Fitness Heads: Do you incorporate 'Cheat-Days' into your diet?

[SLY]

Sorry about the essay. Fuck Colin.

I'm trying to get into shape, so I've radically changed my diet. I'm very strict about the foods I eat, but I do have a tendency to over-indulge on bad food.
I've purged many delicious foods from diet such as Bread, Cashews, Corn-on-the cob among other things. I've stuck to only eating vegetable stir frys and pasta with chicken, but this diet is difficult to uphold without cravings for 'not-so good' food.
I'm pretty much a fiend for a big bag of cashews with a bottle of malt, but I understand this isn't the healthiest thing to consume when trying to get in shape.

Would you guys recommend devoting incorporating a cheat day?

What type of foods do you heads eat during your cheat day(s)?

 

[doggish_098]

no.....

i use a cheat meal but not a whole day of cheating... usually on fridays or saturdays i may go get something i enjoy whether it be wings or pizza or just have some happy hour drinks.


another bit of advice bro... remove the word "diet" from your vocab... diets are short term

why did you stop eating cashews???? cashews are a good source of protein and a handful can get you through situations when it comes down to grabbing that bag of chips from the vending machine

whats wrong with corn????

the pasta is what you may want to eliminate or at least switch to whole grain pastas

 

[bgbtylvr]

I cheat all the time. Donuts to pizza. Doesn't have that much of an affect on me. I jump rope when I feel bad about what I ate. Burns way more calories and tones more muscles than just runnIng. Won't be happy eating of a list. Eat some shit, fuck it. Just keep your workout on schedule and do a little extra at the end like wrist curls calf raises or jump rope.

 

[keone]

2days 2 meals

I look like a superhero

 

[Teknique310]

I take 1 week off a month. 3 weeks on , 1 week off.

Calorie counting is a sure way to misery.

 

[SLY]

no.....

i use a cheat meal but not a whole day of cheating... usually on fridays or saturdays i may go get something i enjoy whether it be wings or pizza or just have some happy hour drinks.


another bit of advice bro... remove the word "diet" from your vocab... diets are short term

why did you stop eating cashews???? cashews are a good source of protein and a handful can get you through situations when it comes down to grabbing that bag of chips from the vending machine

whats wrong with corn????

the pasta is what you may want to eliminate or at least switch to whole grain pastas

I'm addicted to them. I can go overboard and finish 2-3 medium size packs in the space of 20 mins.

I read somewhere how corn isn't healthy due to body being unable to digest it properly. Basically the corn kernel is present when excreting.

I already eat whole grain pastas. I need to do the same for rice.

Thanx for the advice guys

 

[doggish_098]

I'm addicted to them. I can go overboard and finish 2-3 medium size packs in the space of 20 mins.

I read somewhere how corn isn't healthy due to body being unable to digest it properly. Basically the corn kernel is present when excreting.

I already eat whole grain pastas. I need to do the same for rice.

Thanx for the advice guys

nothing wrong with eating corn... my starches of choice are usually brown right and sweet potatoes/yams

 

[pookie]

I try to limit my "cheat meals" to one or two a week. Like someone said earlier "diet" is a bad word. You can eat the same foods you've been eating you just gotta change the portion and the way it is prepared. Learn how to bake, grill or broil your meats, cut down on the salt and butter or find substitutes, you can even still have your sweets just gotta cut back on the size of that cake and bowl of ice cream. These adjustments along with a good exercise plan will have you looking right

 

[doggish_098]

http://www.livestrong.com/article/542505-the-art-and-science-of-cheat-meals/

 

[KingAddies]

I'm addicted to them. I can go overboard and finish 2-3 medium size packs in the space of 20 mins.

I read somewhere how corn isn't healthy due to body being unable to digest it properly. Basically the corn kernel is present when excreting.

I already eat whole grain pastas. I need to do the same for rice.

Thanx for the advice guys

Corn and Soy have been compromised. Stay away.

Peanuts in the shell, Cashews and Pistachios are good for you but I either grab the snack sized bag or no more than a handful if I get a larger container. I grind non salted nuts in my coffee grinder when I want to bulk up a smoothie. Drink some water or Coconut water with nuts to kill the craving for more.

Wednesday (sandwich or Chinese food from the buffet) and Friday (fish for 2-3 meals) are my cheat days. Saturday and Sunday are my detox days with heavy cilantro to remove the mercury that may be present in the seafood.

 

[Duval404]

Unless you are on a total lifestyle change a cheat day or even the weekend aint bad. I try to schedule mine the day before I go real hard. Some people have a meal or a day a week as a reward some folks limit them to once every few months. One thing I have noticed is your body needs a cheat day off of working out period. So on top of a cheat day take a day or two not to doing anyting and let your body regroup and muscles grow.

 

[cameo]

I typically have three cheat meals through out a seven day week. Here's an example:

Monday - cheat breakfast
Wednesday -cheat lunch
Friday - cheat dinner

My cheat meals are small-medium so its not like I eat 4000 calories.

It all depends. As you already know, I live fitness.

 

[Joe Money]

Unless you are on a total lifestyle change a cheat day or even the weekend aint bad. I try to schedule mine the day before I go real hard. Some people have a meal or a day a week as a reward some folks limit them to once every few months. One thing I have noticed is your body needs a cheat day off of working out period. So on top of a cheat day take a day or two not to doing anyting and let your body regroup and muscles grow.

Similar to what I do, and I have dropped 30 lbs over the past year.

Sometimes you have to incorporate a cheat day so your body does not go into starvation mode and actually hold on to fat. I've noticed that when I cheat, which is usually on the weekends, I actually weigh less on Monday morning than I did that Friday. But I also get more sleep on the weekends, so I'm sure that helps.

To the OP, you can still eat the foods you like from time to time, just eat smaller portions. For example, I love Doritos, and I've been known to eat a whole bag in one sitting. But now, I'll make a bag last three or four days.

 

[rtm862]

just let your cheap days come naturally.

 

[BigDaddyBuk]

one whole cheat day...i eat whatever i want in whatever amounts.

which doesnt amount to much. once you get used to small meals you get full so fast you automatically eat proper portions.

 

[Strait_Laced]

Sorry about the essay. Fuck Colin.

I'm trying to get into shape, so I've radically changed my diet. I'm very strict about the foods I eat, but I do have a tendency to over-indulge on bad food.
I've purged many delicious foods from diet such as Bread, Cashews, Corn-on-the cob among other things. I've stuck to only eating vegetable stir frys and pasta with chicken, but this diet is difficult to uphold without cravings for 'not-so good' food.
I'm pretty much a fiend for a big bag of cashews with a bottle of malt, but I understand this isn't the healthiest thing to consume when trying to get in shape.

Would you guys recommend devoting incorporating a cheat day?

What type of foods do you heads eat during your cheat day(s)?

wait what?
i still eat cashews by the ton...costco size in fact, lots of nuts...almonds, pistachios, pecans, walnuts...i def have a sweet tooth and snack fixation...if i didn't do the nuts it would be more sweets...are cashews bad? (too lazy to google since there will be several viewpoints)

 

[richlove]

Sorry about the essay. Fuck Colin.

I'm trying to get into shape, so I've radically changed my diet. I'm very strict about the foods I eat, but I do have a tendency to over-indulge on bad food.
I've purged many delicious foods from diet such as Bread, Cashews, Corn-on-the cob among other things. I've stuck to only eating vegetable stir frys and pasta with chicken, but this diet is difficult to uphold without cravings for 'not-so good' food.
I'm pretty much a fiend for a big bag of cashews with a bottle of malt, but I understand this isn't the healthiest thing to consume when trying to get in shape.

Would you guys recommend devoting incorporating a cheat day?

What type of foods do you heads eat during your cheat day(s)?

The very idea of a cheat day is for people that are not ready to make a real lifestyle change. Fuck a cheat day. Get in shape and then you can have several days a month to eat a nice big meal with absolutely no nutritional value and it will burn off by the end of your next workout. Cheat days are for fat housewives that are just going to start the newest bullshit diet they saw on Dr. Oz and fuck that up before the month is out.

 

[bham_brotha]

Nope, cheat days are basically slowing down your own progress. I did it when I first started losing the weight because it was hard for me to change my diet without looking back all at once. Then when I started actually tracking my meals I realized that I was just fucking myself over when I did it. Let's just say you're trying to lose weight and you're eating at a deficit of 2200 calories a day. You decide you're going to have a cheat day and fuck around and eat 5,000 calories. You basically just killed off 2 or 3 days of your deficit with a surplus.

Why not just incorporate what you want to eat into your daily meals with moderation and eat what you want? As i've pointed out quite a few times on here I lost about 75-80 pounds and I didn't have to do that salad, baked chicken, etc everyday shit. Figure out your maintenance calorie intake, your deficit calorie intake and then just build your diet around that. When people ask me how I lost when they saw how I ate they couldn't figure out how I was doing it... moderation and portion control and eat what you want.

Granted, I still never ate fried foods, salty foods, etc but I wasn't on a salad and baked chicken diet either. Still ate burgers, still ate fries, still ate plenty of things. Cheat days are a hinderance, work that shit into your daily intake. I can drink a whole case of Heineken in 4 days by myself and not be over my calorie intake...again, work that shit into your caloric intake. Problem is, most don't really have the discipline to log everything they eat/drink but it's so worth it in the end.

 

[king_101]

Cheat if you want.... It can help... If you're too restrictive in your diet your body might go into starvation mode, then you will stop losing all together... You might actually gain weight. Every now and then you should cheat.... Of course don't go overboard and eat a whole pizza pie, and an entire box of ice cream.

Mind you, this advice is coming from someone who is 12% body fat...

 

[Ill Paragraph]

Peace,

nothing wrong with eating corn... my starches of choice are usually brown right and sweet potatoes/yams

Actually, corn isn't really any good for you. Grains in general aren't meant for human consumption.

 

[Ill Paragraph]

Peace,

Nope, cheat days are basically slowing down your own progress. I did it when I first started losing the weight because it was hard for me to change my diet without looking back all at once. Then when I started actually tracking my meals I realized that I was just fucking myself over when I did it. Let's just say you're trying to lose weight and you're eating at a deficit of 2200 calories a day. You decide you're going to have a cheat day and fuck around and eat 5,000 calories. You basically just killed off 2 or 3 days of your deficit with a surplus.

Why not just incorporate what you want to eat into your daily meals with moderation and eat what you want? As i've pointed out quite a few times on here I lost about 75-80 pounds and I didn't have to do that salad, baked chicken, etc everyday shit. Figure out your maintenance calorie intake, your deficit calorie intake and then just build your diet around that. When people ask me how I lost when they saw how I ate they couldn't figure out how I was doing it... moderation and portion control and eat what you want.

Granted, I still never ate fried foods, salty foods, etc but I wasn't on a salad and baked chicken diet either. Still ate burgers, still ate fries, still ate plenty of things. Cheat days are a hinderance, work that shit into your daily intake. I can drink a whole case of Heineken in 4 days by myself and not be over my calorie intake...again, work that shit into your caloric intake. Problem is, most don't really have the discipline to log everything they eat/drink but it's so worth it in the end.

It doesn't work like this at all. Your body's ability to adapt will eventually lead it to adjust to a low carb, high protein diet. Every now and again, you need to keep it guessing by introducing a "cheat" food. This is the most effective way to keep losing weight.

And calorie-counting is for the birds.

 

[bham_brotha]

Cheat if you want.... It can help... If you're too restrictive in your diet your body might go into starvation mode, then you will stop losing all together... You might actually gain weight. Every now and then you should cheat.... Of course don't go overboard and eat a whole pizza pie, and an entire box of ice cream.

Mind you, this advice is coming from someone who is 12% body fat...

Starvation mode is mostly a myth. Think of all of those malnourished kids over there in Africa. If starvation mode was actually true they would've stopped losing weight at some point, that's not the case. Same for malnourished jews in concentration camps. If you're not eating you're going to lose, not gain anything. You will just end up skinny everywhere except for your stomach and even the stomach will disappear after a certain point. Also, starvation mode only applies when you eat too little too often...has nothing to do with being restrictive. Unless you're eating something like 1000 calories a day starvation mode wouldn't even come into question. I ate at a deficit everyday for nearly a year and never stopped losing.

 

[bham_brotha]

Peace,



It doesn't work like this at all. Your body's ability to adapt will eventually lead it to adjust to a low carb, high protein diet. Every now and again, you need to keep it guessing by introducing a "cheat" food. This is the most effective way to keep losing weight.

And calorie-counting is for the birds.

This nigga is telling me what it doesn't work like when I did it to lose nearly 100 pounds and used it to get my body fat down to 9% after my bulk. SMH lol...where the fuck did I even mention a low carb or high protein diet??? The fuck are you even talking about?? What you just said has NOTHING to do with what I said. Eating at a deficit is about a percentage of your maintenance calories, NOT about carbs or protein. Overall, it's calories in vs calories out. I don't know how your response even applies to my statement. And no, every now and then you do not NEED a cheat day.

 

[doggish_098]

Peace,



Actually, corn isn't really any good for you. Grains in general aren't meant for human consumption.

same can be said for green leaf vegetables because of the cellulose...

corn is the best kind of grain to eat because it is a "whole" grain

 

[bham_brotha]

And also, you do know that bodybuilders use high protein diets to get muscle mass right? They're already eating at a surplus so a cheat day wouldn't do a damn thing. This is why folks end up in fucked up yo yo diets. And btw, what I said is exactly how sites like myfitnesspal work... you know, the most used tracking diet site in the world? Just sayin...

 

[Ill Paragraph]

Peace,

This nigga is telling me what it doesn't work like when I did it to lose nearly 100 pounds and used it to get my body fat down to 9% after my bulk. SMH lol...where the fuck did I even mention a low carb or high protein diet??? The fuck are you even talking about?? What you just said has NOTHING to do with what I said. Eating at a deficit is about a percentage of your maintenance calories, NOT about carbs or protein. Overall, it's calories in vs calories out. I don't know how your response even applies to my statement. And no, every now and then you do not NEED a cheat day.

Stop acting like a bitch. I'm just disagreeing with you.

Counting calories is generally ineffective for most people and, yes, "cheating" every now and again is effective. That's a fact. Being a former fatty obviously doesn't make you an expert on this shit.

 

[king_101]

Starvation mode is mostly a myth. Think of all of those malnourished kids over there in Africa. If starvation mode was actually true they would've stopped losing weight at some point, that's not the case. Same for malnourished jews in concentration camps. If you're not eating you're going to lose, not gain anything. You will just end up skinny everywhere except for your stomach and even the stomach will disappear after a certain point. Also, starvation mode only applies when you eat too little too often...has nothing to do with being restrictive. Unless you're eating something like 1000 calories a day starvation mode wouldn't even come into question. I ate at a deficit everyday for nearly a year and never stopped losing.

I'm not going to debate you....I know it to be true from personal experience.... Don't believe everything you get from google...

 

[BigATLslim]

It's imperative.

I never had a problem sticking to my diet, but in the early to mid 2000's, Papa John's with pineapple and mushroom and extra tomato sauce was heaven on my cheat day.

Next day, act like it never happened. Protein shake, creatine, boneless/skinless chicken breast, veggies for lunch and dinner and the trusty oatmeal, egg whites and turkey bacon for breakfast.

 

[bham_brotha]

Peace,



Stop acting like a bitch. I'm just disagreeing with you.

Counting calories is generally ineffective for most people and, yes, "cheating" every now and again is effective. That's a fact. Being a former fatty obviously doesn't make you an expert on this shit.

I'm a "bitch" because you basically have no idea what you're talking about and had the nerve to tell me "that's not how it works." I don't need to be an expert to know what works and what doesn't. Go on a fitness site and tell them what I said doesn't work and see how long it takes you to get laughed at. But you got it boss.

 

[Ill Paragraph]

Peace,

And also, you do know that bodybuilders use high protein diets to get muscle mass right? They're already eating at a surplus so a cheat day wouldn't do a damn thing. This is why folks end up in fucked up yo yo diets. And btw, what I said is exactly how sites like myfitnesspal work... you know, the most used tracking diet site in the world? Just sayin...

What are you talking about here? Weight watchers and "myfitness" cats are the most yo-yo dieters on Earth. And of course I know how protein works, bruh. But most people are trying to lose FAT not MUSCLE. High protein, low-carb diets enable them to do both of these things.

 

[rundatrack]

2 cheat meals a week.

 

[king_101]

Peace,



What are you talking about here? Weight watchers and "myfitness" cats are the most yo-yo dieters on Earth. And of course I know how protein works, bruh. But most people are trying to lose FAT not MUSCLE. High protein, low-carb diets enable them to do both of these things.

You are right, he is wrong...I don't feel like getting into it with him...These threads always bring out the armchair fitness experts.... I don't know what other niggas look like, but I'm tall 235lbs and 12% body fat... I look like I should be on stage... I've been at this for 16 years....

 

[bham_brotha]

I'm not going to debate you....I know it to be true from personal experience.... Don't believe everything you get from google...

You know it how??? Science disagrees with you basically. Again, if it were true people that are starving would stop losing weight, not the case. Eat 900 calories a day for the next 6 months and see what happens. You'd basically die before your body went into "starvation mode." You're honestly saying that if you're not eating your body will start gaining weight..

I know, based off of holding onto everything you take in right? The problem with that theory is that your body has a requirement of calories daily just to be able to provide basic functions. In other words, it HAS to burn calories for you to live therefore wouldn't be able to hold on to everything you take in. It really doesn't even make sense. If it were true explain the jews and malnourished people in Africa. That's all im saying, scientifically it doesn't make sense.

 

[doggish_098]

Starvation mode is mostly a myth. Think of all of those malnourished kids over there in Africa. If starvation mode was actually true they would've stopped losing weight at some point, that's not the case. Same for malnourished jews in concentration camps. If you're not eating you're going to lose, not gain anything. You will just end up skinny everywhere except for your stomach and even the stomach will disappear after a certain point. Also, starvation mode only applies when you eat too little too often...has nothing to do with being restrictive. Unless you're eating something like 1000 calories a day starvation mode wouldn't even come into question. I ate at a deficit everyday for nearly a year and never stopped losing.

losing weight and losing fat are two different things...

 

[Ill Paragraph]

I'm a "bitch" because you basically have no idea what you're talking about and had the nerve to tell me "that's not how it works." I don't need to be an expert to know what works and what doesn't. Go on a fitness site and tell them what I said doesn't work and see how long it takes you to get laughed at. But you got it boss.

No. You overreacted to my initial comment like a bitch. Suffice it to say that counting calories is a generally ineffective (and miserable) way to lose weight. Men who want to lose weight and keep muscle do so by limiting carbs and increasing protein.