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View Full Version : Epic Cheat Meals? Do they serve a purpose?



Kain81
05-08-15, 7:09 pm
Hey guys - I have an extremely clean and detailed diet. But it seems everywhere I follow a pro (instagram, facebook and even on here) guys are having these huge cheat meals once a week. Like 3 In and Out Animal Style Burgers, Animal Style Fries and a Large shake. And i'm over here feeling guilty when i put BBQ sauce on my 4th piece of Mrs. Dash Flavored Chicken.
Question is - ARE CHEAT MEALS BENEFICIAL?

Is it key to 'shocking' the body or are there needed fats in sloppy nasty food that us diet freaks are missing out on - or are cheat meals just to keep from going insane on a mundane, repetitious diet?

GunRock
05-08-15, 8:04 pm
Hey guys - I have an extremely clean and detailed diet. But it seems everywhere I follow a pro (instagram, facebook and even on here) guys are having these huge cheat meals once a week. Like 3 In and Out Animal Style Burgers, Animal Style Fries and a Large shake. And i'm over here feeling guilty when i put BBQ sauce on my 4th piece of Mrs. Dash Flavored Chicken.
Question is - ARE CHEAT MEALS BENEFICIAL?

Is it key to 'shocking' the body or are there needed fats in sloppy nasty food that us diet freaks are missing out on - or are cheat meals just to keep from going insane on a mundane, repetitious diet?

I'd say it depends on your goal and where you are in your training cycle. For example, if I'm not cutting for a meet, I like pizza the night before deadlifting. I don't body build though so somebody like Rex would be the best one to answer from that perspective.

BCent
05-08-15, 10:01 pm
Hey guys - I have an extremely clean and detailed diet. But it seems everywhere I follow a pro (instagram, facebook and even on here) guys are having these huge cheat meals once a week. Like 3 In and Out Animal Style Burgers, Animal Style Fries and a Large shake. And i'm over here feeling guilty when i put BBQ sauce on my 4th piece of Mrs. Dash Flavored Chicken.
Question is - ARE CHEAT MEALS BENEFICIAL?

Is it key to 'shocking' the body or are there needed fats in sloppy nasty food that us diet freaks are missing out on - or are cheat meals just to keep from going insane on a mundane, repetitious diet?

There's definitely a place for them- but I personally think some of this is just done to excess. Biggest example I can think of is Juan Morel, who claims to do 40k calorie cheat days. I know that my coach always recommends that I keep one "free meal" even when we're cutting (unless I'm close to a show and more strictness is required) not just for some of the scientific reasons- leptin, etc- but also just to be able to enjoy the process more. Unless you're on a very serious cut, dont stress about the BBQ sauce. I usually keep condiments in for a while, but just make sure that you're accounting for the extra calories there, as they can add up over the course of a week.

skibasgym
05-11-15, 8:26 pm
I have always looked forward to my cheat meals. But as time goes on, I find that I enjoy them less and less. I just don't like the bloat I feel after eating them. Maybe there is a little bodybuilder deep inside me! lol

P Diesel
05-12-15, 2:50 pm
my whole life is a cheat meal unless im trying to make weight. get it in....eat big, train hard, get big

P

Machine
05-12-15, 3:18 pm
They serve no purpose beyond the need to act within a cultural taxonomy which has its own labels and values and virtues...and each one is more pointless and arbitrary than the previous. Know that whenever you do this, make these justifications and generalizations, you make this game just like the game that others are playing...which you claim to hate. I'll eat whatever I want and not justify it with a stupid caption on snapchatfuck...do what thou wilt.

I also sometimes train as hard as I can and not eat for as many as 3 days - burn the heretic.

MACHINE

rainman
05-12-15, 4:26 pm
They serve no purpose beyond the need to act within a cultural taxonomy which has its own labels and values and virtues...and each one is more pointless and arbitrary than the previous. Know that whenever you do this, make these justifications and generalizations, you make this game just like the game that others are playing...which you claim to hate. I'll eat whatever I want and not justify it with a stupid caption on snapchatfuck...do what thou wilt.

So true. These massive 'epic cheat' meals seem to have gained in popularity through Instagram, where everyone seem to try an outdo the next guy with something bigger and more calorific than the last. Most of the time I'd probably call bullshit on the whole food side of things anyway. More retweets means more exposure after all, and, (insert conspiracy theory here), someone looking to break in the industry can think "oh... X is eating 10K of calories, so I can in moderation", whilst the poster of this massive cheat meal, psychologically, has an advantage. I may be reading too much in to this, but a top level pro sure as hell won't be eating shit food without factoring in every last calorie first.

On a personal level, I think the term 'cheat meal' can be very damaging. You are not cheating on your diet if you factor in what you are actually eating to your daily requirements. I know two guys at my gym. Both are around the 7% mark, (one of whom I rate as the smartest nutritionist I know), who do a big refeed meal once a week, but stay calorie depleted for the rest of it. I know others who stay rigid to their diets day in day out. Horses for courses.

I find family Birthday parties are too precious a time to miss a slice of cake.

Rex
05-12-15, 6:34 pm
Hey guys - I have an extremely clean and detailed diet. But it seems everywhere I follow a pro (instagram, facebook and even on here) guys are having these huge cheat meals once a week. Like 3 In and Out Animal Style Burgers, Animal Style Fries and a Large shake. And i'm over here feeling guilty when i put BBQ sauce on my 4th piece of Mrs. Dash Flavored Chicken.
Question is - ARE CHEAT MEALS BENEFICIAL?

Is it key to 'shocking' the body or are there needed fats in sloppy nasty food that us diet freaks are missing out on - or are cheat meals just to keep from going insane on a mundane, repetitious diet?

It totally depends on the individualīs metabolism.
The majority of people out there could probably reach their physique goals without ever physically having to throw in a cheat meal. Yet, they do it for the mental break of the dietīs monotony.

Some very rare individuals need those calorie bombs though, in order to ensure further progress in growth and/or prevent catabolism.

Kain81
05-12-15, 6:59 pm
I'm glad to see everyone's opinion on these is not far from my own. I saw a saying once that said: "One Burger is not going to make you fat just like one Salad is not going to make you skinny"
I'm just not one for cheat meals - my work gets doughnuts every Friday - I've never had one.
I figure every bite of something like that i take in is putting that much further away from my goals.
If i do have anything 'off' my diet - then it's usually a few slices of pizza on a Friday night - and I'm up at burning it off early the next day.

It was the guys who claim they are a necessity that confused me - I couldn't see how they factored in.
And you're right - 99% of it was off instagram.

Thanks for the input

skibasgym
05-28-15, 8:27 pm
I understand the physical affects of the cheat meals, but sometimes it has tremendous mental benefits for me. It gives me something to keep striving for.

xTheComebackKid
05-29-15, 3:57 pm
Ditch the terminology of "Diet" and "Cheat Meal/Day", ignore the narcissism that is Instagram etc, and train and eat and train. And eat. If you want to be big, eat big. If you want to be lean, eat lean. But don't fall victim to the fallacy that there's a secret being kept from you, or a special formula of calories will make your muscles freaky.

LayzieBone085
05-30-15, 7:09 am
Cheats can be very beneficial and serve a purpose
Boosting t3, leptin, and hormone levels especially those dieting.
https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/cheat-meal-manifesto

Not only do they provide a mental relief, when one diets for long periods of time a large bolus of food can help speed up the metabolism and increase fatloss/weightloss

for 99% of us who will never get paid to compete or step on a stage a cheat meal once a week or moderation would not harm any of us. In fact it may increase our social outlook, benefit, and improve our training performance with an extra bit of food. The problem with cheat meals is when people are given the green light for a cheat they cannot control themself or utilize proper portions causing it to do more damage than good. Some people have a bad relationship with food and when they cheat it turns into a binge (Eating disorder) which is not always a good thing to do.

John Meadows had a great quote about this.

"Food is NOT just fuel

Anyone who says and expects otherwise is a fool. Food is a social tool, it's the basis of many a cultural bonding ceremony, it's a shared experience and it's a pleasurable, anticipated part of our day. To disassociate oneself from this is to enforce the expectation that you can actually become a nutritional robot. If you strip away the essential, humanistic elements of meal times and replace them with a bleak, stark, bland meal - you take away a fundamental part of the human existence."

Bottom line for me, is that I think if you stay in good shape year round, there is no need to not have a cheat meal every week with loved ones when preparing for a contest, and I think this is the ultimate tool for not binging and having a healthier outlook. Don't be afraid to enjoy food...spice it up...make it taste good...enjoy these meals socially, etc. Now if you let yourself go in the off-season, well it sucks to be you come contest time.

skibasgym
06-22-15, 8:15 pm
it hasn't always been easy for me to try to eat healthier meals. I have seen so many powerlifters eat whatever they want and then diet hard the few days before a contest to make weight. Not only do they drop wait, they drop strength. Key is to stay close to weight and increase mass and strength there.

As for a cheat meal, have to admit they are damn good!

Jay Nera
06-30-15, 11:04 am
They serve no purpose beyond the need to act within a cultural taxonomy which has its own labels and values and virtues...and each one is more pointless and arbitrary than the previous. Know that whenever you do this, make these justifications and generalizations, you make this game just like the game that others are playing...which you claim to hate. I'll eat whatever I want and not justify it with a stupid caption on snapchatfuck...do what thou wilt.

I also sometimes train as hard as I can and not eat for as many as 3 days - burn the heretic.

MACHINE

I like Machine.