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Cheat Day or Cheat Meal?

  • 18-08-2013 12:17pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭


    I know this thread has probably being done to death but having given it a quick search all I seem to find are people talking about cheat "days". There seems to be a lot of conflicting opinions on whether a cheat "day" or cheat "meal" is most acceptable so I'm wondering what the general consensus here would be?

    Current stats: Female, 5'8, 16% bf.
    Aim: Lower my bodyfat and build muscle.


    I eat very clean 6 days a week and I exercise 6 days a week also. I've an enormous sweet tooth and I find the thoughts of a cheat day help motivate me through Monday-Saturday (Sunday being my cheat day).

    However, I tend to really binge on my cheat day. For example, I'd have breakfast as normal, eggs and bacon, then from lunchtime onwards I could eat several chocolate bars, a muffin, few slices of cake and a takeaway. I don't drink alcohol or soft drinks at all btw.

    The problem is - I need to know if this is okay as I don't want to ruin my progress. Then again, if I didn't have a cheat day to look forward to I don't know how well I'd be able to eat/train the other 6 days - as it gets boring eating clean all the time!

    Thanks.


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 4,057 ✭✭✭amazingemmet


    how did you measure your bodyfat?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭Heat_Wave


    how did you measure your bodyfat?

    Trainer did it for me with a callipers.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,390 ✭✭✭Stench Blossoms


    Heat_Wave wrote: »
    Trainer did it for me with a callipers.

    Have you abs?

    I don't think there's anything wrong with having a cheat meal. Cheat day though? I'd find that a bit much.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭Heat_Wave


    Have you abs?

    I don't think there's anything wrong with having a cheat meal. Cheat day though? I'd find that a bit much.

    Ha, I wish!

    I'm quite lean apart from my belly! As with most people I reckon!

    I've read forums on bodybuilding.com etc where people seem to eat as much as they possibly can on their cheat day to "shock" their body hence increase their metabolism, then go back to normal. I don't know how the body works though so whether this is true or not I don't know!

    There seems to be a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum, for instance Emmet above! Would you advise a cheat day or cheat meal? Is there any harm in a cheat day if you eat well the other 6 days or is it possible to counteract all work done over those six days by having a cheat day?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,057 ✭✭✭amazingemmet


    Heat_Wave wrote: »
    Ha, I wish!

    I'm quite lean apart from my belly! As with most people I reckon!

    I've read forums on bodybuilding.com etc where people seem to eat as much as they possibly can on their cheat day to "shock" their body hence increase their metabolism, then go back to normal. I don't know how the body works though so whether this is true or not I don't know!

    There seems to be a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum, for instance Emmet above! Would you advise a cheat day or cheat meal? Is there any harm in a cheat day if you eat well the other 6 days or is it possible to counteract all work done over those six days by having a cheat day?


    Firstly one day of high calories isn't enough to "shock" "boost" or what ever your metabolism. At a minimum it would take 3-4 days of high cals to have an over all effect longer for some people.

    For cheat days/ meals it really depends on what your goals are right now. As an aside I normally add 3% onto caliper measures to get them to be a bit more accurate. 16% on a woman is were you'll normally start to see abs.

    If you're eating below maintenance 6 days a week then a full blown cheat day could be in order just to get the weekly average in order. If you're just trying to maintain then having a few meals off course is fine.

    In your case of aiming to add some muscle then its not a big deal as long as you keep your protein high on the cheat day it could be advantageous. If you really wanted to max your cheat day count I'd do a high volume day before hand to deplete glycogen then refill the next day I used this strategy with one of my bodyfitness clients and it worked very well in her off season.

    The thing to remember is hitting 90% compliance on the diet is fine so if you're eating for example 4 meals a day that's 28 meals a week so having three of them not to the plan is not going to impact results in the long run.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,390 ✭✭✭Stench Blossoms


    Heat_Wave wrote: »
    Ha, I wish!

    Really? I've seen girls with abs with 19% bf. Maybe the 16 is off?

    + to everything Emmet said.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭Heat_Wave


    Maybe the 16 is off?

    Possibly!

    Each trainer seems to get a very different reading, which can be quite frustrating. One trainer had me at 27% but said his female clients who were 20% were "shredded". While another trainer had me at 16% and said he had female clients shredded at 10-11%. So if you do the calculations, either way I am approx 6-7% off being "shredded". Sounds funny I know but I've decided to stick with the one trainer because at least his calculations will be consistent!


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,171 ✭✭✭dor843088


    Firstly one day of high calories isn't enough to "shock" "boost" or what ever your metabolism. At a minimum it would take 3-4 days of high cals to have an over all effect longer for some people.

    For cheat days/ meals it really depends on what your goals are right now. As an aside I normally add 3% onto caliper measures to get them to be a bit more accurate. 16% on a woman is were you'll normally start to see abs.

    If you're eating below maintenance 6 days a week then a full blown cheat day could be in order just to get the weekly average in order. If you're just trying to maintain then having a few meals off course is fine.

    In your case of aiming to add some muscle then its not a big deal as long as you keep your protein high on the cheat day it could be advantageous. If you really wanted to max your cheat day count I'd do a high volume day before hand to deplete glycogen then refill the next day I used this strategy with one of my bodyfitness clients and it worked very well in her off season.

    The thing to remember is hitting 90% compliance on the diet is fine so if you're eating for example 4 meals a day that's 28 meals a week so having three of them not to the plan is not going to impact results in the long run.

    One refeed day does significantly increase leptin levels and does boost metabolism along with other benefits. However it has to be done correctly and the way most people will do it is counter productive.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭Heat_Wave


    dor843088 wrote: »
    One refeed day does significantly increase leptin levels and does boost metabolism along with other benefits. However it has to be done correctly and the way most people will do it is counter productive.

    How do you do it correctly?


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,057 ✭✭✭amazingemmet


    dor843088 wrote: »
    One refeed day does significantly increase leptin levels and does boost metabolism along with other benefits. However it has to be done correctly and the way most people will do it is counter productive.

    Citation?

    Also if she's not dieting down then leptin levels are of little concern


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,171 ✭✭✭dor843088


    Citation?

    Also if she's not dieting down then leptin levels are of little concern

    Citation? Its common knowledge Google it. And she asked a question to which you replied with an answer that was not correct. I merely pointed this out . I didn't say if she should be concerned with it or not.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,171 ✭✭✭dor843088


    Heat_Wave wrote: »
    How do you do it correctly?

    A "refeed day" is not a cheat day in that you do not just eat whatever you like. it is a day where you consume significantly higher amounts of carbohydrates to achieve favourable results in hormones and metabolism etc. How do you do it ? Just eat an extra 100carbs once a week .


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,057 ✭✭✭amazingemmet


    dor843088 wrote: »
    Citation? Its common knowledge Google it. And she asked a question to which you replied with an answer that was not correct. I merely pointed this out . I didn't say if she should be concerned with it or not.

    There's a whole load of other hormones involved in satiety diet and everything else, gherlin, neuropeptide YY, interleukine 6, Acylphosphatidylethanolamine etc. To just look at one when there's a whole system involve is kind of like saying to someone you can't gain muscle as you're got low T which is just a plain over simplification

    Most the studies that show a significant increase in leptin show a 5% increase when a dieter is dieting on lower protein diet they can be having a 30-40% decrease in leptin.

    "Williams text book of endocrinology" is a great place to start if you want to get a grasp of these system rather then relying on the oversimplifications of the fitness industry


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,190 ✭✭✭Dublinstiofán


    I personally think cheat day is too much. I used to do it myself and even with 5-6 days in the gym a week i found i was wasting my time filling up on rubbish for one day as it basically undid the hard work i had done for the previous 5 - 6 days in the gym.

    Good cheat meal of whatever you want is best. If you need chocolate try to limit it to one or two bars a week. Shouldn't do too much damage in small portions (in my opinion).


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,171 ✭✭✭dor843088


    There's a whole load of other hormones involved in satiety diet and everything else, gherlin, neuropeptide YY, interleukine 6, Acylphosphatidylethanolamine etc. To just look at one when there's a whole system involve is kind of like saying to someone you can't gain muscle as you're got low T which is just a plain over simplification

    Most the studies that show a significant increase in leptin show a 5% increase when a dieter is dieting on lower protein diet they can be having a 30-40% decrease in leptin.

    "Williams text book of endocrinology" is a great place to start if you want to get a grasp of these system rather then relying on the oversimplifications of the fitness industry

    Oooh! Someone doesnt like being told they're wrong do they? Fitness , losing weight, building muscle IS simple its a shame many people overcomplicate it .


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,057 ✭✭✭amazingemmet


    dor843088 wrote: »
    . How do you do it ? Just eat an extra 100carbs once a week .

    400cals of carbs is pissing in the wind with regards to leptin levels. Read this study

    http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/81/11/4162.short


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭Heat_Wave


    What is this "leptin" which you're all referring to and what is it's purpose?

    Also when I weigh myself/get my bf tested this week I'll know if my cheat day was worth it or not. Personally speaking, the guilt alone has encouraged me to stick to a cheat "meal".


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭JJayoo


    Heat_Wave wrote: »
    What is this "leptin" which you're all referring to and what is it's purpose?

    Pretty sure it's a bred of rabbit.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭JJayoo


    Heat_Wave wrote: »

    I eat very clean 6 days a week and I exercise 6 days a week also. I've an enormous sweet tooth and I find the thoughts of a cheat day help motivate me through Monday-Saturday (Sunday being my cheat day).

    However, I tend to really binge on my cheat day. For example, I'd have breakfast as normal, eggs and bacon, then from lunchtime onwards I could eat several chocolate bars, a muffin, few slices of cake and a takeaway. I don't drink alcohol or soft drinks at all btw.

    How does all this junk food manage to track you down??? I'm assuming it somehow crawls to your door every Sunday because you obviously don't buy this sh1t and keep it in your house. I mean who in their right mind would spend money to actually bring temptation into their house?

    If you have a problem with your sweet tooth then just limit the amount of crap you have in your house, you can't eat what's not there.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,171 ✭✭✭dor843088


    400cals of carbs is pissing in the wind with regards to leptin levels. Read this study

    http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/81/11/4162.short

    Study was done with calories not carbs and as you should know amazingemmet we use carbs because of leptins response to glucose. Look Im not getting into this bs iv no time to argue with you . You dont like refeeds or bleive they dont work dont f***ing use them simple . The rest of the bodybuilding world however will.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,224 ✭✭✭Heat_Wave


    JJayoo wrote: »
    How does all this junk food manage to track you down??? I'm assuming it somehow crawls to your door every Sunday because you obviously don't buy this sh1t and keep it in your house. I mean who in their right mind would spend money to actually bring temptation into their house?

    If you have a problem with your sweet tooth then just limit the amount of crap you have in your house, you can't eat what's not there.

    So I take it you're against the concept of a cheat meal then JJayoo?

    I never have junk food in my house, ever. I do in fact go out of my way every Sunday to track down Dublin's finest brownie/cake to enjoy as part of my cheat meal! If it's once a week then it better be the best!!

    Joking aside, I was just wondering if majority of people have a cheat meal, or cheat day - and what the logic behind both were.


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,537 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    Whilst my knowledge of certain breeds of rabbit is negligible, all I can add is if you want a cheat day, maybe spread the cheat meal-esque quantity out rather than having an all-day binge.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,057 ✭✭✭amazingemmet


    Heat_Wave wrote: »

    Joking aside, I was just wondering if majority of people have a cheat meal, or cheat day - and what the logic behind both were.

    Right now I have designs on some rocky road my mother made. Right now I'm on maintenance and know that 10 training sessions I'll do next week will mean the rocky road will have no ill effect on my physique but on the other hand won't have a positive.

    The cheat day in general is there to provide psychological relief from dieting. I general I'm against the whole "cheat concept" as it fetishises food stuff. Where as with proper planning some of these food stuffs can be incorporated into a plan with no ill effect either physical or psychological.

    All the claimed metabolism raising benefits can be achieved with "health" food with no need to reach for the brownies.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,017 ✭✭✭COH


    I just ate an entire carrot cake, a pack of jammy dodgers, a large bar of white chocolate, a family size bar of cadburys caramel and a litre of milk.

    I am bodybuilder


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,171 ✭✭✭dor843088


    COH wrote: »
    I just ate an entire carrot cake, a pack of jammy dodgers, a large bar of white chocolate, a family size bar of cadburys caramel and a litre of milk.

    I am bodybuilder

    But bro all that sugar will make you fat glycemic index blah blah blah !


  • Registered Users Posts: 24,537 ✭✭✭✭Alf Veedersane


    COH wrote: »
    I just ate an entire carrot cake, a pack of jammy dodgers, a large bar of white chocolate, a family size bar of cadburys caramel and a litre of milk.

    I am bodybuilder
    White chocolate is for racists.




    Racists or people with a discerning palate.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,561 ✭✭✭JJayoo


    Heat_Wave wrote: »
    So I take it you're against the concept of a cheat meal then JJayoo?
    No I love sweets nom nom, but what I am against is people who puss about their sweet tooth when they are the ones who have purchased the sh1t and brought it into their house.

    Cheat day = 24 hour Dirty Bulk


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,370 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    Heat_Wave wrote: »
    Each trainer seems to get a very different reading, which can be quite frustrating.
    I have a slim guide caliper which uses a spring, so I cannot unconsciously squeeze too hard to get a lower reading.

    12-1125.jpg

    People use different forumlas too though. I took readings and used to forumulas and got something like 12% and 16%BF with the same set of figures.

    Some people just track the mm readings for this reason. You could ask trainers to note the mm readings for you, they are probably doing this before putting them in the formula anyway.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,057 ✭✭✭amazingemmet


    rubadub wrote: »
    I have a slim guide caliper which uses a spring, so I cannot unconsciously squeeze too hard to get a lower reading.

    .

    Most people also don't pinch enough as well. If its not quite uncomfortable being done then they're not pinching enough. Remember folks you can't pinch muscle


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  • Registered Users Posts: 26 thunderdan


    Is the cheat meal like carb/calorie cycling? Keeps your metabolism from slowing down? And also keeps you from feeling like you are on a diet 24/7.


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