Thread: HELP!! Been cheating BIGTIME!!

Hi all,

I could really do with some advice! So I was only 1lb away from my TW but then for the past few days I have just binged on total rubbish! I've had pizza, nachos, potato wedges, KFC burger and chips, sandwiches, fried fish and chips, chocolates and chocolate sundaes!!!! How sickening!

I started this diet back in February and have lost 49lbs since going from 172lbs to 123lbs (TW - 122lbs). I am soo disgusted by myself but just don't know why I did it. I have been quite good during this diet, had a planned cheat mid April due to a holiday and didnt gain any weight. Since then, I have had a few cheats here and there bug nothing like this at all!

I have gained 3lbs over the past few days!!!

1) Have I completely messed up the diet??? As in, when I do get back on track, will the diet still be as effective or have I conpletely messed up the 'system' as it were???

2) I think I will do a 5 day attack again to get back on track. Do you guys think this will be okay or shall I do more/less attack days?

3) will all this cheating affect the effectiveness of the consolidation phase?? As in will I gain weight in the consolidation phase once I re-introduce the 'allowed' carbs??

Sorry for all the questions, but I am just soo worries that I have ruined all my hard work. All advice would be much appreciated! Thank u soo much.

Personally, I would just get back on track with a couple of PP days then back to PP/PV.

Don't beat yourself up, we've all done it (and will probably all do it again!)

P x

If you're 126lbs now, and only gained 3lbs eating all you listed, I'd move straight to Conso personally... compared to what you have been eating, Conso will be far less and there is structure to the plan.

For 4lbs, I'd not return to ketosis no.

How tall are you?

Aw hun its awful when we worry like that, I'd have said similar, just start with PV/PP and see if you can lose that last 4lb. Well done on a massive weight loss. Find a photo and keep looking at it, remind yourself why you started this in the first place.

It's probably water retention, I find if I cheat and put on a few pounds then get back on to it and drink lots of water the weight comes off again after 2 or 3 days?? Just a thought

I think Maintainer has given you some good advice there. You are so close to TW that I'd move right on to conso now.

As the Pauline has said, don't beat yourself up about it. It's happened and at least you recognised it.

Originally Posted by Dunkan.dieter

1) Have I completely messed up the diet??? As in, when I do get back on track, will the diet still be as effective or have I conpletely messed up the 'system' as it were???
2) I think I will do a 5 day attack again to get back on track. Do you guys think this will be okay or shall I do more/less attack days?
3) will all this cheating affect the effectiveness of the consolidation phase?? As in will I gain weight in the consolidation phase once I re-introduce the 'allowed' carbs??

First of all, try not to worry so much. Just relax.
It happens to everyone once in a while: it is a sign we are human.
Ideally, we should increase our exercise when we cheat... but this is not an ideal world... and we are human.
You are here, and you want to go back on the diet so you are doing well!

1) You did not messed up 'the system'. Just get back on track and you will see.
2) I think 5 days is too much. Our bodies needs vegetables too. I think Dr Dukan says somewhere in the book that the Attack phase is to be done just ONCE.
3) You will not gain weight in Conso if you respect the quantities.

Ideally, we should try and solve the problems that make us do stuff like that.
I'm crazy about chocolate but when I tasted again it in Conso I realized it is not so great at all...
The sweetness was so overwhelming...

Big hugs to you!
Everything will be alright.

Hi guys!

Thank you all SO much for all your advice and the encouragement. It really does help so thank you

I've done two PP days so far and am so soooo happy to say that I have lost those 3lbs and am actually 122.4llbs now!!! whoop whoop!!! So I am just 0.4lbs away from TW!!!

I was so very worried as I have never had a major cheat like I did for the past few days that I thought I had actually messed up the diet.

Now what should I do?? Some of you have adviced for me to move onto consolidation phase. But I feel as though I am not ready, due to the fear of potentially gaining weight once I start eating those carbs again. I am actually scared to move on to consolidation now. How weird.

So shall I continue with cruise for say a week (for my body to get used to the 'dukan' way again) and then move to consolidation next weekend?

Elisheba - I once had chocolate a while ago in this diet and I too didn't like the taste of it, but absolutely loved it during this cheat! Not good! Thank you for ur advice too

I understand perfectly what you mean.
Conso it is a big step and it is hard.
I have the same problem as you right now.

Originally Posted by Dunkan.dieter

Hi guys!

I've done two PP days so far and am so soooo happy to say that I have lost those 3lbs and am actually 122.4llbs now!!! whoop whoop!!! So I am just 0.4lbs away from TW!!!

...

So shall I continue with cruise for say a week (for my body to get used to the 'dukan' way again) and then move to consolidation next weekend?

Well done on getting back on track! It's up to you now. If you're happier carrying on with cruise to get your bearings and hopefully get to target then go for it and stick with it. If you think that the strictness of cruise will push you over the edge again then consider Conso. After all it is just 'Cruise PV' every day, plus one 'normal' meal a week, on meal with a full (max 200gr which is a lot more than most people can manage!)portion of carbs like WM pasta, and a piece of fruit, slice of WM bread and matchbox of cheese a day. And one 100% PP day with none of the extras. Just being allowed that cheese on toast or a tomato and cheese sandwich a day, or being able to carry an apple for a mid-morning snack does make life a lot more pleasant :-)

If you're worried about Conso, take it slow, introduce just a piece of fruit to start with and so on. Have a trawl through the forum and the diaries too, you'll find lots of advice and see that everyone worries at the start and then settles quite quickly.

Hi anjuschka,

Thanks for your advice I think you are right! I will continue on cruise until I reach my TW and then will move onto consolidation but will introduce new foods on a weekly basis. Will start with just PV days, then introduce fruit and then the bread etc.

I've just had a look at your weightloss details and wowzers!! You've done soo amazingly well!! Big congrats to u on ur dukan success!

How did u find ur dukan journey? Did u ever cheat (as badly as I did) in the cruise phase? If so, did it affect your weight in the cons phase (ie did u gain anything once u introduced the carbs)?

Also, once you moved to cons, did u introduce everything at once?

I am so sorry for all the questions, but would love to hear your experience since u have done so amazingly well and have managed to complete your dukan journey. x

Hi DD,

Well, to be honest, Cruise was really easy - I even managed to come back from a self-catering holiday with a minor loss (despite having *some* bread and *some* biscuits and of course not being able to source the appropriate low-fat foods all the time! And I really did not 'cheat' (that's the wrong word anyway) but allowed myself conso-style extras, after all I was on holiday! Coming back from said holiday I gave in and had a croissant and a pancake at the breakfast buffet... But only on the last day.

Conso was a bit harder and to start with I was really scared about introducing anything, but soon found in phase1 I was losing again which I really didn't want so I gradually upped my fruit to 2. then successfully negotiated Christmas with some very careful plannign of my Gala meals....

Here is the diary http://www.minimins.com/dukan-diarie...so-closed.html (Anjuschka's journey through Conso (closed))

After that I gently slipped from conso to stab and really there is not much difference. I have found that over time now, a year and a half later of being 'stabilized', the effects on my attitude to food (i.e being able to say no) are wearing off and I find myself a bit over target again and it's harder to shift. "All I need to do" is a few weeks of strict Phase1 conso. But that's getting harder.... ;-D Things like Easter, Diamond Jubilees, Fathers day, Summer parties get in the way. Always excuses for more than just a gala meal I'm afraid. And I am running 15k a week now which I didn't use to till well onto Stabilisation, so that must "absorb" some of my extras ;-)

My infrequently updated Stab diary is here: http://www.minimins.com/dukan-diarie...red-diary.html (CONSOSTAB (shared diary))
and you'll see my initial frustration when I realized what Stabilization meant for me: Conso-style eating most of the time...

Good luck - you'll see plenty of people doing great on Conso and Stab (oh and also my 70+ mum who spurred by my losses also lost about 2stone and has successfully stabilized for a year and a half after a life time of on/off diets). I'm sure you can do it too!

One word of warning now - do not allow yourself to slip into overdoing the Gala meals (ie Gala days) and then adding in extra PPs to make up for it. A recipe for disaster - mentally too. You need to re-introduce a few carbs every day and stick to your limits. Anopther reason why I am now Conso-ing and not gone back to Cruise (or even attack!). You don't want to slip into a pattern of "feast and famine"... Sorry pre-empting myself here, but it's something I have grappled with recently...

Great advice from all and as I am around the corner from conso myself it makes lots of sense!!! Ta lovelies!

good luck getting back on track, dunkan dieter, and i hope you're feeling better. your results over the last few months are amazing, and you should focus on that and not just a few days of cheating. i'm sure if you follow the excellent advice from the pros in the forum, you'll be fine.

Thanks for the great advice anjuschka! it really is a great help.

Thank u for the encouragement dukanista. I am deffo 110% back on track now! I have also reached my TW, wuhooooooooooooooooo!!!!! I am soooo glad!

I am going to cruise until the weekend and will start the cons. phase then. I have done three PP days to get back on track but will start the PV/PP days from today until the weekend and from there onwards will add PV days everyday.

Would be nice to start the cons. phase with a celebration meal on Saturday, but I really don't 'deserve' that meal just yet, but will 'treat' myself next Saturday evening....hopefully, that is the plan.

This forum is great!