Question about CHEATING!!!!

[Bigitalianguy1982]

Ok...so I was talking to my girlfriends mother today and she has done atkins before and lost about 50 lbs in 3 months....she asked how my progress was going and I told her that I had lost about 21 lbs in 7 weeks so far. I told her that I seemed to get to one point and be stuck that it wasnt steady weight loss.....

She said that sometimes you have to cheat and then go right back on in order to get things moving again......

Is this true or was she just blowing smoke????

Thanks for your help

Dana

[chinadoll]

No you don't have to cheat and get back on. This has worked for some people but for others it just derails them completely. If you can do the plan without going this route, then do the plan. Here's how it works for me. After the first two months my body tended to go into a pattern of not losing for 5 weeks and then dropping three to five pounds all at once. Weight loss on this plan can be erratic for some people and very predictable for others. The first six weeks is not necessarily how your body will continue to respond for the long haul. Be patient and keep doing things right--drink water, exercise, stay on plan-- and the losses will happen, just not how you might expect.

You are a lot younger than me and male--I would bet you are due for a "whoosh" but don't be discouraged if your losses are slower and on a smaller scale now that you are past the initial quick loss stage. Hang in there. You are doing terrific so far, but to expect to continue at such a fast pace is probably unrealistic.

[Desertthorn]

Some folks can cheat, but if I cheat, I go into a food free-for-all and eat everything and anything in site. Eating carbs makes me crave more carbs, giving myself permission to cheat one time, makes it a lot easier to cheat more and more. Its doesn't work for me at all.

[metalslugx]

i don't think that's true. why do we have to cheat then go back on track again?besides. if you cheat once..you will always cheat..you wont stop cheating.

[ilahstrait]

If you are trying to change your eating habits for the better, than cheating shouldn't be an option, maybe except in moderation. Personally I have had days were I cheated. I will admit I have never had a stall, but I pay the price, with severe stomach aches. I have never cheated intentionally to keep weight loss going, although I have heard from relatives and friends that this does work. Some people can't handle cheats. They cheat and never return until they put back on most of the weight they lost or even more. It happened to me a couple of years ago. I am more determined and dedicated now, and actually enjoy this way of eating.

[IrishRain]

No, don't cheat! Try moving to OWL instead. I've seen a lot of post on here from senior members saying that moving to OWL can make your weight loss start back up again.

[NETTY12]

I've cheated to do that very thing she told you but I find myself then thinking that "aw, I cheated now I have to start induction again to rid away the carbs I ate" It seemed like such a hassel that I found excuses to not start up again and it just back fired everything. If you've had the willpower all this time, keep it up! Your body is trying to hold on to all the fat you may have but sooner or later its going to let go and your weight loss will continue gradually. I appulade her for being able to cheat and get right back on, one needs huge willpower to do that.

I don't know if you go through withdraws, but sometimes its not worth it and have those craps or headaches just for a couple of bites of something that won't last long. Just look at it as being allergic, I know a lot people here say that. So don't touch something you shouldn't touch, believe me you'll feel ten times better about it later Good Luck!

[msanjelpie]

Some people cheat and they lose and think it was the food they ate... little did they know they were due to lose at that point anyway...

Another possibility is that if constipation is the reason for a stall and you eat a whole wheat sandwich or something that makes you 'go' then the weight loss will start up again...

Both ideas have been tried and worked for some but failed for many more because it is VERY hard to get back on once you are off... much safer to just keep on a steady pace and allow your body to decide when it wants to lose...

[kibskix]

the first time I did atkins I had much less willpower than I do now. I cheated at least once ever 1-2 weeks, and i'm talking like a whole bag of nestle treasures cheating. I still lost about 30lbs in 2 months. BUT i'm back here with even MORE to lose than back then. That ought to tell you somethin about the habit of cheating!
Its been about 9 days so far, cheat free, and i've lost about 10 lbs, whereas that first time I lost only about 6-7lbs in the same amount of time. Stick with it!

[atxtraveler]

I hit a wall during Week 6 to Week 7. I did cheat, because the Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies that I had ordered before I started came in, and I am thoroughly addicted to them. I polished off that box, and then jumped right back on the horse... but it took longer to pull out of the cheat than I would have liked, so my recommendation is not to cheat if at all possible.