cheaters

[novastepp]

my $.02 on cheat days, cheat meals, and other things that screw up our diets and, therefore, our lives.

cheating is basically lack of dedication to a diet. and more so lack of preparation. sure we all have cravings and it would be highly detrimental to our already constantly strained CNS to deprive ourselves of a craving. but to cheat an entire day? and to eat total shit? not good. it can't be beneficial. and it isn't. to cheat well use a recipe for whole wheat pancakes or something similar and CARB UP. just carb up. don't deep fry, don't fat binge, just carb up. that's all u need. glycogen can't stay filled and our body is screaming out to binge to fill it. and when we go crooked, we don't fill anything except those once absent fat stores. so carb up once a week, help those glycogen stores stay as full as they can, and give your mind a break. and when i say carb up... i'm talking 800g on that day, but all as healthy as possible. you feel absolutely wonderful the next day. and u can make it a routine to do it before leg day... which is the all holy killer when you make progress with your trees.

cheating can be well planned as well.

i know many may get defensive and say "not me, i do it cause i have to" or "im doing just fine" but consider why you become edgy. is it because you know you could do better? you can do better. and is it because if you consider the gains you've made, does it piss you off that you could have greater gains? you could have greater gains. don't get side tracked. stay the course, and next time you feel that craving to eat shit and feel like shit, just remember that someone out there is carbing up instead of cheating, and they look better than you.

[DSM4Life]

Mind over matter.


BTW
My mind beat me this weekend. I eat $hit all weekend. No i feel like totally CRAP. When i go out with the b/f we go out to dinner and i tend to cheat and relax when with him. I have to change that ASAP.

significant others will be the death of us all !

[novastepp]

haha easy trap to fall into. and yes mind over matter. not saying i have never cheated, but i see it becoming common place. and worse where people accept it. much smarter ways to combat those temptations.

[Jakspro]

'Lack of preparation' - This is my number one reason, but I'm not on a whole day binge. Also, after a 'carb up/cheat day' of upwards of 800gms (which I wouldn't go that far-albeit I'm a smaller guy), surely the next day has to be a a super low carb day (if your cutting). I know some carb cycling frameworks rely on a pyramid scheme, but I don't think you can pyramid down from that much. Maybe 100-120 max the next day, right? Your liver is gonna be jam packkkkkkeeddd with glycogen.

[novastepp]

'Lack of preparation' - This is my number one reason, but I'm not on a whole day binge. Also, after a 'carb up/cheat day' of upwards of 800gms (which I wouldn't go that far-albeit I'm a smaller guy), surely the next day has to be a a super low carb day (if your cutting). I know some carb cycling frameworks rely on a pyramid scheme, but I don't think you can pyramid down from that much. Maybe 100-120 max the next day, right? Your liver is gonna be jam packkkkkkeeddd with glycogen.

i just go back to normal (around 300-400g). i do cycle and i have a no/minimal carb day every couple weeks. i just feel like shit without them, but when i drop them for a day (always an off day by the way... or optimally a second off day in a row) i can see a dried difference in the mirror. i don't follow a set pyramid scheme i just incraese on workouts and then level off on off days. during days of rest i will lower them a little, but not cut them out. and i dont supplement fat for my cals, i supplement protein. hydration is also key on carb up days. drink your ass off.

[Phate]

Mind over matter.


BTW
My mind beat me this weekend. I eat $hit all weekend. No i feel like totally CRAP. When i go out with the b/f we go out to dinner and i tend to cheat and relax when with him. I have to change that ASAP.

significant others will be the death of us all !

i'm lucky, i have a horrible conscience when it comes to cheating, like yesterday i was craving ice cream so i went to McDonalds after my workout and get an ice cream cone and a McChicken, after eating that i was so disgusted with myself for cheating, though i don't really do cheat meals, i cheat several times throughout the week (5-6x) but it's things like a small ice cream cone or a handful of licorice, most weeks it adds up to about 500-600 calories total, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THAT, IS THAT OKAY? I don't like the idea of cheat meals for some reason

[DSM4Life]

i'm lucky, i have a horrible conscience when it comes to cheating, like yesterday i was craving ice cream so i went to McDonalds after my workout and get an ice cream cone and a McChicken, after eating that i was so disgusted with myself for cheating, though i don't really do cheat meals, i cheat several times throughout the week (5-6x) but it's things like a small ice cream cone or a handful of licorice, most weeks it adds up to about 500-600 calories total, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THAT, IS THAT OKAY? I don't like the idea of cheat meals for some reason

You are weak

[Phate]

You are weak

thanks

[DSM4Life]

thanks

[Phate]

QUOTE=DSM4Life;4139046][/QUOTE]

[too

[BritishColumbian]

Thanks Bro, your two cents made total sense 2 me!

[BIG-N-Brazil]

Good post... Deff will try...

[novastepp]

i'm lucky, i have a horrible conscience when it comes to cheating, like yesterday i was craving ice cream so i went to McDonalds after my workout and get an ice cream cone and a McChicken, after eating that i was so disgusted with myself for cheating, though i don't really do cheat meals, i cheat several times throughout the week (5-6x) but it's things like a small ice cream cone or a handful of licorice, most weeks it adds up to about 500-600 calories total, WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THAT, IS THAT OKAY? I don't like the idea of cheat meals for some reason

again, that need to cheat even a little may indicate a problem in your diet. not enough carbs around that period of time? after training or beforehand? is it after a period of low or high carbs? and how long since your last meal? those are some questions you could ask.

though that cheating is in deed minimal, it more than likely has to do with your diet and how its making you feel. be critical when you monitor your progress with a diet.

[TRA]

I am running HGH and trying to eat clean to cut fat and lean up, but I'm not a body builder, just a 47 year old distance runner gone soft in the past several years. My problem is, I can eat very clean for the most part, with only minimal fat coming from good sources (green olives, soy products, a few nuts), but I crave SUGAR! Like there is no frikkin' tomorrow, I crave it so badly that I'll lay awake for hours and hours...if I eat a chocolate bar, I'm fine, sleep like a baby. But the craving just kills me. It isn't the GH, as I've had the sugar monkey on my back for the past decade. Any ideas for killing that damned monkey?

[goose]

I am running HGH and trying to eat clean to cut fat and lean up, but I'm not a body builder, just a 47 year old distance runner gone soft in the past several years. My problem is, I can eat very clean for the most part, with only minimal fat coming from good sources (green olives, soy products, a few nuts), but I crave SUGAR! Like there is no frikkin' tomorrow, I crave it so badly that I'll lay awake for hours and hours...if I eat a chocolate bar, I'm fine, sleep like a baby. But the craving just kills me. It isn't the GH, as I've had the sugar monkey on my back for the past decade. Any ideas for killing that damned monkey?

easy bro.

use Stevia its 3oo times sweeter than sugar and good for you

[goose]

or Palatinose that is half as sweet as sugar.


Both have a :

Fat 0.0g

[audis4]

I agree with you nova.
Man, the only time I do cheat or am tempted is when I'm with my GF

I never to cheat days, its usually just 1 meal but I can eat a lot I haven't cheated in over 1 month. I'm cutting out all cheating, I'm really trying to take my body to a totally new level.

[TRA]

goose4--funny that, I have a box of stevia packets in my cabinet...no idea why I haven't tried them for the craving. Will do so when I get home from vacation and hopefully have good results. Thanks!

[Phate]

again, that need to cheat even a little may indicate a problem in your diet. not enough carbs around that period of time? after training or beforehand? is it after a period of low or high carbs? and how long since your last meal? those are some questions you could ask.

though that cheating is in deed minimal, it more than likely has to do with your diet and how its making you feel. be critical when you monitor your progress with a diet.

its just old habit, i used to over 240lbs and 40+%bf when i was younger (12-13) and even though i'm 19 now i still get the cravings every once in a while, when i get them i just analyse them and do a risk/gain ratio on endulging them or fighting them and then decide that way

[novastepp]

never easy to deal with those cravings. just remember your goals and how hard you have to work to get there.

[AdamGH]

easy bro.

use Stevia its 3oo times sweeter than sugar and good for you

you are the first person i saw mention stevia on this forum. I thought i was the only one ;p

[Phate]

never easy to deal with those cravings. just remember your goals and how hard you have to work to get there.

yeah i know, just had one 10 minutes ago after cardio, but turned the other way in my car and now i'm making a tuna/salad and sweet potato instead of McChicken, lol

[novastepp]

yeah i know, just had one 10 minutes ago after cardio, but turned the other way in my car and now i'm making a tuna/salad and sweet potato instead of McChicken, lol

never underestimate the power of fruit when you get a sweet tooth around cardio time. aerobic exercise like that helps you burn through carbs so you essentially will crave them more around that time. fruit can be a life saver from a horrible sugar binge. they have a little, but no one gains fat off fruit, especially if its an apple or some berries. whatever it takes to ward off that craving.

[BritishColumbian]

true that, I had a peach this afternoon and it chased the sugar demon away, its like trying to kick a junk habbit or somthing!

[Rugger02]

my $.02 on cheat days, cheat meals, and other things that screw up our diets and, therefore, our lives.

cheating is basically lack of dedication to a diet. and more so lack of preparation. sure we all have cravings and it would be highly detrimental to our already constantly strained CNS to deprive ourselves of a craving. but to cheat an entire day? and to eat total shit? not good. it can't be beneficial. and it isn't. to cheat well use a recipe for whole wheat pancakes or something similar and CARB UP. just carb up. don't deep fry, don't fat binge, just carb up. that's all u need. glycogen can't stay filled and our body is screaming out to binge to fill it. and when we go crooked, we don't fill anything except those once absent fat stores. so carb up once a week, help those glycogen stores stay as full as they can, and give your mind a break. and when i say carb up... i'm talking 800g on that day, but all as healthy as possible. you feel absolutely wonderful the next day. and u can make it a routine to do it before leg day... which is the all holy killer when you make progress with your trees.

cheating can be well planned as well.

i know many may get defensive and say "not me, i do it cause i have to" or "im doing just fine" but consider why you become edgy. is it because you know you could do better? you can do better. and is it because if you consider the gains you've made, does it piss you off that you could have greater gains? you could have greater gains. don't get side tracked. stay the course, and next time you feel that craving to eat shit and feel like shit, just remember that someone out there is carbing up instead of cheating, and they look better than you.

Very appropriate thread, I've been reading a lot about people's "Cheats" on here lately. It's good to see what's a cheat and what's just f*cking up a diet. Like I've said why bust your ass all week if you're gonna flush half of your progress down the toilet every weekend.

Good post as always bro

[novastepp]

Very appropriate thread, I've been reading a lot about people's "Cheats" on here lately. It's good to see what's a cheat and what's just f*cking up a diet. Like I've said why bust your ass all week if you're gonna flush half of your progress down the toilet every weekend.

Good post as always bro

thank you. and i totally agree.

[Narkissos]

Bumping this for Nova.

You know my thoughts on this subject

-CNS

[novastepp]

I was also thinking about this this morning. You can throw information at someone all day and call it science. But to tell the truth, science is just a combination of all aspects of the given situation. What I'm saying is, is that as humans we are are very VERY similar. But to a degree we are all very different in which of those genes we express. (genotype/phenotype). So for someone to say something is generally bad is also a mistake.

For example, many say "too many shakes" "don't use whey" and other comments like that, hell I'm even guilty of generalizing. Truth is everyone IS different and their dietary approach should be constructed with those things in mind. I can cut and eat fruit, I can cut and use dairy too. And that in no way means that someone else should. So remember a lot of the advice given here is what works for that said person.

So the absolute best advice someone could give would be something like, "Give it a shot" or "Put your approach to use, so you can see how you react to it, how you feel, how your workouts progress..."

Because when it comes down to it, everyone has something different about their diet or routine that works for them, but wouldn't work for the guy next to him.

[Prada]

I was also thinking about this this morning. You can throw information at someone all day and call it science. But to tell the truth, science is just a combination of all aspects of the given situation. What I'm saying is, is that as humans we are are very VERY similar. But to a degree we are all very different in which of those genes we express. (genotype/phenotype). So for someone to say something is generally bad is also a mistake.

For example, many say "too many shakes" "don't use whey" and other comments like that, hell I'm even guilty of generalizing. Truth is everyone IS different and their dietary approach should be constructed with those things in mind. I can cut and eat fruit, I can cut and use dairy too. And that in no way means that someone else should. So remember a lot of the advice given here is what works for that said person.

So the absolute best advice someone could give would be something like, "Give it a shot" or "Put your approach to use, so you can see how you react to it, how you feel, how your workouts progress..."

Because when it comes down to it, everyone has something different about their diet or routine that works for them, but wouldn't work for the guy next to him.

Exactly. I also think that we as humans/bodybuilders become somewhat stagnant in our approaches but the fact is that science, nutrition and bodybuilding is always evolving. You look at the way Arnold, which is not that long ago, trained, ate, supplemented and his use of AAS is much different then todays BBs. As stated, is evolves and ameliorates itself but it is not one that works in a linear fashion for all of us. So yes, you have to try and give things a shot prior to coming with any conclusion, empirically speaking.

[Epic1]

My wife cheated yesterday. qdoba and dairy queen. I actually got pretty pissed. lol

[BadBarbie]

My wife cheated yesterday. qdoba and dairy queen. I actually got pretty pissed. lol

If I even think about cheating I get "the speech" haha

I cheat very occasionally. Usually just a frozen food, or the cashier at the pita pit will give me a cookie =)

But when you cheating, damn does that cookie taste good.

[novastepp]

Exactly. I also think that we as humans/bodybuilders become somewhat stagnant in our approaches but the fact is that science, nutrition and bodybuilding is always evolving. You look at the way Arnold, which is not that long ago, trained, ate, supplemented and his use of AAS is much different then todays BBs. As stated, is evolves and ameliorates itself but it is not one that works in a linear fashion for all of us. So yes, you have to try and give things a shot prior to coming with any conclusion, empirically speaking.

Exactly. to know what works best for you, takes time, patience, and some trial and error.

[Prada]

Exactly. to know what works best for you, takes time, patience, and some trial and error.

Tell me about it. Im still learning, reading and trying different approaches. Consequently I'm glad to say my physique evolves positively. I guess Im at the stage Im always tweaking little things here and there and playing around with things. We are, in a way, body engineers.

[novastepp]

Tell me about it. Im still learning, reading and trying different approaches. Consequently I'm glad to say my physique evolves positively. I guess Im at the stage Im always tweaking little things here and there and playing around with things. We are, in a way, body engineers.

perfect way to put it.

and i am always tweaking things. again, reaction is usually positive and my body composition has changed so much over the summer by implementing new tweaks and staying consistent in the grand scheme.

[Narkissos]

Exactly. I also think that we as humans/bodybuilders become somewhat stagnant in our approaches but the fact is that science, nutrition and bodybuilding is always evolving. You look at the way Arnold, which is not that long ago, trained, ate, supplemented and his use of AAS is much different then todays BBs. As stated, is evolves and ameliorates itself but it is not one that works in a linear fashion for all of us. So yes, you have to try and give things a shot prior to coming with any conclusion, empirically speaking.

My, my, my... Eloquently put Prada ole chap

-CNS

[Prada]

My, my, my... Eloquently put Prada ole chap

-CNS

Now Im an ole chap?

Still got a lot of work to do nonetheless Narky!!! Learning session is far from over. Im a student of life.... for life!!!!!

[novastepp]

bump. saw where someone said cheating was good. me no like.

[Narkissos]

^^Good bump.

[serv40]

Then again some cheat because food is a favorite thing of theirs. I enjoy having a nice dinner or going to a sports bar for football and having fries and wings. There is nothing wrong with that either. I can walk around at 7-8 percent at 5'11 200 without taking steroids and enjoying a nice cheat day(all day) every weekend and sometimes even the whole weekend. I also am at the point where I do not sit there and count everything I eat, I was consumed by it during college and looking back its quite ridiculous and I am a much happier person now. Doesnt mean your weak or do not plan correctly it just depends what you like to do and what you want from life. To deprive yourself of favorite foods at all times just to be .25% leaner to some of us also sound stupid.

[novastepp]

Then again some cheat because food is a favorite thing of theirs. I enjoy having a nice dinner or going to a sports bar for football and having fries and wings. There is nothing wrong with that either. I can walk around at 7-8 percent at 5'11 200 without taking steroids and enjoying a nice cheat day(all day) every weekend and sometimes even the whole weekend. I also am at the point where I do not sit there and count everything I eat, I was consumed by it during college and looking back its quite ridiculous and I am a much happier person now. Doesnt mean your weak or do not plan correctly it just depends what you like to do and what you want from life. To deprive yourself of favorite foods at all times just to be .25% leaner to some of us also sound stupid.

everyone has different goals. for the majority of this board, and in bodybuilding, yours are simply different. happiness is different for all.

plus i was speaking to those who actually would worry about a cheat meal, not someone who uses them routinely.