How Evil Are Cheat Meals?

[St Croix]

Hi, I'm about a month in on my diet and lifting regime.

I was just wondering if someone can clarify what kind of effects cheat meals have on your progress.

Currently I am eating 100% clean from monday through saturday, but have a cheat meal on sundays. Normally I have a bag of peanut M&M's and a decent feed of KFC or Pizza.

Sometimes I feel a bit guilty after I've eaten my cheat meal and am worried that it might set me back from my results. Can someone provide some info for me on this?

Thanks

 

[nsashbl01]

Here's my take. Make sure you always get your required protein and good carbs first. Then cheating is ok, as long as it's not a substitute. For example, I ate 250 grams of protein today and lots of good carbs. Now I'm going to eat 2 frozen pizza's. I'd be carfull with things like candy. All that sugar can be a bad thing. Cheating should still be foods that aren't horrible, like fryed shit. Just my .02

 

[JKurz1]

dieting/contest prep? Never

buking - once a day - CLEAN cheat food though.....maybe a burger, or a ANPB and banana sandwhich, some extra pasta (whole wheat).........sure, every once in awhile wings and wine may be on the menu, but not too often...........

 

[mcr]

Bro, it's different for everyone.

So you cheat once a week - how is your progess? If you think your progess is fine, keep doing that cheat meal. If your progress isn't as good as you'd hoped or stalls, drop it if you can.

For me, I find that while cutting, if I have a cheat day, it DOES ruin the entire other 6 days of the week while I'm clean (MANY people will tell you that it won't - but it can for me). So I try to avoid it, although that is easier said than done. Other people on here eat crap all the time, and are ripped.

So it depends on the luck of the draw with genetics and your metabolism.

 

[psychedout]

Actually, I am dieting right now, and rather than have a refeed day, I just allow one cheat meal per week.

This weeks was half a bag of perogies and garlic bread... delicious.

Last weeks was a pizza.

 

[Tweakle]

fuck cheating, with my metabolism I can wipe out a whole weeks cal deficit in one sitting.

So it depends on the luck of the draw with genetics and your metabolism.

yup

 

[Sebastionv]

obviously, by the look ate the avatars these guys no what there talking about.. no more serious cheat days for me till new years eve.

 

[JKurz1]

obviously, by the look ate the avatars these guys no what there talking about.. no more serious cheat days for me till new years eve.

<---thanks!

 

[IWantToBeThin]

This is how my trainer explained it. If he has me scheduled to lose 1500 calories a week by excersing, and on Saturday I eat a medium pizza and some beer, there goes the weight I was supposed to lose that week. So you basically just undo everything that you did. Also, my diet is so calculated the smallest cheat will supposedly set me back he says.

It's very hard for me to eat clean 24/7, and if I had a cheat day, I probably would be less likley to cheat.

 

[sasharawkz]

I've heard that the cheat meal increases your metabolism somehow...anyone care to comment?