I don't understand cheating.

Ignoramus brought up a great point this evening in another thread.

Can someone please explain to me what the big temptation behind a "planned
cheat" is?

The point of a low carb diet ultimately (if you treat it as a way of eating,
now losing a quick 10lbs in water weight) is to reduce your cravings for
refined white sugar and white flour, reduce your appetite, and lose weight.
You eat less, you feel better, and you take in less calories and you start
to lose weight.

But - and this isn't meant to be a rude shot at anyone - why would you want
to plan to cheat. Plan to eat the things that used to make you feel bad.

That doesn't seem like a "treat" to me, but more or less an injustice to
your body.

If I want to eat some bread, I do it. I do it knowing that it isn't good for
me, and I rarely do it because of that.

so I was just wondering, if you want to break food addictions, why have a
day when you PLAN to let the addictions overcome you?

Trust me. If you believe something to be a reality, it starts to be your
truth. If you believe truly that the LC WOE is the best WOE, then you will
not want to plan for cheats.
If you view the diet as restrictive to the point where you spend a day
eating stuff you KNOW is not good for you, then you are at least for some
time preoccupied with what you should not me thinking of, the things which
negatively impact an aspect of your life you are trying to change (in this
case your diet).

I hope I haven't offended anyone, but this is just what popped into my head.

Some people do better with plans. Some people are organized. That is how
they live their life, so I am sure that is how they would choose to eat.

Now, I am not organized, so I doubt I would even think to do that, even
though it is a good idea.

Keri

6/10/03

"Kerri Ratliff" wrote in message
news:K5FUb.7139$Le3.7080@okepread04...
Some people do better with plans. Some people are organized. That is how
they live their life, so I am sure that is how they would choose to eat.

Now, I am not organized, so I doubt I would even think to do that, even
though it is a good idea.

Keri

6/10/03



Hey Keri,

thanks for the reply.
I wouldn't recommend you cheat though.

The main point of what I am saying is this:

If you push the negative thoughts and the weaknesses out of your head and
replace them with positive things and goals that you are determined to meet,
your need for cheating disappears.

If you dwell on or plan for negative days, you are not only allowing the
thoughts that are negative (bad food thoughts in this case) in, you are
allowing for the bad thoughts to at least for a day, dictate what you do.

So to plan for a cheat seems like just negative energy to me, bad thoughts,
etc.
Positive energy and the BELIEF (not just a want mind you) that you can reach
a goal will get you to the goal.

Hmm, I cheat now and again. I also plan cheat. I don't make a habit out of
it. For example, I am going to a beer and cheese tasting on Saturday. That
is a planned cheat day. I am not looking at this as a crash diet, it is a
lifestyle. Long term goals. Do I have a planned cheat every week? NO.
This happens now and again. I work out hard and sometimes there are
occasions that have me eat things off the plan. For me, it works fine. If
you have a planned cheat every week, I think that is too much unless you are
very very close to goal. I don't know though. Everyone is different.

JMHO,
Curt
--
Started low carb May '03
211/186/185 . . 6'2"
Highest weight 250


"Steven C (Doktersteve)" wrote in message
news:P1FUb.10738$213.7561@edtnps89...
Ignoramus brought up a great point this evening in another thread.

Can someone please explain to me what the big temptation behind a "planned
cheat" is?

The point of a low carb diet ultimately (if you treat it as a way of
eating,
now losing a quick 10lbs in water weight) is to reduce your cravings for
refined white sugar and white flour, reduce your appetite, and lose
weight.
You eat less, you feel better, and you take in less calories and you start
to lose weight.

But - and this isn't meant to be a rude shot at anyone - why would you
want
to plan to cheat. Plan to eat the things that used to make you feel bad.

That doesn't seem like a "treat" to me, but more or less an injustice to
your body.

If I want to eat some bread, I do it. I do it knowing that it isn't good
for
me, and I rarely do it because of that.

so I was just wondering, if you want to break food addictions, why have a
day when you PLAN to let the addictions overcome you?

Trust me. If you believe something to be a reality, it starts to be your
truth. If you believe truly that the LC WOE is the best WOE, then you will
not want to plan for cheats.
If you view the diet as restrictive to the point where you spend a day
eating stuff you KNOW is not good for you, then you are at least for some
time preoccupied with what you should not me thinking of, the things which
negatively impact an aspect of your life you are trying to change (in this
case your diet).

I hope I haven't offended anyone, but this is just what popped into my
head.

In article P1FUb.10738$213.7561@edtnps89,
"Steven C \(Doktersteve\)" wrote:

Ignoramus brought up a great point this evening in another thread.

Can someone please explain to me what the big temptation behind a "planned
cheat" is?

The point of a low carb diet ultimately (if you treat it as a way of eating,
now losing a quick 10lbs in water weight) is to reduce your cravings for
refined white sugar and white flour, reduce your appetite, and lose weight.
You eat less, you feel better, and you take in less calories and you start
to lose weight.

But - and this isn't meant to be a rude shot at anyone - why would you want
to plan to cheat. Plan to eat the things that used to make you feel bad.

That doesn't seem like a "treat" to me, but more or less an injustice to
your body.

If I want to eat some bread, I do it. I do it knowing that it isn't good for
me, and I rarely do it because of that.

so I was just wondering, if you want to break food addictions, why have a
day when you PLAN to let the addictions overcome you?


Ooo, yeah, maybe that's where the disconnect is. I have planned cheats,
but I don't "let the addictions overcome me". I'm not sure how other
people do it, but a planned cheat for me is something like, I'm going out
to the Chinese buffet with my family, and I'll have 2 or 3 pieces of
something breaded and fried as my "dessert" after a meal of salad, boiled
shrimp, and crab legs. Or a special family event like Thanksgiving where I
will have 2 bites of pie or cake. I bet not everyone is as strict with
their planned cheats as I am, but I've found that a taste of something is
enough, because that's the part I miss. I miss the taste, not the filling
up part.

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

"Steven C (Doktersteve)" wrote in message
news:P1FUb.10738$213.7561@edtnps89...
Ignoramus brought up a great point this evening in another thread.

Can someone please explain to me what the big temptation behind a "planned
cheat" is?


I agree....planned cheats are a bad thing. I have done the planned cheat
thing twice...both times led to a long derailing of my LC'ing. I guess it
comes down to no matter how much you change your lifestyle, sometimes the
lure to eat something you really liked before LC'ing makes you feel you
compromise less by including it in the occasional cheat.

To anyone considering it who hasn't done it...don't. It messed me up twice
big time. My cheat was french toast both times.


Norsk

Doktersteve wrote:

Ignoramus brought up a great point this evening in another thread.

Can someone please explain to me what the big temptation behind a "planned
cheat" is?

The point of a low carb diet ultimately (if you treat it as a way of eating,
now losing a quick 10lbs in water weight) is to reduce your cravings for
refined white sugar and white flour, reduce your appetite, and lose weight.
You eat less, you feel better, and you take in less calories and you start
to lose weight.

But - and this isn't meant to be a rude shot at anyone - why would you want
to plan to cheat. Plan to eat the things that used to make you feel bad.

That doesn't seem like a "treat" to me, but more or less an injustice to
your body.

If I want to eat some bread, I do it. I do it knowing that it isn't good for
me, and I rarely do it because of that.

so I was just wondering, if you want to break food addictions, why have a
day when you PLAN to let the addictions overcome you?

Trust me. If you believe something to be a reality, it starts to be your
truth. If you believe truly that the LC WOE is the best WOE, then you will
not want to plan for cheats.
If you view the diet as restrictive to the point where you spend a day
eating stuff you KNOW is not good for you, then you are at least for some
time preoccupied with what you should not me thinking of, the things which
negatively impact an aspect of your life you are trying to change (in this
case your diet).

I hope I haven't offended anyone, but this is just what popped into my head.

I go off plan once in a while because I LOVE food. I love to cook, eat, shop,
etc. I even read cookbooks like some people read novels. I am a total foodie!
By allowing myself a planned cheat I can control myself rather than binge.

There are many non-LC foods that I miss: extra spicy orange chicken, salt
bagels, anything at any Wolfgang Puck restaurant, whole grain pancakes with
real maple syrup at my favorite breakfast place, chicken mole, pumpkin ravioli,
just to name a few.

I'm in this for the long haul and I can't imagine NEVER eating these foods
again. I do count my carbs and calories even on "cheat" days so I know what
adjustments to make to help compensate. I'll do extra cardio to burn the
glycogen and cut way back on the carbs for a few days.

I think eating in moderation is the key to successfully maintaining. Remember,
even low carb will put on weight if too many calories are consumed.

With that said, I do try to limit my off-plan days by remembering the words of
the great Steven Tyler: "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." Keeping this
mantra in mind does help me limit my "cheats".



Brenda
135/106

In article wSFUb.183333$Rc4.1371235@attbi_s54,
"norsk" wrote:

"Steven C (Doktersteve)" wrote in message
news:P1FUb.10738$213.7561@edtnps89...
Ignoramus brought up a great point this evening in another thread.

Can someone please explain to me what the big temptation behind a "planned
cheat" is?


I agree....planned cheats are a bad thing. I have done the planned cheat
thing twice...both times led to a long derailing of my LC'ing. I guess it
comes down to no matter how much you change your lifestyle, sometimes the
lure to eat something you really liked before LC'ing makes you feel you
compromise less by including it in the occasional cheat.

To anyone considering it who hasn't done it...don't. It messed me up twice
big time. My cheat was french toast both times.


Norsk



Aww, man, now I want french toast. ) If I decided to cheat with french
toast, here's how I'd do it. I don't have bread in the house, so I'd go to
my neighbor's and ask them for a slice of bread, make my one piece of
french toast, and eat it, and then, well I'd be done and no more bread!
Ta-da!

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

I agree....planned cheats are a bad thing. I have done the planned cheat
thing twice...both times led to a long derailing of my LC'ing. I guess it
comes down to no matter how much you change your lifestyle, sometimes the
lure to eat something you really liked before LC'ing makes you feel you
compromise less by including it in the occasional cheat.

To anyone considering it who hasn't done it...don't. It messed me up twice
big time. My cheat was french toast both times.


Norsk



Aww, man, now I want french toast. ) If I decided to cheat with french
toast, here's how I'd do it. I don't have bread in the house, so I'd go to
my neighbor's and ask them for a slice of bread, make my one piece of
french toast, and eat it, and then, well I'd be done and no more bread!
Ta-da!

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

Yum!! French Toast!! Ordering off the kids' menu is another way to monitor
portions. I tend to have my "cheats" away from home to avoid leftovers of both
the meal and the ingredients.

Brenda
135/106

"Luna" wrote in message
...

Aww, man, now I want french toast. ) If I decided to cheat with french
toast, here's how I'd do it. I don't have bread in the house, so I'd go
to
my neighbor's and ask them for a slice of bread, make my one piece of
french toast, and eat it, and then, well I'd be done and no more bread!


you could make french toast with low carb bread, right? the rest of the
recipe is LC friendly. ok, so you can't have the syrup, but you could top
it with fresh berries and freshly whipped cream.

-kelly