cheating or even go off atkins? (without weight gain?)

[not2late]

Re: cheating or even go off atkins? (without weight gain?)

Ditto to what liv wrote. Also, order the most basic thing on the menues---grilled or roasted meats and steammed veggies. Don't bother with sauces----unless you are absolutely sure how they are made.

[Magicsmom]

Re: cheating or even go off atkins? (without weight gain?)

thnx guys.
its just hard to say no to ppl especially if they surprise me with a birthday dinner/cake or invite me out to dinner with them. it feels like i always have to be rude and turn them down, and they may feel like im alienating them or something.

If someone surprises you with a cake, there is nothing at all wrong with saying "I can't have that, but you all go ahead and have a piece". My friends and family just say, "Great! More for us!" You'd be surprised how gracious people are about accepting our dietary limitations. Before you know it, your friends will accept your WOE and you won't feel like the odd person out anymore. I've had to tell my MIL a gazillion times I cannot eat spaghetti. I hope she finally gets it, but I am not counting on it. As for going out to eat, there is usually something you can order no matter where you are. Don't be shy and ask the server how things are made if you have any questions.

Cheating for me is a slippery slope. Dr. Atkins wrote that it's the kiss of death, and he knew exactly what he was talking about.

[azzurri.love]

Re: cheating or even go off atkins? (without weight gain?)

i hear that! i was feeling kinda hopeless from my diet earlier and i definately cheated in a a bad way. i just hope this doesnt keep happening. i was hoping that if i did cheat it would be the occasional brown rice or piece of toast but like i said, i was pretty low tonight. so i ate 2 chocolate croissant!!
has this happened to any of you before? how did you bounce back?
i find that when i eat something as sinful as that its tough for em to find the will power to stop completely and get back on track...especially with my weight loss being at a complete halt at the moment (which isnt helping with the encouragement)

[PHAT Beth]

Re: cheating or even go off atkins? (without weight gain?)

You know the carzy thing? I had the same mentality as you not too long ago. This is about my 3rd month of this lifestyle. I found that once I started moving up the ladder of foods I could eat, I really have no desire to binge on carbs... and this is from the girl who used to eat gas station cheesesteaks for breakfast and pride herself on being the "chubby girl". THe appetite suppression is great, and once I really started to lose a noticable amount of weight, it just seemed pointless to make it stop for something I don't *really* want. There are so many nice things you can eat, and substitutes for a lot of the old foods. I bet you can find low carb foods in Italy. You might be suprised.

[sallyseachange]

Re: cheating or even go off atkins? (without weight gain?)

Hi... I agree with what many have said here. You'll almost certainly be surprised at how you feel about those carby so called "treats" once you're at maintenance and have come through the OWL rungs.
I never thought I'd give up pasta and pizza, and I live in Italy. I've lived here for over thirty years. Yet it happened.
Along the way (and by reading this board), you'll find many fantastic substitutions too (though probably, your desire for even those substitutions will wane with time).

Regarding your Italy holiday... I don't want to blow my own trumpet or anything, but a good while ago (years!!) I wrote an short piece for one of the ADBB Newsletters on doing Atkins in Italy. Here's the link, in case you're interested: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard....ADBB+Newsletter

Best wishes on your Atkins journey, and your Italy journey, when the time comes!

Edited to add: Whoops! I just notice the date of the start of this thread. Sorry I got here so late!

[imagood1]

Re: cheating or even go off atkins? (without weight gain?)

I use to love pasta, now when I cook it for my family it doesn't even smell good and I can't imagine putting into my mouth. Give yourself a chance before you say you HAVE to have cheat days. Read the DANDR book and find out why this plan works and give it a chance. We all wished at the beginning we had chocolate or cake or pasta - after a few days those thoughts go away as you move into a healthier way of eating. Remember, it's pasta and other unhealthy foods that got you to the point where you are.

There are plenty of long term Atkins success stories here -- Elizellen is one of them....I've never heard her say she is bored with the food or needed a cheat day or that she was going off plan because it was too hard. You don't have much weight to loose but if you loose the weight and go back to your old ways you'll be right back where you started and probably gained a few extra pounds....I've been there, I know. When I was 21 I weighed 110 pounds -- many fad diets later I am now eating the healthiest way I've ever eaten - on Atkins.

Give the plan a chance - it does work. Good luck

[msanjelpie]

Re: cheating or even go off atkins? (without weight gain?)

You are young and with only 20 lbs to lose, you could basically choose any weight loss plan to accomplish the task. Atkins is of course the best

After you lose the weight though, if you switch to a low fat or low cal plan that's healthy, there isn't any reason why you can't keep the weight off as long as you are aware of what you are eating and exercising along with that...

The main question is... if you are 20lbs overweight now, the question is why? If you don't know, you are more likely to regain the weight by cheating on whatever diet you are following...

Basically it's about taking responsibility for what goes in your mouth and why...