cheat meals while ON

[GymIntensity]

Alrite bros, just wanted to know how many bros have cheat meals while ON, and running a "cutting" cycle. Not really a question for the bulkers, but as far as cutting and having strict diet, how often do you have cheat meals, if at all>?

 

[athlete.03]

I gave myself one per week. I saw no adverse effect from it but then again I was, paradoxically, strict with my cheating.

One meal a week (not a binge) did it for me. Then again, I should mention that even my cheats were relatively healthy (at least for cheats): an example would be a few homecooked brownies with several glasses of milk.

I just understood that I let myself do that once a week while cutting so anytime I had a hard core food craving I could use it during that week and if I had another one I'd have to wait till next week. It actually worked.

I became very vascular even over my abs for the first time in my life!

 

[Mr.X]

It's always good to have cheat meals or days - depending on your goals. I prefer to see controlled carb-up days rather then all out pigging out.

 

[boston789]

I love candy...like sweet-tars, skittles that sort of stuff so once or twice a week. Its not a bad thing to spike your inslun once and a while.

 

[Goldprospector]

I used Cheat meals while I was cutting. I don't know if they effected my cutting or not...But I would get one per week. It was usually a Steak with Fires or Baked Potato, The only thing was I tried to eat it early enough in the day wher I would have time to work some of it off.

 

[gettinripped]

i have a cheat day every week, on sundays. keeps me sane.

 

[hanibal]

nothing wrong w/ 1 or 2 cheat meals per week when cutting. i find day after i cheat i look better. if u r preparing for a show that's another story probably.

 

[Vascular Freak]

I prefer to think of it as a "replenishment" meal rather than a cheat meal. I don't have an increased calorie meal while dieting for sanity purposes but rather to restock my muscles with some carbs and fats and fill them out so I can go back to dieting again and not risk losing size and strength.

There is no doubt that a controlled day is far superior where you increase calories but throughout the day as opposed to all at one sitting.

Normally sushi rolls work great for me, they have some white rice, raw tuna or salmon, and some fats and sodium which really seems to bring out fullness and vascularity for me.

 

[KD1]

Its better to have a cheat meal when on then when off IMO.

 

[JKurz1]

100% clean during cutting

2 huge cheat meals a week during bulkin..........all out....then ull have no urge come cut time!!

 

[abomb]

I ate a large thin crust pizza, big bag of Lays chips, and a butterfinger for supper last night. I think cheat meals are a must to stay sane.

 

[JKurz1]

Talk to madcow....he tore my head off because I am SUPPOSE to have two a week and I had none last.....he made some valid points, they are more than just for sanity!@

 

[toxicsambo]

i have a cheat day every week, on sundays. keeps me sane.

Shit yeah. Screw cheat "meals", a Cheat Day is good. I do the same thing on Sundays. Especially being a wop, sunday dinner is unreal. And now Football season is going to start, pass the fkn pizza and wings bitch.

But scientifically speaking GymIntensity, cheat days or meals are good because your body adapts to whatever diet you use over a prolonged period of time. You replenish and trick your liver/metabolism/enzymes/hormones/ etc, to prevent adaptation and slowdown. Carb cycling does this also.

Just as an example, I'm cutting down and natural right now and have been for a while. 6 days a week I eat nothing but 180-200 grams of lean
protein and raw veggies (mostly celery/lettuce/tomato/cucumber). Day 7, I'll eat whatever the hell I want. My training and diet is consistent 6 days out of the week, and I keep on losing fat and sustaining muscle. My strength is as good as my last cycle and the "cheat day" keeps me focused on the coming week. It's a positive reward system. Being hard on yourself rarely works.

 

[drdug27]

my cheat meals are absolutely insane. i try to do 1 every 2 weeks. but usualy end up being 3 evry 2 weeks. i will weigh in on friday around 255lbs and tip the scales at 272 on monday. Strong as a bull, muscles full but i feel like a bloated bitch

 

[iHulk]

bro I always have a nice carb-up day on sundays. I'll eat over 600 grams of complex carbs and enjoy some deserts. Then the rest of the week it less than 100 grams of carbs /day, often going to less than 60 thurs and fridays.

 

[silverbackn]

When dieting it depends on your goals. I think cheat meals do more damage than good. You taste all this rich food and then you have to go back to chicken and brown rice? Doesn't make sense to me. A higher carb day? Yes. A cheat day? No.

 

[instant.muscle]

i dont think their is one of us that hasn't ever cheated

 

[solidspine]

When I was single I was pretty good.

Would plan cheat days and actually in comparison to today they were not even cheat days.

Being married it is impossible, my wife came home from church yesterday with a chocolate cheese cake. Can't handle it.

 

[JKurz1]

BULKING ONLY FOR MOI.....friday was a box of oreos at 2am............maybe tonight???

 

[Whiskey]

I won't even tell you what i'm eating right now. But it is FAR from what I should be eating. For me it's about staying sane

Whiskey

 

[truckdaddy]

i go crazy on the weekends......cant help it

 

[JKurz1]

this is in all honesty....some take it too far...if you cant control it, then refrain from it completely. If you set aside a time or 2 or even 3 if you can afford it and do it right, then it works out perfectly. Like I said, I only do it during my clean bulks...no room for it precontest.

For example:

I am going to a movie Sat. night and dinner before. I'll prob. do a fat prime rib, a loaded baked potatoe....maybe a box or two of candy at the movie, and then maybe a small frozen yogurt. DONE.

Than SUnday, maybe it'll be pizza, and a frozen blizzard or a few candy bars dipped in pb.....crazy isnt an option!

 

[Snarling Force]

For me cheating is always pizza. There is a badass gourmet pizza joint near where I live and I always look forward to doin the nasty with a couple slices...

 

[rykertest]

I agree with the sunday being my cheat day when cutting. However, I take it a bit far when cheating. I usually go out for at least 2 of the meals and get a good burgver or steak with fries and a milkshake, and usually will finish off a whole family sized roll of cookie dough before the day is over. I usually feel pretty gross on Monday morning, but it makes me want to get back to eating right, so I can make it thru most of the week without craving anything bad, then comes sunday again. I love my day of rest.

 

[FFQuads]

BULKING ONLY FOR MOI.....friday was a box of oreos at 2am............maybe tonight???

I'll second that. Saturday I ate about 15 Oreos around 2 AM with a huge glass of milk. God I love those....

2-3 cheat meals a weeks while bulking for me.

 

[instant.muscle]

When I was single I was pretty good.

Would plan cheat days and actually in comparison to today they were not even cheat days.

Being married it is impossible, my wife came home from church yesterday with a chocolate cheese cake. Can't handle it.

u tell her next time she does that she ain't gettin no luvin til the cake is gone!

 

[danymal04]

Cheat days are a must, it's hard also if you don't get to buy all your own groceries. When away at college its easier because the cafe food their are a lot of burgers and stuff but then there are lots of lean meats and veggies too. The only thing that gets me are snacks at night time... sometimes you just can't resist but I'm pretty good at finding the healthiest thing in the house.

 

[silverbackn]

Cheat days don't do anything but undermine your efforts and set you back every single week. If you can't control it walk away from it, trust me. I used to do the cheat day thing, i binged like crazy. I would put on 8-10 pounds everytime I did it, how healthy is that?

 

[instant.muscle]

while bulking there is no such thing as cheating

 

[silverbackn]

while bulking there is no such thing as cheating

I think this depends on what level you are at. If you are a high school kid I agree. If you have been training for an extended period of time you aren't going to put on huge amounts of muscle, IMHO all the extra calories will just put bodyfat on. I just eat huge amounts of clean stuff and if I want something else on top of the quality food then I have it. People tend to use bulking as an excuse to get sloppy and when they diet down they don't have anymore muscle than before they bulked because their gains were water and bodyfat. It just depends on the dude though. To each his own.

 

[GymIntensity]

Shit yeah. Screw cheat "meals", a Cheat Day is good. I do the same thing on Sundays. Especially being a wop, sunday dinner is unreal. And now Football season is going to start, pass the fkn pizza and wings bitch.

But scientifically speaking GymIntensity, cheat days or meals are good because your body adapts to whatever diet you use over a prolonged period of time. You replenish and trick your liver/metabolism/enzymes/hormones/ etc, to prevent adaptation and slowdown. Carb cycling does this also.

Just as an example, I'm cutting down and natural right now and have been for a while. 6 days a week I eat nothing but 180-200 grams of lean
protein and raw veggies (mostly celery/lettuce/tomato/cucumber). Day 7, I'll eat whatever the hell I want. My training and diet is consistent 6 days out of the week, and I keep on losing fat and sustaining muscle. My strength is as good as my last cycle and the "cheat day" keeps me focused on the coming week. It's a positive reward system. Being hard on yourself rarely works.

haha hell yeah bro i feel you on that one. I was just trying to decide if a cheat DAY was too bad. seems like all the bros have the same feelings on cheat meals. Thanks for all the responses bros

 

[iHulk]

I think this depends on what level you are at. If you are a high school kid I agree. If you have been training for an extended period of time you aren't going to put on huge amounts of muscle, IMHO all the extra calories will just put bodyfat on. I just eat huge amounts of clean stuff and if I want something else on top of the quality food then I have it. People tend to use bulking as an excuse to get sloppy and when they diet down they don't have anymore muscle than before they bulked because their gains were water and bodyfat. It just depends on the dude though. To each his own.

Totally agree. What type of look are you guys going for? Being heavy and bloated looks and retaining water looks dumb. How can you gain vascularity in your abdominals if you eat cheesecake, burgers and fries? Not happening.
Ihulk's diet is sane, easy and by all means gratifying.

 

[silverbackn]

Totally agree. What type of look are you guys going for? Being heavy and bloated looks and retaining water looks dumb. How can you gain vascularity in your abdominals if you eat cheesecake, burgers and fries? Not happening.
Ihulk's diet is sane, easy and by all means gratifying.

The truth is that you will grow better from eating quality food than you will from shoving a ton of crap down your throat, period. When I say grow I mean with muscle, not bodyfat. This is the part of the reason that people "grow" into a show. They go from eating tons of shit to eating oatmeal, chicken, lean beef, brown rice, etc. Although they are eating less calories than before they will grow because they aren't bomarding the body with a bunch of toxic shit.

 

[JKurz1]

thats why you limit it to two cheat meals a WEEK! out of 56 meals.....what is that 96% clean???

 

[silverbackn]

thats why you limit it to two cheat meals a WEEK! out of 56 meals.....what is that 96% clean???

Again I don't agree with cheat meals, clean high carb refeeds yes. It also depends on if you are dieting or trying to put it on. I am referring to dieting. If you are trying to put it on I think that as long as you are eating quality you can add a little shit on top of that.

 

[GOLUAN]

I eat anything and everything i want to eat...i still grow...

 

[JKurz1]

I was refering to bulking only....plus its clean if done 2x a week rather than daily!

 

[karachi183]

Sunday is my happy cheat day..

 

[silverbackn]

I was refering to bulking only....plus its clean if done 2x a week rather than daily!

Word. There you go. I don't plan cheat meals, but if I want to eat something in the offseason I eat it. That said I eat nothing but clean food probably 90% of the days.

 

[JKurz1]

Woke up. Ate Breakie...sort of.
- 3 bagels (cheese, plain, everything) with jam, cream cheese and PB (something with protein )
- 4 Muffins (Large ones too) 2 blueberry, 2 chocolate
- about a litre of milk, not sure what kind, probably whole
- a banana

soo that was the start to the wonderful day (complimentary breakie always a good thing)

took the subway into town and went to the Quincy Market, DAMN THERE WAS A FOOD FESTIVAL!!
So 3 hours after breakfast, I decided what the hell, its time to eat...

- Massive Bowl of Seafood Chowder
- Lobstor Roll Sub
- Slice of Supreme Pizza
- 2 huge Pretzels
- Steak and Cheese Panini
- A fresh fruit shake
- Fresh on the spot fried dough (also known as a doughnut)
- Ice Cream (Deep Purple Chocolate Tracks and Caramel Pecan)

So I was pretty full from that lunch, so we walked around town doing some sightseeing...then went to Harvard to see what all the fuss was about...and it was awesome....such a beautiful university..but it was about 4 hours after lunch, so I first grabbed a litre of SKIM MILK! (YEAH!)....and then went to a restaurant called the "Border Cafe".
Im telling you people if your ever in Harvard go to this restaurant, its awesome!!...
This is what I had there

- 5 baskets of nachos and salsa (it was free, yeah!)
- Fried Calamari
- A Huge plate of catfish with a thick creamy pecan sauce, with lots of veggies and some Jambalya...this was great.
- Half a Salad (Called "Toste Grande"), in a huge Tortilla Shell with chicken, lettuce, black beans, cheese, tomatoes, guacomole....so good, thanks to the person at the table that didn't finish it.
- 2 large margahritas, 3 coronas

Left the restaurant and of course had to get some ice cream for the dessert.
Got 3 scoops.
- Chocolate Orgy
- Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
- Mocha Almond

So that was it for the day, but it was a filling day. I didn't feel sick or anything after, but pretty damn full!
__________________

 

[FFQuads]

Woke up. Ate Breakie...sort of.
- 3 bagels (cheese, plain, everything) with jam, cream cheese and PB (something with protein )
- 4 Muffins (Large ones too) 2 blueberry, 2 chocolate
- about a litre of milk, not sure what kind, probably whole
- a banana

soo that was the start to the wonderful day (complimentary breakie always a good thing)

took the subway into town and went to the Quincy Market, DAMN THERE WAS A FOOD FESTIVAL!!
So 3 hours after breakfast, I decided what the hell, its time to eat...

- Massive Bowl of Seafood Chowder
- Lobstor Roll Sub
- Slice of Supreme Pizza
- 2 huge Pretzels
- Steak and Cheese Panini
- A fresh fruit shake
- Fresh on the spot fried dough (also known as a doughnut)
- Ice Cream (Deep Purple Chocolate Tracks and Caramel Pecan)

So I was pretty full from that lunch, so we walked around town doing some sightseeing...then went to Harvard to see what all the fuss was about...and it was awesome....such a beautiful university..but it was about 4 hours after lunch, so I first grabbed a litre of SKIM MILK! (YEAH!)....and then went to a restaurant called the "Border Cafe".
Im telling you people if your ever in Harvard go to this restaurant, its awesome!!...
This is what I had there

- 5 baskets of nachos and salsa (it was free, yeah!)
- Fried Calamari
- A Huge plate of catfish with a thick creamy pecan sauce, with lots of veggies and some Jambalya...this was great.
- Half a Salad (Called "Toste Grande"), in a huge Tortilla Shell with chicken, lettuce, black beans, cheese, tomatoes, guacomole....so good, thanks to the person at the table that didn't finish it.
- 2 large margahritas, 3 coronas

Left the restaurant and of course had to get some ice cream for the dessert.
Got 3 scoops.
- Chocolate Orgy
- Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
- Mocha Almond

So that was it for the day, but it was a filling day. I didn't feel sick or anything after, but pretty damn full!
__________________

I just love those days......

 

[Cutt29]

For the guys that get pizza cravings go to health food store/health food section of your groc store and find linda mccartney's pizza....they are amazing 600 cals per pizza, 20g fat. 30g protein 80g carb 10g fiber. Not too bad considering its a pizza

 

[SA80]

I used Cheat meals while I was cutting. I don't know if they effected my cutting or not...But I would get one per week. It was usually a Steak with Fires or Baked Potato, The only thing was I tried to eat it early enough in the day wher I would have time to work some of it off.

Steak and a baked potato a cheat meal?

 

[silverbackn]

Steak and a baked potato a cheat meal?

A solid steak can have 60g's of fat pretty easily.