'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show' Episode 43: Should You Fulfill Your Urge To Splurge?

If you ever wanted to know whether you can "cheat" on your low-carb diet, then you'll want to listen to Episode 43 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" today. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn that I believe you CAN. Learn all about it by listening to today's podcast:

 "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 43 [13:35m]: Play in Popup | Download

Can you really have a "cheat" or "splurge" when you are livin' la vida low-carb? That's a loaded question that needs more than a simple "yes" or "no" answer.

In Episode 43, I get into my philosophy about "cheating" (I REALLY hate that word, but it makes the point) on your low-carb diet. I've blogged about this issue several times before and put my thoughts all together in this podcast today.

Here are my previous blog posts on this topic:
- "Your Cheat Leads To Weight Loss Defeat"
- "Controlled-Cheating While Low-Carb Living"
- "Controversial Planned Splurge Strategy Needs Clarification"
- "Just Got Back From One Of My Splurge Meals"
- "Who Says You Can't Splurge On Low-Carb?"

Need more ways to check out the show? You can by:

1. Listening at the official web site
2. Going to iTunes
3. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via Podlinez
4. Subscribing to the RSS feed

Are you of the mindset that there is absolutely NO room for splurging when you are losing weight on low-carb? Please share why you feel it is important to stay on the straight and narrow when you are doing this lifestyle change. Or perhaps you agree with me that imploring a "planned splurge" or "controlled-cheating" approach will work for you. Tell me what you think and let's discuss this issue to help others understand if it's something that could work for them.

"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" has quickly become the top low-carb podcast show on the Internet today and I'm so very grateful for your support. Continue to spread the word about the show and even provide a link to TheLivinLowCarbShow.com on your blog, web site or e-mail. THANK YOU for spreading the message of livin' la vida low-carb!

What To Do When You 'Blow It' On Low-Carb

One of the best lessons I have learned since I started livin' la vida low-carb is that nothing you can eat will spell the end of your ability to lose weight ever again. If that were true, then my planned splurges would have spelled the end of my weight loss a LONG time ago. Thankfully, I know better and am 190 pounds lighter as a result! :)

But one desperate new reader was so upset by what I'm simply gonna call "the Pop-Tart and waffle incident" (shhhh, nobody has to know about it--hee hee!) that she wanted to know if she "blew it" after cheating on her low-carb diet.

Here's what she wrote:

Dear Jimmy,

I stumbled upon your web site and it is so encouraging to me! I began my low-carb journey one month ago. I learned that I could eat fruits and veggies and not just cream and butter and eggs all the time (although I like those too).

I am an "older" mother of 2 toddlers and a 12-year old and really thought that my metabolism was such that I could never lose weight. But I have lost 13 pounds so far. Yeah!

I am writing you today for some advice. You see, I feel like I blew my low-carb diet because I ate a Pop-Tart and a waffle! We live out in the country and I had no eggs or sausage and I was starving! Have I blown it for good?

I am very upset at myself. I would appreciate any advice at any time. I know that you are a busy person and a family man. Thanks for your web site and for helping out a fellow low-carber.

Have you ever thought these same kind of things whenever you have "messed up" while livin' la vida low-carb? I'm sure many of you can relate to this which is why I am printing this e-mail and my response to it at my blog today.

Here's what I wrote back to her:

THANK YOU so much for writing to me today and CONGRATULATIONS on making livin' la vida low-carb your preferred method for losing weight and getting healthy for good. YOU CAN DO THIS! :D

Regarding "the Pop-Tart and waffle incident" you had, I'm here to tell you it's all over for you. There's no hope for weight loss in your future so you might as well give up right now...JUST KIDDING! Seriously, messing up on your low-carb plan is natural, but try not to do it if you can by planning ahead of time.

Prepare yourself plenty of low-carb options and get rid of (if you can!) tempting foods like Pop-Tarts and waffles (although there are low-carb options available) so you won't grab for them in a pinch like you did. Keep at least some almonds or macadamia nuts on hand at ALL times as well as other low-carb snacks for when the hunger bug bites. Leaving yourself without options only sets you up for disaster.

So you had some sugar today, huh? That's okay and it's not the end of the world. Just get right back on plan and even go back to Induction-level carbs for a couple of weeks to kickstart ketosis again. Remember, this is a lifestyle change and not a get-thin-quick scheme. When you put in that perspective, then no matter what you do you've never totally "messed up."

Browse around my blog or read my book for more hints and tips on sticking with low-carb even when the going gets tough. You hang in there, my friend. One of these days you will think back fondly to that day you had a Pop-Tart and a waffle and realized you're not just on a diet, but a lasting and permanent health solution plan for your life.

Now get out there and GO FOR IT! :) THANKS so much for writing!

We really are our own worst enemy when it comes to this weight loss game we play with ourselves. People think strict adherence to the diet is the most important issue to bringing about permanent weight loss success and even one little mistake like eating Pop-Tarts and waffles is going to cause some kind of irreparable harm. The thinking goes, well I messed up one meal, I might as well mess up again!

Come on, people! One meal like this is not going to send you spiraling out of control unless you allow it! You still have the ability to come back from it stronger than ever. It's all a matter of keeping your head screwed on straight and never forget this is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE and not just a diet. My reader was right when she said her "diet" was destroyed--now it's time for her to begin living and eating the way she was meant to--the low-carb way, of course!

Be encouraged today, my friends, because you already know livin' la vida low-carb is a healthy way to eat. Even if you encounter a few bumps along the road, you ARE being successful and you WILL make it just like I did. Be smart, make good choices, and NEVER EVER EVER give up on this healthy way of life. Just look at the alternative--remaining obese and unhealthy--and it sorta puts it all in perspective for you.

Krispy Kreme Franchisee Says 'Everybody Cheats' On Their Diet, Doughnuts 'Best' Cheat Food

Spoor believes doughnuts are the "best" way to cheat on your diet

We all know how much companies like Krispy Kreme doughnuts are hurting because of the low-carb lifestyle. The corporate bigwigs at that company have said many times over the past couple of years that the Atkins diet has caused them to lose profits and has even been responsible for several stores that have been forced to close their doors for good.

But none of this fazes Krispy Kreme franchisee and CEO of the Westward Dough Operating Company Lincoln Spoor who owns the famous doughnut units located in the Las Vegas area. This In Business Las Vegas interview with Spoor, whose father incidentally was the CEO of Pillsbury when he was growing up, shows that he is unconcerned about the financial impact on his business of low-carb plans such as Atkins, Mediterranean, and South Beach which all encourage people following them to "stay away from sugar or stay away from the carbs."

"There was a time when our corporate franchisor had said the Atkins diet is hurting us," Spoor recalled. "I don't subscribe to that view. I think what's happening is people are very smart about what they eat these days. They ration their calories. You do, I do."

"Ration their calories?" What in the world does that mean, Mr. Spoor? Who in their right mind thinks eating ANY doughnuts, the worst possible food you could eat on a low-carb diet by the way, is a part of a healthy lifestyle? Is Spoor actually making the same kind of statements about Krispy Kreme doughnuts that this Coke representative recently made about Coca-Cola? Absurd!

But Spoor didn't stop there with his belief that Krispy Kreme doughnuts are permitted even when you are attempting to watch your calories and manage your weight. You are not gonna believe what he said next.

"We are saying, 'You know what, I'm rationing my calories or I'm on a diet but you know what, I really want something great. I really want something best of class, so if I cheat, and everybody cheats, then I'm going to cheat with the best.' That's what we do. People cheat with our doughnuts. They cheat with Häagen-Dazs ice cream, they cheat with Mrs. Fields cookies, they cheat with In-N-Out burgers."

"The best" food to cheat with is doughnuts? Are you kidding me?! EWWW! I think I'm gonna hurl. Furthermore, don't insult my intelligence by automatically ASSUMING that "everyone cheats" who goes on a diet. Sure, those who are not serious about their weight loss plan will slip up and eat those foods you mentioned, but they are in my opinion technically off their diet when that happens. Especially if those "just one time" cheats become daily ones like my friend Kent Altena noted in his latest Atkins educational video.

How often would people need to "cheat with the best" to keep a company like Krispy Kreme in business, Mr. Spoor? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Pretty soon, that would begin to catch up to your business and send you crashing and burning like some of your fellow franchisees have. The fact remains that you NEED customers to come to your stores DAILY and ordering lots and lots of doughnuts to keep your business profitable. Otherwise, the decline in sales will continue.

What keeps you in business are the people who DON'T care about their weight and health who buy dozens of your products at a time to take to their office. While some can eat just one doughnut and be satisfied with that, there are many people who are like I used to be when I weighed 410 pounds who cannot stop feeding the sugar monster once it gets started. I could have easily down 6-8 doughnuts at one time and not even think about it back before I started livin' la vida low-carb. Not anymore.

Today, even the thought of one BITE of a doughnut just makes me literally sick to my stomach. Do they still look good? Sure. Do they even smell good? Of course they do. But I KNOW they cannot be a part of my healthy lifestyle change...EVER AGAIN! Once I go down that path, there's no turning back. Spoor disagrees.

"If you've gone off your diet if you've cheated a little bit and you've done that, it's worth it. You're like, 'You know what? I've cheated, I loved it, and I'm glad.'"

How arrogant is it for someone like Spoor to pretend to speak for people who have cheated on their diet?! How does he know that people who cheated "loved it" and are "glad" they did it? I for one would feel so guilty from an emotional standpoint as well as physically sick from consuming all those empty carbohydrates that it could lead me to a binge eating attack that would balloon me right back up to 400+ pounds again. NO THANK YOU!

Mr. Spoor looks like he's a normal-weight man in that picture at the top of this post and I have no idea if he has ever suffered with being overweight in his life. But as one man who has struggled with being addicted to sugar, I realized a long time ago that sugar cannot be a part of my healthy lifestyle. No matter what you say and believe about sugary doughnuts, Mr. Spoor, they simply cannot be a part of my life anymore.

By the grace of God and through this unique visualization method I used back during my weight loss in 2004, I was able to take back control of my weight and health and am going on nearly three years without allowing the large quantities of sugar that I used to consume daily to even cross my lips. There are just too many damaging effects that sugar can cause that it's better to completely do without it and I encourage others who go on low-carb to do the same. YOU DON'T NEED IT!

Being the businessman that he is, Spoor said he is tinkering with some products to try to appeal to people who are on a diet.

"We're working on a 100 calorie doughnut and a reduced sugar doughnut. And the key, of course, is to make it taste as close to our signature product as you can get. You do that two ways: One is by using the new sweeteners that are out there today, and the second is by reducing the portion. You go into any of the stores today, in the candy rack, all those candy bars are a lot smaller today than they used to be and the calories are lower and the sugars are a lower and the fat calories are lower and that's one way of doing it."

Oh boy, that's just what I want--a 100-calorie doughnut. Don't they call that a doughnut hole? HA! Jumping on the 100-calorie gimmick bandwagon isn't helping anyone with a smaller portion size, Mr. Spoor. What will happen is people will buy a whole bag of these "diet" doughnuts and rationalize in their mind that they can have more of them because they're supposedly better for them. Even a reduced sugar doughnut will still be jam-packed with white flour carbs that turn to sugar in the body. NOT GOOD!

Spoor said these new "diet" doughnuts are expected to be out in 2007 along with a whole wheat doughnut attempting to take advantage of the whole grain craze that's all the rage right now. Sorry to burst your bubble, Mr. Spoor, but none of these products are acceptable for those of us who are livin' la vida low-carb. You should be ashamed for promoting your products to people on a diet as a great way to cheat. What far-fetched, warped mind would even think of pushing doughnuts to people desiring weight loss? Only a cold, heartless CEO seeking to fatten his wallet at the expense of the weight and health of his consumers.

With half of Americans currently eating lower-carb, it's only a matter of time before even more Krispy Kreme stores feel the impact on their bottom line and are forced out of business. Pretending that your company offers products that are for every once in a while to try to drum up support among consumers is a sign of desperation and the clock is ticking to your final days. And Sporr knows it!

Video: Your Cheat Leads To Weight Loss Defeat

"Aw, come on, won't you have it just this one time?"

"What's it gonna hurt you to go off your diet for a little bit?"

"Go ahead, taste this food because you know you want it!"

"Stop depriving yourself and enjoy life a little!"

"Get back on the diet tomorrow, why not cheat a little today?"

Raise your hand if you have heard any of the above statements at some point during your low-carb lifestyle. I know I have many times and it just goes to show you that people are clueless and don't understand what the meaning of a LIFESTYLE CHANGE really is. It's not about some temporary Band-Aid on some small cut that will heal in a few months. Nope. For most of us who have been morbidly obese for most of our lives, our weight problem is a gaping open wound that's 2 feet long and in desperate need of permanent surgery and stitching up.

That includes several lifelong changes that have to take place, including the mental awareness of what certain kinds of foods (specifically sugar and other refined carbohydrates) can do adversely to your body, the unshattered resolve to keep on resisting the temptations that will be dangled in front of you, and a steel will to make the right choices when the time comes. It's what distinguishes those of us who have been successful at livin' la vida low-carb and those who have not.

With that said, my Atkins videomaking blogging buddy Kent Altena has another new video this week dealing with the issue of cheating on your low-carb diet. He believes it is better to not risk the temptation and eventual (for most people) defeat on their weight loss plan. I have a different take on this topic than Kent which I will explain in a moment.

Check out his latest Atkins educational video:

CHEATING: IS IT INEVITABLE?



Kent and I do not necessarily agree on this point, although I can certainly understand his position very well. He believes that the low-carb lifestyle allows you to enjoy so many wonderful-tasting foods all the time that you don't need to "treat yourself" to any high-carb "cheat" meals or days. That is tantamount to rewarding your good dieting behavior with food.

"In the end for me at least, I’d be certainly on pathway back to starting weight," Kent contends.

Fair enought. While I agree that REGULAR "cheat" meals or days when you get off the plan is NOT a good idea for people who are livin' la vida low-carb, I certainly believe my controlled cheating approach is one that helped me immensely during my 180-pound weight loss in 2004. The idea of a planned splurge every 6-8 weeks for ONE meal is what got me through to reach my eventual goal. I have no doubt in my mind that it was an essential ingredient in my intial success.

This strategy is not without controversy though among low-carbers, including this response from Kent. But my fellow Atkins weight loss buddy made a very astute observation regarding this issue that is worthy of repeating again.

"In the end, it just comes down to knowing thyself, and acting accordingly. If you can plan and limit yourself to one meal or one day and that those foods still give you pleasure, having that control is a wonderful thing."

What's funny, Kent, is that now that I have been livin' la vida low-carb going on nearly three years now, my desire to have a cheat meal has almost entirely diminished. I just don't want that bread or dessert item I thought I could never live without anymore. And this is a point that Kent makes very clearly on the video: your desires will change and you will begin saying no to all those foods forever. The power of saying no is the greatest feeling you will ever have as a dieter and is something we all hope to attain. It is all up to the individual to decide whether they CAN make that choice and get back on the plan or if will cause them to stumble and fall.

Another outstanding video, Kent! THANK YOU!