Does a "cheat day" really get things moving again?
 

If so, what kind of cheating is appropriate? Is it cheating with twinkies or fruit? Big bowls of pasta or whole wheat bread?

How does it effect cravings?

Thanks!

According to Atkins no cheating is appropriate. It knocks you out of ketosis, has health concequences and can bring back alot of cravings followed by withdrawl all over again.

As fo rhow does it effect cravings, that is an individual thing. Alot of it probably has to do with how severly addicted you were before. I had little to no addiction and induction was easy the first time. After osme holiday "cheats" though I had a much harder time with cravings and getting back in gear.

I certainly hope so after today :rolleyes: I KNEW getting the box of Krispy Kreme donuts was a COLOSSAL mistake :nono: We just got the first one in BC right down the road from us and we'd never had KK's before, so I told the kids I would get some for them...big mistake. I ate one and now I feel like crappola, regret it HUGELY, kicked myself out of ketosis and set myself back for 3 days!!!! Definitely NOT worth it!

I've heard cheats can work for some people but I've planned a cheat before and had a really hard time getting back on plan. I think it's a YMMV thing and shouldn't be taken lightly, IMO. Good luck with whatever you decide to do :)

Man, I hope the cravings the next few days aren't too, too bad..... :cry:

Take it from me a small cheat can escalate into a major cheat over several days.

Better to up your carbs with allowed foods, fruit is allowed after induction.

Read pages 275 - 284 of the updated Dr Atkins New diet revolution. The chapter title is The Psychology of Weight Loss: Behavioral Changes for a Healthier Life. Pages 283 - 285 in particular talk about "cheats" and tips on dealing with those urges. :) Again I wouldn't beat myself up over it... dust yourself off and pick up where you left off. Was only a small bump on the road to success. The gist of what atkins said is as follows directly quoted from the book:

Try to keep the control you have one; don't re-addict yourself.

If you do slip, be realistic- no one's perfect one hundred percent of the time. Above all, recover immediately: don't wait until tomorrow. One slice of pie mayhave limited ill effects. A late- night debauch could send you off in the wrong direction for a month.

If you've slipped up badly, don't tell yourself there is no use trying. Learn to live in the gray area when you're not being perfect! A mistake in eating doesn't mean you should stop taking nutritional supplements or exercising. Quite the contrary- everything good you can do for yourself makes it that much easier to get firmly back on the right track.

Be on your BEST behavior during Induction, the pahse in which you break your bad habits and addictions and establish healthy eating patterns.

If you're bound and determined to cheat, at least do so in the least harmful way. If a fruit will satisfy your craving for something sweet, it's better than a cookie or candy bar.

Adjust your aims to your realities. If you're going on a vacation and you know you won't be able to comply perfectly, don't make continued weight loss your goal. Instead, go on the ifetime Maintenance phase and aim to maintain your weight and stay in control of your food choices. When you return, go back to the appropriate weight loss phase.

Give yourself a cushion. If there is a special occasion on the horizon, why not drop down to an earlier phase of atkins for a few weeks before the event?

Learn from your experience. If you slip up and go off plan, ask yourself why. Did you give yourself permission? How did you THINK you would feel after? How DID you feel? How should you deal with a similar situation in the future?



Anyways he isn't exactly shaking a finger at those that fall off. I know from my own Krispy Kreme cheat *cough* I was sooooooooooo sadly dissapointed that it wasn't Duncan Doughnuts most of all and well the stomach ache and the way I felt afterwards was punishment enough to keep me from ever being a repeat offender when it comes to Krispy kreme! I hope this helps you and others who are encountering the urges to cheat or in dealing with the guilt and effects after a cheat.

Occassionally, I'll eat Potatoes (Baked or Mashed) or Corn (Grits or Popcorn) with plenty of fat (Butter, Coconut Oil, and/or Palm Oil) to do this. For example, last night I allowed myself some Popcorn. I couldn't even find an oil popper in the store, only "healthy" hot air poppers. So, I took my perfect pancake maker (basically a small pan with a lid)...and added layer of Coconut Oil to the bottom of the pan. Then, I added 1.5 ounces (18g Net CHO) of Organic Popping Corn. It was a little messy (i.e. Some of the Popcorn came out of the pan.) I drizzled the Popcorn with Butter, and ate about half of it. 1/4 oz. worth of Kernels failed to pop. So, I probably had about 5/8-3/4 of an ounce (7-9g Net CHO) of Popcorn popped in Coconut Oil and covered with Real Butter. This morning my weight was down.

cc48510,

Are you stating that because you loaded the "bad" food with heavy oils and butter that it was better fpr you than if you would have ate a bag that was popped in teh microwave?

Congratulations, cc! You've just made popcorn the way everyone made it when I was a child. (Hint: Use a bigger saucepan and push the pan back and forth on the burner rapidly while it's popping.....This distributes it more evenly and keeps it from burning on the bottom....and more of the kernels are popped. Cook on high heat and take off burner immediately after the popping slows almost to a standstill.)

If I were still eating it, that's the way I would still be popping it. The more melted butter, the better. Also good with grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on it.

Kay

Short of dipping it in Crisco, ANY Home-made Popcorn is better than the Microwavable kind, where the 2nd ingredient is almost universally "Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil." Coconut Oil is high in Lauric Acid, which has a number of health benefits. Plus, Fat helps reduce the Glycemic Load of a meal.

I have a lot to learn

twice now I've had popcorn as a "controlled cheat". I have a hot air popper and just put LOADS of melted butter and some salt on it--yum!!--and a little goes a long way to helping a 'need' for crunchy/salty snack.