I think that relying solely on the strength of your willpower to get you through something you regard as a struggle and a sacrifice is, in most cases, a way to set yourself up for failure. You're human, and sooner or later you're going to have a bad day, where something else is sapping up all your energy and willpower, and if you haven't rearranged your thinking vis-a-vis food and eating, you're very likely to rationalize your way off the wagon. Everyone's different in how they handle that situation -- some people can get right back on, some people beat themselves up about it, some people get thrown for a total loop -- but it's better if you can avoid it entirely by getting yourself out of the sufferance mindset.
This is doubly true because of all the possible ways to lose weight on this planet, LC involves about the least amount of denial. Unlike with very-low-calorie diets, you're getting enough food to satiate normal hunger levels, and the food you're eating is much tastier and more satisfying than fat-free. Yes, there are a few things you can't have, but I personally find it much easier to find ways around pasta and potatoes than, say, beef or real cheese. I've been at this for nearly two years now, and there are only a bare handful of things I really absolutely can't find my way around which involve chemical properties exclusive to sugar or flour (creme brulee, caramel, sponge cake). Sometimes just a matter of applying a little kitchen creativity to a vegetable-based substitute -- not just mashed cauliflower, but zucchini or eggplant "noodles", cauliflower "rice", radish hashbrowns, or turnip "potato" chips. As for pasta and breads, you can fit the LC substitutes into just about any level of carb intake, maybe not daily but at least occasionally, and the same is true for fruits, yogurts, and LC candies and homemade desserts. No, you can't eat everything you want all the time, but you don't have to resign yourself to never eating anything yummy at all, ever again.
Aside from a few natural ascetics, most of us can't eat nothing but protein, fat, and green veggies day-in-day-out, and keep our carbs and calories and nutrient percentages at the magic numbers every meal of every day, and avoid all artificial sweeteners and caffeine, and so-on-and-so-forth. If you're feeling denied and deprived, maybe you're trying too hard to be 100% perfect, and that's a sure recipe for burnout. It's also not a good way to make this a lifestyle, or to prepare yourself for your eventual transition to maintenance. You've got to decide what your own needs and tolerances are, and what it will take to make you feel non-denied, but it's important to plan in some kind of wiggle room somewhere.
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