Cheat meals...

[audis4]

Ok, so i have read quite a few posts that i have searched on this site; everything from cheat meals to cheat days to carb up days. I am 20 years old about 185 lbs. 6' 2" with approximatly 15% body fat, maybe slightly less. For these past two saturdays I have had an all out cheat day (actually this last saturday i cheated saturday and had two cheat meals for fathers day...I know i blew my diet! I know i need to experiment what works with my body and i don't think i did too much damage but i really want to shed off some more fat and begin a bulking diet come September (i am 7 weeks into my cutting diet and can post it if it will help you guys but im taking in 2,188 calories, 307 grams of protein, 124 grams of carbs, and 49 grams of fat on work out days and drop the carbs and up the fat on non workout days).

So, would a carb up day, taking in 600 grams of carbs from low GI foods i.e. oats, rice, yams etc. be better off than taking 2 cheat meals i.e. a large sub from quiznos or a pasta bowl with some ice cream come saturday be better. I have read so many posts and i have done both a carb up day and a cheat meal and honestly i like the cheat meals better. I need opinions. You guys are great thanks so much and sorry for the noobie questions.

[chest6]

I don't find either necessary. For me, they just delay progress..

[audis4]

bump for any more responses...I love getting responses from everyone!

[KingMike]

I have found they do nothing but make you want that food more through the week. If your only goal is to lose fat and keep mass, you do not need cheating or carbing if the diet through the day is in check.

[audis4]

no cheat meals or days??!! It's not like I'm doing a contest or anything and i think one cheat day (saturday) each week, while i am eating clean the other 6 days, shouldn't hinder me too much...but speed up my metabolsm. I want to be ready to bulk by the end of the summer. When i say cheat day, I mean all hell breaks loose; everything from taco bell to milkshakes to candy to chips etc. and then come sunday i hit up cardio like a bat out of hell and am right back on the saddle.

Let me know what you guys think from personal experiences...I want to live every now and again hahaha. Thanks guys!

[IBdmfkr]

Cheat meals are not needed and don't benefit you, they are an excuse to eat bad.. if you need that crutch then by all means do it, but realize it is only slowing your progress towards your goal.

[TADOLFI]

Cheat meals are not needed and don't benefit you, they are an excuse to eat bad.. if you need that crutch then by all means do it, but realize it is only slowing your progress towards your goal.

My personal experience makes me want to second that!

Whenever I cheated I would sleep like crap that night and feel bloated and lazy the next day.
So in my mind I wasted two days a week that could have been more productive as far as reaching my goal.

Once you step away from the sugar, simple carbs and bad fats - you feel better and you don't really miss them. (At least that was my experience)
It was also kind of infectious and my wife didn't want as much of that stuff either.

[ph34rsh4ck]

Cheat meals are not needed and don't benefit you, they are an excuse to eat bad.. if you need that crutch then by all means do it, but realize it is only slowing your progress towards your goal.

i thought the whole point of the cheat meal was to give ur body change, cause its runs on homeostasis and what not and needs balance so it gets used to ur diet, and by havin a cheat meal u shock it, just like u would by changing up ur workouts, so ur body doesnt get used to it ?

[audis4]

hmmm...interesting. I was kind of thinking what ph34rsh4ck said to be true but what do i know. Maybe I'll do a clean carb refeed with a couple cups of oats each meal (i love oats) and some good lean protein then a pro/fat meal before bed. I really want to get this last few pounds off and start a nice bulk.

[IBdmfkr]

i thought the whole point of the cheat meal was to give ur body change, cause its runs on homeostasis and what not and needs balance so it gets used to ur diet, and by havin a cheat meal u shock it, just like u would by changing up ur workouts, so ur body doesnt get used to it ?

I disagree personally. After I'm done leaning out in 4wks I'll let you know if skipping cheatmeals affected my progress. 8% now, 4wks I should be around 5-6%.

When competitors diet for contest and lose BF while maintaining LBM they don't use cheatmeals, most use what is called carb-cycling by using different percentages of macros various days but keeping the calories very close to the same. This in turn will "shock" the body to continue to burn fat and boost metabolism.

keep you posted.

[bigsd67]

I've actually tried all those methods (carb up, cheat, and perfectly clean eating) Usually I will carb up healthy for a show keeping my calories no more than 100 or so more than usual and this got me in contest form. Currently I am incorporating cheats because for me it is a good mental break and I am not stalling on my progress. If you can jump right back on your nutrition plan the next day I dont personally feel a cheat meal or two will kill you. IF you pound down like 8,000 calories of garbage then you can definitely stall progress. Try both methods and see what works for you best. Because you aren't cutting for a show, shoot or anything like that I would say that you could live a little, even if it means slower progress.

[dedic8ed1]

doesn't gymenna kinda hinder the desire to eat sugars and junk food like that

[novastepp]

i agree with 1bdmfkr about the carb cycling. i will lower my carbs for a couple days, then jack them up. i alter my protein ratios on those days and that delivers the shock. i think when i up the carbs i do fill out a little, but too much is just that...too much. try just altering carb and fat amounts and forget about literal cheats where you stray away from your diet foods. just change macro amounts with your diet and see what happens.

i think too many people speculate about things before they try them. if a cheat day benefits you, then do it. but you won't ver find what works for you if you are figurng it out by typing rather than puting your thoughts to work.

[DNoMac]

I usually have a few cheat meals over the weekend (maybe one sat, and one sunday). I never have a cheat day. Last Sunday, I pretty much cheated the whole day (drank), and felt like complete shit the next day. Depending on how far away you are from your goal, I think cheating is ok, especially if you aren't competing.

[audis4]

I really appreciate all of your guys' responses. I think I am going to just do a carb up day (i usually feel fairly depleted by saturday). On work out days i usually eat about 124 grams of carbs and non workout days (thursday saturday and sunday) I eat 65 grams of carbs. I'm thinking saturday or sunday I will consume 4,500 calories coming from Low GI carbs such as 2 bowls of oats for each meal and 465 grams of carbs. My maintenance calories are 3,134. Does this sound like a reasonable approach to keep progressing on my cut. I really want to look nice for the summer and then do a bulk. I would say if i shave off another 8-10 lbs. of pure fat i will be looking good!

Thanks guys.

[novastepp]

wow, those carb umbers are veeeery low. you definately will need a carb up. i would assume your energy levels suck horribly and your mood would suffer. ever though about upping those carb amounts to see how things pan out?

[audis4]

uping the carbs on non workout days or workout? I actually was at 90 grams on non workout days then upped it to 100 and then to 124 over a few weeks. I suppose I could up the carbs even more and see how it works out for me.

How many carbs are you cutting with nova? and as far as carbing up whats a good number.

Thanks for the quick response nova!

[audis4]

Bump for how many carbs to eat on a carb up day. Is there some general rule of thumb to how many carbs to intake this day i.e. 3 grams of carbs per body weight. I came up with this approach. Let me know what you all think. Thanks again!


Meal 1: Cals Pro Carbs Fats
10 egg whites 170 40 0 0
2 cups oats 600 15 108 12
Meal 2:
1 can tuna 210 45 0 3
2 cups oats 600 15 108 12
Meal 3:
1 chick breast 200 46 0 1
1.5 cup oats 450 15 81 9
sweet potato 162 3.6 37.3 0.3
Meal 4:
1 can tuna 210 45 0 3
1.5 cup oats 450 10 81 9
sweet potato 162 3.6 37.3 0.3
Meal 5:
1 chick breast 200 46 0 1
2 cups oats 300 10 54 6
Meal 6:
10 egg whites 170 40 0 0
1.5 cup pasta 360 12 84 2
sweet potato 162 3.6 37.3 0.3
Meal 7:
10 egg whites 170 40 0 0
2 T.B. P.B. 210 8 6 16
½ cup C.C. 80 14 5 0

TOTALS 4866 411.8 638.9 74.9

[IBdmfkr]

Way too many calories/carbs. Try going with 2xbodyweight. No reason for 100carbs/meal.
You are 185lbs, with approx 160lbs LBM. You should be around 2700-3000 calories/day (maybe a bit less) to lose weight effectively. On days you "carb-up" (workout days preferred myself) alter your protein and fat intake accordingly to keep your calories consistant.
Rough Example:
High carb day
275g Protein
400g carbs
40g fat

Low carb day
375g Protein
200g carbs
60g fat