4 weeks in, down 8.8 lbs, and now a "cheat" What food would you cheat on?
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mkrefting
Posts: 20 Member
I weighed today, 4 weeks in, and was down 8.8 lbs in 4 weeks. (I have A LOT to lose). Tonight I came home and had my steak, some butter onions, and alas, lettuce salad/ranch with a few croutons AND some glazed pecans with cranberries in the salad. Been CRAVING croutons (and pecans with cranberries)! I don't feel that bad about it, at least I didn't eat 4 Big Mac's, and I know I will never be able to do with *NO* carbs. My son is coming in 2 weeks and asked me to "please stay on this until I get there, then we will carb out for a day". I started thinking of all the foods to "carb out" on for a day, but all I can come up with is a bite of pancakes with syrup, a bite of bread, a bite of an ice cream sundae, a beer, pecans and raisens or cranberries in salad. What would you eat on a carb out meal if you were assured you wouldn't gain weight? Just for fun...........
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We do a sushi-date with a friend every other month or so. Even so, it's not a complete carb blowout. Usually have only a few carby things, and the rest of it is sashimi etc. So that's our 'carb cheat' thing.
Also incase you don't already know this, you may see a weight spike the day after you 'carb out'. It's pretty much all water, so don't panic or anything.
I might not have the science terms right, but basically every gram of glucose takes four grams of water to store, so it's not unusual to see like a several-pounds increase on the scale the day after. That will flush back out of your system over the next couple days once you go back to lowcarb again.
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I've never been keen on substitutions so it would likely be something Asian with real rice or Italian with real pasta.1
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It's odd, but after eating a few glazed walnuts/cranberries (not pecans) and having a few croutons, I stepped on the scale today and was down 3 pounds from Monday. I weighed on two scales, and both were the same. I did find out that the few cranberries and walnuts didn't have as many carbs as I thought, which was nice to know, as they added a lot to my dinner enjoyment! Now I won't weigh for at least 2 weeks.
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My cheat is ordinary something the husband is feeling, like pizza. Having eaten this way for about 2 years, I find I really have no cravings. More often than not, I feel regret after an overindulgence- not because of the cheat but because of the misery brought on by carbs afterwards!5
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My cheat is usually something social...like going out for sushi with friends...or having pizza because someone is moving and that's what they are feeding everyone...those rare situations where I simply am not in charge of the food and I don't want to take the time to plan my own thing.4
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Sounds like a food reward mindset. That won’t serve you well long term.
You will also probably end up making yourself really sick.5 -
A flour tortilla!0
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@Violet_Flux you're so very right. I haven't been drinking and I had two tequilas Sunday night which I believe is what lead to the scale pissing me off Monday morning.
Usually I'm very level headed about those things but that scale came dangerously close to being thrown out the window. I didn't really want to replace the glass in the window though....... 2 -
I made about 12 pounds of carnitas over the weekend and while I was tempted to have a couple corn tortillas I managed to resist and just ate the meat by itself. But on occasion I do have a random cheat meal, generally something Asian.0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Sounds like a food reward mindset. That won’t serve you well long term.
You will also probably end up making yourself really sick.
I second this.
This isn't a "diet-as-a-verb" (as in "to diet," as in temporary crash thing). This is a lifestyle change. As I recall, there are a number of links in the Launch Pad that talk about this. I highly recommend perusing them.
That's not to say that you can never ever ever changes or never ever ever have off-plan foods/meals. However, the dangerous part of "cheat meals/days" is the mindset it fosters.3 -
I have to agree with Sunny_Bunny_ and Dragonwolf. If I "carb out" for any reason, I pay for it the next day. Headaches, indigestion, bloating, brain fog, fatigue. . . any or all of those can happen.4
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I actually read up on this WOE a few months before I started. Looking at diets, from low fat, to low carb, etc. This one seemed to be the one that would benefit me at THIS point in my life. I was a fat teen, started WW with gramma, got bulimia from HS to college, got married, pregnant, quit the bulimia, lost weight on my own after 4 kids and then alas, NOW. I realize I will NEVER be the No carb or Low carb person, but I cut myself off for 4 weeks to keto, and did attain Keto. I was HUNGRY! STILL! So the other night I added some nuts and cranberries and a couple croutons. I felt like a million bucks! I also lost 3 pounds almost! In 2 days! So, I am going to "up" my carbs (total) to 50, so I can be "full". I think I have to do a menu on my own, because my story is so "different" from anyone else's. My heart is in it, but I can't be "hungry" and make it for the rest of my life. Thanks all.2
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@mkrefting You are absolutely correct that you have to find what works for you. I didn't mean to suggest that you can't or shouldn't eat what you want to, or have a "cheat" now and then. I was just expressing what works/doesn't work for me.
Enjoy your time with your son!4 -
I actually read up on this WOE a few months before I started. Looking at diets, from low fat, to low carb, etc. This one seemed to be the one that would benefit me at THIS point in my life. I was a fat teen, started WW with gramma, got bulimia from HS to college, got married, pregnant, quit the bulimia, lost weight on my own after 4 kids and then alas, NOW. I realize I will NEVER be the No carb or Low carb person, but I cut myself off for 4 weeks to keto, and did attain Keto. I was HUNGRY! STILL! So the other night I added some nuts and cranberries and a couple croutons. I felt like a million bucks! I also lost 3 pounds almost! In 2 days! So, I am going to "up" my carbs (total) to 50, so I can be "full". I think I have to do a menu on my own, because my story is so "different" from anyone else's. My heart is in it, but I can't be "hungry" and make it for the rest of my life. Thanks all.
50g is still considered a very low carb diet by many researchers. My OBGYN suggested a "very low carb diet" to me as part of my IVF treatment and I was amazed that the suggestion was to eat 80-100g carbs per day! I eat 40g per day which is a nice level for me as I'm vegetarian.
As for 'cheat' days - yep, they happen. I've booked into a very special Italian restaurant in March where I will be enjoying homemade bread, pasta and tiramisu!
Otherwise, if I could I'd eat a fresh croissant!
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When I first started keto, I had the intention of taking an occasional day day off from it. In the church we have feast days and fast days. This is what I knew. In 2016, I decided to observe a "feast" with an apple fritter. My BG went high and two hours later was in the high 180's. That was the first and last time to "take a break." I am T2D, and the cheat day for me is just sabotage.3
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I agree to an extent that the mindset of building a "diet" around the goal of a cheat day could be a bad way to go about it and could derail you. This really needs to be a lifestyle change that you can accept versus a reward system.
Here is how I approach it:
When I'm on my low carb vs keto times I really just calculate my goals by week rather than by day. Works for me but may not work for everyone.
For instance, I know I have 17,150 calories for the week rather than saying I have 2,450 a day. Most days I am a boring eater and I'm likely going to be pretty far under 2,450 building a bit of a deficit heading into the weekend. If I sit down on Saturday at the bar I could care less at that point if I eat 4,000 calories in wings to close the week. I'll still end in a small deficit or be right where I need to be. I don't look at it as a reward but rather just part of my WOE.9 -
Ok, still new to keto, but low-carb for about 3.5 years. I'm maintaining a 150+ lb weight loss. Just started Keto in November, so still wading the murky waters.
However, I'm a pro at being fat! And I'm a pro at the fat brain! I find that planning cheats helps my brain allow the bad habits back in. As @tcunbeliever said, if I find myself in a situation I cannot control, I do let myself spinout and binge, but I eat the best I can. If I'm on vacation and someone orders a dessert, I won't order my own, but I may taste theirs.
You have to find your diet, your limits. I avoid all added sugar, that works for me, but I absolutely will add nuts and seeds to my salad. My boyfriend always has chili rice chips in the house, so if I need crunch, one or two chips may find my way to my salad busted up instead of croutons. I know that the rice chips aren't on "my plan" per se, but if it keeps me from choosing a greater volume or other horrible foods, I don't let myself feel bad about it.
Good luck!5 -
Chinese buffet, hands down1
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Good rice.... arborio, brown basmati, jasmine, red, forbidden (black) rice.
I MISS my rice most.
But I agree with the others... if you are deciding to have higher carbs, don't go crazy...just choose the most favorite things to have, then hop back on the wagon right away or soon it will be 10 lbs heavier, and you'll be feeling bloated and icky. *ask me how I know*0 -
No cheating.2
