Planning a cheat day on saturday need input

[skirat201]

Do I need to stop injections 3 days prior. My doc seems to think not. I saw him today and I'm gonna go 2 more weeks. So what is everyones opinions and experiences with cheat days?  I feel that any weight gained is water weight and I'm going right back on the protocol the next day but I don't want to gain any real fat weight. l I am down another pound so that is 11 lbs so far.

[skirat201]

OK, so, no replies. I thought this board was to share experiences and help each other out when a question arises, but ok whatever, I'll do my part. I did not stop the shots and I did cheat. What I consumed was an 8 oz bag of turkey jerkey a 6 oz bag of pork rinds. 10 oz vanilla strawberry protein shake. 1 vodka and 7-UP (not diet) 6 oz french fries 7 oz prime rib and a salad with regular full fat hidden valley ranch dressing. I weighed in this morning with no gain no loss so this is a good thing for me anyways, as I anticipated a gain so I was glad to see what the scale said this morning.

[LeoMom]

Hello there.  Sorry you did not get any replies to your questions.  That has happened to me before too.  I couldn't answer you because I had no advice about the cheating subject.  I have been to afraid to cheat at all because I have a long way to go.  I have read that when some people cheated, it affected them for several days.  In other words, they had no loss.  You lucked out with no gain.
I wish you all the best with your 5 lbs.

                                                    LeoMom

[HCGHOPEFUL]

I DID A CHEAT MEAL, NOT EVEN A DAY AND GAINED 3 LBS.  I ATE A TACO BELL BURRITO THEN FELT WAY GUILTY AND WENT AND BURNED THE CALORIES OFF RIGHT AFTER I ATE IT ON THE ELLIPTICAL AND STILL GAINED 3 LBS AND IT TOOK 3 DAYS FOR THE SCALE TO EVEN GO DOWN AT ALL.  TOOK ME OVER A WEEK TO GET BACK TO WHERE I WAS BEFORE I CHEATED.  IF YOU HAVE TO CHEAT, I WOULD DEF STOP THE SHOTS AND WAIT THE 3 DAYS, AND THEN EAT LOW CARB STUFF LIKE HAVE CHEESE OR EGGS OR DIFFERENT VEGGIES WITH BUTTER, THAT KIND OF STUFF.  I WENT FROM 500 CALS TO 1500 TO 1800 CALS WHEN I STARTED PHASE 3 AND DIDN'T GAIN WEIGHT, BUT I ATE ALL LOW CARB, SO YOU MIGHT BE OK THAT WAY.
MY BEAN BURRITO BASICALLY COSTED ME $55.00, SO IF YOU CAN NOT CHEAT I WOULDN'T.


HERE IS SOMETHING I FOUND ONLINE ABOUT IT.

Tips to Manage Cheating

1. Do NOT cheat, you will regret it...here are a few words of wisdoms from other users who have cheated in the past.

Well, guys, it all started with a Mango Mai Tai served in a martini
glass. This was Saturday. I ate a quesadilla, an extra serving of
steak, an extra apple, and so on. This is my second cheating round!
Shoot! I was doing so well, too! I was down twenty pounds... Anyway,
it ended with White Castles. Woe is me... LOL.

I stopped taking the shot on my three day break, which was only 9 days
in to the VLCD. I figured that cheating would be worse while taking
the shots and increasing my caloric flood. Do you guys agree?

Anyway, I did notice that when cheating, the foods made me feel GROSS!
Especially the White Castle burger and fries. YUCK! I also noticed
that when cheating, I had a tendency towards the same diet food I've
been eating, only bigger portions! Hmmmmmm...

Anyway, I'm back on the horse, and have started the shots again, and
strict adherence, and feel much better, but Gosh, how quickly they
fall...

Renny

* * * * * * * * *

Hello Friends,

Yes I succumbed to the cheating monster. Tuesday I ate a huge
lunch and then Wednesday I ate a huge dinner. Thursday I was up 4 lbs.
This morning I was up another 3 pounds. Now if you don't think 7 pounds
is a big deal let's look at it another way. 7 lbs. = over one week of
weight loss GONE. Think about it. All the effort you have gone
thru to buy and prepare special meals for yourself. All the hard work
of not eating foods that are off limits. All the effort of drinking a
whoooooole gallon of water everyday so that you slosh when you
walk.

Another way of looking at it is that I (for me anyway} was in
control of what I put in my mouth and I darn well am going to eat what I
want when I want it. But after I cheated the second day I knew that the
food was in charge and did I want that? Heck no!! I want to lose
weight and be healthy and skinny!! To do that I need to follow Dr. S’
plan. NOT CHEATING

Cheating was a waste of time, of weight loss and of course money.
I hope my saga helps someone because that is what these posts we
make are all about.
Charlotte

2. Do not be afraid of cheating--you have complete control whether you give into temptation or not.  Just because someone else has cheated does not mean you will cheat as well.  Many, many people have done the protocol without cheating, and you can too.  Prepare yourself for the fact that you will *want* to cheat, but *acting* on the thought is your solely decision. 

3. Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

4. Do NOT cheat, this cannot be stated enough, it is a waste of time and money and NOT WORTH IT!  Also know that if you cheat, you will gain more than you would not on hCG.

5. To get your mind off of wanting to cheat, focus your attention on something else.  You can take a walk, go to the library, movie theater, or visit with friends.  It is also nice to find a support system, whether it be through an online group (visit here), a buddy who is following the diet with you, family member(s), etc.  Just make sure you have someone to stop you from cheating. 

6. Create a cabinet in your kitchen which supports your diet. Store your teas, Stevia, Apple Cider Vinegar, Grissini/Melba, fruit, etc. and use this special place to “snack” with items that are all allowed on the protocol.

7. Do NOT create your own substitutions. Dr. Simeons created a specific list of foods to eat and studied each food intensely. If you start making substitutions, then Dr Simeons' protocol becomes weaker and weaker, and eventually will become completely ineffective.  It is the substitutions to the protocol that give the program a bad reputation; it needs to be precisely followed. 

8. Do not interfere with your own weight loss success by not following the protocol! Dr Simeons' program eliminates and/or reduces sugar and carbohydrate cravings. However, if sugar and carbohydrates remain in your diet (except for the allowed starch), you are not allowing your body to cleanse and your hypothalamus to reset.  These are the key to lifelong success. 

9. You don't need to understand why something will or will not work with the Simeons plan. There are many unexplainable factors to the program, you just need to know that substitutions to the protocol causes weight loss to slow.  Just because something doesn't make sense to you doesn't mean you should change it.  Do not expect to have the results produced on the Simeons protocol if you do not follow the Simeons protocol. 

10. Expect to have cravings, be hungry, and moody and expect to want to cheat.  These expectations will let you be prepared to control the cravings, hunger, moods, and cheats.  Prepare yourself for these feelings, but know that the decision to deviate is yours...stay strong and remember that only you are accountable for everything you put into your mouth.

11.  When you feel a craving coming on, go and brush your teeth; this should help the craving pass.

12.  Don't disappoint Dr. Simeons, he would not let someone remain on the hCG protocol if he/she cheated more than three times.  You need to commit to the program and stay with it! 

13.  The only way to fix a cheat is to get back on track and tell yourself that you will not cheat.  The more you tell yourself that you cannot cheat, the stronger you should feel.  If you allow yourself a bite of something, you have already cheated, and you should never make that allowance.   

14.  When you use food as an emotional crutch, you will find it difficult to cope without that crutch while on the VLCD.  You need to fill the empty spot with something healthy that you can enjoy, both on and off the protocol.  This will not only reduce cravings, but also help you maintain your new healthy weight.  Some possibilities include crafting, painting, walking, gardening.   

15.  If you go forward and cheat, you have to take responsibility for that cheat.  You should feel guilty and unsatisfied, and you will pay for the cheat for three to five days.  This can be 3-5 days of the scale going up, or staying the same.  You have to pay for your mistakes, and it sure is time consuming.  There is nothing you can do except stop cheating and vow to yourself that you will not cheat again. 

[witsend]

I read one of the posts on this forum that a person had a cheat day and ate a burritto but worked off the burritto on the elliptical machine but still gained 3 pounds.  I don't understand why you would gain any weight if you put in the effort to work off the calories of the "bad" food. 

Can someone offer any helpf?

[kathy in California]

I'm not sure why but you must understand that the balance of nutrients, protien and carbs in the 500 calories plus the approx 2000+ calories of fat per day that your body is releasing while the hcg is in your system is pretty precise. It seems that people who cheat with fat will likely gain more than someone who cheats with a fiberous fruits and veggies. Also the balance of water retention could be upset as well. I don't understand why it works that way either.

[rmckee02]

I had a cheat day just eating a couple of shrimp and tenders from Papadeux.  Along with it I had just a couple pieces of lean skirt steak on top of my salad.  The next couple of days I gain .8 lbs total.  I also noticed I didn't drink alot of water that day.  After that I ate 2 jumbo apples(breakfast and lunch) and a salad for dinner for 3 days, along with green tea and plenty of water.  I am now back on track and losing at leat 1.5 a day.  Personally I didn't think it was too bad, but gonna push through the next couple of weeks and stay on track! 

[Sunsea]

I know how behind and backwards you go when you cheat!...I wanted to sooo bad yesterday. I was fantasizing about buttered popcorn (who knows??)and I wanted milk duds after the popcorn ...must have wanted to go to the movies....BUT!...I told my self, wait an hour and if you still want it you can have it....then after an hour...I told my self to wait another hour...etc....so I had to break up my afternoon into hours so I could stay on program...and it worked!! I did not cheat and today I am still on program...phew!  I did not want to slide backwards, that is why I am overweight in the first place peeps!