Do I start over?

[MrsKT]

Hi everyone,

Today is day 8 for me. I have been SUPER strict about everything I have eaten for the past 7 days. I've been eating the best grassfed beef, wild-caught not previously frozen fish, organic chicken, pasture-raised eggs, etc. I have largely stayed away from nuts/seeds (except in two lunch salads) and have not eaten fruits in excess, especially when I have had sugar cravings. I have been so good, I swear! Even my husband keeps telling me how proud he is of my willpower in going out to eat and being in social drinking situations over the weekend, where I had the recommended club soda with limes and lemons.

But I am so annoyed/ frustrated/ upset right now. I went to a local, very expensive farm-to-table restaurant for a business lunch today. I called before to ask if they had a salad dressing sans sugar. After a long hold, the hostess said she confirmed that the vinegarette does not have added sugar. So I order the salmon salad: no marinade and salt and pepper only on the fish, no blue cheese, no bacon, with dressing on the side. Since I had already confirmed, I didn't feel the need to rehash with the waiter about the dressing. When I am mid-way through the salad that is now covered with about 3 tablespoons of dressing, the waiter interrupts to ask if I had a food allergy, because of the way I ordered the salmon. I said I was on a restrictive diet (no sugar, etc.) and he tells me that the dressing DOES in fact have sugar in it. Of course, I stopped eating immediately.

So I technically cheated-- on day 8 of 30-- without even knowing. I even called before to check. The first week was so hard for me and I really want to cry. I feel like I got cheated, when I did the due diligence to protect myself.

What do I do? Start over?

Thanks for your help.

Signed,

Cheater

[kb0426]

You keep going. It's all good!

[Keianna]

I say keep moving forward and think of it as a learning experience.

[MrsKT]

I was truly hoping I didn't have to restart, but I wanted to hold myself accountable and get the truth out!

It's so hard to eliminate 100% of all of the sugars, additives, etc. Eventually something will probably slip through, as it did with me today. I guess I need to think about "success" as being 99.999% compliant and 100% honest, hoping that .0001% of non-compliant ingredients were just an accident.

Thanks for the confirmation ladies.

[Krista Billows Rodriguez]

some things are outside of your control, you did the best you could

[MrsKT]

Thanks y'all! I feel much better

[JaneA]

Something similar happened to me, too. I went to the forum and they told me that I didn't make a faceplant into a cupcake. It wasn't that you intentionally cheated. You probably only got about a half teaspoon, anyway. They told me that if I am finding that I fight a sugar dragon at the end, to extend it a little. If not, then it didn't have much impact. Don't stress about it and assess how you feel at the end of the 30 days. Granted, I'm only on day 15, myself, right now. But, that did comfort me when it happened to me.

[Kirsteen]

What everyone else has said. Don't beat yourself up, you did the very best you could and-it-is-not-your-fault OK? Just keep going and chalk it up to experience. I'll add my usual proviso, if at the end of your W30, you feel you've had less than sellar results then you may want to add those days on at the end but I'm sure you'll be fine. It sounds like you're doing awesome. good luck.

[MrsKT]

Yes, I want to make clear that it was NOT my intention to cheat. I did the best I could to protect myself, but it didn't work. I guess I will know to take dressing with me for the next 22 days!

And as you both suggested, if I feel that I have not reached the results in regard to my "sugar demons" by day 30, I will definitely consider tacking them on to the tailend. As D30 falls on a Tuesday for me (May 7th), I think I have decided to continue through to the end of that week as a small extra measure anyway.