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Why I don't agree with cheat meals during prep.

exerciseordie

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Was talking to someone and had a discussion on cheat meals. This is why I don't recommend a prep cheat meal. When you enter prep, there is one goal...be the best you possible. You don't want to lose an think "well I cheated too much." That one is a given, but in my experiences its a slippery slope. After having 12 weeks of bland food, its hard to just have one cheat meal. You finally get some flavor and next thing you know you can't stop. One meal won't kill you, but 6, 7, or 8 meals can. I believe in refeeds but then I just recommend pasta or rice. Most people won't have the will power to stop eating junk if you give them a junk food cheat meal. I'm mainly posting this so I can get some feedback from you guys. Would you have your clients have a cheat meal? Would you personally have a cheat meal and also have the will power to control your cravings? Just curious for your feedback!
 
Cheat meals lower cortisol and insulin and raise leptin. Not using them at least every two weeks will hinder someone from losing.
 
I believe you really have to learn to cut the chord of emotional attachment you have with food, especially during a time like contest prep. Once you understand that - cheat/reward meals will no longer effect you negatively and turn into the possible binge eating like the original post is talking about..and it allows you to reap the benefits bushmaster is talking about.

It is tough to have that mental fortitude and mindset. Just gotta be strong :winkfinger:
 
I agree with ya brother. If I have a cheat meal or cheat day, I tend to continue to cheat more often. I do not have the will power to stop myself after 1 cookie. I will eat the whole damn bag. So its best for me to not even start.
 
I am not doing any contests but someone just bought a shit load of pizza at work... I caved in bros. I must repent tomorrow and cardio until I vomit at the gym in
The morning


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Like I said guys I do believe in refeeds. For instance if you are eating 6 oz fish for every meal with 100gs of carbs from rice a day, I will send you out to get a 12 oz steak and 300 g of carbs from pasta. This should help you keep at your weight loss and it is tasty food, yet "bro" enough to keep you in the right mindset. Mrwaters, with all the people I have helped diet, I can tell you that maybe 5-10% can actually be as strongly will powered as you are talking about.
 
I have another perspective...I do not compete, I have a pretty clean diet. If I have a cheat meal or two I'm ok with it. My thought is that if you are in prep then you are at work. You wouldn't go to work and have a day and do nothing, right? I mean some people do but they are not the "best" employees. I come to work every day to be the best I can be. If I were to compete I wouldn't have a cheat meal during prep. It would be nothing different than going to work for me and I don't come to work to do it half ass
 
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I can't cheat..I go completely sideways and have a full on binge...then feel like absolute crap emotionally and physically.

I would LOVE to do what bushmaster is talking about but I suck so much at it.

I do not agree that clean contest prep needs to be bland though..precision nutrition has a crapload of the most amazing tasting clean recipes you can imagine..problem is the recipes can be spendy
 
Cheat meals lower cortisol and insulin and raise leptin. Not using them at least every two weeks will hinder someone from losing.

Agreed! I under stand what u are saying Eddie. Once u open Pandora's box of fatty treats its hard to put it away.....however there is a purpose to it...but I'm sure u know this.
 
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Like I said guys I do believe in refeeds. For instance if you are eating 6 oz fish for every meal with 100gs of carbs from rice a day, I will send you out to get a 12 oz steak and 300 g of carbs from pasta. This should help you keep at your weight loss and it is tasty food, yet "bro" enough to keep you in the right mindset. Mrwaters, with all the people I have helped diet, I can tell you that maybe 5-10% can actually be as strongly will powered as you are talking about.

Lol I feel you man. Probably less than that. I'm not there yet for sure, trying though. Food tends to have a strong addictive nature for most.


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Cheat meals lower cortisol and insulin and raise leptin. Not using them at least every two weeks will hinder someone from losing.

THIS. Had a cheat meal once per week all through prep.

I can't quite relate to the "addictive nature" of food school of thought... I gave up worrying about taste/presentation of food when I was like 10. (my mom is a raw-only vegan) Needless to say I cooked all my own meat through high school.

I ONLY care about the nutrition/hormone benefits of food and that's why I eat. I can't relate to other than that.. unfortunately that does inhibit my ability to empathize with my clients on diet a little lol but I'm working on it
 
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Cheat meals lower cortisol and insulin and raise leptin. Not using them at least every two weeks will hinder someone from losing.

This is why I like re-feed days. Not cheat meals. Gives you the benefits without possibly sending your client into a binge eating session consuming 5000 calories in one sitting.
 
When I cut I like using a CKD diet, and carb up day is a big part of that diet. Poptarts and fresh bakery bagels with jam are usually the first things I eat :)
 
When I cut I like using a CKD diet, and carb up day is a big part of that diet. Poptarts and fresh bakery bagels with jam are usually the first things I eat :)

I like carbing up with rice, mainly so I get to eat a shit ton of rice lol.
 
I don't agree at all. I had cheat meals up to the week of nationals. My reasons are simple.
1 when you do the same workouts every day day in and day out your body finds the easiest way to complete that task. When you diet and eat the same foods over and over you metabolism gets used to it and stops working at full capacity. So if you shock it with a day of high calories and sugar it kickstarts the metabolism and keeps it working at a high capacity to burn those excess calories so it can back to easy maintenance. I also believe there's a spill over that continues for the next few days after.
2 why punish yourself and possibly cause yourself to self destruct. Allow yourself something to look forward to which in turn gives you some light at the end of the tunnel.
This has been scientifically proven to work and utilized by many competitors with great success.
 
If it makes any difference, my current diet regimen working with EliteBodyTuneup has me having a reward day on Sundays which is the same as any other low carb day, with the exception of 2 "cheat meals." Not complaining over here lol
 
I'm embarrassed lol!! Jk breakfast at Denny's the grand slam which and the special Apple Carmel French toast breakfast so that's two full breakfasts. Lunch was generally sushi or BBQ burgers and a full Apple Carmel crumble pie, the entire 10" pie. Dinner double qp with cheese combo upsized with chocolate shake two double cheeseburgers two jr chickens with cheese and two apple pies. Dinner would be a normal diet meal with ice cream for desert. After that is pass out and start fresh the next day. I ate basically the same things for the entire 20 weeks lol! I never felt guilty either and always looked better the day after. I was super strict through the week.
 
I'm embarrassed lol!! Jk breakfast at Denny's the grand slam which and the special Apple Carmel French toast breakfast so that's two full breakfasts. Lunch was generally sushi or BBQ burgers and a full Apple Carmel crumble pie, the entire 10" pie. Dinner double qp with cheese combo upsized with chocolate shake two double cheeseburgers two jr chickens with cheese and two apple pies. Dinner would be a normal diet meal with ice cream for desert. After that is pass out and start fresh the next day. I ate basically the same things for the entire 20 weeks lol! I never felt guilty either and always looked better the day after. I was super strict through the week.

Much respect brotha! I wish I had the self discipline to pig out like that only once a week and eat clean the other 6 days. I know myself, once I start I can't stop. Today I had 1 rice krispy treat. It was in the office from the weekend. I intended to only have 1. Well that turned into 4! Sucks to not be able to control myself.
 
It's tough! It's easier when you know you will be onstage with hundreds of eyes and lights on you lol! I am no saint in the offseason lol!! But when I have a goal I can't be swayed:)
 
Love this thread. I did three shows this year, and I thought the diet/prep was easy until the last few weeks, and it was a pain. By the time the third show came around, I was exhausted in dieting, mainly the cooking, and find myself cheating more often, I would usually cheat with a nice steak, and some rice, to jump start metabolism, but I do remember eating a cookie, which turned into ,2 then, 3 then all of them. It's impossible to do when you start with Junk, lol. Damn cookies
 
I'm embarrassed lol!! Jk breakfast at Denny's the grand slam which and the special Apple Carmel French toast breakfast so that's two full breakfasts. Lunch was generally sushi or BBQ burgers and a full Apple Carmel crumble pie, the entire 10" pie. Dinner double qp with cheese combo upsized with chocolate shake two double cheeseburgers two jr chickens with cheese and two apple pies. Dinner would be a normal diet meal with ice cream for desert. After that is pass out and start fresh the next day. I ate basically the same things for the entire 20 weeks lol! I never felt guilty either and always looked better the day after. I was super strict through the week.

Christ, I wish I didn't ask because this made me hungry as fuarrrrk!

Here's my snack tonight minus a Greek yogurt and three hard boiled eggs.

:jerkit: :jerkit: :jerkit:

e2u7etaj.jpg



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^^ Well, since I agreed with the wife to host this Christmas party Saturday she better clear her schedule Sunday because Jeffy might need a ride to hit a sports bar and watch football and eat endless wings... And maybe a few beers... A few.


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