hey, im new here...

i went on the atkins diet when i was in about 5th grade and lost 20 pounds. im now 16 and dieting again (alot of people say i dont need it... *shrugs*) but anyways, my friend's mom is also on a low-carb diet, and she says there are several books out there that say you can have one day a week off... is that true? i heard dr. atkins doesnt support that, but that there are many others that do. so whats the truth? another person i know has been on the suzzane sommers (sp?) diet and SHE has been doing it for several years... she says that the only reason some books say that you can have a day off is because thats what people want to here. so yeah. i took a day off today.. im rather worried that im going to wake up tomorrow and im not going to be able to fit in my pants!! HELP!

Maybe they are reffering to the Carbohydrate Addict's Diet by the Hellers. You eat 2 low carb meals a day and have one "reward" meal where you can eat anything you want is the basic premise.

If I took one day off, I would blow my WOL. Check out CAD here, they have one day off. Somepeople can do that.

Check out this link:

http://www.lowcarb.ca/atkins-diet-a...lans/index.html

It's the link to "Which low-carb plan is right for me?" from this very board. It might help you get a good idea of what might work for you.

Whichever plan you try, I strongly recommend doing it by the book first (for at least a month or more) before tweaking it. There are reasons for the "rules" in each plan.

Good luck!

I haven't heard of "many" books on low carb plans allowing one day off a week. As a matter of fact, the only one I can think of is CKD where you have a "carb up" day and then follow it with very low carb and strenuous weight training the rest of the week. The purpose of it isn't just to allow those that follow it a pig-out day, but a calculated input of glucose to re-supply the muscles with glycogen for the purpose of increasing muscle mass. There are specific rules that go with it (high sugar/low fat) as well as the required workouts so if you're not planning to weight train strenously, it probably isn't for you.
Dr. Atkins did not encourage "cheat days" or "days off" since they will likely throw you out of ketosis and most people tend to take 2-3 days to get back into ketosis again leaving you only 3 days a week in which you are actually burning fat.

Body for Life allows for one day off. But it is a program that has intense workouts and low fat meals.

The food-oriented plan with Body for Life is called "Eating for Life". They do have a "free day".

CAD doesn't have a "day off". It's stricter about carbs for breakfast and lunch than Atkins, but dinner allows some carbs balanced with protien and non-starchy veggies. There are rules and time limits about it, such as the under-one-hour time limit on the reward meal, no snacking and such.

I agree to check out the overview, it'll get you started.

I think taking a day off can be troublesome if you get a lot of cravings for carbs. Its like trying to quit smoking, if you smoke, the cravings continue that much longer.

I think it depends on the person.

Last week I tried taking one MEAL off and just eating whatever I wanted. So I checked the next day and I actually dropped a pound.

The problem? I gained a pound a day for the next 5 days, despite eating less than 20g of carbs a day. I'm still not on track. It feels like a runaway train and I am tracing it all back to that one indescretion.

I am now back on LC WOL, this time 8 1/2 mos.

Back on, because the one day lhas led to months off the WOL.

And the succeeding tries were much more difficult

So if my experience is true for others, a day off is not a good idea.

Sometimes I think the "I did this and lost a pound!" are just a coincidence. Maybe you would've lost the weight anyway, or perhaps even more!

I have to take a day off every once in a while, not necessarily once a week, maybe once every two weeks or 10 days..

I do it to stay sane.. If I was super strict with myself, I would get tired of it and give up.. so that one day really helps.. :shrug:

I concur with Sterlina. I have to give myself a break every once in a while but I think of it as a reward and I try not to go crazy/overboard with it either.

I allow myself one cheat day a week, usually my only day off work. I stay away from bread and flour but have that wonderful Hershey chocolate that I crave ( I live 1/4 mile from the chocolate factory in Hershey, PA ) I have consistently lost 3 to 4 pounds a week and it keeps me sane knowing that I am allowed to cheat without feeling guilty!

The big difference is you can quit smoking entirely and avoid places filled with smokers. You can't just quit eating and being around food. Everybody is different, and we all have to learn to deal with food and what we can and can't eat, as well as finding ways to make our chosen plan something we can stick with for life.

For me, if I didn't set aside a day or even one meal on a rare but regular basis where I could let myself eat "forbidden" foods without beating myself up, I'd have given up teh battle long ago! I know I have willpower and self-control, since I quit smoking over a year ago while working in a smoky bar! I just find it easier to pass up carbs when I know I can have them "some other time". I'm picking my battles. Cigarettes are "never again"... cake is "maybe some other time"..