How to Survive a "Cheat" Day

You've been doing great. You've been losing weight by adopting the low carb lifestyle. You feel better. You have more energy. You sleep better. Your clothes are looser. You are ecstatically watching the numbers on the scale going down. You can't believe this is happening. You've never had a diet work like this before, ever!

And then you blow it.

For some reason, you go off your plan and indulge in a high carbohydrate meal or maybe even a whole day of binge eating. You were really stressed-out at work, or mad at your stick-thin boyfriend, or you were at a wedding, office party, or other "event". The food looked great so you thought you would just "try a little"... whatever it was - you indulged.

Now it's the day after and you feel awful. You want to scream! You probably feel bloated, guilty, and upset you did this to yourself. Your head is pounding, and you can't tell if it's a carb induced hangover, the booze hangover, or guilt-induced stress making your head explode... 

You were doing so well, you tell yourself, and now you are doubting your ability to maintain this lifestyle. You start to tell yourself "See, see, I can't DO this!!" You call yourself names. You start to hallucinate and relive every single other diet you've ever tried and failed on. You prepare to have a full-fledged hysterical melt-down. Well stop right there!!! Don't DO this to yourself!!!!

So, you "cheated".... sheesh! Big deal!!!

Remember that this is a lifestyle and not a "diet". Sometimes there are special events where you want to splurge a little. Is that a crime? So now, as "punishment", now you have to leave Low-Carb-Land forever, and live in "Rabbit Food" exile, forever???

I don't THINK so!!

The first step to coming to terms with your splurge is to understand that it was not a big deal. So, maybe you made a mistake. It was a slip up and not a general trend of eating the wrong foods for your lifestyle forever and ever, and ever. You know how to eat low carb, you know what you need to do. 

So you slipped, so forgive yourself. That's right, accept that you made the mistake and forgive yourself. It is a new day and you can go right back to your Way Of Eating. (WOE)

First thing to do is to weigh yourself. You need to understand what your "indiscretion" did to your body. Is it 1, 2, or 5 pounds more than you were yesterday? A temporary binge on high carbohydrate foods can do that to you.  Why? Most of the time an "overnight jump" of several pounds is retained water. Carbs suck up water like a sponge. So, grit your teeth, jump on the scale, look down. Grimace. Get off. Wait a few days, or even a week before you weigh yourself again. Why drive yourself nuts?? Ok, you've seen the damage you did? Great... Now, get over it... Now it's time to get back on the low carb wagon.

First - Go ahead and make yourself a GREAT breakfast!! Yep, go for it! Have an omelet with bacon or sausage or a small stack of Atkins Pancakes with Da Vinci Sugar Free Syrup. Or splurge the low-carb way, and have steak and eggs. Top them with cheese! Have some decaffeinated coffee with thick, yummy heavy cream. (if the caffeine doesn't bug you, make regular coffee). Make your extra special favorite blend.

Now, get a couple of quart bottles, and fill them half full of water. Put them in the freezer, and after they're frozen, fill them the rest of the way with water. Drink your water, take a bottle with you everywhere you go.  Drinking MORE water will actually help you lose the extra "retained water" - if you're dehydrated, your body hangs onto water like crazy. Let the water
flush your system out.

Have a great lunch like Chicken Caesar Salad (without the croutons) or Shrimp Scampi. Indulge yourself, and remember to drink your water! 

Go for a longer walk and find a new place to watch the sunset, or do 5 extra minutes of aerobics to help you burn off those extra carbohydrates from last night, and then pat yourself on the back for Sweatin' to the Oldies, or whatever, for that extra few minutes! And drink your water!

You are getting back into your normal routine and your small indiscretion is now getting to be well behind you. A fabulous dinner like steak and fauxtatoes or nice fresh swordfish and broccoli and cheese sauce will top of the day. As an added treat, make a "sweet treat" for after dinner, say, some sugar-free Jello, with heavy cream, whipped into a mousse. And yep, drink more water!

In other words - enjoy yourself. Shove that "mistake" behind you. Why can you slip up in every other area of your life, but a cheat, even a BIG cheat, knocks you for such a loop you want to bang your head against the nearest brick wall?? Think about it! Right?

Sure, you've been struggling with your weight for so long now that you have started to wonder if it's even possible that you can get it off your bones.  It's easy to panic, or feel frantic. You've failed on every diet you've ever starved yourself on. You've stopped every exercise program you've ever tortured yourself on. You want desperately to lose the weight, and you want to lose it all as quickly as possible... That desperation alone will spin
your head around if you have yourself a "cheat day". 

Don't do it to yourself!! What is the alternative? To go back to the same old way of eating, way of living that wasn't working for all those years??? 

What kind of sense does that make??

So - Yes, even one day of carbo loading will throw your lifestyle a little bit off course. Just don't beat yourself up and let it throw you for a total loop. Get back on the horse, buckaroo, and ride off into the sunset, knowing you survived a high carb day!

Lisa Alekna
2/9/2000