I see your doing Atkins too. ...so a cheat would be bread, flour, sugar, if your on induction you should not be eating nuts yet, but enjoy this WOE you will find you will not want to go off because this WORKS!

I think for the first two weeks of induction it is important to stick to the allowed food list. Losing control of yourself, shoving somethingin fast, then feeling guilt after qualifies as a cheat.

After induction you start reintroducing foods. At this stage I don't think there are cheats, just good choices and bad choices. Not only in number of carbs, but the quality. Eatins something full of sugar only won't give you the same nutrients as a ton of veggies, fruits, fresh dairy and so on. If you feel bad after a food choice, then you know not to do it again. Continually making bad food choices and sabatoging yourself may be a sign of a larger problem and is a symptom more then a cheat.

I think that's how it is on any diet. If you follow WW you can choose to blow all your points on a dessert, or you can have a ton of veggies and fruit without reaching your point limit. On Atkins you can have a high carb treat, or you can have a ton of moderate carb food and still stay with in your carb tolerence level.

The closer you are to goal and moving through the stages, the more good choices you have. A cookie or fudge may never be a good choice, but a small bite once in a blue moon isn't bad. Adding whole grains may of been a bad choice in early OWL as it slowes weight loss, but on maintanance they can be enjoyed in moderation.

WELL SAID

You should never think of it as a "cheat" just a "bad choice" I'm going to remember that....Thanks...

Someone on another post said something to the effect that "Vegetarians don't say I think I'll have some meat today"

I find this site very enlightning

Great thread - something I'd wondered. It's really interesting to hear how others view cheating.

I too liked what Rick said because it is empowering (you don't mind if I adopt your terminology?). Cheating, to me, conjures up a whole lifetime of "dieting", being "good" and "bad" etc etc. Whereas, for me, I know this has to be a way of life and that means sometimes I will choose to go off programme because there is more to life than food (like a family celebration) but I can still choose wisely and not use it as an excuse to have a carb blow out or to give up on low carbing.