The Truth About Cheat Meals

[CoQ10]

Hey Everybody,

Quick question:

Are cheat meals beneficial because they can "kickstart your metabolism" or is that just an excuse proliferated by the weak-willed? I would love it if it were true, but I don't understand the science behind it.

For those who do engage in cheating as part of your nutrition program, what are your cheat meals like?

Thanks, and I apologize if this is a repost. I don't frequent this forum as often as I should.

-C10

[matthor]

cheating or refeeding can be beneficial - systematic and scheduled binges however are not.

i dont advocate cheat days or excessive cheat meals, they serve no purpose psychologically (they become a crutch that u cant live without) or pysiologically (your body doesnt need THAT many excess calories to reset metabolism

just me tho - im sure many will say they are great and within reason i agree

[acz310]

Since ive only been cuting for one week now, I think that having a cheat meal would do me more harm then good, more mental then physical

[Sockomalo]

after eating less and less calories your body will adapt and will begin to manage off the lower calories, and your metabolism will be lower. the cheat meal is supposed to help keep your metabolism higher. im not sure if there is any research behind this, im sure it has some truth, but it is also a good excuse to cheat

[Conan Stevens]

Too many people use the cheat meal to self sabotage. If you are serious go without it - it is not hard eating tasty good foods anyway.

For example practically any Thai food is healthy and bodybuilding balanced.

[Sockomalo]

Originally Posted by Conan Stevens

Too many people use the cheat meal to self sabotage. If you are serious go without it - it is not hard eating tasty good foods anyway.

For example practically any Thai food is healthy and bodybuilding balanced.

blah but this weekend i HAVE to cheat. probably twice 2 thanksgiving dinners on sunday and then i go to the mandarin(wicked chinese food buffet) on monday

[ScottC]

Originally Posted by acz310

Since ive only been cuting for one week now, I think that having a cheat meal would do me more harm then good, more mental then physical

Mental isn't bad, it could be beneficial, imo. Also, imo, if you have your cheat meal around mid-day you still have most of the days activities to "work it off," so to speak.

[ballboy20]

IMO, I do no think their is a benefit toward a cheat meal. Some people look at cheat meals as "always" eating the most terrible foods you can find but to me it is usually something I never have the chance to have due to being pricey or convenience such as going out to eat. I think once one works out their diet and learns to prepare the typical bodybuilding foods tastey to their preference, they stay away from your typical cheat foods because they are happy with their normal eating regime. As far as an metabolizer booster, you can always refeed on foods you already eat just in a higher quantity. Just because something holds 56 gs of sugar or saturated fat, isn't going to make it more beneficial than healthier foods. But like I said this is just my opinion.

[The Brotherhood]

The concept of a cheat meal is to indulge in foods you like, and you (usually) end up going over your macros.

The concept or a refeed is a periodically planned meal in your diet that has an influx of calories, best consumed from carbs, and a calculated carb intake at that.

Theres no such thing as a "cheat meal for boosting your metabolism" - if your using it to boost your metabolism its called a refeed, and you would do best to do it all carbs and calculate a fixed amount of carbs for your refeed. This is also called a carb load.

Eating to indulge for psychological satiation is a CHEAT MEAL, is UNCALCULATED, and WILL SET YOU BACK.The metabolism thing is just something people use to make themselves feel better about their cheat meal.

[Spyder2600]

My sort of definition of a cheat meal is just a meal that breaks away from the normal grind of your daily meal plan. So you can use that opportunity to go out and eat at a restaurant or something. It doesn't mean you have to eat crappy or terribly unhealthy food. It just adds a little variety, which can be nice.

But yeah, there's no real benefit to your metabolism from downing a whole gallon of ice cream, eating an entire large pizza, or eating 35 brownies/cookies. It's all just junk that'll set you back.

[EMISGOD]

I hear there's a search button for questions like this...

[355 Spyder]

I have used cheat meals EVERY week for over 4 years without it ever hindering my progress. And I have dipped to as low as 3.4% bf and still enjoyed giant cheat meals every Sunday. Even now I maintain under 9%bf all year round and always have a giant cheat meal every Sunday.

I see it more of as a reward for eating 42 perfect meals. Like any normal person I too crave dirty food and a cheat meal is my way to letting go, relaxing and binging on everything I do not have everyday - like ice cream, chocolates and new protein bars. You can call it mental, phsycological, emotional, sexual or spiritual. It is fun!

I personally do not think BB is that unforgiving that you cannot have one cheat meal a week. I heartily recommend it to everybody. We all have to live a little!

Cheers!

[The Brotherhood]

you might very well have gotten down to 3.4% bf, and thats admirable; bottom line is you got your results inspite of what you did; not because of.

Cheat meals might not hinder some extreme ectos very much, but they sure as hell will set you back, even if it is 0.05% - you decide if that 0.05% is worth being set back on; personally, i dont think it is, and i try to go 3-4 months before I eat a cheat meal, and even then i try fighting it.

[bravo03]

when you eat cheat meals, you're cheating yourself, dont give into the urge and just stay sober

[Stonecoldtruth]

I shall defer to one of my nutritional idols on this one:

Originally Posted by John Berardi

To Cheat or Not to Cheat

Q: It seems that we're seeing a lot of articles in T-mag about cheat meals lately, most of them saying that a good cheat meal can actually help your fat loss diet. In your Damage Control article, you made cheat meals sound positively disastrous. Is a cheat meal once a week or so a good thing or not?

A: Although I always read the articles of fellow T-mag contributors objectively, trying to learn as much as I can from them while trying to reconcile their ideas with my own, I do sometimes end up disagreeing with the information they provide. In this specific case, I know that fellow T-mag contributors Joel Marion and Don Alessi have written articles on how cheat meals can help with fat loss. And, although I think their ideas are interesting, I don't want to say whether or not I agree. This is, in part, due to the fact that, well, I don't know!

I wish I could give you a better answer than that, but I can't. My advice is dependent on the available scientific literature as well as my "real world" experiences as a competitive athlete and as a consultant to weightlifters, bodybuilders, and elite athletes. (Obviously, the same things my colleagues use in formulating their opinions.) With respect to this topic, I don't believe the evidence is clear one way or another, but more importantly, even if the data were crystal clear, there isn't a single answer. Therefore, instead of directly answering your question, I'd like to offer a discussion of this topic so that you can make up your own mind.

First of all, while this question seems simple enough, there are many factors that must be considered before answering. When you say "cheat meal," what exactly do you mean? Do you mean a trip to the buffet or to Pizza Hut in order to binge? Do you mean a clean re-feeding meal that provides the same foods you're dieting with but increases your total calorie intake for that specific meal or day? Do you mean a clean, high carbohydrate meal designed to replenish muscle glycogen? The body certainly would process each of these meals differently, so the answer is dependent on what type of "cheat" you're planning.

It's also important to know a few things about your body. The fatter you are, the more likely you are to store those "cheat" calories as fat; the leaner you are, the more likely you are to burn those calories. This phenomenon seems to be dependent on the cellular signaling that occurs in fatness vs. leanness.

In addition, genetics play a big role. Since some people respond to overfeeding by upregulating their metabolisms dramatically (spendthrift metabolism) while others respond to overfeeding by storing that energy as fat (thrifty metabolism), it's important to know which type you are to determine whether a cheat would be beneficial.

To take this discussion one step further, after properly defining the "cheat," determining your body fat levels, and figuring out how you personally respond to overfeeding, you should also define exactly what you're hoping to accomplish with the cheat. Are you simply hoping to make the diet psychologically easier? Are you hoping to increase the intensity of your subsequent workouts so that you can burn more calories during and after the workout? Are you hoping that the meal will upregulate your sluggish dieter's metabolism and give it an appropriate kick in the pants, allowing for more fat loss? Again, all of these factors play a role in determining whether to cheat or not to cheat.

When looking at the question from this perspective, it doesn't seem so simple, does it?

Putting aside all the physiology discussion, I know many of you are just looking for a simple answer, one that addresses whether or not a cheat meal can help you lose more fat in a shorter period of time. Well, if you're looking for a simple answer, you're not going to find one. However, let me present you with a few strategies that I've seen work pretty well.

Although this info below is discussed in the context of a low carb diet, keep in mind that the rules are probably very similar for more "balanced diets" as well.

• When on a low carbohydrate diet and rapid fat loss is your number one priority, it seems like cheat meals and periodic refeeding aren't good ideas. Simply eliminate calories from your diet and/or increase your exercise activity.

• When you're trying to drop fat using a low carbohydrate diet, but maintaining performance levels is a priority, it may be beneficial to partake in a carbohydrate refeeding meal or refeeding day once every three to seven days. Rather than suggesting this meal upregulates metabolism, I'll suggest that you'll be able to train harder when the fuel supply is topped off again.

Because you'll have been training in a glycogen-depleted state, you can use this refeed to fuel up and increase exercise intensity. The ability to train harder may or may not contribute to fat loss (it all depends on your activity) but regardless, if your goal is to prevent losses in performance, a periodic carbohydrate refeed is the way to go. Not only will it allow you to train harder during the first few days post refeeding, but it'll give you a great psychological boost by releasing some "feel good" neurotransmitters and by causing you to feel less deprived.

• When on a low carbohydrate diet and you're trying to slowly get leaner and/or maintain a ridiculously low level of body fat (under 6% or so), a big cheat meal/day or two each week might be a great idea for compliance. I've trained models who have to stay in shape year round. With these individuals, I've simply had them eat a low carbohydrate diet Monday through Friday and eat a whole lot on the weekends (unless they had a photo shoot on the particular weekend in question). This "whole lot" usually consisted of three to four meals of good bodybuilding food and one or two meals per day of whatever foods they wanted.

As with the above scenario, glycogen stores are filled up on the weekend and gradually diminished during the week. The most intense workouts were performed early in the week while the longer duration workouts were performed later in the week. Fat loss isn't as rapid with this plan but it does occur a little less painfully than with either of the other plans. In addition, it's much easier to follow this plan since it does allow for weekly indulgences.

Finally, if you've got a lot of fat to lose, following one of the above plans to lose much of the fat and then switching to this type of plan can facilitate the maintenance of your lean condition.

So I hope these strategies are useful and clear. Keep in mind though that when planning these types of "cheat meals," different individuals handle overfeeding differently (i.e. the thrifty vs. spendthrift phenotypes). So there doesn't seem to be this big universal metabolic up-regulation that everyone talks about when suggesting a "cheat meal," however you define it. In the thrifty, the metabolism barely raises; in the spendthrift it does raise but there's a catch. While 24-hour energy expenditure is increased when overfeeding, that only seems to last during the 24 hours that you overfeed. During the next day, the metabolic rate seems to return to normal. So you're not going to get a lasting metabolic effect from "cheating."

Considering that the energy expenditure might only increase by 10% in a 24-hour cheat, that's only 300 to 400kcal for a normal person. Unless I'm mistaken, cheat meals often provide a few more calories than that! So, where are the rest of the calories going? Well, they're probably stored as glycogen, as amino acids in skeletal muscle, and in adipose tissue, or they're metabolized in such a way as to signal the body to balance out its energy status. When stored, the main location of the storage is determined by some of the factors discussed above like initial body fat and phenotype (thrifty vs. spendthrift).

Here's another interesting piece of information. Despite what many will write about increasing the metabolism during an overfeed, Duloo et al (2001) discuss the paradox of overfeeding in those who seem to get a metabolic upregulation but also a concurrent increase in fat mass. Although the sympathetic nervous system sends signals to increase metabolism (called non-specific control of thermogenesis) and dissipate energy, there's a level of adipose-specific control that's energy conserving. Often, during overfeeding, many individuals experience a high efficiency of fat recovery co-existing with an overall state of enhanced thermogenesis and hypermetabolism. This means that even though the metabolism will go up, the adipose tissues will preferentially store fat.

Before I start going far too deep into intracellular signaling and the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway, I'll wrap it up. In my opinion, cheat meals are not positively disastrous, but they should be planned with caution based on your goals, the type of diet you're following, the type of phenotype you possess, and a whole host of other factors we don't even know about yet.

Full article found here: http://johnberardi.com/articles/qa/a..._jan032003.htm

Cheers,
SCT

[grapemaster]

Originally Posted by The Brotherhood

The concept of a cheat meal is to indulge in foods you like, and you (usually) end up going over your macros.

The concept or a refeed is a periodically planned meal in your diet that has an influx of calories, best consumed from carbs, and a calculated carb intake at that.

Theres no such thing as a "cheat meal for boosting your metabolism" - if your using it to boost your metabolism its called a refeed, and you would do best to do it all carbs and calculate a fixed amount of carbs for your refeed. This is also called a carb load.

Eating to indulge for psychological satiation is a CHEAT MEAL, is UNCALCULATED, and WILL SET YOU BACK.The metabolism thing is just something people use to make themselves feel better about their cheat meal.

Listen to this guy, perfect post and saves me typing! to emphazie again (note refeeds are generally beneficial during extended periods of caloric deficit) cheat meals are never necessary its only mental. I am not advocating not to do it, sure go for it, but don't play like its beneficial in your head as a means to make you feel less guilty or something about it, just don't feel guilty and do it if you *need* to.

note this is coming from a natural endo that puts on muscle and fat easily, to each their own though. whatever you want is your choice.

[355 Spyder]

Brotherhood - thanks for your comments. I really appreciate it. I also think a lot depends upon what your priorties or goals are. For example if I was competing sure I would fight for the 0.05%.

BTW where are you guys located in India. I am also originally from India. At your age I was a young nerdy guy in IIT Delhi with no concept of good eating!

Cheers!

[CoQ10]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the responses! Some really great information here...

I have yet to come to a conclusion, but I can definitely say that I'm starting to understand it better now!

Reps on the way.

-C10

[saku]

Originally Posted by ballboy20

. But like I said this is just my opinion.

I like your opinion.

[derek98z28]

the main 6 foods in my bulking diet are chicken breast, brown rice, eggs, mixed veggies, rice cakes, tuna...(which sucks because I cant use mayo so it seems and the fat-free stuff like garbage..) i supplement with udo choice oil,myoplex,whey,swole,xtend,multi...im on a 40% protein, 30/30 fat/carb split..none of the foods i eat taste good except the chicken breast..my girlfriend spices it up reallll nice..other then that I eat hardboil eggs,brown rice, and veggies with salt..and tuna plain..i hate my diet but I have no choice..every sunday I sub 2 of my meals with whatever the HELL I WANT..last week I had the new pizza hut lasagna and tgi friday's chicken quesidilla..or however you spell it..Is that bad? How much can i be really hampering my results with 2 cheat meals if I follow everything else to the tea? Im drinking a gallon of water a day..btw im on a 3700 calorie diet..anthony ellis program.

6`3 188lbs..need to bulk!!

[grapemaster]

Originally Posted by derek98z28

the main 6 foods in my bulking diet are chicken breast, brown rice, eggs, mixed veggies, rice cakes, tuna...(which sucks because I cant use mayo so it seems and the fat-free stuff like garbage..) i supplement with udo choice oil,myoplex,whey,swole,xtend,multi...im on a 40% protein, 30/30 fat/carb split..none of the foods i eat taste good except the chicken breast..my girlfriend spices it up reallll nice..other then that I eat hardboil eggs,brown rice, and veggies with salt..and tuna plain..i hate my diet but I have no choice..every sunday I sub 2 of my meals with whatever the HELL I WANT..last week I had the new pizza hut lasagna and tgi friday's chicken quesidilla..or however you spell it..Is that bad? How much can i be really hampering my results with 2 cheat meals if I follow everything else to the tea? Im drinking a gallon of water a day..btw im on a 3700 calorie diet..anthony ellis program.

6`3 188lbs..need to bulk!!

honestly it depends what your cheat meals are, personally i'd never eat that stuff but, the point is, a cheat doesn't have to be trash and loaded with trans fat. pizza hut, taco bell, kfc, doritos, cookies, ice cream... i dunno that stuff just doesn't taste good to me anymore, if i cheat its generally at a nice restaurant, big healthy chinese meal(not buffet), big sushi dinner, bunch of greek food, a few drinks or a (small desert) etc. etc. its really just adding more calories/sodium perhaps and less refined carbs perhaps and won't leave u feelin like **** afterwards. those days i'll just eat 3-4 meals instead of 6.