I am in a position to cheat on my diet and I am scared to death! I LOVE chicken n dumplings. My family wants some for dinner tonight and I don't cook for them the way I used to before I started dieting. I feel almost guilty that I don't but in a way I feel good that I am not contributing to their bad food choices. Anyway, I decided I would do a good thing for them by cooking this for them this one time. I want some so bad. It isn't done cooking at this moment. But, I feel the craving for it. I really haven't cheated since I have been on this diet.(4 weeks) I don't want to cheat, but at the same time, I wonder will this really hurt me? I can eat this one thing and be back on my diet. I have been eating pork rinds right now to curb the hunger but I don't know. Would it be so bad for me this one time? I know that it wouldn't be a problem to be back on the diet afterward. My husband says I sound like a drug addict. I said sometimes it feels that strong. Skinny people that don't have weight problems don't understand. I dare them to try to go without a food they love.

The more you cheat, the more you'll want to cheat. Hang tough!

And you might want to try out some of the amazing recipes in the low carb section, maybe your family can fall in love with some new low carb dishes. Try out the deep dish pizza quiche on them, I think its absolutely fabulous.

I tell myself that the TASTE will fade, but the extra pounds won't.(lol) I talk myself out of quite a few "almost" boo boo's.

Don't cheat, it is way too early. (This coming from a guy who just finished a very large bag of salt and vinagar chips, but those were medicinal ).

I found I had to be really strick for the first few months to make sure it was a way of eating, not a diet. Now I have a cheat meal maybe once a month, but as you can see, I am in maintenance mode and I seem to be able to handle it.

brobin

Well, I did cheat. But, like others, it didn't taste as good as it used to. Also, I didn't stuff myself. I just ate enough to satisfy the cravings. I wish I didn't do it, but I did and I know now tastes aren't the same. Maybe from now on, I will try to remain strong.

Ok, now don't try to rationalize your cheat that just makes it easy to repeat it. Try to figure out what you could have done to have prevented it and vow to do better.

My sister continually cheats, she's stalled and not losing weight. And I keep trying to tell her if she'd just stop with the cheats she'd wouldn't crave stuff any more.

jjbswest, you made some outstanding observations. Ones that will help you with the WOL! First of all being addicted to carbs is very much like any other addiction - and has to be treated as such. one 'cheat' is not going to make that craving go away so we have to find other ways to keep it under control. Where is that 12 step program anyway??!! But the second discovery you made is one that shocked me when I figured it out. Food does not taste the same. That delicious bowl of homemade chicken and dumplings does not taste right and doesn't sit right in the stomach. I've changed my whole position on planning cheats! Life happens -- special meals for your family are going to happen - plan for them, enjoy a bit of the food and fill in with lc foods. I try to always keep in mind the more you 'plan' a cheat the more you should 'plan' on not loosing! Get back on track and keep up the good work.

Hear, hear, clark004. It really doesn't taste the same! Bread, pasta, and potatoes follow this rule. (Ice cream, sadly, does not, but then the low carb ice creams are usually good.)

The best thing is to plan a strategy. Will you have a small portion and make the rest of the day very low carb? Just a bite? Remember, the more you indulge, the more you will stall yourself. And it's early days yet.

After all, since you CAN cook, you can have chicken and dumplings again whenever you want! Maybe say to yourself, "Next month I'll have some."

Great quote Brobin!

I have to talk myself out of cheating. As of yesterday...I was stressed and my boyfriend had a peach cobbler in my frig. I think it was litteraly calling my name. Any way i had to tell myself that it wasn't worth it. But the cravings got really bad so I had to put the pie in the the garbage disposal. Okay, so I owe my BF a peach cobbler...so what!

You should try making that clafoutis recipe in DANDR just use peaches instead of blueberries. It's not exactly a cobbler but with a tiny scoop (I usually just use a Tablespoon or so over a hot slice of it) of LC vanilla ice cream it's sure to kill that craving.

Jenn

Please forgive the levity, since I do know that psychological cravings are *incredibly* hard to deal with since our imagination can paint *such* beautiful memories... but:

I read the thread subject and my first thought was, "behind the wheel of my car with cash in my pocket..."

Actually, I think you discovered that sometimes, when a craving--particularly (IME) for something that really is incredibly bland, like dumplings--becomes nightmarishly insistent, a little taste proves to be more of a reality check than a problem--as long as said taste is just enough to remember what it's *really* like and not enough to push you over the edge.

The trick is remembering that the next time

A few weeks ago a very wise person wrote on this forum: "I can't control what happens in life, but I can control what I put into my mouth." I repeat this to myself as necessary.

I have a hubby who just loves to eat things he really shouldn't, and I keep telling him this--almost every day, LOL. The great thing for him is he is basically where he wants to be weight-wise, so he can eat all kinds of things I don't.

Now, on the side of chicken and dumplings: do you make the dumplings yourself? I always used a baking powder biscuit dough for my dumplings, and last Christmas we created a low-carb baking powder biscuit recipe. It would also be usable for dumplings. I don't have it handy right now, but the flours are basically a mix of soy flour, vital wheat gluten and a little whole wheat flour. I also use either white Carb Countdown or half-and-half in place of the milk.