Cheating and still loosing weight

[MarkE]

So I am wondering if anyone has had the same experience as I have?

I have been on extended induction for 72 days but there have been some days where I have cheated. Things like ice cream, Chinese, Italian and so on. I always return to extended induction after my splurge the next day but I have noticed that within a week after cheating I will loose 6-8lbs where as I normally am loosing at the rate of 2lbs a week. Is it possible that I am tricking my body into thinking that I am doing induction for the first time? So to sum up after I binge, I loose some serious weight. It has happened on 4 occasions. Anyone else had the same experience?

[Debie]

Re: Cheating and still loosing weight

Seems to me that is a bad idea. The benefits of Atkins is not only weight loss but also teaching us long term that we do not need that junk. If I did that, it would be all over. The binging would not stop, heck that is why I got where I am at in the first place

[auntiesocial]

Re: Cheating and still loosing weight

My first time on Atkins, I would do that and experience the same thing as you. HOWEVER, I'm one of those people who weighs every day. I would notice that for a day or two after a cheat/binge/whatever, my weight would go up. So it was more like I was re-losing weight I'd already lost, plus a couple pounds.
Also... it is really hard for me to bounce right back after a binge. Like, mentally, I'd say, "Well, I cheated last weekend and it was okay, so I'll cheat again this weekend." That eventually caught up with me and I ended up gaining almost 20lbs back.

So I'm doing it by-the-book this time. It's just easier for me.

[trinity210]

Re: Cheating and still loosing weight

I've read that if you have a day a week where you have a really high caloric intake, your body responds to it by burning faster and harder... revving your metabolism so to speak.
i did body for life (the eating plan was brutal) but had fantastic results with the exercise end of it and there was a cheat day every week. we would eat whatever we wanted, have a food hangover the next day but our bodies would be little fat burning machines again.
the body gets really used to the same foods and calories each day and adjusts.. hence plateaus, so when you eat a lot all of a sudden, it freaks out and starts burning like make to get rid of what you've put in it.

that's Trinity's really non-scientific explanation!!

[MarkE]

Re: Cheating and still loosing weight

Thanks for the feedback. I received a PM that suggested this may be called carb loading. I am not doing it every week but for the occasions that I do it is nice to know what it's called. Seems to work for me and it helps me feel like I am not being deprived. I know that it is wrong and you should stay strict but hey if it makes me loose more weight who am I to argue.

[TheFinalSQL]

Re: Cheating and still loosing weight

I find if I cheat it takes me a week or longer to get back to the weight before I cheated. Could also have to do with your insulin resistance or the lack there of.


Norm

[sugarsack]

Re: Cheating and still loosing weight

monday nite 2 wks ago i had a sugar binge... (bowl of potato chips, 2 pop tarts, 2 popsicles) took me 10 days to get the 5 lbs it gave me off.. and now i am scared to lose 10 days so i dont cheat...

[Greeneggs&ham]

Re: Cheating and still loosing weight

I have the same mental weakness that auntiesocial describes above. I think it's in my best interest to steer clear of sugar the way an AA member steers clear of alcohol.

In the meantime, perhaps you need to start a journal chat where you describe your cheat meals in vivid detail so we can all enter into a sugar free, carb stupor when we read your posts! I jokingly ask my kids to describe their sugar-coated cereal each morning, and they just look at me like I'm nuts.

[Kansas Deb]

Re: Cheating and still loosing weight

I have the same mental weakness that auntiesocial describes above. I think it's in my best interest to steer clear of sugar the way an AA member steers clear of alcohol.

In the meantime, perhaps you need to start a journal chat where you describe your cheat meals in vivid detail so we can all enter into a sugar free, carb stupor when we read your posts! I jokingly ask my kids to describe their sugar-coated cereal each morning, and they just look at me like I'm nuts.

[shaunawa]

Re: Cheating and still loosing weight

Greeneggs&ham I can so relate. Cereal is my weakness. I dont even care what kind of kids cereal it is either. But if there is a box of Cookie Crisp in the house - watch out!

I can honestly say once I cheat it takes a lot of will power to get back on the horse. So cheating is just not worth it. I hope that I can have a few lapses when I hit my goal, but not until then.