Cheat day

[NickDags]

I have a general question about the Atkins diet, I just finished my first week on Induction Phase and lost 11 pounds the first week starting from 257 lbs.

I wanted to know if having one cheat day a week (preferably the day of my weight in so I would have the whole week to make up for it), would it ruin the diet? I'm not saying I am going to indulge on fast food but I mean eat anything that I want and not really care would that kill the diet or could I still have a loss at the end of the week if I just cheated for one day?

Thankss

[Sarina D]

Re: Cheat day

Hi Nick,

Congratulations on losing 11 lbs so far, that is terrific!

As far as your other question goes....yes it will make a difference and it will most likely set you back and the 11 lbs you've done so well in losing will most likely re-appear in water retention and take a while to get back off. Sure, you'll be able to get it back off again, however, why go there?

Listen, learn from my errors....I stayed clean eating this way for a very, very long time....never craved, never wanted anything I couldn't have and then one day my doctor ordered me to undergo a 24 hour test of eating nothing BUT carbohydrates. For 24 hrs I had to eat everything carb. loaded you could imagine then go for blood tests right afterwards. In 24 hrs I gained 9 lbs....it took me a while to get those 9 lbs off...of course it was just water weight...but you know....I'll tell you something...ever since that test, I have done nothing but crave carbs and fight cheating every single day since.

I should also add that in October (just a few months ago) we went away on vacation (I took my scales with me). The last 4 days of our vacation, I decided to go off the program.....in four days I gained 22 lbs. Yes, that's right...that isn't a typo.....22 lbs gained in just four days. I look at how much I have set myself back in these "planned" cheat days starting in October and it makes me sick and very sad. Since then, my desire to cheat has been increased 100 fold....I fight VERY hard each day not to give in and cheat....some days are incredibly, incredibly difficult to get through.....I thought the desire was bad enough after my doctor ordered the carb test.....not so...it's been magnified.

It is a slippery slope my friend....one that is very very hard to come back from.....I highly suggest you don't venture down that path. Instead, take a look at the recipe section here and make some desserts that are legal. If I could eat dairy, I would be in 7th heaven with all the amazing desserts available. There is no reason for you or anyone else to "plan" a cheat day when there are such incredible recipes and choices to treat yourself to.

If you end up falling off the program, make sure the very next thing you put in your mouth is legal.....and keep going. Be patient with the scales creeping back up from the cheat and do what you need to do to keep going and prevent yourself from falling off again.

However, I hope you don't choose that route....it's never ending...believe me...one cheat leads to another leads to another and another which leads to frustration or even worse....falling away completely (I'm not trying to be negative here....I'm just being honest).

All the very best to you!

Btw...Here is the link to the recipe section.....all the Induction friendly recipes have a (*) beside them....enjoy and have fun staying on the program with these fabulous choices Atkins Food and Recipes

Sarina
----------------------
Heaviest weight - 403 lbs. (2007)
April 1, 2008 - 387 lbs. (This is when I initially started to lose weight…but was not on Atkins at this point)
Atkins start weight – 347 lbs. (July 19, 2008 – began Atkins)
1st major goal met -----100 lbs. lost as of Oct 2, 2008 - Hit 300 lbs. on this day – From April 1-08 when I initially begin to lose weight.
2nd major goal met - 151 lbs. lost as of Jan 13, 2009 - Hit 249 lbs. on this day.
3rd major goal met - Wed, May 13-09 - Reached losing 200 lbs. in just over a year and a couple of months.
4th major goal met – Reached “Onederland” June 6-09 – 198 lbs.
5th major goal met - My 1 yr. Atkins anniversary - Weighing 184 lbs. this day
Current weight – 174.8 lbs.
Goal weight - 150 – 160

My personal Journey -
Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

My Journal -
My journey through peaks and valleys

[Aways2Go]

Re: Cheat day

You would pretty much kill the diet - you would likely spend most or all the week not losing anything trying to recover from your cheat day and trying to get back into ketosis solidly. It is also likely to cause water retention besides cravings, one or both of which can and probably will make the scale jump up and undo anything else you might have done correctly on the other days of the week.

If you read the book, it will explain how such a tactic is just not really feasible with this way of eating.

A better plan is to start investigating moving into OWL, adding in a few foods and carbs slowly, and to hunt up recipes here and on Lindas Low Carb and find acceptable substitutes for those foods you are wanting to cheat with.

[Georgiana]

Re: Cheat day

I wanted to know if having one cheat day a week (preferably the day of my weight in so I would have the whole week to make up for it), would it ruin the diet?

I see you haven't read the book -- Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution (2002).

As for your question, the plan you have in mind would not be Atkins.

I see you've lost more than 11 lbs, from your stats. How did you lose those? Why did you start Atkins?

[kmuldrow]

Re: Cheat day

My take is that you're too early on in the program to be thinking about cheat days. Follow it by the book a good amount of time and eventually the desire to cheat will more than likely fade.

In about 6 months I've cheated twice but I put in a heavy exercise load 6 days each week so I wasn't affected; but cheats effect everyone differently so you can't necessarily take any one person's experience and run with it thinking it will be your own.

As others have said, for most people it is hard to get back on track after a cheat because IMO weight loss/diet is 95% mental. You know you.

Anyway, you're not even through induction and it would be terrible for you to get the wrong perception of this diet and its effectiveness to start tweaking this early in the game.

[NickDags]

Re: Cheat day

Thanks everyone who responded to my question, I really appreciate the support and the encouragement to stick the the program. The reason behind my question is that yesterday, the day of my weight in, I did cheat a bit. I weighed myself in the morning with a loss of 11 pounds and then overindulged at night. I know I made a mistake but more importantly I am not falling off the wagon for the rest of the week I am back to less then 20 carbs per day, including Christmas.

The weird thing about my cheating was that it was not even because of a craving, I ate beer and pizza with some friends because of the social interaction not really because I craved the food which I think is a good thing mentally. I now know it was not a good thing to do and believe me if I had seen this answers after I cheated I definitely would not have. Well I am going to work hard this week to insure I still get a loss at my next weight in. Thanks everyone!

I see you've lost more than 11 lbs, from your stats. How did you lose those? Why did you start Atkins?

I did lose some weight prior to starting Atkins, I was on another weight loss program called 'Smart For Life' or some people call it 'The Cookie Diet'. Essentially I would eat 6 cookies a day with one meal at night, the problem was that the cookies were disgusting and the one meal I ate each day was very unsatisfying seeing as the diet restricted me to eat many things and use oils, butters and salt while cooking which left my food bland. Besides that the program was expensive, $7 per day for the cookies & $500 to start the program. It did work, I lost weight but overall I was unhappy and constantly hungry so I decided to switch over to Atkins which has worked for me and is keeping me happy, I can eat all day just different foods then I use to.

[Georgiana]

Re: Cheat day

Nick, are those you are counting net carbs or total carbs?

The weird thing about my cheating was that it was not even because of a craving, I ate beer and pizza with some friends because of the social interaction

Are you planning your meals daily?

And "social interactions" are not conditioned to drinking alcohol and eating junk.

I did lose some weight prior to starting Atkins, I was on another weight loss program called 'Smart For Life' or some people call it 'The Cookie Diet'.

Oh, I know those guys! They were spamming ADBB a while back.

There is a major difference between Atkins and "The Cookie Diet", other than the foods you eat. "The Cookie Diet" is a real "diet"... something you follow for a short period of time, with the sole purpose of losing weight. Atkins, on the other hand, is a way of eating for life, not a quick fix. And since doing for life something that you don't really understand ain't gonna work, it's essential to read the book.

Until you get the book, here are some threads with info that might help you:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6781-what-foods-can-eaten-induction.html

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6782-what-rules-induction.html

Atkins Low Carb Dieting - FAQ's - Atkins Diet

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/77558-atkins-diet-induction-faqs.html

And back to your original question, this is an excerpt from DANDR, Chapter 17:

"Misconception: You can do Induction during the week and binge on weekends and still lose or maintain weight.
Reality: When you do Atkins during the week and then cheat on the weekends, for several days after your binge, you are no longer burning fat. At most, you could be in the fat-burning state for only three days each week. In addition, you may have overstimulated your insulin response, increasing the metabolic risk factors underlying your weight problem. Remember that when you burn fat, dietary fat is also being burned. However, if you combine high carbs with high fat -- the typical American diet -- you can be increasing your cardiovascular risks."

[mission to lose]

Re: Cheat day

I had pizza last night---I used the crust part of the following recipe, minus the taco seasoning. I bake the crust and divide it into 6 portions. Then I add a tiny bit of low carb/low sugar pizza sauce, veggie toppings, and some mozzarella cheese and some Italian seasoning. I put it under the broiler. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

The crust is better if you put it in the fridge for a few hours first, and then add the toppings...and I broil the final pizza rather than bake, because baking it, the crust gets a little "soggy".

I didn't have any beer, but instead of bottle of Perrier sparkling water.

Some toppings:

---sliced green olives and mozzarella

---sauteed onion, green pepper, mushroom and cheese

You could probably pick up the slice to eat if you wanted to, but I always eat Pizza with a fork and knife anyway, and that is a little easier. Crust is not "crispy" but it is substantial.

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/taco_bake.html

[Sarina D]

Re: Cheat day

Hi Nick,

Put this one time behind you and keep going! Drink plenty of water and fit some form of exercise into your daily routine if you haven't already.

Sometimes these things happen, it's what we do afterwards to carry on the matters!

Keep in touch.

Sarina
--------------------------

Heaviest weight - 403 lbs. (2007)
April 1, 2008 - 387 lbs. (This is when I initially started to lose weight…but was not on Atkins at this point)
Atkins start weight – 347 lbs. (July 19, 2008 – began Atkins)
1st major goal met -----100 lbs. lost as of Oct 2, 2008 - Hit 300 lbs. on this day – From April 1-08 when I initially begin to lose weight.
2nd major goal met - 151 lbs. lost as of Jan 13, 2009 - Hit 249 lbs. on this day.
3rd major goal met - Wed, May 13-09 - Reached losing 200 lbs. in just over a year and a couple of months.
4th major goal met – Reached “Onederland” June 6-09 – 198 lbs.
5th major goal met - My 1 yr. Atkins anniversary - Weighing 184 lbs. this day
Current weight – 174.8 lbs.
Goal weight - 150 – 160

My personal Journey -

Before and during - From 400 lbs. to 247 lbs. Not done yet!!!

My Journal -
My journey through peaks and valleys

[NickDags]

Re: Cheat day

Thanks everyone for the advice!

Nick, are those you are counting net carbs or total carbs?

I am counting net carbs, I am eating 20 net (or less) carbs per day.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Cheat day

>>I am eating 20 net (or less) carbs per day.>>

How many less?

Are MOST of your net carbs coming from Induction vegetables?

[Suzanne_H]

Re: Cheat day

I'm 5'6" and started this WOE at 169... now at 241 I'm still considered extremely obese with health risks. I am one who literally cries tears of gratitude when I step on the scale and note a loss. I cannot at this point fathom why I would want to risk losing this precious gift. I can only speak from my own experience. I believe I am some sort of carb addict. To tell me to go ahead and have a cheat day would be like telling a recovering alcoholic to go ahead and have just one drink. It just doesn't make sense and just doesn't work... for me. In the past, planning a cheat day meant another cheat day and another and before long I was right back to my old way of eating. I regained all of the 40 lbs I had lost and gained 20 more on top of it.

If I want to be successful on Atkins, I watch those who are living it daily and do what they do. They don't have cheat days.

[Suzanne_H]

Re: Cheat day

Thanks everyone who responded to my question, I really appreciate the support and the encouragement to stick the the program. The reason behind my question is that yesterday, the day of my weight in, I did cheat a bit. I weighed myself in the morning with a loss of 11 pounds and then overindulged at night. I know I made a mistake but more importantly I am not falling off the wagon for the rest of the week I am back to less then 20 carbs per day, including Christmas.

The weird thing about my cheating was that it was not even because of a craving, I ate beer and pizza with some friends because of the social interaction not really because I craved the food which I think is a good thing mentally. I now know it was not a good thing to do and believe me if I had seen this answers after I cheated I definitely would not have. Well I am going to work hard this week to insure I still get a loss at my next weight in. Thanks everyone!



I did lose some weight prior to starting Atkins, I was on another weight loss program called 'Smart For Life' or some people call it 'The Cookie Diet'. Essentially I would eat 6 cookies a day with one meal at night, the problem was that the cookies were disgusting and the one meal I ate each day was very unsatisfying seeing as the diet restricted me to eat many things and use oils, butters and salt while cooking which left my food bland. Besides that the program was expensive, $7 per day for the cookies & $500 to start the program. It did work, I lost weight but overall I was unhappy and constantly hungry so I decided to switch over to Atkins which has worked for me and is keeping me happy, I can eat all day just different foods then I use to.

Would be good for me to read the whole thread before responding hey LOL Glad you're back on program

[brandywine1241]

Re: Cheat day

You don't necessarily have to give up going out for pizza with your friends. Just eat the toppings off the pizza (try to order lots of veggies) and drink water until you get to the alcohol rung.

[NickDags]

Re: Cheat day

>>I am eating 20 net (or less) carbs per day.>>

How many less?

Are MOST of your net carbs coming from Induction vegetables?

Yes, most of my carbs do come from induction vegetables. I eat usually 3 meals a day, when I don't have the time I eat two but usually 3. The majority of my meal comes from induction vegetables, such as a big tuna salad or mushroom & spinach omelet.