Carolyn,

I think that's for the best. More moderate plans like Atkins, protein power or South Beach would be the way to go.

For you I would look at Protein power or Atkins.

Look at how many folks are doing now compare to 6 years ago. Very few. I think time showed that most people had the same issues.

planned cheat turns into a cheat day, cheat weekend, cheat week etc.

I think so too! If we tighten the rope to tight we can have a tendency to convince ourselves that other things are more important right now. Then we can easily fall all the way off from our diet and fail in our endeavor. An occasional 'testing of the water' to see how it felt and how it feels might do more good than harm. There isn't any question that we are going to be 'seriously low carbers' for the rest of our lives! It's just a matter of the 'how's' of making it happen.

It actually did the opposite to me.

Allowed me to sink into a year long stall etc.

I nolonger believe in the planned cheats.

Dave, I say this with COMPLETE respect. You are an awesome inspiration and a TOTAL low carb winner in my eyes. However, we absolutely MUST remember that this journey IS indeed different for every individual. I have found in my own life, and have seen it in the lives of many others, that we all come to proverbial "forks in the road", where what we have been doing all of a sudden doesn't work quite like it did before. At that time, we must make a different journey plan.
Different foods are different things for different people. There are loads of LC'ers that can eat sugar free jello. "Me" can't.
There are loads of LC'ers who can drink coffee without a problem. Although, I USED to be able to drink it without probs, now I can't.
I used to be able to drink diet soda without a problem, now I can't.
That doesn't mean for a second, that I would tell someone who can, that they can't.
I feel that we must respect the differences in our bodies, in our urges, in our control, etc. I have seen MANY a successful low carber who are tiny little people now, and they routinely eat a "cheat" (or whatever you want to call it) meal once a month, and some even once a week!
If it works for them, and their labs show they remain healthy, I can't in any way, discourage them from what works for them.
I, like you, have had to adopt a more totalitarian form of low carbing.
However, if it works for someone else, I feel that we must all respect what works for each individual.
I am pretty sure that what you are saying is that you no longer believe in planned cheats for YOU. If another person is still indulging in planned cheat and it isn't working, then sure, they need to reconsider what they are doing.
Even though MOST people may have found that the planned cheats didn't work, some did. I think, respectfully, that each person must find what works for them. If that one reward is what keeps people on the straight and narrow ninety-nine percent of the time, then, perhaps for the time-being, it is what they need.


Respectfully,
Mary

I remember a certain Low Carb Blogger that posted that he went to a pizza restaurant and this unbelieveable amount of slices. Like heaps.

He got into strife with that!

That goes back a bit.

Do you still do that Jim?

Sadly

This is kinda what I've been doing over the last year or so.

Krispy Kremes openned up in Australia.

I tell ya, it's just not good for ya!

How come my cheats aren't about brussel sprouts or whatever.

What planned cheats do you do?