What's up Nation?!

Just wanted to get some opinions on cheat meals. Personally, I don't like to cheat. My parents try and tell me that instant noodles are not a cheat meal but I disagree, so I'm pretty sure I cheat haha.

Anyway, what do you all think? Are cheat meals necessary, and how do you feel after a cheat meal? Personally, I think that if you want to eat clean day in, day out, that's fine, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to never cheat. Then again, we all get cravings I'm sure, and giving in once in a little while can't be that bad either, right?

Whenever I have something I think is a cheat though, I feel extremely bad, like why did I just put that in my body?! I find it hard not to feel guilty after eating something I deem as a cheat, and pretty much am then determined to go and do some extra work to burn it off. Does anyone else ever feel like that? I mean, I have pretty much swarn off chocolate, lollies, ice-cream etc. etc. for the past year, and if I were to have them now, even just a small bit, I would think I better go and burn it off straight away.

One last point...would you only feel like you cheated if you had something that didn't fit your macros?

I'm interested to see what responses I get here. Feel free to post your favourite cheats as well!

Hey Jordan!!

I have no doubt that you're a skinny guy like me...I just base on your information

I have a few suggestion my friend, for skinny type like us, don't confuse about the ratio or amount of calorie you're gonna eat. Actually, we should eat a lot of calories! High in carbohydrates and high in protein as well. Everyday is a CHEAT DAY for me!! because I'm kinda skinny that time.

As an Ectomorph type it's very hard for us to gain weight and muscles! That's why we're required to eat a lot of calories, more protein even carbohydrates! Don't worried about eating too much carbs, our metabolism is fast! We're also required to do intense Heavy weight trainings but in short time ( maximum of 1 hour ). And lastly.... Rest well.... Don't forget to eat before going to sleep, to prevent muscle catabolism!

I usually eat 6 times a day, full loads of carbs and protein. Work intense but short, and getting enough rest a day. I also have slow progression after 1 year and very proud of it. ( from 52 kg to 67 kg).

Here some tips!

First, You should focus on your calorie intake. In order to come up with a good body result that you want, PROPER NUTRITION should be spot on first. You're weighing 56 kg which is equivalent to 124 lbs, your protein intake should be 150-200g daily or above for your muscle growth. You should eat carbohydrates and some fats to BULK you up. Again proper nutrition is very important of all, because it is pointless or useless to workout even if your routine is advance and intense if don't give attention to your MACROS, all your hard works will do nothing to you .Second thing is, also spot on your routine! Proper intake of macros will be useless if you don't have a good combination of workout.

Hope a few advice will help you brotha!! # HTH

it's okay to eat some chocolate, lollies, ice-cream etc. etc beside you're gonna burn it in the gym...

Well...to be honest my friend.. I eat chocolate and other sweets sometimes.. but I have to take control of myself now.. because If you want a good result with your goal... you have to follow your meal plan.

Hey man,

I personally believe a cheat meal one day every couple of weeks is great! Firstly, it provides a great shock to the metabolism and secondly it is a psychological break from the monotony of eating "clean" foods, especially if you are in contest prep!

I agree Dan. As someone who has a sweet and savoury tooth, I'm constantly battling the 'I'll just have one' temptations. I give myself one cheat night a week, which is usually some healthy kind of take-away. I find that this is a huge help in curbing any cravings, allows me a treat in moderation and helps keep me focused through the rest of the week.

Well I will be the naysayer in the crowd :-). Food is like gas in a car. I have used this analogy many times. A car runs best on high octane gas. It runs inefficiently on low octane gas. Your metabolism is the same way. There are good sources of macros and bad sources. While one can argue that every once and a while is OK, I would contend that it is creating a crush for bad food. I always eat clean and never eat junk or cheat meals. I have no cravings because I have "trained" my metabolism to run on good macros. People who have cravings, be it sugar, salt, or whatever, actually have a metabolism that is not fully "weened" off bad eating habits from the past. Having cheat meals does not help solve this problem. My opinion is either eat right all the time and make quality gains or have occasional cheat meals and propagate the diet challenge. What may be a cheat meal every couple or weeks or so can easily "slip" into every other day or every day. It takes a great deal of discipline to hold the line.

John

I try to eat clean most of the time. Although if your living with someone it can sometimes mean cooking a couple of different mealsEach day I guess. I have dropped out cakes and biscuits from my diet now and feel 100% better off for doing so. It have never been a big drinker so dropping that out is easy. As for cheat meals, yeah I guess I do have them every so often.

I worked with someone once who didn't eat good meals all week. So she could have a drinking session at weekend and use all her calories then!!!!! I wonder why she was always over weight!!!!

I'm an ectomorph, so it's hard for me to gain 5 pounds and keep it on. I think my caloric intake need is 5000 calories a day. I almost never meet it, so I keep my protein high. I work full time overnights and don't have the income to buy all the chicken, whole grains, and veggies to cover a 5000 calorie diet. If I was sponsored to train all day and cook my meals I would, but until then I'm stuck eating a package of Reese's or a few empty carbs to fill in my caloric needs. A guy recently did an experiment where he ate nothing but potato chips and junk food, but kept his calorie count below 1500 calories. He lost 20 pounds in a month. The point is to prioritize your intake by calories first, and at least TRY to eat it as healthily as possible but if you have to eat a little but of junk food I'd say go for it. Took me 10+ years to gain almost 70 pounds, and I may be 12% bf, but I can shed it if I ate all clean foods.

You raise a great point here, Kevin.

Eating well is expensive and it's a sad reflection on modern living in the developed world that crap food is frequently better financial value than 'real' food. Here in Australia, there's a significant problem in remote communities with mainly indigenous populations. Processed, packaged food is much cheaper and more prevalent than fresh fruit and vegetables, which don't survive being transported from a major metropolitan centre all that well. You can't really blame people for making the choice between a $3 frozen meat pie or a $5 apple.