Running, Cycling, Fitness Tips – The Inadvertent Athlete

The Cheat Meal

Tis the season for wrecking the diet isn’t it? Every where you turn, there is a plate of cookies or box of chocolate, or a dinner event with nothing on your nutrition plan to be found. Everyone wants to go out to eat, and it’s cold. The last thing you want to eat is another grilled chicken salad, right? The Cheat Meal is a trick of the pros and, if used correctly, can actually help your fat loss goals. Here’s how it works.

If you have been sticking to a lower calorie nutrition plan ( I hate the word “diet”), something nefarious starts to happen. Your body starts to adapt and slow down your metabolism. Although you may have had some initial success, your body will adapt and start to act like it used to. You will find yourself getting flabby again, even if you are working out at the same level. A good idea is to shake it up. A LOT. This is where the Cheat Meal comes in. Body builders have used this tool for decades. Eat very low calories for a week, sometimes 14 days, then have one day to re-feed. Some folks go on a full-on, no-holds-barred binge and suffer no consequences and actually benefit from it. Now, it has to be said that this day is the only one like this every couple of weeks. Every other day, it’s grilled chicken, baby!

Here is the science behind why it works. As your body adapts to a low calorie plan and exercise, you are in a constant calorie deficit, which is necessary for fat loss. Well, your body thinks that you are starving and down-regulates your metabolism to adjust for the decrease in energy input (calories). The Cheat Meal restores your body’s faith in your ability to find food so, it’s not afraid to burn it’s energy reserves (fat). It also serves a psychological purpose as well, letting you eat some comfort foods and enjoy eating occasionally.

Although, this sounds like Nirvana, being able to throw down once every week or two can be dangerous for your goals. Without the proper discipline, this can easily lead back to old eating habits. Precision Nutrition recommends eating on a 90/10 basis. 90 percent of the time, it’s lean protein and veggies, 10 percent whatever you want. Realize that this breaks down as follows: 6 meals a day x 7 days = 42 meals per week. 10 percent =4 cheats per week. This only works if your other 38 meals are flawless. If you need to know what those other meals should look like, check out this article.

As always, the key is in the planning and making sure that your are in control of your nutrition and choices. Use that Cheat Meal and have the best of both worlds; eating what you want and getting leaner. At least for one day…