Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below I was just wondering how long you guys have been on a strict diet, you know typical bodybuilding, chicken breasts, rice, plain baked potatoes, ect, WITHOUT a cheat day. I once went four months. I cant believe that i actually went that long with no cheating except an occasional tbsp of fat free cool whip and a single marachino cherry thrown into a protein shake. Damn, I was ripped though....
Say no to cheat days?
- Thread starter lonewulf
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Mr.X
Guest
The way to say NO to cheat days is by looking at food as a privilege; therefore, you eat just what you need. Subsequently, pigging-out=a food addiction...yes, I am serious...cheat days can often become binges, thus, releasing the addiction. Just think of it as an addiction that can't take you over. Beat it in your mind and you will never need cheat days. --or just keep a 33/33/33--
Mr.X
Mr.X
or at least try to make it a healthy reward like sugar free ice cream fat free products bla bla you get my point...you can even go nuts with sugar free jello with some whip cream its heck of alot better than a whole box of chips ahoy with a half gallon of milk IMO!
if i get this right then one cup of sugar free jello has 5-10 calories per cup there is 6 cups in a pack if you consume these all throught the day on yous cheat day it will be around 60-70 calories total.......just use lite whipcream then
if i get this right then one cup of sugar free jello has 5-10 calories per cup there is 6 cups in a pack if you consume these all throught the day on yous cheat day it will be around 60-70 calories total.......just use lite whipcream then
MrRTTB
New member
I don't think you should look at it that way(this is on a low fat diet of course..). Cheat days are needed not just because you can't handle the diet it self and that you are to tempted to eat junk food, but also to bump up your metabolism after a 1 or 2 week strict cuttingdiet.
Let's say you eat 1000cals below your maintenance calorie intake(of course I mean that you slowly should lower calories, but let's say U have reached -1000cals from what U have to eat to maintain your bodyweight). After a week or so U do not by far burn as many calories as u did a week ago. One cheat won't make U fat, I think It will help U a lot.
I always have cheating days when I cut with a low fat intake. I have it on saturdays and I eat what I want. On the sunday I have gained about 4lb, on monday I'm still at +2lb from saturday morning. The next saturday morning I'm down 1lb-1.5lb from the week before.
Let's say you eat 1000cals below your maintenance calorie intake(of course I mean that you slowly should lower calories, but let's say U have reached -1000cals from what U have to eat to maintain your bodyweight). After a week or so U do not by far burn as many calories as u did a week ago. One cheat won't make U fat, I think It will help U a lot.
I always have cheating days when I cut with a low fat intake. I have it on saturdays and I eat what I want. On the sunday I have gained about 4lb, on monday I'm still at +2lb from saturday morning. The next saturday morning I'm down 1lb-1.5lb from the week before.
diamonddiceclay
New member
I have not had a cheat day yet on my cutting diet-and I never will
cure
New member
God i love cheat days. I eat so strict for 2 weeks and then for 1 meal i have 3 slices of pizza or a burger. That's it. That's all i ask for and i really don't give a shit and i dont feel guilty. Only time i feel guilty is when i shit it out 3h hours later and stink up my bathroom at work.
Blood&Iron
New member
I agree with Alfons. Going prolonged periods on sub-maintenance calories leads to a precipitous drop in leptin levels. I very much like Par Deus' use of the term "refeed" instead of "cheat day." A "refeed" isn't an opportunity for gluttony but a a way to optimize one's diet. I actually dislike my "refeeds." Most bodybuilders tend to view ascetism as a virtue in and of itself, but when it leads to less than optimal results what exactly is there to be proud of?
FitnessFrk
New member
well see about that 10 years from now...you might want to enjoy "life" a little more, you will get much more out of the sport.
My End Over Mad her
New member
i'm bulking so i eat pretty much what i want when i want. I don't eat sweets ever, except maybe a piece of candy here and there so I don't worry about that. I don't gain weight easily at all so i pretty much get what I can. I werk at an italian restaurant and if there is pizza or pasta left over I am gonna eat it cuz that's a free 10 buck or more meal and to me it's werth it. When i cut i will be strict like a mutha but for now i eat whatever and it's not even a thing about me not being strict, its just why not eat 100's of dollars worth of food every month for free?
toga22
SideShow Freak
For me, I allow myself a cheat day on a special occasion. For example when dining out with friends or a holiday. Part of the reason I do this is I hate having to explain my diet and my motivation behind it to someone. This often tends to turn into a debate and the whole purpose of the occasion is lost.
Another thing I noticed about cheat days, at least for myself, is if I indulge in that triple decker ice cream sundae, with peanut butter and whip cream, that I begin craving these type of foods often after my cheat day is over. So it is just easier not to eat them at all.
Really though, since I am low-carbing, I really consider my carb-up days as cheat days, simply because I get to eat something different.
~toga
Another thing I noticed about cheat days, at least for myself, is if I indulge in that triple decker ice cream sundae, with peanut butter and whip cream, that I begin craving these type of foods often after my cheat day is over. So it is just easier not to eat them at all.
Really though, since I am low-carbing, I really consider my carb-up days as cheat days, simply because I get to eat something different.
~toga
jennifer BFL chick
New member
Alfons said:
I ALWAYS ALWAYS have a "free" day once a week, 99% of the time on Sundays.
I want my body to be a major food burner----and if you feed it heavily once a week it will get use to it and not turn it into fat-----I have been doing this for almost a year, and trust me, not only has it kept me enjoying this lifestyle, I have NEVER cheated during the week EVER. I have lost over 50 pounds this year, and still going strong-----free days/cheat days/ect are not a bad thing! Unless you have "trained" your body to not have them
jennifer BFL chick
New member
p60 said:so for me when i do a cheat day, i just take the quantity cap off, but still eat the same foods.
But I can eat as many clean foods as i want.that way I dont have to starve for 4 months straight, and only 6 days straight. I think this is a much better concept. feel much less quilty by doing it this way. i recommend this way to all of you. Not only will you feel better about your cheat days, but it will still provide the same metabolic benefits.
I never feel guilty on my cheat days---I eat what ever I want and how much I want----you should do what you want, but for me, I love to eat all sorts of food--not just brown rice and chicken--shit I eat so much chicken and rice each week its crazy---so to have one day where I can eat something different, its a must for me for long term----sure I could go a couple of months without a free day, but what happens when you start taking them? your body will react negatively to them.
I love all types of food----there is nothing that is "bad" in my book, just food that I eat less of.
How could you go the rest of your LIFE not having slice of cake, or pizza? That's just crazy if you ask me.....but hey, to each their own.
I belong to a gym that is owned by a former por bobybuilder who is probably one of the greatest natural (yes this is true) bobybuilders of all time, Michael Ashley. Although he retired about 5 years ago, he still eats exactly the same as he did when he was competing. He told me that he hasn't had a peice of pizza in over 20 years. I asked how and why he did this. He explained to me that no one, including him, has the will power to "not cheat" for 20 years. He, as someone stated earlier, just looks at food differently. He doesn't WANT pizza ever. He looks at food not as some form of momentary pleasure but as something that is necessary to stay alive. If a person is concerned with muscle size or low body fat then why not use your knowledge of macronutrients to maximize your appearence?
I think that ultimately this is the true secret to long term goal achievement. You must change the way you look at food. If someone looks at a doughnut and is constantly tempeted, ultimately they will crack. We need to look at a doughnut and think of the damage that the fried dough and sugar will do to our arteries and how it will make us look rather than what it may do to our taste buds for 30 seconds.
As Par Deus has said - cheat days are for gluttons.
I think that ultimately this is the true secret to long term goal achievement. You must change the way you look at food. If someone looks at a doughnut and is constantly tempeted, ultimately they will crack. We need to look at a doughnut and think of the damage that the fried dough and sugar will do to our arteries and how it will make us look rather than what it may do to our taste buds for 30 seconds.
As Par Deus has said - cheat days are for gluttons.
Cheat days are fantastic - I have 2 of them per week (no shit) cutting or bulking it really doesn't matter. When bulking I eat high CLEAN cals 5 days and high NASTY cals 2 days. When cutting 5 days of clean low cals & 2 days worth of high NASTY cals.. My body fat averages about 6% when cut or maintaining and about 10% when bulking. My energy levels go through the roof on my cheat days (which is pretty much the weekend).
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