Cheat day?

[Hoping]

Okay....this is probably going to sound really crazy, but here it goes. When I was a teenager and first tried this Atkins I did it without a book and so my source of "knowledge" over this diet was my friend. Now, I remember her saying that you could take a cheat day every two weeks? Is that true?
I'm on the OWL chapter and so far I don't think the book has mentioned anything, unless I overlooked it.

But why would you take a cheat day after two weeks of hard work? Won't that just make you want to slip back into your old habits.
I only did it for two weeks at the time so I didn't have to worry about that.

[musicaldreamer]

Re: Cheat day?

Hey Hoping! You definitely don't want to do a "cheat" day. Once you've done so much work to get into ketosis why would you want to knock yourself out of it? Many people recount stories here of one cheat that led to months off the wagon. I personally believe so much in the power of Atkins that I have not cheated and I attribute my continued power to not cheat on having not done it! It is very good that you are reading the book; read it and live by it! If I recall correctly Dr. Atkins addresses the "cheat day" issue, so keep reading! Best of luck to you!

[loo-see]

Re: Cheat day?

I think it was like this,

Once upon a time someone decided to do Atkins for one month, he did well for the first 2 weeks but then weekend came and he cheated. He continued,cause he saw some results,and diet seemed to be very easy, then weekend came and he cheated again.....after one mont he lost 10 pounds. He told everyone how easy that diet was, explained how he did it and the rest is history. But he forgot to say he did it his way.

Sorry,couldn't help myself....

We should stick to the book. That's the only way.

I've heared like 100 versions of Atkins diet from 100 different persons.

[drosa75]

Re: Cheat day?

No cheat days...it really plays tricks on your mind..even if you have a cheat day and dont gain weight or fall..you will think you can do this on an on going basis...possibly gaining the weight back..

Do yourself a favor and stick with the plan. There are wonderful recipes which can satisfy your cravings and its legal!

[Hoping]

Re: Cheat day?

I'm definitely not cheating. Believe me, it's been hard enough. And that is exactly what happened to me the first time I did Atkins. I did it for two weeks lost 13lbs, which at the time made me happy and since I was satisfied I went back to my old way of eating. I don't like fake sugar...I'm wierd! But thank you for the suggestion.
Anyway, I was just wondering if there was any truth to what my friend had told me.

[drosa75]

Re: Cheat day?

i dont like alot of "fake sugar" either..so i omit it and where possible I use cinnamon..its a great substitute for me...and I love it..

no truth to the cheat days as this is a wol and those old eating habits should be forgotten..

[Hoping]

Re: Cheat day?

Ooo~cinnamon, now that I could definitely do! Thanks for the tip.
Yeah, that's what I figured.

[higgies]

Re: Cheat day?

I'm glad you're listening to these guys. At your stage of this WOE, you will be very susceptible to cravings and whatnot. Also, your body will not like the effects of a cheat too much. Even now, after almost 3 years, my body hates me when I have a carb-heavy day. It takes me a few days just to get back to feeling normal. Take the advice and listen to your own gut. Why work so hard to throw it all away for a single day of whatever? Good luck!

[Dotultimate]

Re: Cheat day?

i dont like alot of "fake sugar" either..so i omit it and where possible I use cinnamon..its a great substitute for me...and I love it..

no truth to the cheat days as this is a wol and those old eating habits should be forgotten..

Hey! What do you use cinnamon in? My biggest struggle is cutting out the spleda - whats an example of something you put cinnamon in instead of fake sugar?

Thanks!

[drosa75]

Re: Cheat day?

Hey! What do you use cinnamon in? My biggest struggle is cutting out the spleda - whats an example of something you put cinnamon in instead of fake sugar?

Thanks!

Everything...lol

Coffee, cream cheese, whip cream..anything that calls for splenda/sugar...

[Dotultimate]

Re: Cheat day?

So i could put half a spoon of cinnamon in my tea? Wonderful. Does it count as any carbs?

[drosa75]

Re: Cheat day?

Everything counts against carbs..

Ground Cinnamon has 5.43 carbs in one tbsp..Minus the Fiber of 3.69.. Leaves you with 1.74 of net carbs per tbsp...

There are three teaspoons in ont Tbsp, sooo your tsp of cinnamon would be 0.58, less then a serving of splenda which we would count as 1 carb

Make sure you count it against your carb intake.. But ground cinnamon is a safe substitute..so enjoy!

[Hope4me2]

Re: Cheat day?

Atkins does mention going "off" his diet once you've been on it a while--but for only THREE DAYS. The method to the madness is that it will help you feel less "deprived" and may even help you over a discouraging plateau in losing. He says that if you decide to do so, be sure it's using another diet plan like the Carbo-Addicts diet where you get one "reward" meal a day. The reward meal can be anything you like, including dessert, as long as it is only ONE MEAL a day and that all food is consumed within ONE HOUR. Something to do with glycemic issues.

With my history, I'm just going to stick with Atkins because I know that one slip can definitely sink my diet ship.

[ValidRouge]

Re: Cheat day?

Hope4me2, could you cite the reference please? Which book and page?

[gettinskinny]

Re: Cheat day?

It's a bad idea to take a cheat day...mainly because you feel like total crap the next couple of days while you body figures out what the heck you did to it....take it from someone that thought a cheat day was a good idea after induction....from here on out, I will reward myself with a nice juicy steak instead...good luck to you!