ok, like, you know, instead of like doing what most call 'cheating', do your homework.

like if you're craving tacos from taco mayo, they only have like 10g of carbs in them, so if you're really careful the rest of the day and make sure you don't eat stuff that has sugar in it that makes you crave, then have one or two tacos but balance it out the rest of the day.

like, a sonic ice cream cone has 19g of carbs, so if you GOTTA have some real ice cream, and not the atkins kind, then just go eat that and make sure you just have like like meat and salad the rest of the day.

and like a sonic jr. hamburger has 27g of carbs(for those of you who can do over 20 and still lose) then have one of those and make sure to balance it out.

it has taken me so long to figure this out, that it's all about balancing. now i know i can't go a wall and have like 5 tacos and a hamburger in a given day, but once or twice a week can use my carbs for that. isn't it great to have so much control over what goes in your mouth??? i feel so much at peace because i know i can HAVE these things every once in awhile and it won't 'blow my woe'. i've just NOW figured out it's all about balancing a healthy lifestyle, but i had to get control of my addiction to do that. hope this post helps someone and have a great LC week!!

'cause like you know how most people say 'i had a taco, i blew it, might as well go and binge', 'cause i say that too, sometimes, now i can just go and HAVE a taco and stick with it becaues i KNOW a taco fits into the lifestyle i am carving. make sense? hope it helps someone out! when i figured this out, it's helped me to stop binging!

Ok, well not if you are on induction!. A lot of newbies on here are not able to "control" choices, and cannot "balance" their eating habits, and on induction this will not break addictions.

This sounds more like a way to stay with old junk food habits. Carbs are one thing, but learning healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime are another. It makes sense if you are in maintenance, and have full control over choices. However, I am willing to bet a lot of us aren't there yet.

sorry, hti enter too fast.....I honestly think this is ok on maintenance, but for new people, a lot of us really need to be careful, so please don't think I am being judgemental, cuz I'm not....

I need the structure of 'by the book' Atkins, and probably always will, even in maintenance. Sugar and unprcessed "white" foods are never going to be controllable in my world.
I know ONE person who can successfully eat "low carb" this way, and she exercises twice a day

It was my "if I want it, have it" mindset that got me to where I am now.
I fear the only "normal" foods I'll be eating on maintenance are the occasional lc tortilla and more vegetables. I'm okay with that.
I agree that for people on induction this way could be dangerous, but if someone can maintain and pull it off, I'm jealous.

true, true

i know that i could only probably have ice cream like once a month 'cause then the cravings would get soo bad and that's why i don't eat atkins ice cream or even the ice cream made with splenda 'cause then i'd go insane...

but it's nice to know you can live a more balanced lifestyle and not have the addiction.

I think that whether or not this works for you depends upon your level of insulin resistance. Not all carbs are created equal. High glycemic carbs (like hamburger rolls and regular ice cream) will spike your blood sugar much faster than low glycemic carbs and that will lead to a bigger insulin surge. For some people, this is not a problem and they can eat them in moderation without having rebound effects from fluctuating blood sugar. For other people it is a problem. We each have to learn how our own body works.

I understand what you're saying in part--just because you ate something bad, don't throw it all out the window.

On the other hand, the big appeal of this diet for me is the fact that I'm learning to eat healthy... and no offense to Taco Bell and Sonic, but I don't think I'm ever going to count them as healthy food

Liz made a really great post about how she looks at food and counts what nutrients she's getting from it as opposed to what bad things she's trying to avoid, and I've tried to adopt this attitude. When I make my dinner, I try to figure out what I can eat that is healthy for me, as opposed to what I can eat and still be under a certain carb/calorie count.

For me, this has made all the difference in my success.

I've been following Atkins for almost 5 months. In many ways I am still a newbie however I think I've got some good low carbing experience under my belt as well. I followed induction to the letter so that I could see if this would really work for me. I really wanted to give it a true chance to work as designed. I'm now in OWL and stick between 20-30 carbs per day. I've also not had an occasion where I've cheated, but that doesn't mean it won't ever happen. Right now I can tell you I don't think it will, but I'm not perfect and who's to say what will happen in the future.

I feel pretty sad when I read "OMG, I ate a speck of X and my whole diet is ruined!" That is a defeatist attitude and probably not one that will work long term on any food plan. If there was a speck of ketchup on my lc cheese burger, does that mean I've cheated and will go on to binge non-stop? For me, no, it doesn't work that way. I know some people struggle with this way of eating. I know some people think they have to be "perfect" to continue to be on plan. For me it is about progress not perfection. If I eat 31 carbs one day does that mean my diet is ruined? Absolutely not!

I guess my point is, that if you feel like a speck of something will lead you to bingeing, avoid it. If you really need to eat a taco, why not have a taco salad without the shell. For me, it has really been about substituting. If I dying for mexican food, I order fajitas without tortillas. If the onions put me over carb count by 2-3 for the day, big deal. I ate healthy, I stayed on plan and I didn't do irreversible damage to my healthy diet.

I believe doing a clean induction was paramount to my success to date. I feel in control of what food I eat and when I eat it. That has been the biggest miracle of low carbing for me.

Unfortunately, what you are describing would derail me completely...I can't eat higher-carb foods that often without waking up uncontrollable cravings. I am pretty lucky, in that I can go off-plan for one meal and then get right back on without difficulty...and I do that for special occasions (like Passover :-). But those occasions need to be few and far between (it's working out to once a quarter) or the cravings take over.

is all true. i think everyone just needs to figure out what works for them. for me, part of this post stemmed from the realization that i COULD stick with this the rest of my life AND have something 'bad' every now and then and not have it ruin everything. it is just nice to know that there is a plan out there that is easy to live with.

but, to each is own. everyone's different!

I wish someone could tell me the carb count for McDonalds ice cream dish.. The only thing I can find for count anywhere, is like 22 grams for the ice cream and the cone together. Nothing about just the dish. Anyone have any clue? Sure wish some fast food restaurant would come up with a soft serve low carb ice cream.

There are 23 carbs in an adult cone and 7 in a kiddy cone. figure in the size and the carbs is it worth it?