For me, one I build a habit everything is great. I wake up at the same time each morning and fall asleep at the same time. Take measurements weekly and weigh daily (I like seeing the stats in correlation to what I eat and how I exercise, otherwise I wouldn't care to weigh myself as often).

This is my third go - I'm more specifically on Keto and have intermediate-level knowledge on how to properly diet and exercise. BUT what kicks me off the diet really comes down to "life-changing benchmarks". For example, going back to school bumped me the first time. I was so used to making my own food every day and then I went to a campus in the middle of nowhere that served buffet style. At the time I didn't really get down how to snack properly so I would eat a couple times a day versus my 6 meals. On top of that, the homework, extracurricular obligations, and studying ruined my sleep schedule. I maintained weight lifting but my diet was ultimately shot.

Second go was after graduation. I moved to Boston to take on a new job. I had no money, couldn't really afford anything but the couch that I slept on in the ghettos. Every Friday the company would bring beer and catered food so I used the leftovers to get me through the weekend. I couldn't really afford a gym membership. I was BROKE. I know people learn how to live on a budget but to live on a budget in a city like that is tough.

Third go was when a more prestigious company gave me a job offer. I still lived in the Boston area but my work hours were rough. I would typically work 11 hour days, not a lot of time to eat breakfast in the morning and I didn't know how to cook quick meals in the evening. I eventually left for another job offer that ended up falling through. Now that I'm unemployed I'm going to try and keep myself on track. This is my last week of unemployment because starting Monday I'm back to the terrible corporate grind. I'm hopeful that I can keep on LC as I enter my new role but we'll see. I think i have a plan to make it work.

Waiting too long to eat and then reaching for something off plan, because it is always accessible

Increased stress

Poor meal planning

Having ice cream in the house

1. Being very tired means I tend to eat too much. Can still be on plan with LCHF, but cals go WAY over as I try to find energy from somewhere even if not really hungry.
2. Drinking alcohol means I lose self control and can still be on plan but again I just seem to stop caring about how much I eat.
3. Sometimes when I go out with my friends (it's not very often but inevitably alcohol will make an appearance) and we tend to go to quite fancy restaurants, for some reason I tend to fall off the wagon. I'm OK with starters and main and make good choices, but by dessert the alcohol effect kicks in and I don't choose the cheese board... anyway it's not very often.

You just have to get back to it ASAP!

Any sweets. I have a hard time saying no because I love them. I always crave them, sometimes more, sometimes less but it is always there.

If I nap during the day I wake up craving carbs like a junky. My blood sugar is fine but I just crave them so I have to be careful.

This is my first time doing keto and so far I'm 4 weeks in with no falling off the wagon.

In the past I've been on general healthy eating plans and things that made me slip were getting into a new relationship, recovering from brain surgery, and my father getting sick and passing away. In times of stress I seem to turn to junk food and a lot of French fries.

My husband fell off the keto wagon and in my opinion it was because he wouldn't up his fats and sodium enough to get past the fluish stage and he got really bored of the food choices. I think he eats of out boredom and meat and cheese are not his preferred snacks.

4 months in as of today and I've only had 2 falling off the wagon moments; granddad's 90th b-day party and our recent vacation. Both times I just got back on track the next day with minimal fuss. Up until month 3 I didn't have any moments where I wanted something off plan, then for some reason had a week where all I could think about was doughnuts and burgers LOL. Thankfully that passed and I noticed the correlation is definitely when I'm more hormonal. Lately the Halloween candy commercials, namely the Reese cup ones, have been having me crave those. I bought some sugar free ones and then remembered why I don't eat the sugar free ones, but you know, they did help stop the craving.

I did learn over my vacation that cheating is not worth it. My stomach hated me all weekend and I felt like a bloated whale. No thanks.

For me personally, I hate the thought process of cheating, falling off the wagon, starting over, etc. This is my life, it isn't a series of stops on a train or new bus stops or whatever. It's one long trip. Sure, some of it is in phases, but if I think of "starting over" to me that means I wipe our my former successes, too, and that's hugely demoralizing for me, so I just think of foods as "off plan" or eating less healthfully or whatever. I can't go through <this^ whole cycle, as it does my head in.

In the beginning, I didn't properly address my sweet tooth, which still, really, has not faded much. I used fat bombs and sweetened treats, all within plan macros, to sate my sweet tooth rather than manage it. I still had moments of OMG cravings and eating way too much of something that was okay in small doses, etc.

For me, this whole getting healthy schtick is a mental game. The physical follows, but if you can't get your head in the game, you're doomed to repeat mistakes or make new ones. So I've spent a lot of time in my head, reflecting, going over things, getting to know myself all over again, my reactions, and getting to know the inner workings of my body in ways I hadn't before...

So, my biggest stumbles have been due to fear of success, recognizing achievements, and nervousness about uncharted territory. While some foods have been issues, these mental triggers have been bigger deals. Then the argument of "I don't care" when I know I really care too much... Did I mention I consider myself to be quite a mess sometimes? LOL

For example, I've had some fully leaded sweetened milk chocolate, like 1 piece, and then I ate 15 or something.

But I had a cinnamon roll from a tube, left off most of the icing, and had no binges or carby cravings afterward.

I had a brownie, and wanted twenty more.

I ate Fritos for four days and haven't craved anything other than the salt and the crunch since...


So for me, the mental triggers are far more important than the actual foods. Stress cravings don't bother me as much anymore. Adding in intermittent water fasting a few times a week has allowed me to dial back my insulin levels and my cravings, providing better mental management....

wabmester wrote: »

revertt2d wrote: »

For those who don't fall off the wagon what keeps you on board?

Habit and avoiding faux-carb foods (e.g., low-carb breads, candy, tortillas, etc).

Developing new habits is really powerful. I actually tried to fall off the wagon (long story) and found it incredibly difficult -- there were simply very few carb-laden foods that still had any appeal to me.

This.

Having good snacks available is mentally reassuring even if I don't eat them.

Hard parmesan cheese and oberto Pepperoni sticks from Costco are my very best friend.

I have an ounce of thinly sliced parmesan cheese with 2 out of 3 meals. The nutty flavor and texture are very satisfying without eating a lot.

My biggest downfall is failing to plan...plan my meals, plan my snacks, etc. If I fail to plan, I may as well plan to fail.

It's having stuff in the house that I shouldn't...like if I have friends over and then have the left over snacks that I got for them (especially chips!) I have to throw them out immediately, or I will indulge.

Alcohol can be a trigger for me too.

And sometimes I just have an "f@#k it!" kind of day and throw in the towel...which could be hormones or stress.

I totally agree with @KnitOrMiss at not looking at it as "starting over", but just rolling with the bumps in the road and picking myself up after my stumbles. I've been minimizing my carbs and eliminating sugar since the very end of April...I've lost 40lbs...and just this week have seen the number 1 in front of my weight for the first time in years It's 199.2...but it's still the first time being under 200lbs in a long time. The past 2 months or so, I've had many weak moments and eaten things I wasn't supposed to...but you know what, I still slowly lost once I cleaned up my act...and it's still WAY better than how I used to eat. It's life, and I love food...some of that food being carbs. For me, the important thing has been making sure I don't let one stumble turn into a shame spiral of continual bad habits...but rather, making better choices with the very next thing I put in my mouth. And maybe counteracting it with a walk or dancing around my house.

It's also been interesting to look at my indulgences with a slightly scientific perspective and really pay attention to how my body reacts when I eat something that is off plan. Really commit to memory how craptastic I feel if I make poor food choices so I can fully appreciate how awesome I feel when I fuel my body with quality food.

Stress!! I want to grab some sweets for comfort. Hard to break that habit.

what does SAD stand for?

@nikoba standard american diet. Tho might as well be standard Western diet

Hi @nikoba, SAD stands for standard American diet. It's sad, lol!

I have managed to stay on the wagon. The health benefits have kept me on it. I have tested some foods along the way (gelato once, gastric distress!) To see what they would do to me. Keeps me safely on the wagon. I will be on it for always!

@ambergem1969 Oh yes! Tracking is a HUGE factor for me too...sometimes guilt will keep me from doing it, and I admit I'm not the best on the weekends...but even tracking 75-80% of the time helps me stay on track and make better choices overall.