Slight Change of Paths

[jade]

Hey All,
Yesterday was an interesting day. We met with our family for celebration of birthdays and Memorial Day. There was very little there I could eat and stay totally pure to the program so I chose to eat a few items that were not on my program. The key word there is chose. Usually, in the past when a holiday would come up, I would use it to 'pig out' then 'start again' the next day. Then I would have the agonizing task of doing 2 whole weeks of Induction all over again.
But this time I know that I will simply do a few days of Induction to get back in to ketosis and continue on.
For me if Atkins is going to be a lifestyle change then I need to take my time to change. One of the worst things I did to myself in the past was beat myself up for days after 'going off the deep end'. What a mistake that was! If you have done that in the past please don't do it now. For me it was a slight 'pause' in the journey and now I'm continuing on.
I'm not writing this to justify my going off program for that one meal yesterday, I'm writing to give others hope who may have strayed from the Atkins path yesterday. Please don't let that one day ruin your entire program. Get back to it! You can do it!

Be well-
jade :wave

[Checkers]

Thanks for the input Jade. I don't think I'll be able to do any planned cheat meals until I've really learned much better control of myself and have gotten close to, or reached goal. I think there's some things I will always avoid because they create such strong carb cravings, but I'm sure I won't make it my whole life without throwing a cheat in for special occassions.

[lowriders]

You should avoid putting yourself in those postions where possibe also.If you don't believe there will be friendly food there,why not take along your own?
But Jade congrats for being able to continue on,for alot of us once we stray its just too darn hard to get back.

[jade]

Hey "Checkers"
I've decided not to look at eating foods that aren't in my phase as 'cheating'. I'm looking at it as a choice. For me (and this is only for me because my situation may be a little different than some in that I am a food addict.) calling eating off my program 'cheating' has a very negative connotation that for me would lead to guilt which would lead to acting out with food. Some might say I'm just playing with semantics here but in order for Atkins to be real for me it has to fit my lifestyle not vice versa.
For me it is unrealistic to think that I will never eat carbs that are high on the glycemic index. But when I do eat them, which I will, I will make sure that I account for them. That way I can continue to keep my carbs in check, which I believe is the whole philosophy behind Atkins.
I simply shared because I wanted to be honest with myself. If I would've kept my off program eating to myself, it would've eaten me up inside and I would've probably quit.
Atkins is a whole new lifestyle for me vs. a diet. Before I would go from one diet to another but never really change my eating habits.
Anyway, thanks for sharing! I agree with you that if you are new to Atkins or are in a time in your eating life where you have little or no control then you should not attempt to do what I did. (And I'm not advocating that anyone else do it either). Hang in there and have a great low carb day!

Be well-
jade


Thanks for the input Jade. I don't think I'll be able to do any planned cheat meals until I've really learned much better control of myself and have gotten close to, or reached goal. I think there's some things I will always avoid because they create such strong carb cravings, but I'm sure I won't make it my whole life without throwing a cheat in for special occassions.[/quote]

[jade]

Hey "lowriders"
I totally agree with you! I have done that in the past. I was told that there would be friendly food at the party but when I got there, there was very little I could eat. Next time I will be a bit more savvy.
Thanks for the suggestion though and for taking the time to share. I appreciate it!

Be well-
jade

You should avoid putting yourself in those postions where possibe also.If you don't believe there will be friendly food there,why not take along your own?
But Jade congrats for being able to continue on,for alot of us once we stray its just too darn hard to get back.[/quote]

[Goofy]

Jade,

I couldn't agree with you more. You've been able to express my thoughts very clearly. I have had a terrible habit of beating myself up in the past, which only sent me spiraling down further. However, if I realize that eating off-program was my choice, then I know I have the choice to get back on program and stay on track. Realizing that there is a choice involved rather than being totally out of control makes all the difference for me.

Yes, I know I'm going to get slammed for this being a dangerous way of thinking. However, to me I am being more realistic to myself. I don't feel that its realistic to think that I'll NEVER eat a 'bad' thing again....that's just too overwhelming. I do appreciate and admire all of the people who are able to stay on program regardless of the situation...thats great! But facing my reality has been whats made this WOE a success for me.

Thanks, Jade!!

Goofy

[sillygirl]

Oh my gosh, you did the right thing, and you have a wonderful attitude about your eating. I like what you said about the word cheating have negative connotations. I will try to remember to think of slips as a choice!

[1sexy_mama]

Jade--can I say it is refreshing to hear someone say what I have been thinking. This weekend we were camping all weekend and I had a S'more. Was it worth it. OH YEAH! Did I beat myself up over it. Nope. That was the old me. I like the new me so much better. My life used to revolve around food. Not anymore. Was it a "planned cheat"? Heck no. Atkins is a WOE and has become a part of my life. My life does not revolve around it though and I realize that when I beat myself up over something the only one I am hurting is me. If I am hurting I will be more tempted to go back to my old WOE which got me to this place to begin with.

Thanks again for saying what people need to hear! :hug

[jade]

Hey "Goofy"
Thanks for sharing! I don't think we should be afraid to come here and share when we chose to go off program. I know for myself that if I had not come here I would've ended up acting out with food. So I took the chance.
So far people have been very supportive and have also given great suggestions that will help the next time I'm in a situation where I feel the need to go off program.
I think that we should strive to stay on program to the best of our ability. For some people, they can be clean clear up to maintenance. I applaud them and think that yes, that is the ideal. But I know me. For me I need to be real and I need a food program that fits my lifestyle. I've spent too many years trying to fit myself (square peg) into a round hole (perfect diet). With Atkins, I feel the freedom to eat anything I want to BUT I also know that I have to be accountable for what I eat. Carbs DO count! So when I do choose to go off program I know that I will have to also be responsible to spend a couple of days in Induction so that I can get back in to ketosis. For some people, that isn't possible. I know the very first time I did Atkins I went off program after being on full program for almost 3 months and I couldn't get back on. I am not advocating going off program. I'm just sharing my experience and from what I've read, others have had the same experience. I just hope that we can continue to come here and share whether we're sharing about our victories or our departures from program. With folks like you sharing from your heart I think we can.

Here's to a great board full of loving/understanding people!
Be well-
jade :hug

[jade]

Hey "Sillygirl"
Thanks for sharing. One of the things I don't want to have happen with my experience is to use it to give everyone license to go off their program. That isn't my intention. But sometimes we are in situations where we will make choices to eat food that isn't on our list of preferred foods. When we DO make these choices we have to be responsible for them. I know that even when I thought I was doing a clean induction I found out later that the salad dressing I was eating had sugar in it! I was so disappointed! But I decided then and there that my mistake was just that. I learned from it and pressed on.
My experience on Memorial Day was also a learning experience. The next time I'm invited to someone else's house, I will take a dish that I can eat in the event there isn't food there I can have.
But I will not be in bondage to a food plan ever again in my life. Like I've shared before, this food program has to fit my lifestyle, not vice versa.
I want to pat myself on the back for all of the GOOD DAYS I have. Not beat myself to a pulp for making food choices that weren't the best.
I hope that you will continue to strive for the best. Our choices will either cause us to proceed on program or cause us to delay. My choice on Monday probably caused a slight pause in my program. But I can live with that.

Hang in there!
Be well-
jade :wave

[jade]

Hey "1sexy_mama"
I'm glad to hear that you were able to control what went in to your mouth this weekend. I also hope that you took steps to be responsible for what went in your mouth by going on Induction for a couple of days.
I know what you mean about the 'old me' trying to take over when we veer off the Atkins path. That's the reason I made the choices I did on Monday. I could hear those 'voices in my head'. Because I saw the signs from the past I decided to try and protect myself. I felt very fortunate that my husband was there. He was a witness to what I did and also kept me accountable today by helping glide through Induction.
I hope that you will have a great low carb day today and that you got right back to it (the program.)

Thanks for sharing!
Be well-
jade :wave

[Reveal]

Jade,

I just wanted to pop in and say a big ME TOO! to the decision not to use the term "cheating". Like you, Atkins is a way of life for me, and I have no desire to go through the rest of my life without ever eating a sweet snack or piece of cake again. I didn't get fat because I ate a S'More, I got fat because I kept eating S'Mores (and s'more, and s'more...) :eating

"Cheating" to me implies attendant guilt, and I have spent far too many years of my life feeling guilty about food to let that continue. Also, who am I cheating exactly? Myself? There are plenty of ways in which I disappoint myself - I absolutely refuse this to be another one. For years I equated food with moral decisions. I was either being "good" one week or "bad". I had either "cheated" or not. And you know what? Why elevate food to that level of power? In the end it is just a cookie or just a piece of chicken. It has no attendant moral value, and neither does my eating.

I stick to this way of eating because it makes me feel better than I have in years. My blood sugar doesn't drop and raise a thousand times a day, I feel satisfied with fresh, whole foods, and I feel strong and healthy for the first time in five years. I really feel that (for me) the whole issue of my health is a long-term goal, and in the same way that my pounds do not drop in a linear fashion, neither will my entire eating habit. It's a slow change, but it IS a change. And a choice. And whether or not that works for everyone else I can't say, but it's working for me and I'm happy with it. :joy

[jade]

Hey "Reveal"
Thanks for sharing. I agree with everything you said! I especially appreciated this part:

"Why elevate food to that level of power? In the end it is just a cookie or just a piece of chicken. It has no attendant moral value, and neither does my eating."

There really are no 'good foods/bad foods', but there are good choices and poor choices.
For once in my life I am in control of what goes into my mouth not the other way around. I've worshipped the 'Food god' for far too long! For me food really wasn't even the issue. The issue was using food as a drug instead of facing my pain head on and dealing with it. I could never do that before now because I was always so tired! Overeating carbs that are high on the glycemic index just zapped me of any energy I had.
By switching to the Atkins way of eating, I have found that food has no more power than I give it. And in fact, I hardly think about eating like I use to. Prior to starting Atkins I would spend hours and hours thinking about what I was going to eat next, where I was going to get the food, what food events were coming up...it was obsession of the worst kind.
After I decided to start Atkins, I immediatly felt better and that has just continued.
So thanks for sharing! I hope that you will continue to committ to Atkins and that you will continue to see results!

Be well-
jade :wave