I just got back on the wagon after being off for 4 or 5 months. I didn't completely go beserk with carbs during that time, but I didn't stay completely low carbing either!!

This is the last time though!! In the future I might plan a cheat or a higher carb meal, but it will not be more than a meal......(atleast thats the plan!)

Bug

Once, but in a big way. I went on vacation 2 weeks ago, fully prepared to stick to LC but I only lasted 24 hours. Once I got home, one weekend turned into a full week and I just got back on plan yesterday.

I began the beginning of March and I can say that I've had about three stress related cheats (about one each month over the course of three months) and one or two semi-planned minor cheats.

The stress related cheats were a piece of coconut cream pie with a tall glass of milk, chocolate cake with a tall glass of milk, and a quarter of a can of milk chocolate frosting with, you guessed it, a tall glass of milk.

The semi-planned cheats didn't really have anything to do with stress, but because I craved some pinto beans with cornbread and relish (with turnip greens!) a couple of times. Nothing would do until I went to Cracker Barrel and had some!

Hmmm...

I had two pieces of cake on Mother's Day.
I had a serving of ice cream on three or four other occasions.
At times I have overdone it with LC treats.

Does it derail me? No. It stops my loss for a couple of days. I feel it's worth the cheat so I don't feel like I'm missing out and really binge. The sweets are my Achilles heel, so I keep the sugar monster happy on occasion.

I am the one in control this way.

Vicky

I successfully lost 20 lbs two summers ago. In the fall, thinking that I was done with the "diet" I went back to my old eating habits. Whoops. Stoopid move. So last summer I did it all over again, but this time it has sunk in that this isn't a diet to use just for losing weight.


I've been on maintenance for the last 6 months. I enjoy the variety of food I eat now. I have gotten rid of old bad eating habits and replaced them with the proper eating habits. I do have room to have a treat every once in a while, but I don't use it as an excuse to go hog wild and overindulge. I have learned portion control.

This is just the way I eat now. Not a diet.

I said 1-3, but I don't really consider what I've done as "falling-off". I've had a couple of occasions where I did have a high carb treat, like my 40th bday or vacation, but normally I'm pretty strict about being under 30 carbs a day. I knew on both of those occasions that I was planning to indulge and just kept on low carbing the next day. So hopefully that is something that will work for me long term. I don't plan to do this often, but I don't think 3-4 times a year will bump me off the wagon!

I'm one of those boring stick to lc all the time people Been on Atkins over 1 year without any real temptations or problems. I do use the lc treats to help out - when everyone else is having desserts or whatever I will pull out a piece of lc Russell Stover chocolate and be happy.

Marie

Marie, those candies are good!! It's hard to stop at just one piece, I'd at least have to have two, if you're talking about the small individual servings. In the pack though, that has two pieces, that does me, but I don't dare keep them in the house any longer. I don't trust myself.

I have fallen off a couple of times after a long stall to try to jump start myself....and then there have been a couple of times I planned a 'weekend break' because we're going camping at the lake for Memorial Day weekend or whatever....but like everyone else, I think I feel better when I maintain...My advice, if you fall off....or jump off for whatever reason, make it count....eat what you crave and get it out of your system...and get back to it!! there is a scientific reason why you feel better....so my theory is...dont fight nature! lol

Good Luck!
Julie

The more stress, the more determined I am not to let it overcome me, and I NEED to stay committed to this WOE in order to stay healthy and endure the stressful times.

Falling off the wagon to me means totally going off and eating major high carb foods. I have had a couple of binges on LC foods and since I count 50% of all sugar alcohols my carb counts were high considering were they normally are, but I have never ever totally fallen off the wagon. Never even really wanted to. Though I have had a few too many LC treats at times, nothing worse.

I've fallen a number of times, mostly stress-related. In the last year and a half, I've lost my brother, my father-in-law, and just recently, my mother. I come from a very small family and I've had to handle each estate. I have finally come to realize that stress will always be there, and it's up to me how to handle it. But I always come back, because it is the only "diet" I've ever been able to live with and feel good on.

I haven't fallen off the wagon yet. Since I know I'd overindulge in low-carb goodies like chocolate, I don't bring those into my house. Frankly, I'm a slow loser, so even the thought of gaining a pound or two in one cheat scares me straight, and I'm able to get a handle on it.

I have fallen off the wagon more times than I can count but I am still here and still trying. If anything, Atkins and CAD have at least kept me maintaining.

Over two years ago I managed my first one month stretch of Atkins, then again last year and now I'm trying again. I lost 10 and 13 pounds the first two times and didn't gain it back, thank goodness. I've been off the wagon more than I've been on the wagon, but I'm trying again and I intend to stick with it this time.