Maggiano's -- YUCK!!

Bragging about cheating may create temptations for those who have not
mastered carb cravings. Ending the story with being dissatisfied doesn't
quite mitigate it.

I'm watchful on the issue of cheating, because I am concerned about the
all-too-common phenomenon of low carbers going back to carbs. Does it start
with tiny growing amounts, or a willful splurge in carb poison?

Theory:
1. eat carbs
2. carb cravings return
3. regain all the lost weight, plus 10% more

Cubit
311/154.0/150

"Atkins_worked4me" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I went to Maggiano's earlier today after a 3 years hiatus because of low
carb eating. I was in the area and decided that one high carb meal wasn't
going to kill me. Besides, Maggiano's used to be my favorite restaurant.

Over the past 3 years, I've noticed that my tastes have changed, and my
cooking skills have greatly improved--from just being able to boil water,

to

Quoted message said:

now being able to turn out a few relatively complex meals from scratch.

First came the bread basket (which turned out to foreshadow things to

come).

Quoted message said:

Instead of the usual large assortment of bread that I remember, they gave
two partial loaves of something chewy but tasteless. They used to leave a
bottle of olive oil on the table, but now they pour it and then run off

with

Quoted message said:

the bottle.

Then came the entree. I had the fettuccini alfredo with broccoli--one of

my

Quoted message said:

old favorites. I was really looking forward to it, but after a few bites,

I

Quoted message said:

noticed that the alfredo sauce was very watery (like warm milk), the

noodles

Quoted message said:

were very firm, and the broccoli was practically raw. I managed to

swallow

Quoted message said:

some of the noodles, but could barely chew the broccoli.

To top it all off, our waitress had too many tables and could barely keep
up.

I don't know if my expectations have changed, if I came on a bad day, if
Maggiano's has lost their way and slid into the abyss (like the Olive
Garden), or some combination of the above. But I was very disappointed.

The only thing I enjoyed was the very attractive young greeter that seated
us.

No more Maggiano's for me.

Cubit said:

Bragging about cheating may create temptations for those who have not
mastered carb cravings. Ending the story with being dissatisfied doesn't
quite mitigate it.

It's an experience. I definitely became hypercritical of restaurant
food my first time with Atkins, probably because I had learned my way
around the kitchen. Can definitely relate to this story (otoh, chain
italian is just a bad idea, always was and probably always will be). I
didn't look at it as a brag though, more like, I tried some carby
restaurant that I used to go to, and it sucks now that I'm different.

Quoted message said:

I'm watchful on the issue of cheating, because I am concerned about the
all-too-common phenomenon of low carbers going back to carbs. Does it start
with tiny growing amounts, or a willful splurge in carb poison?

Theory:
1. eat carbs
2. carb cravings return
3. regain all the lost weight, plus 10% more

When I first did Atkins, succeeded and returned to the world of carbs,
it worked kind of like this. I was at goal. I was below the first
conception of goal, in fact. I felt bullet proof. I think
Atkins_Worked4Me said it pretty well with "decided that one high carb
meal wasn't going to kill me." For me, it was fried chicken, the real
deal.

I did it, I gained nothing. In fact, the first time I did it, I think I
was down half a pound the next day. Didn't have cravings, but felt
pretty bullet proof, like maybe my insulin response was back to what it
was in 1990 (6'2, 175, BMI 22.x, and on the thin side of average). So,
you do it again. And maybe monitor or maybe be a little sloppy about
it. And eventually, you feel like you can eat anything, so why not go
back to eating like you did, because it's easier (and yes, it is easier
to eat high carb, high fat, high cal than it is to reduce any one of
those). And then, I forgot about being on a WOL. And I was back, + ~9%.

On the flip side, I wasn't really round at any point, even at my
business school heaviest ~274. I think having had the trouble that
comes with that amount of weight to lose would make it stick better. I
could be wrong on that, and definitely there will be mileage variances.

-Hollywood

In article <[email hidden]>,

Cubit said:

Bragging about cheating may create temptations for those who have not
mastered carb cravings. Ending the story with being dissatisfied doesn't
quite mitigate it.

I'm watchful on the issue of cheating, because I am concerned about the
all-too-common phenomenon of low carbers going back to carbs. Does it start
with tiny growing amounts, or a willful splurge in carb poison?

Theory:
1. eat carbs
2. carb cravings return
3. regain all the lost weight, plus 10% more

Cubit
311/154.0/150

Actually, when I DO splurge on carbs, it keeps me back on track for
quite some time. ;-)

I get so deathly ill, it reminds me of reasons other than weight loss
that I'm dedicated to low/no starch/sugar lifestyle......

Cheers!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-[censored]." -Jack Nicholson

Cubit said:

I'm watchful on the issue of cheating, because I am concerned about the
all-too-common phenomenon of low carbers going back to carbs. Does it start
with tiny growing amounts, or a willful splurge in carb poison?

I'm on Atkins and it definitely doesn't start with tiny
growing amounts. Tiny growing amounts is called following
the 4 phases when you're on Atkins.

Quoted message said:

Theory:
1. eat carbs
2. carb cravings return
3. regain all the lost weight, plus 10% more

The theory assumes you don't count the carbs you eat and/or
don't keep track of what your current quota is. It also
assumes you don't understand the elimination system aspect
of the process and thus don't learn your trigger foods.

Following the directions for the Atkins plan works. It is
safe because carbs are added a bit at a time and because
they are added one type at a time so you can learn which
ones are a problem for you. Why avoid all sources of carb
when it's possible to learn which types you actually need
to and avoid only those? Why avoid all sources of carb
when it's possible to learn how much is really safe for
you?

I know it's frightening to step out in faith. I was
terrified to move from 20 to 25 on day 15, to add carb
foods one type at a time never knowing what one might be
a problem. But courage isn't lack of fear, courage is
acting anyways in the face of fear. I stepped out in
faith and I learned. Then I discovered that knowledge
is the anti-fear. You can step out in faith as well.

Learn your body's reactions and you won't have fear.
I learned wheat triggers binges, so I couldn't possibly
cheat as was described. On the other hand I also learned
other carby foods that don't trigger binges. If I wish
to cheat, I'll have those, go over my quota, and not
binge, and gain a bit which is always the price of
deciding to cheat.

Experimenting isn't cheating. Here's what the dictionary says about cheat:

To deceive by trickery; swindle: cheated customers by overcharging them for
purchases.
To deprive by trickery; defraud: cheated them of their land.
To mislead; fool: illusions that cheat the eye.
To elude; escape: cheat death.
To act dishonestly; practice fraud.
To violate rules deliberately, as in a game: was accused of cheating at
cards.
Informal. To be sexually unfaithful: cheat on a spouse.

The only one of these that comes close to this situation is To violate rules
deliberately. Since we all set our own rules for our WOE, it's not a cheat
when your rules include an occasional departure from the norm.

Not everyone has the slippery slope problem that you apparently have. And I
don't see how the OP was bragging, isntead he was complaining. I can tell
you that a visit to an Italian restaurant would not provide much temptation
to me as Italian has always been one of my least favorite cuisines. You
consistently make the error of believing that we are all alike.

In news:[email hidden],
Cubit <[email hidden]> stated
| Bragging about cheating may create temptations for those who have not
| mastered carb cravings. Ending the story with being dissatisfied
| doesn't quite mitigate it.
|
| I'm watchful on the issue of cheating, because I am concerned about
| the all-too-common phenomenon of low carbers going back to carbs.
| Does it start with tiny growing amounts, or a willful splurge in carb
| poison?
|
| Theory:
| 1. eat carbs
| 2. carb cravings return
| 3. regain all the lost weight, plus 10% more
|
| Cubit
| 311/154.0/150
|

i still love their spinach/pine nut salad!

--

"Atkins_worked4me" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I went to Maggiano's earlier today after a 3 years hiatus because of

low

Quoted message said:

carb eating. I was in the area and decided that one high carb meal

wasn't

Quoted message said:

going to kill me. Besides, Maggiano's used to be my favorite

restaurant.

Quoted message said:

Over the past 3 years, I've noticed that my tastes have changed, and

my

Quoted message said:

cooking skills have greatly improved--from just being able to boil

water, to

Quoted message said:

now being able to turn out a few relatively complex meals from

scratch.

Quoted message said:

First came the bread basket (which turned out to foreshadow things to

come).

Quoted message said:

Instead of the usual large assortment of bread that I remember, they

gave

Quoted message said:

two partial loaves of something chewy but tasteless. They used to

leave a

Quoted message said:

bottle of olive oil on the table, but now they pour it and then run

off with

Quoted message said:

the bottle.

Then came the entree. I had the fettuccini alfredo with broccoli--one

of my

Quoted message said:

old favorites. I was really looking forward to it, but after a few

bites, I

Quoted message said:

noticed that the alfredo sauce was very watery (like warm milk), the

noodles

Quoted message said:

were very firm, and the broccoli was practically raw. I managed to

swallow

Quoted message said:

some of the noodles, but could barely chew the broccoli.

To top it all off, our waitress had too many tables and could barely

keep

Quoted message said:

up.

I don't know if my expectations have changed, if I came on a bad day,

if

Quoted message said:

Maggiano's has lost their way and slid into the abyss (like the Olive
Garden), or some combination of the above. But I was very

disappointed.

Quoted message said:

The only thing I enjoyed was the very attractive young greeter that

seated

Quoted message said:

us.

No more Maggiano's for me.