allowing yourself "bad" foods once in a while?

[megancolleen]

I've come to realize that my lattes just don't make me feel good, but I can't bear to give them up altogether. I'm thinking what I might do is allow myself a latte once a month. It seems to me that this would decrease damage to my bladder, while still allowing me an occasional treat. I'm literally thinking of circling a day on my calendar once a month and making it "latte day."

I do follow the IC diet pretty carefully most of the time, but espresso is the one thing that has been extremely hard for me to abandon.

Does anybody else do this?

[kadi]

No, but I look for substitutes.

I got a Toddy Maker (reduces acid) from the ICN store & use low acid decaf coffee in it to make a very gentle coffee concentrate, which I mix in hot milk, for lattes. I also like the coffee concentrate with milk, ice & sugar. So, I still get something like my old favorites, but without the pain.

[Roxie2007]

I wish I could cheat on the diet once in a while.....but the pain from cheating far exceeds the happiness of the bite or 2 of chocolate or small peice of pizza.......so I don't cheat anymore. :( Power to you if you can!

[ICNDonna]

I have to agree that finding a substitute is a better idea. Try thinking of it this way: What if you were to circle a day during the month and on that day you will put your hand on a hot burner on your stove. You wouldn't want to do that because it could HURT --- just as that latte could HURT. I like kadi's idea better.

One thing you might do is to try just a tiny bit --- like 1/4 of a cup --- to see if it bothers you.

I know the diet is a challenge, but it's soooooo worth it.

Sending encouraging hugs,
Donna

[dg2901]

While I'm not too terribly diet sensitive, there are certain things that I will not give up, and coffee/espresso is one of those things.
Its up to you whether or not you're willing to take the risk.

:)
Diana

[leelee88]

Cheating is just not worth it to me.. I found that out over the 4th.. I ate something I shouldnt have and have been flaring every since.. Will not do it again..Just to much pain and discomfort..

Ronda

[meme]

I admit I cheat on the diet sometimes. I just cannot go without chocolate!!! I've found that I can tolerate a little bit ( a small piece of cake or choc chip cookie) once a week if I've kept to the diet strictly the rest of the time, and I drink a whole lot of water with it. I'd try a very small amount at first and see if you can tolerate it then go from there. Good Luck!!!!

[shell]

I do sometimes allow myself to cheat. I don't have pain as one of my symptoms, just frequency and urgency, so I might not be so willing to cheat if I knew it would cause actual pain.

I found an acid-reduced coffee that I drink on a daily basis, but there are times when I just want a cup of REAL coffee. Or a little bit of tomato sauce on pasta. Or some fruit salad... So if I know I'm going to be sticking close to home for a day or two, I allow myself the "bad" stuff. It's worth it to me to occasionally increase my symptoms in exchange for not feeling completely deprived.

There are still some things that I will never cheat with because they are the worst triggers for me - such as orange juice. But now that I have somewhat of a handle on which foods/drinks affect me how, I feel able to control what I eat when.

[Smokey]

I am too scared to cheat with coffee, I have not had a real coffee since being diagnosed with ic. I have a hot white choclate every now and then with plenty of milk or give teeccino coffee a go, ( all natural no caffeine)the vanilla nut tastes beautiful. www.teeccino.com

[Want2BPainFree]

Not a chance. I have not ever cheated on this diet since February. Even trying new foods from the "maybe ok" column (I've tried 5) have ALL flared me.

The pain is just NOT worth it to me at all.

[Allies40]

I've been on a strict diet since May and I know it's been helping me. I tried a small chocolate chip cookie the other day and had no problems with it. Then I tried it again a day later, and low and behold, I was in pain for awhile. I make my own cookies with carob and white chocolate chips and they are very good. I try a small bit of chocolate once in awhile, but in general I feel much better on the diet.
I cannot tolerate coffee anymore, at first it was REALLY hard to give it up, now I am very used to not having it anymore, and honestly I feel better. Caffeine used to spike me up, then an hour later I crashed. Plus, I would run to the bathroom every 15 minutes for 2-3 hours afterwards.
What worked for me is not going cold turkey. I slowly drank smaller and smaller amounts until I gave it up for good. I find it easier to simply avoid the craving by staying away from Starbucks period.
Good luck!-Allison

[Kara Isabel]

I cheat sometimes.

But that's only because I take pain meds. If I wasn't on pain medication I would be too scared to cheat! yikes.

So, yes, the pain meds give me a little more freedom to eat, I don't cheat often. I do want my bladder to heal, however...I also want to live and enjoy my life, and an occasional instant gratification feels good. I get too depressed if I'm constantly denying myself any small pleasure.

Kara