Cheating strategy - what do you do?

[nickk23]

Okay, was wondrering what everyones thoughts were on cheating.

When you wanna cheat and have one big greasy meal (chinese/pizza),
do you just say the hell with it and just have the meal while eating the same the rest of the day? Or do you account for the extra calories and maybe skip a meal or 2, or downsize one or two meals to allow for those greasy cals.

 

[invisiblewounds]

I set aside 1 day a week to just enjoy myself. More for mental health then anything else.

 

[DirkMoneyshot]

That really depends on how far out from a contest i am.

Offseason----1 cheat meal / day
Close to contest prep-----2 cheat meals / week
Contest prep---------------No cheat meals

Now these aren't full days. Just 1 meal out of the usual 6 - 7 i normally eat.

 

[SomeBloke]

im lucky in that the food i crave is barbecued lean veal, so i save cheat day for the day after leg day and just take in the extra protein.

sometimes its once a week, sometimes twice, if im feeling run down.

being a machine and never cheating just leaves me feeling unhappy and a worn, and more prone to sickness, so i ditched that ages ago

 

[fatsoPanda]

when i crave something i eat it. I just try not to go overboard. For me, it's all about moderation.

unless i'm dieting for a show, then i'm a machine

 

[sparklylegwarmers]

i have a cheat meal once every two weeks.

 

[magnusson187]

When I'm cutting I have one "Carb-UP"(lol) day a week. I'll have A dominos thin crust combination and a couple light beers, Egg roll king for lunch, a few shakes in the middle and like a 4x4 at In n Out for dinner.

Probably runing around 6-7000 calories on sunday and I still can Cut nice an lean, 6 out of seven days is what matters.

 

[pipes]

I hear ya magnusson. Sundays are the day to cheat and recover. I always Hit up all you can eat sushi. I probably pull in at least 3500 kcal during my 90min eating binge.(they have a time limit or I would eat more). Mon -Sat diet is awsome and sunday is the day to cheat.

 

[Injectyourspinach]

I make a judgment call based on the social situation. It's extremely easy for me to stay disciplined about my diet when I'm working or alone, but when I'm out on special occasions with the lady or friends, in order not to be the mood spoiler party pooper, I'm more likely to cheat. Then I just make sure that my next few meals are smaller with higher percentages of protein to make up for it.

 

[huskyguy]

My fiancee is a food nazi, so I rarely have the opportunity to eat crap, she does all of the cooking and is usually with me when we go out, she makes sure that I stay disciplined. Also I hate the smell of fast food, so it is not really very appealing anyway.

 

[no regrets]

I allow myself one cheat meal a week and it is a chicken roll on Sundays. I feel like it at least gets in protein and carbs and it keeps me sane. I eat 7 meals a day. So if I eat 47-48 clean meals a week, that one cheat meal should not affect me much. Plus, it gives me something to look forward to.

 

[Die$eL~Man]

great post !

 

[moresize2]

on a 40/40/20 diet i cheat once a week

on a low carb i cheat full day sat and weds nights


i don't compete so this keeps me at 9-10 % bf

 

[riprockwell]

I cheat around once a month if cutting for a comp.

 

[BiggerthanLavar]

I usually cheat once every 5-7 days. It's also usually a cheat meal only, although I have been know to do an all day binge for which I fell like shit for the next month or so. Anyway, I try to make the cheat meal a good meal too like Pizza or a burger(no fries). that way it's not a total loss. Plus I try to do it right after a near puke inducing weight workout. There's nothing like eating 4 slices of Pizza right after dragging yourself home from the gym.

 

[Matthias1550]

I allow myself one cheat meal a week and it is a chicken roll on Sundays. I feel like it at least gets in protein and carbs and it keeps me sane. I eat 7 meals a day. So if I eat 47-48 clean meals a week, that one cheat meal should not affect me much. Plus, it gives me something to look forward to.

One cheat meal a week...your body treats it as an anomoly.

 

[Golgo13]

My cheating is out of necessity. I travel a lot, so at times its hard to get a boiled chicken breast at the airport. I eat whats there.

 

[Gymmy]

sometimes i get 2 or 3 on the weekends. Lately i just get as much crap as i can (taco bell, mcdonalds, plus some ice cream) and get one 3000 cal cheat meal once a wk. But does drinking count as a cheat meal or can i drink, eat fast food that night, then eat my cheat meal later.

 

[SprtNVolcoM]

I dont think cheating is so much the issue. I think portions are a bit more important. If you wanted to, you could very well indulge on whatever you like daily and still achieve your goals whether it be cutting or bulking given your "cheating" portions are reasonable; meaning small or very small (especially when cutting).

I snack a lil here and a lil there every day, and I'm losing fat pretty steadily.

 

[Die$eL~Man]

1 cheat meal per week