Poll: Controlled Cheats On Xmas Day

[Waterbabe_Helena]

The Truth please (with a capital T)!

Did you come off plan on Christmas Day last year? Yes or no?

If yes, was it a planned and controlled "cheat", or did you lose the plot entirely?

Did you find you planned cheat helped get you though the Day without turning it into a carb fest? Or did one cheat lead to another and another?

If you managed a planned cheat, looking back, do you think that was OK, or do you wish you had kept 100% on plan?

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Are you intending to keep 100% faithful on Christmas Day this year? Do you have a planned cheat? Are planned cheats bad per se? Is it unreasonable to expect anyone to be 100% perfect during Christmas? Or is it crazy to go off-plan just because others are having a carb fest?
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I'm looking forward to this discussion .... I think I can learn a lot about Real Life for Atkineers!

[Richt]

No, and sorry to be so holy about it, but I didnt come off plan at all! I stayed strong all day.

Rich

[not2late]

I've stuck to the plan throughout all holidays and special occasions on my Atkins journey. I always figured that those foods will be there when I reach goal, so why risk messing up my weight loss for it.

[stickin2it]

I plan to stay strictly on the plan this xmas... and here is why... the last time I was doing this woe, I went thru xmas 03 strictly on the plan. No problems... then xmas 04, I planned a control cheat... spent the next 3 months trying to get back on track, then fell off the wagon all together...then finally got back on track this September!!! So, even "planned or controlled" cheats are BAD BAD BAD in my book! Would not let an alcoholic have just one egg nog cuz it is xmas, so why should I let myself have carbs... a very slippery slope!!!

[Curveegrrl]

I stayed on plan for Christmas 2004. I was celebrating with another atkineer, so we had a great time making Atkins friendly dishes.

Last year, I was travelling with a few friends. I went off plan. I was off plan for about a week and a half, but hopped right back on the wagon when my holiday was over. I had put on two pounds. Which, while not ideal, is not the worst I've done over a Christmas holiday.

No, it might not have been the best desision to make for my diet. But it certainly saved a great deal of hassle when touring around cities in a country where I don't read or speak the language, my companions want to eat the local delicacies, and those local delicacies all involve rice. Or a sort of pancake mix.

I'm undecided about this year. I'll be travelling again, but in a city I'm more familiar with, so I'll know more places I can find something. But...it would be nice to get my drink on with the girls, ya know?

[Richt]

From experience I have often found there are so many alternatives open to us.

[Waterbabe_Helena]

Originally Posted by Richt

From experience I have often found there are so many alternatives open to us.

Please expand, Rich.

[Richt]

Helena, I was referring to eating out in general really. Its easier for an Atkineer to eat out than most other diets / eating plans.

[Curveegrrl]

This is true. I could have stayed on plan. I could have watched my friends eat, and then gotten snackety things from a convenince store afterwards as we toured about. I could have gone for dinner by myself. I could have waited until I was back at the hotel and had something there. I've done things like these at various times when the group I was with wanted somthing that I couldn't have. But for Christmas...this felt less festive somehow.

The group I was with all wanted okonomiyaki. I found it hard to say "But I can't," again. One of the...erm...fun things about eating out in Japan is that most restaurants are really specialized. Japanese pubs and family restaurants have more selection on their menus, but the quality is not as nice. If you go to an okonomiyaki resaurant, they ONLY have okonomiyaki. If you go to a tempura place, you'd best not be looking for anythng that is not battered and deep fried. If you go to a ramen shop, they ONLY have ramen (and gyoza, but that's no on plan either).

This works well if we go for yakitori, or yakiniku. There are lots of things I can have there. But last Christmas, we were at an okonomiyaki place. No salads. No sashimi. No grilled chicken. Just all sorts of tempting stuff fried into pancake batter.

Add to this, I can't even ask what is in a sauce, or how something is cooked. I usually have to go by the picture or the plastic model of the dish in the window. I just have to hope there's not a bed of noodles hiding under those veggies.

So yes, I certainly could have made healthier choices for myself. If I had been in my city, where I know lots of places that have Atkins friendlier fare, I probably would have.

But that still doesn't help a girl get her drink on. *misses beer*

[ladyinred]

I think it's always a good idea to plan to "be good" than to plan to go off plan. Where are you going to draw the line if you go off? Are you asking because you want one glass of wine at dinner, or because you want to sample all the cookies and other carbies that will be on display?

I do Christmas for the family at my house, so I have a lot of control. I make the usual sides of stuffing, mashed taters, rolls and cranberry sauce. I also make Atkins friendly sides so my dinner consists of turkey and two or 3 other veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and turnips. You can make mashed cauliflower if you want something mashed potato like. You can also make Atkins revolution rolls if you want a roll of some sort. No one usually questions what I'm eating or not eating because they are all too busy stuffing their own selves and there's the general commotion of having 12 people around the table.

To say that I've never slipped and had a bite of plum pudding would be a lie, but I always plan to stay on track. That's just my feeling about it. My problem would be where to draw the line - after one glass of wine, or would I have wine and egg nog? One or two cookies? Or one or two of each type of cookie? Would it end at midnight on Christmas Day or immediately after dinner or would I be facing the same dilemmas the next day with all the leftovers? Know what I mean? And for sure there would be a backlash the next day in the form of cravings. Better to be safe than really, really sorry. lol (Sorry, my 2 cents seems to have turned into $1.50 - heee)