Cheating -- I Cheated. Now What?

OH-OH. "COOKIES WERE EATEN!"
No matter how delicious or temporarily satisfying eating something off-Protocol might be, a cheat will ultimately bring you no joy.

That's not surprising, of course. The goal is to stay on the Protocol, right? So did you blow it completely? No. But this Protocol is unforgiving if not predictable. Simeons warned of this in Pounds and Inches. In effect, he said that, due to the effects of hCG (or HHCG in this case), your blood can only just accommodate the 500 calories it receives from your daily intake during Phase 2. If you add more calories to your diet, your blood will have to “make room” for the extra nourishment, resulting in water retention to handle the extra food.

"SO, DID I BLOW IT COMPLETELY?"
No. You'll gain weight and then lose time (the time you COULD have spent losing more weight).

The problem with cheating is it will actually make you hungry for another 3 to 4 days since it halts ketosis and then you end up in a vicious cycle of being hungry/cheating,etc. Not only will you gain an inordinate amount of weight (bad enough) but also, you’ll lose time (worse). When you go back to Protocol eating, you’ll begin losing as before, but you’ll have to rid yourself of those few extra pounds in order to get back to where you were before the cheat.

HUNGER vs. CRAVING
Usually, being hungry, especially in the beginning of phase 2, is due to not loading well enough, but some people are hungry just for the first week. Sometimes it's not really 'hunger' but 'cravings' that feel like hunger. If it's real hunger, it could be due to several reasons: not drinking enough water, doing something off-protocol (lotions on the skin, starch/sugar in spices being used, etc.). Remember, you can eat as much of a selection of one Protocol vegetable at a meal as you like, so "hunger" ought not be an issue. If you're "hungry" after eating your meal of 100g of meat protein, a fruit and your fill of one Protocol vegetable, then it isn't "hunger" -- a physiological condition -- you're feeling. It's "craving," which is often chiefly an emotional issue -- and an entirely different topic. A link you might find helpful for cravings is here: CRAVINGS

"SO, WHAT DO I DO NOW? AN APPLE DAY? NOT EAT ANYTHING? WORK OUT EXTRA HARD? ETC.?"
No! No! No! You really can't do anything tangible (or sensible) to mitigate a cheat. The best advice is to take your lumps (as it relates to gained weight), learn your lesson, and get back to spraying and continue with the Protocol. The Protocol works and proves itself over and over again with its consequences: weight loss when followed; weight gain when not. No worries. It's all part of the journey.

____________________________________
© 2009-2012 TrimYou