No "one diet fits all". We are all different and we need to learn what works for us. I have learned with Atkins that I am addicted to carbs. Now that I don't eat them, I have no problem leaving them alone. The desire for them is gone.

I was pleasantly suprised to find that even my very favorite carb foods no longer interest me. There is a great candy maker in Dayton, Ohio called Esther Price and the candy is really good. My sister is going to be in Dayton in September and then I am going to see her soon after. We had planned months ago that she was going to buy candy for me. This week I received a letter with her plans, including candy purchase; and I actually didn't want it. I wrote her back and told her not to buy me any.

I honestly cannot think of one high carb food that I want to cheat with. I do however have to watch carb creap with legal combination food. I love nuts and they are a great snack but I can get carried away. Ditto for cream.

But my husband is very different. He is not addicted to carbs and can eat them and then stop (I cannot). Also he has carbs that he really loves and doesn't want to give up forever (like pasta). Also when he is around carbs he likes (like pizza) he really wants to eat it. So he allows himself to have carbs on a reasonable basis. If he has a high carb item he just has the one thing that day--he doesn't go eat every high carb things he can think of. Normally he is very satisfied with the low carb meals and snacks I fix and he doesn't request any high carb foods or snacks (except pasta). I make him low carb muffins, pancakes, cookies, and candy and when I make pasta for him it is a low carb pasta. He isn't losing rapidly but he is down 5-6 pounds in about 6 weeks.

I really believe that to be successful we have to find a WOL early on. I worry when I read about people who stay on induction for months "until they lose all the weight they want to lose". I worry that when they get to goal they are going to go back to eating all the stuff they have denied themselves.

One other thing that I do is that I don't always count my carbs. I count and stay under 20 for a week or two and then I just eat what I want until I am ready to count again. When I say eat what I want, I don't eat any high carb foods, just all the veggies, nuts, cheese, cream, etc. that I want and occasionally very small servings of fruit.

Whatever you decide to do, not think in terms of cheat days. This is a WOL and your life is never a cheat. If you decide you want a high carb food, plan for it, enjoy it, and continue eating your healthy low carb way.