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Cheating
Hi everyone!
I've been thinking about the topic of cheating for a while now. Some people on this board have the attitude that you must not ever ever give in to anything. But it occurs to me that sometimes there are things that are more important than doing Atkins 100% successfully. I'll get back to that later.
I also think that there are two ways to do atkins. One as a way of life and one as a diet. I think it is those that regard it as a diet that are the first to fail, and for whom cheating or splurging is often a path to falling completely off the atkins WOE. They give in to the ice cream not because they are making a conscious decision to do so, but because they cannot resist - in a lot of cases cravings become more pronounced if you are not allowed to eat a certain thing. So the distinction lies in that, to me. Are you 'not allowed' to eat carbs, or are you 'choosing' not to eat carbs? If you are choosing, then you are stating that you have control over your eating, and in my opinion a splurge or cheat is MUCH less likely to make you spin out of control for the simple fact that you have control over your eating.
Can a choice to eat a carb-food be a 'cheat' if you are actually involved in the decision making? And I don't mean the kind of choice you make when you cave into a craving, either. The word cheat is imbued with all kinds of negative connotations - what makes a cheat a cheat? And what makes it not a cheat?
This is the question I've been pondering. I feel like there is a difference.
Which leads me to my question of whether some things are more important than the atkins WOE. kbuchs brought up that her grandfather makes a special blackberry jelly and when the family gets together he delights in making brunch for everyone. I'm sure he takes great pride in this. This to me is an instance of a moment when *choosing* to have blackberry jelly would be a valid choice. Perhaps your grandfathers tradition/feelings is/are more important than not having those carbs, and perhaps it makes you feel like part of the family to participate. Those things can be important too.
(Granted, if grandpa makes brunch every week, the point is moot. Let's assume it's only a couple of times a year)
But that brings me back to the original question: why is it that some people can have the jelly and not the pringles and the pound cake, and others will (allow themselves to) fall off the wagon just from having a teaspoon of jelly?
I just can't help but think that it's the distinction between a way of life - a total change in attitude about eating - and a diet.
And yes, there will be those for whom cheating leads them off the path completely no matter what their attitude towards this WOE. I realize this. Sugar can be evil.
I was just wondering what people thought about this.
** please note that I'm not advocating that you can choose carbs whenever you want, but that there are times where something else might be important enough to make that choice valid. **
I've been thinking about the topic of cheating for a while now. Some people on this board have the attitude that you must not ever ever give in to anything. But it occurs to me that sometimes there are things that are more important than doing Atkins 100% successfully. I'll get back to that later.
I also think that there are two ways to do atkins. One as a way of life and one as a diet. I think it is those that regard it as a diet that are the first to fail, and for whom cheating or splurging is often a path to falling completely off the atkins WOE. They give in to the ice cream not because they are making a conscious decision to do so, but because they cannot resist - in a lot of cases cravings become more pronounced if you are not allowed to eat a certain thing. So the distinction lies in that, to me. Are you 'not allowed' to eat carbs, or are you 'choosing' not to eat carbs? If you are choosing, then you are stating that you have control over your eating, and in my opinion a splurge or cheat is MUCH less likely to make you spin out of control for the simple fact that you have control over your eating.
Can a choice to eat a carb-food be a 'cheat' if you are actually involved in the decision making? And I don't mean the kind of choice you make when you cave into a craving, either. The word cheat is imbued with all kinds of negative connotations - what makes a cheat a cheat? And what makes it not a cheat?
This is the question I've been pondering. I feel like there is a difference.
Which leads me to my question of whether some things are more important than the atkins WOE. kbuchs brought up that her grandfather makes a special blackberry jelly and when the family gets together he delights in making brunch for everyone. I'm sure he takes great pride in this. This to me is an instance of a moment when *choosing* to have blackberry jelly would be a valid choice. Perhaps your grandfathers tradition/feelings is/are more important than not having those carbs, and perhaps it makes you feel like part of the family to participate. Those things can be important too.
(Granted, if grandpa makes brunch every week, the point is moot. Let's assume it's only a couple of times a year)
But that brings me back to the original question: why is it that some people can have the jelly and not the pringles and the pound cake, and others will (allow themselves to) fall off the wagon just from having a teaspoon of jelly?
I just can't help but think that it's the distinction between a way of life - a total change in attitude about eating - and a diet.
And yes, there will be those for whom cheating leads them off the path completely no matter what their attitude towards this WOE. I realize this. Sugar can be evil.
I was just wondering what people thought about this.
** please note that I'm not advocating that you can choose carbs whenever you want, but that there are times where something else might be important enough to make that choice valid. **
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