust.

During the week it's easy for me to stay on track, but we go out most weekends and I always blow it. Does anyone else do this or am I the only one with zero weekend willpower?

[Rosie Real]

Weekends are brutal, so no, you're not the only ones. Why not try ordering wings next time? They go great with beer ;)

Congrats on your great start, you can do it! :)

[jewlz8]

Wow I am totally in the same boat as you! I am in college and I do great during the week *but* (and I know people will bash me for this, but anyway) it's really hard for me not to drink on the weekends...I've been doing o.k. not *eating* bad stuff but the drinking knocks me out of ketosis every time. The good news is that I'm not gaining any weight after I drink but I'm also not losing any either.
I was thinking about it the other day and wondering if maybe the days I knew I was going to drink, I could eat less fat so it's not in my body to sit there and wait for the alcohol to be metabolized? I don't know...someone help me out with this!
Oh by the way I am new to the board, well been lurking a while anyway ;) 20 year old female college student in central IL
stats: 130/126/115

*Julie*

[teresamay]

Weekends are harder, so you will need to prepare yourself in advacne for them...bring along snacks, or make sure you go to places where you can get low carb food - ie wings, ceaser salads, veggies, steak etc..

[angieK]

Since your lifestyle hinders you why don't you change some of your eating and drinking habits. Try Rye, vodka , Rum with diet coke or water and some lemon juice. Eat at places more carb friendly. Have a hamburger and salad without the bun of course. Choose weather you want to lose weight or maintain your weight.
angie

[RobsGal]

Unfortunately the little dive bar we went to on Friday has pretty limited options...essentially just beer and burgers/fries. They do have wings but they were so hot I couldn't eat them...and I typically really like spicy foods. I didn't have the bun on my burger, but I did eat some fries. Once they were in front of me I couldn't resist. On Saturday I had planned to have a salad at the pizza place, but the salad bar was pretty slim pickings. Each time I didn't really have much control over where we went. (I met a group of friends on Friday and then took my nephew to the pizza place for his birthday.) Maybe next time I'll just eat before I go.

Oh...and by the way, did I mention that it wasn't even light beer? It was Newcastle! I think the only thing worse carb-wise would have been Guinness! MMMM....Guinness. How sad is it that it's before noon and I'm thinking about beer?

[Elsah]

http://web.ask.com/redir?bpg=http%3a%2f%2fweb.ask.com%2fweb%3fq%3dHow%2bmany%2bcarbs%2bin%2bguiness%2bbeer%253f%26o%3d0%26page%3d1&q=How+many+carbs+in+guiness+beer%3f&u=http%3a%2f%2ftm.wc.ask.com%2fr%3ft%3dan%26s%3da%26uid%3d20cd7bad30cd7bad3%26sid%3d30cd7bad30cd7bad3%26qid%3d0E48B3717339294088DC7E7F11184AD8%26io%3d0%26sv%3dza5cb0dd8%26o%3d0%26ask%3dHow%2bmany%2bcarbs%2bin%2bguiness%2bbeer%253f%26uip%3d0cd7bad3%26en%3dte%26eo%3d-100%26pt%3dBeer%2bCalories%252c%2bAlcohol%252c%2band%2bCarbohydrate%2bContent%26ac%3d7%26qs%3d0%26pg%3d1%26ep%3d1%26te_par%3d102%26te_id%3d%26u%3dhttp%3a%2f%2fwww.beer100.com%2fbeercalories.htm&s=a&bu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.beer100.com%2fbeercalories.htm&qte=0&o=0 Here is a link for carbs in beer, at least you can maybe pick a beer you like with the lowest carbs. Man my favorite beer is one of the highest on the list. Sierra nevada YUM> Oh well I'll have to save it for holidays!! :)

Weekends can be really tough just do the best you can. As you move through the OWL and to maint. phase it gets easier because you have a lot more choices. Also, over time, you will discover things to replace those old cravings. (although it will take some experimenting) Learning your weaknesses and trying to avoid places or situations that trigger food cravings might help as well. I wish you the best of luck!! My best advice is don't beat yourself up. Get right back on the plan, and learn from your mistakes as you go. :)

Jenn

[pookalee]

When at all possible, plan ahead! Always eat ahead if youre going somewhere with unfriendly foods, then you wont be very hungry and if you feel the need to eat, the salad will be enough. Also, as AngieK said, switch to diet coke with bourbon, or vodka...etc. But truly it comes down to making a decision. Is it worth it? Is that moment of food/drink worth more than the weight loss? It may be sometimes. But also keep in mind that everytime you cheat, it will bring back the cravings and make it that much harder, take it from someone whos been there. And if you stick to a true induction, and follow the plan in DANDR, you will lose the urge for the unhealthy things, at least for the most part :) ! Best of luck....Jan

[hansjs]

To be honest, you have to just buckle down and give yourself 2-4 solid no cheat weeks. There is no advice in the world that is going to make it OK to a eat a burger and fries every weekend. The worst part is, the more you cheat on the weekend, the worse the cravings are all week.
My advice is to look at how much you really want to get healthy. Best case...you cut out all carbs and do a true induction phase and then move on in the phases of Atkins. If you can do it for a couple weeks, the cravings begin to fade away. This is how you will get healthy and lose the most weight.
Perhaps your level of dedication is not up to the Atkins plan. Maybe all you can commit to is cutting the bad carbs during the week. If thats the case, you are still making better eating decisions during the week. I would be very careful going high fat for 5 days a week and high carb for 2 days unless you are working out very regularly with weights.

[Nancy LC]

I have been battling my weight for so many years now, I know all the tricks.

Burger? No problem! Use the bun as a holder for the meat. But don't eat the bun, just slide the meat up to where you can eat it.

Fries? Ask them to hold the fries or give you something different. You won't be tempted if they aren't in front of you.

Sabatoge the sabateurs. Oh oh, they gave you the fries anyway? Well, make them inedible. Cover them with mustard or something that will make them undesirable to you. Or toss them into the trash immediately, or onto a skinny friend's plate.

Imagine you're an Olympic athelete with a rare night away from the training camp. Your body is an incredible machine that you've carefully honed with exercise and a diet so strict Mother Theresa would be proud. You definitely don't want to undo all that goodness because you'll be back training tomorrow morning at 5 am or the coach will chew you out until your ears bleed.

Lastly, don't be self-indulgent. Success in most everything depends upon having discipline, will-power and the ability to postphone gratification of your every whim. It is the hallmark of maturity.

[acipenser]

i know the temptation as well!! it is hard but you CAN do it...

i have not found a place yet that will not give me veggie sticks or salad instead of fries. and boy do i understand the slim pickens at the pizza joint. but get the salad anyway to take the hunger edge off and eat a couple pizza tops (your friends may thing you strange for this one, but if they are friends they will understand)

as for beer.... one of my weaknesses also, love the newcastle. i can't stomach light beer so i opt for diet soda and rum.

[Hilary M]

I agree with hansjs. None of us can solve your problem; we can only offer support and advice. You are the one who decides whether or not you will eat those french fries. I had to learn to ask myself every time I was tempted, "Would I rather eat this french fry today, or would I rather be skinny for the rest of my life?" Food soon lost its grip on me and temptation is no longer a problem.

If you give yourself 2 weeks of hard-core, no cheating Induction, the cravings will be greatly diminished, I promise.

[Fun5oh]

I LOVE beer, and I drink Miller lite, but usually to much to mater if it's LC or not! :)
My tips....... Eat something before you go out, alcohol kicks you in the head on this WOL!!!

Salad will NOT be enough if you are drinking!!!!

Maybe if you are out with friends, you could just eat the toppings off the pizza, and not the crust? You may have to throw the crust under the table to fit in, but you CAN DO IT! :)

Finally, do a clean induction, and watch your body from there, it's only 2 weeks, stay home if you need to, it will be worth it!

Good luck to you! :)

[KIDBXRS]

Hey all I am in the same boat. Over 5 months with Atkins and a ton of weight lost. But this weekend I blew it. Sunday we had a shower for my soon to be sister in law. They had so much food and nothing low carb. Well I ate!!! I said after 60 pounds mad can't I treat myself. I had fresh strawberry cake with iceing and I had crackers with cream cheese and jelly spread. I had mixed nuts with m & ms. Man was it good. I was up a couple pounds today but that could have been fluid(I hope)!!!!!! Just back on track today. It is a WOL not a way of torture.

[RobsGal]

Thanks for all of your advice. I know I can do this because I did it last year at this time. Of course, at that time I had to fit into a bridesmaid's dress for a wedding that came in and I could literally only breath if stood up. I tried to get it altered, but couldn't so I either had to lose weight or not breath for six hours. I lost the weight but gained it all back (plus a few pounds.) Anyway, now my big motivation is an upcoming trip with my really skinny (about 100 pound) sister in June. We're going to Vegas and there's no way I'm laying out by the pool with someone who weighs 60 pound less than me! I could get blinded by the sunlight and accidentally slip and crush her!

[LadyBelle]

Hang a picture of your sister on the fridge and carry one in your purse. Ask her for one in a bikini even. Then everytime you are tempted by something, whip out the picture and decide what's more important, that one taste of soemthing that will probably result in a tummy ache, or getting into a swimsuit yourself and be willing to pose for a photo.