Oops, my biggest cheat !
GlitzArmstrong
Posts: 15 Member
Well, I have been at this woe for over 12 weeks now. I have been so good, until today my biggest cheat was chicken with BBQ sauce on it. A different day was grapes, oh but today was french fries. I have lost almost 30 pounds and feel great, but the last week or two I have felt more bloated . Not uncomfortable just feel like my belly is just more there =( my weight loss has really slowed in the last month. I guess it's all good reason to start tracking again. Maybe my calories are too low??
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Bloating usually equates to water gain, and too many carbs will definitely do that to you. Water = scale stall, but not necessarily fat-loss stall. Don't sweat it. Wait, do sweat it. Exercise will help you dump the water.0
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I enjoy some fries once in a while too. And other carby treats. Even though my loss has slowed I'm still losing. Remember you have a lot of time after the weight is gone, where you'll need to maintain. Learning to enjoy things in moderation now will help with your success after.0
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auntstephie321 wrote: »I enjoy some fries once in a while too. And other carby treats. Even though my loss has slowed I'm still losing. Remember you have a lot of time after the weight is gone, where you'll need to maintain. Learning to enjoy things in moderation now will help with your success after.
Good point. Lack of moderation is what continuously sets me back. I need to start adding preplanned "cheats" that fit my carb/sugar goal somewhat.
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I agree. It's really good practice to fall off the wagon and climb back on. I would argue that the hard bit is not the losing weight, it's the sticking to the plan long term - and the most likely thing to get you off plan is a cheat that turns into a day which turns into a week which turns into a month. Learning early and often how to stall the cheat at one meal and get back on the horse is probably the number one key to keeping weight off.
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I agree. When I started this WOE I would panic about being in ketosis and losses and cheats. I kept reading comments about how the cheats are just part of life. Focus on one day at a time and keeping carbs low at each meal. If you do this, you won't view carbs as a diet ruiner. You'll start to see food as fuel for your mind and body to use while you're busy living. Life can become about more than your next carb binge. You will be faced with opportunities to eat carbs you're entire life. It's absolutely best to learn how you'll face those challenges while dieting than afterward. See this as an opportunity to learn more about yourself, not a failure.0
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I utilized planned cheats. It's best to decide ahead that you'll have it once a month or once every 2, or never, except for a super-special holiday like Christmas or your birthday. Some things I have found useful are to plan ahead exactly what you are having and resolve to have nothing more, make the planned cheat a short window and once you are out of that time frame you are done (I usually pick supper until bed. It's finite, short, and minimizes possible damage), and keep no leftovers of the cheat material so you aren't tempted to get into it again. I wake up the next morning and resume my normal WOE. Good habits and their momentum carry me through.
You can already have so many delicious foods on this WOE. You aren't deprived at all. But it is nice to have some of the old favorites occasionally. And for some people, that is totally fine. I recommend waiting for a few months before you start allowing planned indulgences, to be certain you have achieved control. But you know yourself. So if you have the grit to do this after 2 weeks and it won't set you out of control, then that is up to you. I waited 6 months before I had my first "cheat."
If you are ready, make your rules and stick by them. Indulge, but not too often. And if you falter, pick yourself up and dust it off and get right back to bizness. No guilt, but no excuses either. Consistency over time is very important, super important, but life, too, is meant to be enjoyed. And an indulgence here and there, as long as it stays infrequent, is ok.
We don't get fat celebrating with food on holidays and special occasions. We get fat turning every day into an excuse to celebrate with unhealthy food. We don't need to binge. We have permission to eat healthy delicious things every day and to eat a serving of not-as-healthy every once and awhile.
This is all my personal experience talking. What I could do to a bag of chocolates or cookies or chips at one time was frightening. YMMV.0 -
@baconslave I totally agree with this. I am also using planned 'cheats'- and I love your idea of giving a time frame. I am the type that has a tough time bouncing back from a cheat- a once a week Friday evening cheat dinner turns into an all weekend cheat. Which is alright if I were only maintaining- but needless to say for losing it is disasterous. I have committed to this woe for an entire school year- 10 months- and I have planned cheats for special occasions only. And for the first time I am ok with that, because I feel like I eat so well on a keto diet that I really don't feel deprived. It is nice to finally find a lifestyle in which I can maintain control!0
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I have been low, and zero, carb for four months. I haven't had a "cheat", at all. My motivation comes from the improvements in my health. I don't want anything to make me go back to feeling the way I used to! So, I don't cheat. I was ZC during May and part of June. When I began to add in low carb veggies, like onions, some of them made me feel bad the next day and some of them didn't bother me. It's been a great way to find out what agrees with me and what doesn't. I don't feel deprived though.0
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I have been low, and zero, carb for four months. I haven't had a "cheat", at all. My motivation comes from the improvements in my health. I don't want anything to make me go back to feeling the way I used to! So, I don't cheat. I was ZC during May and part of June. When I began to add in low carb veggies, like onions, some of them made me feel bad the next day and some of them didn't bother me. It's been a great way to find out what agrees with me and what doesn't. I don't feel deprived though.
Im with you on this one, Karla. I've chosen to not cheat at all, and i genuinely have little desire to. Like @luvmyleo said, we can eat so many delicious foods on keto, i dont feel deprived at all. Dont get me wrong, at the very beginning of transitioning to keto, when i was slightly higher carb (~30g), i did get carb cravings, but i was so desperate to get in shape that i was scared to cheat. I didnt want anything to come between me and success. Even though i fancied eating that slice of cake or w/e, i made a decision that getting fit & slimming down, gaining confidence in the way i look and being proud of my body, was much much more important to me than any slice of cake, however tasty it looks. In a few short weeks it all became much easier and i didnt need such steely self-control because by avoiding carby cheats completely had resulted in my cravings naturally disappearing. Now its very rare that i crave carbs in any form, even glorious cake, but on the rare occasions i do i may decide to bake a keto treat of some kind - there are keto adaptations of pretty much any recipe out there. Although, usually i'll have a protein shake with a little HWC, or a tbsp or 2 of quick keto cheesecake (HWC, Full fat Cream Cheese, few drops sucralose liquid, lime zest) if im craving something sweet or creamy, and all is well with the world.
I would definitely suggest trying to limit cheats to a minimum, preferably not at all. Theres so much gorgeousness to be eaten that's keto, we're not denied much
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Just thought to say, on those days where i feel a bit run-down or feel in need of a pick-me-up i sometimes raise my calories anywhere up to maintenance. Its become a rarer occurrence the longer i stick to plan - im feeling less hungry and more satiated in general - but if i feel i need to occasionally i find its fine to just re-set at maintenance for a day or so, whilst keeping carbs as low as possible still. Raising your calories means you can treat yourself to more yummy keto foods, without ever needing to cheat, and without the repercussions of going off plan/0
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Thanks everyone! I really didn't have a lot of gilt with this cheat. I think I surprised myself. I am an all or nothing kind of eater,so cheating scares me a bit. Sometimes I have to remind my brain things have changed. I was such a mindless eater that things I didn’t even really like would end up in my mouth. The other day some banana salt water taffy was a thought , but I relied it wasn't worth it . The fries started with one , I could have stopped there but was frustrated that the scale wasn't moving without cheats so what the hell. I know I could turn it around after that. And guess what... the scale moved! I am finally out of the 160's. (Happy Dance)
So long story short , I don't think I will plan cheats for now but if one happen I will be just fine.0 -
I haven't been LCHF and keto for long, but I am planning on sticking with it like I do the gf diet. I'm a celiac so I can have no cheats or my health is affected for a few weeks, possibly longer. Right now I am thinking of LCHF like that.0