Cheater cheater pizza eater

(Teri) #1

Yesterday I had a craving for stuffed crust pizza, so I thought why not? I haven’t had a cheat day in 3 months, and it’s my favorite trash food. Not as great as I remember, tbh. I bit in expecting to be overwhelmed with carby goodness, but mostly I just enjoyed the stuffed crust cheese. The pizza cheese was crap. So either my tastes have changed that much, or it was never that great to begin with (which is prob at least part of the case because Pizza Hut kinda sucks). Either way I feel bad that I cheated, but good that I learned that I’m not a slave to pizza any longer.

Woke up the morning (around 14 hours after the pizza) and only tested light on the urine strips, so that was kinda sucky, but at least I still had SOME ketones. :disappointed:

Side note, I got totally bloated about an hour after. I don’t know if it was the cheese, since I try to avoid dairy, or if it was the bread, or what… but it was terrible.

(less is more, more or less) #2

and

Don’t feel bad. You didn’t cheat. You’re not deficient. You learned. You’re doing great. You’ll see that the only one your “cheating” is yourself. :wink:

(Teri) #3

Thanks. I feel pretty good about the fact that I wasn’t dying to get my hands on more carbs. I was worried that would be the case. I just woke up this morning and started back on my usual routine.

I think it was emotional eating, honestly. I’m the only one in the house doing keto, the other two eat SADly. So I kinda got down about the fact that it’s so hard for us to enjoy a meal together. And especially go out to eat together. So I ordered a pizza for us to share. I think I need to focus on the fact that this isn’t about them and that I can work my needs around theirs. So that’s kinda what it was.

(Jeb Bower) #4

Wait…you decided to “splurge” on a bit of pizza and you went with Pizza Hut!!!

(Teri) #5

:woman_facepalming:t3: Yes. I know. Don’t make me feel any worse than I already do :joy:

(the cheater) #6

My first cheat was after about 2 months strict keto; I had a similar reaction. I like Zebra Cakes and I bit into one thinking it’d be everything I’d ever imagined; well, I was wrong. It was pretty “meh.” I definitely think it has to do with tastes changing. That said, since I’ve been cheating more frequently, my taste for sweets has normalized (i.e., I enjoy it again when I have it). I don’t get cravings and such like I used to, of course :slight_smile:

But yes, as mentioned above DO NOT start feeling guilty. I forget who wrote it on these forums, but do not start attaching guilt/virtue to the keto WOE. We’re not better than anyone else for eating keto and if we have a cheat meal/day/week, we don’t deserve self-flagellation. Just KCKO :smiley:

(Teri) #7

I’ll keep this in mind always. Sometimes I do get strict and won’t allow myself treats, even if they fit into my daily allowance. Like keto desserts. I think I need to lighten up and maybe try to incorporate my lifestyle into my family’s. I think they see how strict I am and assume that’s the standard. When it isn’t. And I also don’t think I can keep it up if I don’t stop putting so many limitations on myself. Also, I need to try more recipes and make my diet more interesting. I think that’s going to be my downfall if I don’t.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

It’s good that you learned not to be a slave!

I don’t react to dairy, so in my case, the bloat would have been from the bread. We sometimes order in from a local pizzeria—they have lots of good keto-friendly dishes and are quite accommodating about special orders, but their little rolls are such a temptation—that yummy yeasty smell. They never taste as great as they smell, and I regret eating one (or two, don’t judge me, lol!) for the next couple of days. Oscar Wilde’s remark to the contrary notwithstanding, sometimes the best thing to do with a temptation is not to yield! :bacon:

(the cheater) #9

You nailed it exactly. Let it work for you, don’t become a slave to it or let it define you - it is possible to take even good things to an unhealthy extreme :slight_smile: Keto isn’t about deprivation; and your example is important - if you seem miserable and as though you’re denying yourself things you want, then no one’s gonna want any part of it (like when you see a jogger with a tortured look on their face - who’s gonna want to exercise if it makes me feel like THAT?). I’ve always said that one of the reason I am able to stick to healthy ways of eating for so long is that I do allow myself a little freedom here and there.

(Bob M) #10

My main downfall is pizza, but if I decide to have it, I get the best I can get. That’s not too hard, since I live near New Haven, CT, which has probably the best pizza I’ve ever tasted. Most pizza is garbage, but pizza cooked over a super hot fire, thinner crust…great.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), gluten and wheat and I don’t get along. I get asthma, chest congestion, allergies. So, I limit my pizza intake to a handful a year.

(Carl Keller) #11

My guess is the sugars in the pizza dough.

Just write it off as a learning experience. Remembering what it does to you should give you the willpower to say no thanks, next time. Try a Fathead next time you want pizza.

(Randy) #12

You’re creating obstacles IMO.

Most pizza places also have Buffalo wings. Easy. Restaurants always have keto options. Steak, bun-less burgers, low carb veggies etc. You just have to get over the hurdle that you have to eat the same things to have a nice evening.

(Brian) #13

Yes, indeed… cheats don’t taste the same anymore. Happened that way for me.

I never really did go off and have a major face stuffing binge on anything after starting keto. But from time to time, I’ll have a bit of something. Nope, not as good as I remembered, don’t want any more. Done.

Had a couple of sugar laden chocolate covered peanut butter balls at a party yesterday. They were OK, nothing as great as I’d have liked (and certainly not as good as some of my keto treats). And while I was eating the second one, I was asking myself whether I’d be satisfied if I ate another or two more or six more. And my honest answer to myself was,no. What I really wanted was some good protein, and I wasn’t gonna get it from those. End of binge.

Funny how things change over time…

(MelissaH) #14

I’ve had the same reaction to cheats since starting keto in August. I expect magic in my mouth and it’s never the case. Except truffles of course😁 I wouldn’t beat yourself about it. You’ve done great so far.

#15

I’ve been wondering how to explain my experience whenever I’ve had something I used to “love” to eat, and ended up pleasantly disappointed.

Just yesterday, someone at the office brought cookies from a local bakery, one I used to consider “The Bakery” in town, if you ever wanted something sweet.

I decided to try two different cookies with coffee. Both were so disappointing I wish I could have gone back in time two minutes and change my mind to try them.

Finally ate some sausage to get the taste out of my mouth. :wink:

(less is more, more or less) #16

^^^^ this. Salads tend to be my fall-back.

There’s other tactics, too, like the “Pizza Scrape.” Drag the tongs of your fork across the top of the pizza, to free what’s good from the unnecessary crust. Eat the good stuff, trash the crust. You’ll still get a taste of the crust in what you’ve scraped. The rest of the scrape may be moderate in carb, pending on the pizza, but you can enjoy the cheese, meat, sauce, artichoke, whatever, and you’re not twiddling your thumbs.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #17

Check out the recipe section, make one of the many keto pizzas in there. All you have to do to have stuffed crust is place shredded cheese around the edge and roll it towards the center of the pizza, make it as thin or thick as you like.

We have pizza a few times a month, but it is ketoed pizzas now, either home made or from Real Foods.

(Laurie) #18

Or ask for a bowl of toppings only (melted cheese, pepperoni, etc.). Servers and cooks have heard it all and will try to please. Don’t expect them to know what a carb is; it’s up to you to specify what you want.

And of course there is always the “pizza scrape.”

(Jeb Bower) #19

As long as we’re on the subject, there’s a pizza place by us that does no-doh pizza that is really tasty. It’s one of those Subway/Chipotle type places where they make it in front of you.

No-doh, in a shallow foil pan they put a layer of whatever sauce you want then sprinkle a layer of parm. cheese or spinach leaves, then moz. cheese and whatever toppings you want. I’ve only ever done the parm but it comes out really good.

My personal favorite is the chicken bacon ranch…I can get an 11" pizza and still be less than 10g carbs.

(Bob M) #20

I wish we had a place like that near me.