<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Yes, I suffered, but life is for living<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I whole heartedly agree with this statement. I will not make food my enemy on this WOE. Of course, there is no reason to go overboard all the time, or at all for that matter. However, I also see no harm in occasionally celebrating life and have there be delicious food around as well. While I will eat the meats and salads but tasting the pasta and sweets will not set me back years. Maybe this is not a way of thinking everyone wants to adopt. However, I did the guilt thing long enough so I will not make myself feel guilty for eating something I enjoy every now and then.


~Steph

Realistically, if you're committed to this WOL, planned cheats are not going to send you spiraling backwards. However, said cheats can be better planned out, and based around the "lesser of two evils". Instead of Taco Bell, why not something nicer like Chi-chi's where they make your food fresh, and it doesn't contain all the salts, and other preservatives, because it's not sitting under a heat lamp all day?

I went with Taco Bell on a whim.. I know I'll never go with it again - I've averaged one carby meal a month, and NONE of them made me blow up the way Taco Bell did. I think I'll avoid the salt-laden fast food joints, and stick with nice restaurant meals - at least they're more satisfying when you're finished.

(296/226.5/135) 04/01/03
The Downward Spiral Begins

I know what you mean. Especailly when you have to cook different for the rest of the family. I do just have a bite or two if I have a craving. I have found that things with lots of sugar are overpowering now and I can't eat them. Haven't had icecream in forever. Sugerfree popscicles yes. My daughter loves them as well.

Keep up the good work though! This is definately a lifestyle change and not a diet.

Kelly K.
Heathly Mom to a 1 year old

I'm glad that I wasn't alone. Last week was my birthday. Though I did well on that day, I felt deprived so yesterday, I ate things that I hadn't eaten in over two months. Today, I'm back on this WOL and plan to stay with it.

Chris
203/173/115 LC Since 7/11/03

Okay, I'll be one of the critical voices.

I keep reading things that say, "My husband wanted to eat such-n-such, so I ate it." Pardon me, but there's something logically disconnected here. He wants it, so you have to eat it? This is not a logical statement.

It ranks up there right behind, "It was so-and-so's birthday party and there was a cake and..." If you don't believe me, just do a search for the word "birthday" and see how many posts pop up.

I'm willing to believe that some people can cheat and binge and still have a long-term success. Anything is possible; it's a big world out there and everybody is unique. I know it wasn't true for me, and I tried that way of life many times. Everytime I slipped, I created a rationalization that justified it and made it a little bit easier to do it the next time, until my discipline was shot to hell and I was just pretending to diet and gave things up completely.

My hat's off to people that can do that successfully. It just gives me creepy feelings of deja vu when I read stuff like that.

***********************
"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door."

Dr. I is correct to a point and hubby could probably be more sympathetic and supportive to your way of eating as well. Cheats are never ok but if you are young, relatively healthly and not to resistent metabolically you bounce back right away and carry on. When you are old, have many medical conditions and have trouble losing at the best of times you cannot allow yourself to slip up often. But in the end, we all fall off the wagon occasionally because we are human, and, as long as we get back on track asap, we are all still winners.

kateryna
apr-15-03 226/203/126
You can only be young once, but you can be immature forever!

Planned cheats? Seems that lately I'm just gaining on my stinking salads. I'm climbing the walls. I don't cheat. The only real cheat I had was that day at the wedding show tasting wedding cakes, because I'm not going to buy a "cat in a bag" as my mother says and be surprised by a horrible cake on my wedding day. believe it or not, nothing bad happened. Its only this week that I'm doing my best to eat very little and stay on program and drink my water that the scale is being mean. I'm so frustrated. I only wish I could cheat and no harm done like some of you others.

Chrissy
311/237/130
5'9"
Since January 29th

Redvelvetdragon....Maybe you're not losing BECAUSE you are 'doing your best to eat very little'......eat your meat and veggies!!!!

If I set a goal...then when I finally reach that goal..I am afraid that I will use it as a license to eat..therefore..I have no goal...only to stick to this wol FOREVER!!!

After reading all these posts, I feel sooo much better. I don't consider Atkins a "diet" because of the the word "die" in it. I consider it a change of lifestyle. MY life style had lots of carbs in it now I limit my self. I was following Atkins to a Tee...and went on a stall....for about 4 weeks. Then I "cheated" I had a calazone 1/2 one day and 1/2 the other, and I up my carbs and I lost 5 pound this week... I found that I was starving my body of not enough carbs too much protein and veggies.
"Whatever works for me may not work for you"

Jan
185/165/140
Set your goals high, and your achievements higher!