Planning For Cheats

[FightingTheFight]

I have also read on this board how some people have cheated as a way to jump start their diet if they were stalled

that theory was debunked long ago

Eat crap - stay fat. That's not mean, that's truth.

And the truth hurts.

So with that said, is it better for me to compensate for the event by eating mostly low-fat, healthy carbs for the day? Please let me know.

By that statement I am going to go ahead and assume that you haven't totally grasped the concept of this WOE. I am not trying to be mean, I am just saying that you need to understand how things work, how it affects the body and then make decisions. Even a dope head makes sure the needle is clean.

By doing what you mentioned would actually be a whole lot worse.

[tickletussler]

Bugout, I won't tell you that it is ok to go ahead with a planned cheat. But I do want to say that at the end of the day, it is about finding out how this WOE (Atkins) works for you. Most people who end up on Atkins, have previously tried one diet after another and didn't get the weight off... until they tried Atkins and they started to see results. Hence most of the replies you get here will be from Atkineers who will do everything and anything to support this WOE because it works for them.

However my response would be: you are likely to go ahead with what you are planning right? So why not go ahead and find out how a planned affects YOU.

(I will not proudly) admit to 3 planned cheats - one broke a stall, another put on 8lbs, the third just kept the weight stable with minimal effects. I have read of others who have had planned cheats - some like myself had good results, others not-so-good.

The one good point of a "planned cheat" (vs an unplanned cheat) would be you are in control of what you are about to put into your mouth. Unplanned cheats usually end up out of control. A planned one, well... *shrug*
If you are extremely conscious about what you are about to eat and if you are conscious of how far you are going to cheat, then chances are the effects of an planned cheat could be much less than a unplanned cheat. You may even find that when the time comes for you to go ahead with your planned cheat, you will back off.

Like I said, you need to find out what works for you because at the end of the day, we can tell you what not to do, but it is YOU who needs to be happy with with this decision.

[bugout429]

Boy oh boy. I never imagined the extent to which I'd be chastized by some of you for asking what I considered a legitimate question. Being supportive doesn't necessarily mean condoning what I do, but if you have constructive feedback to offer, I'd appreciate it if you'd give it without judgement or condemnation. I didn't ask my question to have my head bit off by you holier-than-thou ANA nazis. I recognize that cheating usually happens during a moment of weakness and lack of preparation, and those are the types of cheats that I have found the strength to avoid because if there's ONE THING that I learned during my month-long experience with Atkins, it's that even an accidental cheat WILL get me into trouble because it will send all the other FAT that I ate throughout the day STRAIGHT into my glycogen stores, making me bloated, fat, and miserable.

Those of you who did not attack me, I appreciate your replies. Thank you for understanding that the purpose of my question was to understand, from a dietetic perspective, if it was possible to avoid or minimize the retention of eaten-fat due to an incidental bad-carb consumption by adjusting your meals for only that day to lower-fat foods and more high-fiber carbs.

Believe me, my progress means too much to me to do this on a frequent basis, but what about the Atkins dieter who, on her wedding day, knows she'll have to eat at least a bite of cake, even if at least for a photo op? Or for the Atkins dieter, who, at the Passover seder, knows he'll have just one piece of a piece of a piece of matzah, just to honor the ceremony? I know many of you are purists who would consider even this unacceptable, but for the rest of us, there has to be a degree of flexibility in the ANA to plan for these life events, and have a strategy to encounter them wisely, incurring the least amount of damage!

Despite the reaction I got from some of you, I was NOT asking for instructions how to cheat. Maybe I didn't phrase my question delicately enough. I merely wanted to know if anyone had any advice on how to minimize the shock to my system if I DID cheat, and had the foresight to know that I would, and be able to plan ahead.

Anyway, that was last night. For anyone who is interested, yesterday I stuck to a moderate 33%/33%/33% ratio during the day, having a 1/2 cup of Uncle Sam with Berries cereal with 1% milk for breakfast, a spinach salad with grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers and 2T Caesar dressing for lunch, had a snack of light yogurt before I went out, and drank my 64 oz water throughout the day. At the restaurant, I had an awesome cherry snapper ceviche, two carne asada tacquitos with ground-corn tortillas and red salsa, some grilled green beans, a little grilled corn salsa, and 2 caipirinhas consisting of muddled lime, sugar and cachaça (a spirit). For dessert, I had two bites each of Mayan bread pudding and some kind of deep-dish chocolate rum raisin cake. Lots of water.

Today I feel no ill effects. I don't feel guilty or emotionally rotten, but I AM back on a strict induction regimen, which I intend to follow closely over the next few days as I observe the effects of last night's meal. I want to be sure there are no other factors that I can attribute any potential weight gain or other adverse effects to. Anyone who's interested can follow this thread...

...Unless you intend to flame me again, in which case, I think you know perfectly well what you can go do...

p.s. I just want to add that the only reason I "planned my cheat" is because I knew we'd be at a really exclusive, one-week-old, private restaurant that was raved about, whose menu was small and culturally-specific. I just wanted to go and enjoy the experience and not be a primadonna. The end.

[Finelly]

Two comments:

1. I am a person who has a tiny piece of matza at the seder. This is acceptable, just as holy communion is acceptable on Atkins.

2. The next time you consider calling people who advocate not cheating "nazis", please remember that there are at LEAST 3 Holocaust survivors who frequent this board, and at least 5 adult children of survivors. You should know better. It's a shande.

[cruiser gal]

Congrats on getting right back on track! Forget about yesterday, move ahead, and lotsa luck to you! You're in control!!!

[AllieCat0817]

Originally Posted by not2sweet

It's kind of redundant to come in to an ATKINS support forum and commit to cheat?...I don't think anyone is going to want to answer it...it's like we are condoning it. There are so many Atkineers here that have chosen to take this WOE seriously. You should decide if this WOE is right for you before you go on.

The correct answer is if you were serious about losing weight and commited to this WOE you wouldn't be asking this question. It is relatively simple to stick to Atkins even if you are eating out. Find out how their meat and veggies are prepared, make sure there are no hidden sugars in the seasoning....grab a salad with some grilled chicken, etc.

No one is perfect, I understand that...and by no means am I trying to be mean, but most people here are REALLY trying to NOT cheat and you come in asking us how you CAN cheat and get away with it. It just doesn't seem right, I guess

ditto

[tickletussler]

hey Bugout, great to hear that you survived AND enjoyed your night out.

Main point is, you learnt something from it didn't you? How you handled the situation, how some of us will react to your thread, and what you can/can't say.

[AllieCat0817]

Originally Posted by Finelly

The next time you consider calling people who advocate not cheating "nazis", please remember that there are at LEAST 3 Holocaust survivors who frequent this board, and at least 5 adult children of survivors. You should know better. It's a shande.

Wow Finelly, this is soooo deep. Thanks for posting it. I hear the term Atkins **** all the time in reference to my views on low carbing. I hear it and shrug it off without even thinking what it means to a survivor. I apologize on behalf of the person who posted it (if that's even possible).

[bugout429]

Originally Posted by Finelly

2. The next time you consider calling people who advocate not cheating "nazis", please remember that there are at LEAST 3 Holocaust survivors who frequent this board, and at least 5 adult children of survivors. You should know better. It's a shande.

1. It's not the people that merely 'advocate not cheating' that I'm calling ANA Nazis. I'm talking to the hypercritical extremists who are so quick to condemn me and bite my head off without even considering the logic behind my inquiry. I can't really think of a better term. I suppose it's the same level of intense, irrational committment to a cause that makes Islamic fundamentalists go berzerk, but somehow "ANA Jihadists" doesn't quite roll off the tongue so smoothly.

2. While I don't mean to deliberately offend any Holocaust survivors (I certainly have them in my family as well) I also will not walk on eggshells around peoples' particular sensitivities when trying to express myself. I'm curious, did you also write to Jerry Seinfeld to protest his use of the term "Soup ****", or am I only getting this feedback because I'm accessible to you?

3. Nothing can compare to the unforgivable horrors that we Jews have suffered at the hands of the Nazis. With that said, I still speculate that it's a good thing that, on this board, I only exist virtually, because some of the attacking remarks I've gotten make me think that, if they had me in the flesh, I might truly have been sent to the gallows by now...

*sigh*... but whatever.

[Finelly]

It's probably best, especially considering the rule of Lashan Harah, not to call people who criticize your choices nazis or jihadists. After all, nobody who has posted is trying to kill you or eliminate a particular culture.

I just re-read this thread. You posted a question about planned cheating. The responses were not positive, but they were not attacks, either. The criticism of your choice was based on reason and logic, and is consistent with the Atkins woe.

I will not respond to your other comments, as they are inappropriate.