I understand that for lots of people, cheat meals are to be avoided at all costs, but I want to point out that it's not like that for everyone. I have been doing lc for 8 months, I have cheated once intentionally (sushi dinner) and a couple of times I ate something high carb by accident. For me it was no big deal. Each time I gained about a pound and a half, but it was gone in a day or two. I didn't have problems with craving carbs or binging afterwards. Now, I'm not taking this as license to cheat all the time, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it when it does happen.

I understand the point of view that this is a way of life and therefore we should never compromise our eating habits, but to be honest, I feel the opposite: if I thought lc meant I would never eat another bite of sugar for the rest of my life, I'd quit lc today. That's just too extreme for me. I want lc to be a lifetime eating plan that I can live with. Which means the occasional carb treat.

My husband and I had been doing really well with our WOE, until this past weekend. We cheated all weekend. (that is one downside in doing this together, we talked each other into cheating) I gained 5 lbs have my hard earned weight loss back.

One thing I have noticed since I started Atkins is that my daily heartburn and frequent headaches disappeared. When I cheated they both came back with a vengeance.

I am back on track now, but it was very hard to get back on track once I let all that sugar back into my system. It was much harder than when I originally started.

Michelle

That is my post up above. I accidentally used my husband's account.

Gained three pounds after my son's bday party on Saturday. Was the potato salad I accidently put on my plate. Would have let it stand but the lady who brought it was staring at me. No, I didn't have any cake.

I've only cheated about 3 times in the last five months and have always been craving sugar afterwards for a few days. Took 50 mg vitamin B's and chromium to make cravings go away.

Don't cheat if you can get away with it but if you do here are the 'rules' I've come up with for mine:

cheat only with low g.i. food (all bran, fruit (my weakness is dried), yogurt, cottage cheese) and make it a lowfat meal. Then your blood sugar/insulin won't spike and you shouldn't gain. But you will stall. Wait three hours before eating fat again. And you can only do a low Gi. carb cheat if it is 4 hours after having fat, so that it is digested first.

Interesting thread. On Sunday my in-laws are having an anniversary brunch at a really up-scale restaurant. I have been thinking that I will eat whatever I want that day.

For 4 months I have had NO sugar at all, and gone off only a few other times: for a few french fries, and for jalapeno poppers. I am totally liberated from sugar cravings, so I'll bet I won't even end up eating any of them. But those cheese crapes? Maybe a croissant? Yeah, I'm gonna do it. In moderation, with lots and lots of water. LOTS.

When you LC, your insulin sensitivity increases greatly, hence the counter for diabetes. So when you do eat sugar or carbs, be sure that your insulin will be in full force, and insulin is essentially a STORAGE hormone, so BeWare!!

I was thinking about this thread. I'm really interested to know if there is a big difference in weight gain when one cheats by eating some carbs versus when one eats SUGAR.

I'd love to see a poll on that; although it'd be tricky to set up.

AS far as sugar vs carbohydrates go, Fructose and low GI carbs would most likely be appropriated by the liver glycogen stores, whereas Dextrose and high GI carbs would caus the larger spike in insulin levels thus meaning more fat/muscle gain. Keep in mind though the more liver glycogen stores you have the longer it takes to get back into Ketosis, therefore you would be kicked out longer of ketosis with LOW GI, bit gain more fat with HIGH GI and return to ketosis more easily, so it's kinda a toss up on this issue.


For me I would aim to keep my insulin level under control AT ALL TIME so would avoid the high GI and take the Low, if I had to choose between the two (were talking gunpoint here folks)

This information is in fact the cornerstone for the 'carb-up' period of CKD/BodyOpus plans, Hope this helps.

Christian

Sounds to me like you should check out the CAD plan. That way you low carb all day and then in the evening you can have a reward and you don't have to consider it "cheating."

When I cheat, if I fall into temptation, it's so small a cheat, maybe 2 chocolate chip cookies or like yesterday 2 marshmellows I don't gain anything. But I did cheat one time with chinese food for dinner, up 4 pounds the next morning and it takes me 3 days to shed it again.

I don't plan cheats, but if I end up eating something I know I shouldn't have, I've learned to control myself enough to not go overboard with it. I've learned to control my emotional eating.

You have been given some really good advice here!

I would like to share my story of "cheating" I started Atkins Nov 2, 2002, I stayed on plan faithfully for 5 months Mar 2003 lost 38 pounds. Then I got sloppy with watching what I ate, thinking oh this cheat did not add that much gain so this time it won't hurt again...I have too much to loose to get this lacks this soon but for some reason, I knew back in my mind that Atkins worked and I needed to be back on it. But I didn't hear or want to hear the little voice in my mind.... I kept doing it my way.... I would have been at goal by now if I would have listened.

Someone on this board has a signature line that reads:
"Nothing taste as good as thin feels"

I keep playing this in my head now, and I keep coming to the boards...And it seems to keep me on track now.

Only you can decide if it is worth it...and I agree with whoever said "If you cheat who are you cheating?"

Best Wishes
Julie

P.S. I vote for no cheats

cheated for 2 days and gained 12 pounds. Yup 12. But went back on stricht induction and lost all of em in a week. Must have been mostly water.

Well I guess it depends upon just how long the cheat was. I just spent a week in Florida vacationing, attending my son's college graduation, going to Epcot and visiting relatives. Not only that, but I stopped by a church I used to attend in Georgia on the way down to Florida. They were having a 40th anniversary celebration for the church and had a huge old fashioned pot-luck dinner. "Forgive me Lord," but I just couldn't pass up that good ol' southern cooking. (I won't be cruel and tell everyone what was at the pot-luck dinner, but suffice it to say I "fell from grace"). So between the pot-luck dinner and eating out three times a day for 12 days straight, I gained 5 pounds. Actually when you think about it, it wasn't that bad. Now that we are back home, I have decided to wait until next month to seriously start back low carbing because we are selling our house and moving and I am stressed out big time. Hopefully I can get back on track in June after we get settled into our new home.

........he he he....none......sometimes its even down, and you ask yourself...?..........

I gained 2-4 pounds the 3rd time I cheated, that came back off in a couple days, it was water, it had to be. The first time I cheated I REALLY binged and actually lost weight doing so, 2 pounds off from binging on cookies/ice cream and various types of other snacks. Then the 2nd time I cheated I gained 1 pound of water. That's pretty much it, I think I gained 2-4 pounds of water the 3rd time because I ate the stuff pretty late and my body didn't have a chance to really process it before bed.