Cheat meals or Cheat days?

[1love]

Everyone talks about cheating every once in awhile. I was just wondering how often (every week, once a month?) and is it one meal or all day. For example do you just eat pizza or spaghetti for dinner one day or do you wake up one morning and decide your going to have the day off and maybe change your eating routine up for the day and eat maybe 3 meals only and just spend it normall with your kids and family? I know there has been multiple threads about cheat meals throughout the years and was just wondering if some of you could explain it again. Not really looking to see what you eat, really just looking to see if sometimes you stop everything (to a degree) to share some normality every so often. Thanks ahead of time for any imput.

 

[Flex2019]

I tend be very very strict with my diet all the time...1-2 cheat meals per month is about it for me. I never really go a whole day stuffing my face anymore-I feel like crap for a couple days after if I do.

 

[Michaelthomasj]

I have more then 1 or 2 a month..honestly probably around 6 to 8

 

[PsyT]

if you stay within your caloric limits then 'cheating' means very little is a trivial psychological thing almost.

a little water gain from sodium maybe but nothing to set you back.

unless you are like weeks out from a competition i wouldn't worry about eating some spaghetti dinners

all those weights you are lifting have created muscle that can burn shit off real quick.

 

[Flex2019]

if you stay within your caloric limits then 'cheating' means very little is a trivial psychological thing almost.

a little water gain from sodium maybe but nothing to set you back.

unless you are like weeks out from a competition i wouldn't worry about eating some spaghetti dinners

all those weights you are lifting have created muscle that can burn shit off real quick.

I completely agree with this...for me it's more of a mental thing. My motivation level thrives on consistency and progression, and it's sometimes hard to convince myself to eat something I normally wouldn't. One thing I sometimes do is adjust my calories in my meals after my cheat meal to keep everything close.

 

[1love]

See, I kind of agree with all that is being said. I am not a pro bbuilder and am not trying to be. I understand that when in training that your not going to just stuff all the wrong foods in your body. I don't have kids yet and sometimes wonder when they wake you up in the morning and want to eat breakfast with you or spend the day with you that occasionally your going to go someplace where the food isn't exactly the best for you or you will enjoy a day at the zoo or something and just eat something while having a good time. I personally still try to pick the best thing off the menus that i can. But there are days where I don't always hit my protein or calorie count and I get upset sometimes and am learning, that since I'm not a pro but do enjoy the discipline required to achieve the body I am looking for, that I also have to learn that balance can be a good thing as well. For a few years now I have been on a really strict eating routine and have learned to tweak it when needed, but sometimes (not often enough) I break the cycle and just enjoy the day. Should I feel guilty?

 

[Conan21]

alot of this depends on you. Your metabolism. There is no custom fit answer.

It also depends on your current bodyfat percentage. Leptin levels etc.

this past summer I would diet very strict for 6 days and then gourge myself on the 7th. Eat everything and everything. But i didn't start doing this untill my body was primed for it and in a need state. You def need to be in the single digit bodyfat range. I'd wake up the next morning looking harder and fuller. I definately don't have the best metabolism but if your body is in a need state its not going to store fat in one meal or even a full day of eat whatever you want.

Its a diet that Scot Abell uses on alot of his guys. He terms it the 'Super-Compensation' Diet

 

[ericraven2003]

After I lost my 46lbs, I have my body pretty much dialed in. I generally have 2 days a week that I eat what I want. With that said, it usually on ends up being one meal on that day otherwise I feel sick. I also have one night a week that I drink.

 

[jm425]

When I bulk, I usually have about 2-3 cheat meals a week. When I cut I only do 1 a week. It works for me.

 

[mavs]

When I bulk, I usually have about 2-3 cheat meals a week. When I cut I only do 1 a week. It works for me.

This is cool, but like stated earlier it is all about you and your metabolism....
I tried this "eat big to get big" on this cycle (TE, Deca & TBol) but all I'm getting is luv handles, lol....so I'm back on my clean eating. Big believer in diet.

 

[PsyT]

^ curious what you mean by 'clean'...do you mean closer to maintenance calories or what? Do you gain better lean mass when you eat 'clean'?

 

[doug1]

i have been leaning out for quite some time now so i certainly haven't done a full day gorge. but i have done some serious one time sit down meals and have found them quite beneficial. generally what i do is pick either a friday or saturday night and eat pretty low calorie during the day, then for dinner i'll allow myself to get quite hungry(i usually like the meal to follow my leg training)then i will eat and drink all i want. i always make the next day low calorie.i don't go near a scale until monday at the soonest. this basically is a reiteration of what conan said about abel dieting principles

 

[mavs]

^ curious what you mean by 'clean'...do you mean closer to maintenance calories or what? Do you gain better lean mass when you eat 'clean'?

Healthy is a better word, it took me years, but I now eat mostly live food: vegetables and salads with lean meat, mostly chicken and tuna. A day or two off this I can tell I start gaining fat around my stomach area...damn 40's lol

 

[buselmo]

when i'm prepping for a contest, i start off with 1 cheat day per week PLUS 2 cheat meals that week AND a day where i take it easy (as in i just eat 1 or 2 meals)...
works for me...

offseason... weekends are considered rest days, where i just eat 1-2 cheat meals on the weekend, and just starve myself the rest of the day (some snacks in between)...

as you can see... i'm not your typical "hardcore" bodybuilder

 

[1love]

Thanks for everyones feedback!

 

[VanR__]

I try to keep it at just a cheat meal. When it turns into a full day of eating shit, it turns into a cheat week/month real fast.