3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

[Miclam]

My friends and I are going camping over the 4th of July weekend. Basically what this means is playing drunken horseshoes and bacci ball and eating a lot junk food. There is absolutely no way I'm going to be able to avoid carbs on this weekend. I'm over 2 weeks into induction right now, and I plan on staying on it until that weekend, after which I will go back onto induction for another 2 weeks.

So, my question is, what kind of setback am I looking at here?

[2big4mysize]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

you are looking at being in a diabetic state as your blood sugar will sore and you will be physically ill! Toss in some alcohol and you will be a real health problem hope no wild animals will be near.
really want to go camping like that?

Since you have committed to a new way of eating for better health and a smaller you why don't you pack the cooler with some healthy for you foods, and a pantry box with some canned meats individual packets of mayo and mustard some spices maybe even some canned veggies and take a portable stove or a charcoal grill and cook as you camp campfire chile, omlettes for breakfast, tuna slaad for lunch. just let your friend know now that you will be packing real food and being the designated camper.

Start a new tradition. after all aren't you going camping to share the love and friendship y'all share?

[Jeudrietr]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

Planning cheats and saying there's "no way" to eat right is just the easy way out. If you really wanted to, you could bring along PLENTY of Atkins friendly snacks. Why purposely set yourself up for failure?

[Miss Phode]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

Obviously it's a personal choice, but I doubt anyone here will tell you to "go for it". The setbacks, besides cravings, belly aches, gas, induction flu when you re-start, the highs and lows that come with eating junk food, obviously weight gain, bloating, and the list goes on and on...

[Exfortek]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

I say go for it, when I first started atkins i used to have crash days all the time. But I would just start back over into induction, it didn't make me feel any different. Its okay to indulge once in awhile, i mean its a holiday right?

[Tired of Chub]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

Im going camping next weekend, Ive got everythign planned out food wise and plan on staying on Plan. if you actually WANT to stay on plan you will. Have fun being miserable.

[Miclam]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

Holy ****, you guys are really militant about this.

The truth is I don't WANT to stay on plan for this weekend. I want to enjoy myself and part of that means sitting around the campfire making smores with my friends. I was just asking what kind of setback that would be in the grand scheme of things. Jesus christ.

[Jeudrietr]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

It really depends on how often you'll let your lack of willpower get to you. Are you going to cheat every time you're tempted? It might set you back quite a bit.

[Miss Phode]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

Again, I said, it's obviously a personal choice. Good luck to you. I didn't think anyone here said anything too horrible. What kind of a response did you expect to get on an Atkins diet board anyway?

[2big4mysize]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

I say go for it, when I first started atkins i used to have crash days all the time. But I would just start back over into induction, it didn't make me feel any different. Its okay to indulge once in awhile, i mean its a holiday right?

you know there are a lot of blind diabetics that said the same thing. blood sugar damage is an onging never repaired thing done in small incriments. check it out so you are forearmed.

[dotsamantha]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

Setbacks in the grand scheme

Obviously you won't be in ketosis
You may stall, gain, or nothing, it's an individual thing
You may get a headache, stomachache, constipation or diarrhea
You may find that your cravings will drive you crazy and it will be more difficult to get back into it
you may get bloated
Basically you're undoing the past few weeks of work

-- There are numerous posts and stickies here that illustrate that this particular board is purist Atkins. I've seen that the experienced members aren't here to attack anyone or discourage them. They just want people to reap the beefits of doing it right and that this is a lifestyle change, not just a diet. Of course that isn't true for everyone but no one here hides the fact that they feel that way.

[2big4mysize]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

there is a very famous study done buy a scientist on some healthy male college kids. they did low carb and then to prove thier had gread blood sugar control the scinetists in charge of this test gave every one of them a 6 hour Glugos tolerance test ( the one where you drink the pint of very sugary liquid). Needless to say the docs where shocked when every single kid tested out as a diabetic based on how they couldn't handle the blood sugar regulation of high carb food after ebing on low carb eating.

This test was so important docotrs now warn their patients who need this test to come off their low carb plans and eat high carb plans for days before the testing. Even Dr Atkins has a warning in about it in DANDR

[inhisgrip]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

Miclam...I agree with Miss Phode that it is a personal choice. It seems you already have your mind made up and you're gonna do what you're gonna do.

As for setbacks...the previous posts have pretty well covered them...but let me reiterate this point. When you cheat and start eating the carbs and sweets your body once craved it is sometimes really hard to give it back up. You say, "Just this weekend," then before you know it you're like, "well, I binged last weekend and only gained a pound, it won't hurt if I have this one donut or (fill in the blank)." I lost 70 lbs. on Atkins my first time around...one cheat at Christmas time had me hooked on carbs again and I could never really get back on it. I ended up gaining all the weight back. Just a warning from one Atkiner to another. We're all here to support and encourage. Sorry if we came off blunt and disagreeable...we're only trying to help.

Sincerely,
Liz

[bizzlekitty]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

Just something to think about, but if you really intend on doing Atkins right and for life, you need to be able to face potentially challenging situations where you might not always have the best food choices and plan for it to suit your new way of eating lifestyle.

This isn't just diet to just lose weight. It's a program of healthy eating meant to last a lifetime, that means Induction to OWL to maintenance. It's likely those carbs and bad eating habits are what caused you to gain weight in the first place. Cheating and going off the program can do things to your body and confuse it, as well as can cause you very likely to not be able to get back on the program. This board discourages cheating and encourages sticking to a specific way of eating because not only does it work, but improves your chances for success and health in the long run.

Atkins is not so restrictive that you cannot find the right things to eat, in most situations, unless you choose not to.

Deciding to go off Atkins could mean that you haven't 100% committed to this new way of eating and still see it as limiting what you can eat, when it doesn't have to be that way.

It's a mindset really.

This is what people here are mostly saying or trying to say.

I have yet to find any situation where I couldn't eat Atkins, even if it means going up a bit further in the OWLs rungs for a bit (aka wine&spirits rung). It's about making the best choices that you can at every meal and not giving up just because you want to binge on the very foods that caused you to gain weight and are very likely not good for you either. What 2big says about potential consequences to your metabolism is also true.

One important response I use alot nowadays when people ask me why I don't eat x or y, do I not like it? I respond, "I like it, I just don't eat it anymore".

Bring your own foods, it's not that tough to do, and there's many things that can be grilled, come in cans, etc. that you can do it, if you try.

[Miclam]

Re: 3 Day Carb Binge - Is It Okay?

Alright, maybe I was a little too defensive in my second reply there. The truth is, I don't need to lose that much weight, so I guess I'm not taking this as seriously as other people would. I do not intend to cheat often (or ever after this). I would not be cheating because this is "a holiday," but because it's a bit of a unique situation, being out in the woods and all.

Regarding the snack situation, are those Atkins chips and cookies okay? I'd assume so, but I've heard some nebulous things about "net carbs." Obviously I'd still have to count the carbs, but that would at least make things more bearable.

Also, there will be no wild animals, since we'll be on an island in the middle of a big lake. We do this every year.