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Suzanne
03-02-2009, 06:42 PM
This is something i have wanted to post about for quite some time. I can't tell you how many times i have read this in journals over the years on many different boards.

I am talking about contest prep and people journals when they post they have cheated on their plan, eaten entire boxes of cereal or even just a cookie or two or skipped WOs or cardio then tons of people come in and pat them on the back and say "oh it's ok everybody cheats" even when a person has repeatedly cheated. This is pertaining to unautohorized cheating on a contest plan.

How is this helping? I don't get it

1) Not everyone cheats, I do not cheat during prep and i know others who do not cheat.
2) I assume my competitors do not cheat which makes sure i don't cheat
3) By allowing yourself to think "everybody cheats" you are already allowing it to happen before it does

Do i think people should post anything mean in those journals certainly not but the words should be maybe to ask the person how bad they want this, remind them it is a competition and others aren't cheating instead of enabling the person in their cheating

When i go into prep i remember i CHOSE to do it
I chose to follow a diet
I chose to do the WOs
I chose to do the cardio
I chose to do whatever sacrifice it take to be my very best

And when you get through a prep without ever cheating or missing a WO or missing a cardio regardless how you place you can say you did your very best and you gave it 100% there was nothing more you could have done that alone makes you a winner

This question was completely misunderstood on another board so
I am not asking:
is it ok to cheat?
why do people cheat?
the purpose of cheat meals and refeeds?
do we support people in their thread when they do cheat?

I am asking specifically why people chose the words EVERYBODY CHEATS when they respond in the thread. Is it because they believe everybody does cheat? it is because they just don't know what else to say and feel saying that is being supportive?

My feeling is that saying "everybody cheats" is detrimental Why would the person think they can be strong enough to stick to their plan if everybody else cheats? how can one stick to a plan if they go in thinking everybody cheats?

Angela123
03-02-2009, 06:44 PM
girl...u read my mind. i saw u posted this on another board. i wanted to tell you to post it here.

congrats on FL!

Gaoshang Xiongshou
03-02-2009, 06:46 PM
Very nice thread! This should be really interesting!

Scoobysnacks
03-02-2009, 07:21 PM
If it wasnt planned then there is no room for this, that I dont let happen.

However, planned "cheat" meals or metabolism resets, or loading days however you want to term them do have a place in prep. Look at Daves diet, people eat pizza once per week. Last year during my prep since I lose weight fast but I also wanted to keep my metabolism zooming I had a cheat on my b-day 9 weeks out and a cheat at superbowl 7 weeks out and one at 5 weeks out. My conditioning is best viewed in my profile pic and I feel it was pretty good. And after each and every meal I was down the next day.

If they are earned and built in, I think it can be beneficial, but if its just because you are hungry and get weak, then I 100% agree there is no room for that in prep.

Good points....

Ss

tammyp
03-03-2009, 06:08 AM
its not ok to cheat. but id lie if i said i havent. not an all out food fest, but im a picker, so ill pick at a bite of this or that. it doesnt really hurt me, i always get ready a bit early, so im lucky. but its not something i do all the time either. i never have alot of weight to drop so my 16 week prep gives me plenty of time to drop 10 -12 lbs that i need to.

Aaron Singerman
03-03-2009, 07:26 AM
I always PLAN my cheat meals far in advance... I have never broken down and just said "Fuck it"... The fact that I KNOW I have a cheat meal coming up (at some point) helps. When I start getting cravings for something I just add it to the list of things to eat on my cheat day/meal. I done quite a few 10,000 calorie cheat meals... BUT never without a plan! lol.

Scoobysnacks
03-03-2009, 07:29 AM
I always PLAN my cheat meals far in advance... I have never broken down and just said "Fuck it"... The fact that I KNOW I have a cheat meal coming up (at some point) helps. When I start getting cravings for something I just add it to the list of things to eat on my cheat day/meal. I done quite a few 10,000 calorie cheat meals... BUT never without a plan! lol.

I agree...

gman
03-03-2009, 10:14 AM
Now that I am taking a no excuses, all out approach, I only cheat on day 7 for one meal, just like Dave P tells me to. It's amazing how easy it is now that I am 5 weeks in. It gives me something to look forward to, just like Aaron said, when I see something that I crave I just file it away for my cheat meal. Then when day 7 comes, I have a whole list of possibilities! Finally, I am getting the bodybuilder mentality. It took me long enough!

tdcoach
03-03-2009, 03:18 PM
If it is part of your diet ie..refeeds on keto, then it is not cheating. I think people are just trying to be supportive when they say, Everybody cheats. You are right , not everyone cheats, I wish I could say I was one of them.

Suzanne
03-04-2009, 09:40 AM
I wasn't asking if cheat meals are beneficial

I am asking if someone goes off htier plan and cheats when they arent' supposed too why do so many people respond in thier journals "it's ok everybody cheats" it is the response i am asking about why don't people either tell them to scuk it up and do thier diet or if a fragile person (ie: has eating disorder nd really upset over the cheat) respond with something like "let's find out why so it doesn't happen again" or maybe even suggest comp dieting isn't for them til they get theri eating issues under control

GirlyMuscle
03-04-2009, 10:27 AM
I think because the people who have competed and have cheated in their prep actually believe everyone does. I mean, on the boards especially we hear all the groans about how competitors cheat, etc. It's very rare that anyone posts and says, Hey all is well and I never cheat. Usually, it's people lamenting how they have cheated. Until ypou made this post I was under the impression that everyone cheated at least once in some way or another. It was actually a big eye opener to me when you posted that you never cheat. I'm glad you did post that. Now I have a different perspective.

indianamonster1986
03-04-2009, 10:28 AM
I have during my first few contest preps because I had doubts in my progress. But like now I only cheat when it is a planned cheat day.

GirlyMuscle
03-04-2009, 10:33 AM
And if it's planned it's not a cheat. Maybe it's a refeed, carb-up, splurge....but it's not a CHEAT.

chucksm00th
03-04-2009, 11:57 AM
Its an excuse to make themselves feel better about slacking on their diet. These are the same people that complain about the fact they dont look as good as they wanted, yet they only have themselves to blame for being lazy and weak in that respect. A scheduled "cheat" is the only "cheat that should be consumed on a diet to kickstart the metabolism, other than that, if your cheating then you really dont want it as much as you think you do.

Sistersteel
03-04-2009, 01:25 PM
I wasn't asking if cheat meals are beneficial

I am asking if someone goes off htier plan and cheats when they arent' supposed too why do so many people respond in thier journals "it's ok everybody cheats" it is the response i am asking about why don't people either tell them to scuk it up and do thier diet or if a fragile person (ie: has eating disorder nd really upset over the cheat) respond with something like "let's find out why so it doesn't happen again" or maybe even suggest comp dieting isn't for them til they get theri eating issues under control

I hate the word "cheat". Even if it is planned, that terminology stirs up guilt and paranoia in me. The subconscious is a powerful thing. The term refeed, carb up is far more appropriate in my opinion. Helps me keep my sanity. Your mind can sabotage you in a heartbeat if you are not careful.

Its quite simple really. The philosophy of a competitive bodybuilder is being the best he/she can be come show time. That leaves no room for error. So falling off a diet is unacceptable.

But the purpose of the boards is to show support to those who have chosen this path. Some people might be dieting for their first show and some might be seasoned competitors. You are more likely to see someone admit to falling off their diet if they have not been competing long. You will NEVER see a seasoned competitor admit to falling off a diet. The reason being: a seasoned competitior possesses the knowledge to fix a f*ck up. They have been down that road enough times and know their bodies well enough to get things back on track.

Newbies, on the other hand, think their lives are falling apart if they stray. They feel like they have ruinned all they had worked so hard for. So those among us who have been through that at some point in our athletic carreers, encourage those who have strayed by telling them it is ok.
We are not misleading them at all because the more seasoned ones among us know that the beginning stages will pretty much mold them into the future bodybuilders that they are going to be. You have to let them go through whatever it is they have to go through while helping them keep a positive attitude. These preliminary stages are crucial in separating the champs from the wannabes.

The rigor of this sport does a very good job at breaking people in on its own. We are here to offer encouragement and support.


On a side note, allow me to add that bodybuilding is more mental than anything. So its how you DEAL with these things that can either make or break you.

Suzanne
03-05-2009, 09:39 AM
Newbies, on the other hand, think their lives are falling apart if they stray. They feel like they have ruinned all they had worked so hard for. So those among us who have been through that at some point in our athletic carreers, encourage those who have strayed by telling them it is ok.
We are not misleading them at all because the more seasoned ones among us know that the beginning stages will pretty much mold them into the future bodybuilders that they are going to be. You have to let them go through whatever it is they have to go through while helping them keep a positive attitude. These preliminary stages are crucial in separating the champs from the wannabes.


it is one thing to be supportive and help out
but i believe it is misleading to say EVERBODY cheats because not everybody does adn if the newbie is told everybody cheats they will continue to cheat cuz well everybody does if that's what they are told

it is the word EVERYBODY i have issue with
i have just seen it in so many journls

GrowthGifted
03-05-2009, 11:34 AM
You need to understand the main idea first, cheating can be interpreted differently

The human body is a surival mechanism and he will always try to maintain HOMEOSTASIS or an equilibrium so to speak.

After following the same daily caloric and nutritional intake for days, your progress ( fat loss, lean muscle gain ) will start to stagnate, that's becuase your body has reached homeostatis. When this happens results may either stagnate or take longer..

How do you overcome this homeostasis ?

I think speaking generally, after 6 days of following caloric and nutricional intake , for ahead and for the 7 day increase your calories in order to break homeostasis. That's the theory behind "cheating, refeeding, etc.."

*The ammount of extra calories and nutritional content should be calculated individually.

Now the "bad" cheating :
In the middle of your weekly diet you decide to eat junk instead of your meal.. or just take in extra calories.

what you guys think ?

Suzanne
03-05-2009, 01:07 PM
I hate the word "cheat". Even if it is planned, that terminology stirs up guilt and paranoia in me. The subconscious is a powerful thing. The term refeed, carb up is far more appropriate in my opinion. Helps me keep my sanity. Your mind can sabotage you in a heartbeat if you are not careful.

Its quite simple really. The philosophy of a competitive bodybuilder is being the best he/she can be come show time. That leaves no room for error. So falling off a diet is unacceptable.

But the purpose of the boards is to show support to those who have chosen this path. Some people might be dieting for their first show and some might be seasoned competitors. You are more likely to see someone admit to falling off their diet if they have not been competing long. You will NEVER see a seasoned competitor admit to falling off a diet. The reason being: a seasoned competitior possesses the knowledge to fix a f*ck up. They have been down that road enough times and know their bodies well enough to get things back on track.

Newbies, on the other hand, think their lives are falling apart if they stray. They feel like they have ruinned all they had worked so hard for. So those among us who have been through that at some point in our athletic carreers, encourage those who have strayed by telling them it is ok.
We are not misleading them at all because the more seasoned ones among us know that the beginning stages will pretty much mold them into the future bodybuilders that they are going to be. You have to let them go through whatever it is they have to go through while helping them keep a positive attitude. These preliminary stages are crucial in separating the champs from the wannabes.

The rigor of this sport does a very good job at breaking people in on its own. We are here to offer encouragement and support.


On a side note, allow me to add that bodybuilding is more mental than anything. So its how you DEAL with these things that can either make or break you.


You need to understand the main idea first, cheating can be interpreted differently

The human body is a surival mechanism and he will always try to maintain HOMEOSTASIS or an equilibrium so to speak.

After following the same daily caloric and nutritional intake for days, your progress ( fat loss, lean muscle gain ) will start to stagnate, that's becuase your body has reached homeostatis. When this happens results may either stagnate or take longer..

How do you overcome this homeostasis ?

I think speaking generally, after 6 days of following caloric and nutricional intake , for ahead and for the 7 day increase your calories in order to break homeostasis. That's the theory behind "cheating, refeeding, etc.."

*The ammount of extra calories and nutritional content should be calculated individually.

Now the "bad" cheating :
In the middle of your weekly diet you decide to eat junk instead of your meal.. or just take in extra calories.

what you guys think ?

I am not asking about why we cheat, how come people cheat is it ok to cheat it is How people are responding in the person journal after they cheat.

I am talking about unplanned "oh god i fucked up and ate a box of cereal" then 3 days later i ate a jar of PB type cheating not planned cheats not refeeds not a caloric increase to get over a plateau

then everyone post in their thread oh it's ok everybody cheats basically being enablers

I am strictly talking about people who can't stick to their plans and how others respond to them and it is just the response i am asking about

There are hundreds of things you could say to the person without saying that EVERYBODY cheats

gman
03-05-2009, 01:26 PM
I am in total agreement, don't candy coat it. You cheated, f'd up, now get back in gear. That would be a better response, IMO. But I am not in a great position to talk, I have never gone through it like you guys, although I am in the middle of it right now!

5 1/2 weeks, NO CHEATING SO FAR ( even if it is ok!)

zander
03-06-2009, 05:23 PM
whats the use of cheating ... really ? only have to wait a max of 3 hours for a meal , get off yu bum and find something to do ... easy ;)

Youngguns
03-06-2009, 05:28 PM
I totally agree.

Or when someone looks terrible they get "you look good bro"
just to be nice...

matt1005
03-06-2009, 07:37 PM
Good post. I have never cheated on a contest diet.

NPCfigure
03-08-2009, 04:59 PM
I never cheated on my contest diet either.

I like to tell myself, my competition is not cheating(apparently they are-better for me :) ) ....and I SHALL not....

I also paid for my diet/prep, I will not waste MY money, MY time or MY trainers time, and not follow the meal plan given to me.

I may never be the biggest competitor on stage, but I KNOW I am up there resenting myself and my trainer to the BEST of my ability

Fit_5"3
03-08-2009, 07:38 PM
I am not asking about why we cheat, how come people cheat is it ok to cheat it is How people are responding in the person journal after they cheat.

I am talking about unplanned "oh god i fucked up and ate a box of cereal" then 3 days later i ate a jar of PB type cheating not planned cheats not refeeds not a caloric increase to get over a plateau

then everyone post in their thread oh it's ok everybody cheats basically being enablers

I am strictly talking about people who can't stick to their plans and how others respond to them and it is just the response i am asking about

There are hundreds of things you could say to the person without saying that EVERYBODY cheats


RESPONSE: Because most people, rather than be honest, molly-coddle (sp?) others. It does no one no good. It makes (me) look like shit on stage for (you) telling me it was okay I ate ice cream last week. Now, that makes (you) a liar because it was so NOT okay for (me) to eat ice cream on a contest diet when I had specifics from my coach: No cheats, additions or substitutions unless otherwise prescribed. Ice cream was not prescribed. I didn't put my lameness in my journal, instead I wrote my coach and we did just this - - figure out why I cheated. No molly-coddling; just don't do it again. And, I have not been prescribed a cheat and I haven't cheated again!

Sugargirl
03-10-2009, 12:11 PM
I find this thread very uplifting! I'm 11 weeks out and I am doing a carb drop diet where I bring my carbs from 160 to 60 in 16 weeks...( my protein ratio stays so I keep the calories around 1500 ... ) I have been told to have a cheat meal once a week.. It scares the crap out of me.. I know I will drop weight after but then I think.. what if I don't and the weight stays.. mentally i have a hard time getting around that... I know I'm in need of a carb up day soon but I still view it as "cheating" ....ughhh it is so mental..... The Arnold really stoked my fire though...

Sistersteel
03-10-2009, 12:21 PM
I am not asking about why we cheat, how come people cheat is it ok to cheat it is How people are responding in the person journal after they cheat.

I am talking about unplanned "oh god i fucked up and ate a box of cereal" then 3 days later i ate a jar of PB type cheating not planned cheats not refeeds not a caloric increase to get over a plateau




Ok I see your point. Well if it is their first time "cheating", then I certainly do not think one should put them down for it. But if is recurring, then yes, they are probably not cut out for contest dieting.

gman
03-10-2009, 12:52 PM
Sugargirl, I get that too. I eat my cheat meal, and it takes me most of the next week to lose the weight I gain from it. It is tempting to not do the cheat, even though I know rationally that it is necessary.

I am still up from Saturday night cheat meal, and it's been 3 days.

Frosty
03-10-2009, 01:24 PM
Sugargirl, I get that too. I eat my cheat meal, and it takes me most of the next week to lose the weight I gain from it. It is tempting to not do the cheat, even though I know rationally that it is necessary.

I am still up from Saturday night cheat meal, and it's been 3 days.

I have a friend that's worried about the "cheat meal", too. And honestly like Sistersteel said, I don't like the term "cheat". I prefer "carb meal" or "refeed meal." But anyway, I told my friend about how I went from pretty chubby to what's in my avatar pic with doing weekly cheats, and some of them putting his to absolute shame.

So long as you're making progress that's what matters. My friend was freaking a little because the scale wasn't moving a lot, but he didn't realize that he was likely putting on muscle since he hadn't lifted in a while and was gettign in 300g of protein (strength going up, scale going down slowly)!! Even low carb diet studies often find people put on muscle on keto diets simply because of eating WAY more protein than they used to.

Anyway, log the hours with cardio and stick to the diet during the week and this diet can be a lot of fun (for me at least! Sometimes I even forget to eat. Luckily I have my cell phone alert me when it's time).

Sistersteel
03-10-2009, 01:35 PM
I have a friend that's worried about the "cheat meal", too. And honestly like Sistersteel said, I don't like the term "cheat". I prefer "carb meal" or "refeed meal." But anyway, I told my friend about how I went from pretty chubby to what's in my avatar pic with doing weekly cheats, and some of them putting his to absolute shame.

So long as you're making progress that's what matters. My friend was freaking a little because the scale wasn't moving a lot, but he didn't realize that he was likely putting on muscle since he hadn't lifted in a while and was gettign in 300g of protein (strength going up, scale going down slowly)!! Even low carb diet studies often find people put on muscle on keto diets simply because of eating WAY more protein than they used to.

Anyway, log the hours with cardio and stick to the diet during the week and this diet can be a lot of fun (for me at least! Sometimes I even forget to eat. Luckily I have my cell phone alert me when it's time).


Honestly, I don't know about you guys, but when I "cheat" (there's that word again), I look ten times better and tighter.

Frosty
03-10-2009, 02:03 PM
Honestly, I don't know about you guys, but when I "cheat" (there's that word again), I look ten times better and tighter.

Depending on how much I ate...if it wasn't a lot I can look better the next morning. If it was a ton of food it might take 2-3 days but then I'm looking better than before.

gman
03-10-2009, 02:29 PM
I am looking forward to that happening when I have a carb up meal. Right now I just gain weight and spend all week getting it back off. I am still too high a bf% to notice the good effects of the carb up.

chucksm00th
03-10-2009, 02:41 PM
Honestly, I don't know about you guys, but when I "cheat" (there's that word again), I look ten times better and tighter.

Same here..A cheat/ free meal whatever you call if makes you look leaner/tighter the next morning, so long as you dont make a glutton of yourself, otehrwise it takes a few dasy to tighten up from the bloating.

sassy69
03-10-2009, 04:29 PM
I think particularly when you are doing it for the first time, people go thru many preconceived barriers about how well they thought they could handle things. In fact, if you've never been thru it before, you really can't conceive of how hard it can be. Based no the amount of discussion people have about the foods they crave or fantasize about, it is not unexpected that everyone comes up against at least one moment of agonizing over the urge to junk or even have 1 extra non-scheduled piece of food (e.g. a pretzel) to address a craving. Its human nature. But as noted above, it is how you behave & handle it. It took me 2 rounds of competition prep to manage my behavior re: urges, panics about the diet, etc. In fact, the worst times I had w/ diet were when I couldnt' get ahold of my trainer for the next diet modification -basically it was a panic response when I was left to be completely dependent upon this person who made it out that I was completely dependent upon them and then were not there to provide the expected information. I tend to panic more when I don't have all my details laid out for me. IMO that's actually a mindfuck provided courtesy of the trainer. For ex, one trainer would give me changes in diet the last thing after my nite training, as if I were supposed to run off the to the grocery store and get everything that nite. Sometimes the store wasn't open at that time or I was near crashing and the protocol was changed w/o enough lead time to prepare. These are things I curse my trainers for and make damn sure I demand enough information & lead time to prepare appropriately. However I also have enough of my own information / knowledge to handle any situations or have sufficient alternatives with me.

As far as when people say "everyone cheats", I think part of it is that its a done deal and IMO it doesnt' help much to spend pages & pages of a person's journal to discuss the cheat ad nauseum. I think people acknowledge that it does happen, but also say how important it is to stick to it going forward. Somewhere during my first prep I arrived at the very simple truth that you either do it (the plan) or you don't. If you're not going to , then don't bother doing the show. Reaching that realization was very liberating and also helped completely remove the obsession w/ food.

Goign forward I've made a point to not set up any associations w/ food - i.e. reward meal after the show, etc. None of that. ITs just feeding time. I'll let myself use diet coke as my "cheat". But it has been an adventure in behavior modification and self management.

BadAssBarbie
03-10-2009, 06:13 PM
I find this thread very uplifting! I'm 11 weeks out and I am doing a carb drop diet where I bring my carbs from 160 to 60 in 16 weeks...( my protein ratio stays so I keep the calories around 1500 ... ) I have been told to have a cheat meal once a week.. It scares the crap out of me.. I know I will drop weight after but then I think.. what if I don't and the weight stays.. mentally i have a hard time getting around that... I know I'm in need of a carb up day soon but I still view it as "cheating" ....ughhh it is so mental..... The Arnold really stoked my fire though...
Just have your "cheat meal" when you're supposed to. You'll feel better, more energetic, more satisfied. You won't feel so deprived. The weight won't stay. As long you're doing everything else you're supposed to be doing, you'll be fine!!
After my Sat. night "cheat meals," sometimes the weight was gone in a day, and other times it took 3 or 4 days, but it DID come off...and then some!! Don't let it scare you, let it motivate you...give you something to look forward to!!!!
Do your best, that's all you can do. If you're doing your best, then be proud!!!

gman
03-10-2009, 06:23 PM
I am trying to believe that, Barbie. It's tough though!

sassy69
03-11-2009, 01:33 PM
Just have your "cheat meal" when you're supposed to. You'll feel better, more energetic, more satisfied. You won't feel so deprived. The weight won't stay. As long you're doing everything else you're supposed to be doing, you'll be fine!!
After my Sat. night "cheat meals," sometimes the weight was gone in a day, and other times it took 3 or 4 days, but it DID come off...and then some!! Don't let it scare you, let it motivate you...give you something to look forward to!!!!
Do your best, that's all you can do. If you're doing your best, then be proud!!!

Scheduled cheat meals are there for a reason .. they aren't "cheat" in terms of let it all go but more often than not, are intended to be a carb up , a cal - up and general refueling to shock your body into a little response in the middle of specific depletion phases. If it was on your meal plan not called a "cheat meal" but just simply listed w/ a higher than normal number of cals & macro ratios, you'd probably not be so scared of it. If it is only listed as "cheat meal", then write out what exactly it will be instead of leaving it wide open.

gman
03-11-2009, 01:46 PM
Good thought there, sassy. It really is a planned carb up, not cheating

That being said, I am going to plan it this time and not go overboard. I still haven't lost the weight I gained on Saturday night, and it's 4 days later. Just going to eat a moderate sized meal with plenty of carbs, not an excuse to gorge.

sassy69
03-11-2009, 02:42 PM
Good thought there, sassy. It really is a planned carb up, not cheating

That being said, I am going to plan it this time and not go overboard. I still haven't lost the weight I gained on Saturday night, and it's 4 days later. Just going to eat a moderate sized meal with plenty of carbs, not an excuse to gorge.

I'm not a big fan of stepping on the scale because "weight", esp after a junk out, is going to be related to water retention. More important is the general trend of your body composition. Don't worry about reaching parity after a one-time junk.

Sugargirl
03-14-2009, 01:50 AM
Thanks everyone. I so totally appreciate the responses!! especially now... I am coming in to my level two class with national level girls requalifyiing! damn I'm so competitive! lol....
I agree ithe carb up and the refeed, i know my body needs it.. My first round of dieting last year I was not allowed to cheat , My trainer had no cheats.. i actually stalled! so this time I think its working! and I have a weekly goal to allow "cheat" for the metabolism it really makes a difference I think that is where the mind set comes into play..... I've worked it in .. I bloated but I know its gonna come off, but I hit my cardio twice as hard!!! lol...I 'll keep y'all posted on the weight ( fat ) drop ! :) keep going Gman!

gman
03-14-2009, 07:06 AM
thanks SG, and you do the same. I am going to get up on stage one day too, and I admire all of you who have already done it.

HeavyDutyGuy
03-18-2009, 07:10 PM
Good post! I thought you were going to take the opposite tack. Cheating to me means falling off your diet. I'm not talking about a bagel with your morning eggs, but going out for junk food. Right now I'm sick of junk food, haven't eaten since I started diet last month. An occasional ice cream cone or candy bar won't kill you, but I don't believe in 10,000 calorie cheat meals. That's 4 days of calories for me. Toooo much ground to make up. I like the old school way of doing it, not the extreme manipulations. I've tried them and they didn't help at all. As to workouts, I don't miss them, I compete cause I like working out, not the other way around. Cardio? I hate, but do it.

Darnelle B
09-03-2009, 01:55 AM
im in prep mode for my first show the close i came to cheating is an extra scoop of protein isolate. lol man i ate a scoop of the powder with a spoon. no water no shaker.

i just dont have craving for junk or real food. just wanna look good. i doubt a extra scoop of whey will ruin anyones prep. maybe i'm wrong once again my first prep.

i crave more protein powder or more fats. but cheating is not in my mind right now.

Frosty
09-03-2009, 02:00 AM
im in prep mode for my first show the close i came to cheating is an extra scoop of protein isolate. lol man i ate a scoop of the powder with a spoon. no water no shaker.

i just dont have craving for junk or real food. just wanna look good. i doubt a extra scoop of whey will ruin anyones prep. maybe i'm wrong once again my first prep.

i crave more protein powder or more fats. but cheating is not in my mind right now.


Haha done that before many times! No, an extra scoop of whey every once in a while won't hurt you! Not that I encourage it but I don't want you to worry over it just stick with the diet the best you can.

Darnelle B
09-03-2009, 02:10 AM
Haha done that before many times! No, an extra scoop of whey every once in a while won't hurt you! Not that I encourage it but I don't want you to worry over it just stick with the diet the best you can.


lol naw not worried once in a blue when i get a craving i will just eat a scoop of whey.lol

but i;m really not craving junk. i tell you this tho i can go for some sushi and steak. lmaoooooo

GirlyMuscle
09-03-2009, 07:56 AM
I'm craving BIG TIME. Not for any one thing. I think it's 17 weeks of deprivation with 11 more to go that's getting to me. I'm just tired of it all. I'm not any less determined to do this. It's just getting alittle harder. Mark my words...I will never do a prep longer than 16 weeks in the future.

tammyp
09-03-2009, 08:16 AM
i would lie if i say i didnt cheat. im not perfect and dont beat myself up over a bite hear and there. soetimes that is a sanity savior and keeps you from really going off.

AnglicanBeachParty
09-03-2009, 10:30 AM
Good post, Suzanne ...

To answer your question, I think when people say "everyone cheats", what they really mean is "I, too, have cheated."

The way I look at it is that your coach/trainer is trying to land an aircraft in a heavy fog, using instruments only. You, the competitor, are that aircraft. They have a known input (the diet/cardio plan) and a known output (progress photos).

If you lie to them about one of these (e.g., don't tell them you have cheated), they will be driven to make inaccurate assumptions about the transfer function between input and output for your body. That may cause them to give bad advice, since they are operating on bad data about your input.

So ... My advice would be: If you do cheat, tell your trainer! S/he needs to know that, so as to be able to make the appropriate mid-course correction.

DAVIDHARDY
09-03-2009, 10:35 AM
Last night, when I was cooking my food, I had an extra ounce of chicken and an extra ounce and a half of tilapia...I ate them, but I think I'll be just fine lol. I never do that, but I'm in a hotel and ran out of tupperware, and I'm not about to throw away food, so I just ate it. I must be a machine or something, because I don't really crave anything and the one meal a week is more than satisfying for my sweet tooth. Hopefully I can keep it up, I've been keto for 7 weeks now and so far so good.

Quadsweep
09-03-2009, 11:09 PM
The last time I cheated on a contest prep was 1992....I ate "an" M&M...one. Thats just how I roll. You have to find a kind of pleasure in taking the pain...is that...fucked up?

Northman
09-04-2009, 12:06 AM
Hmm I always thought cheating was a good thing.

I commonly have a large mcflurry with a small shake, 2 apple pies and 2 packets of oatmeal for my cheats and I can feel my heart race for hours after eating that.

Frosty
09-04-2009, 12:13 AM
Hmm I always thought cheating was a good thing.

I commonly have a large mcflurry with a small shake, 2 apple pies and 2 packets of oatmeal for my cheats and I can feel my heart race for hours after eating that.

On keto, yes, and depending on what you can handle and make good progress.

Hell some guys practically cheat all the time and get ripped. Bastards.

Darnelle B
09-04-2009, 12:59 AM
On keto, yes, and depending on what you can handle and make good progress.

Hell some guys practically cheat all the time and get ripped. Bastards.

x2 bastards. I hate those cheat all day and get ripped guys. Lol

DAVIDHARDY
09-04-2009, 10:49 AM
Hmm I always thought cheating was a good thing.

I commonly have a large mcflurry with a small shake, 2 apple pies and 2 packets of oatmeal for my cheats and I can feel my heart race for hours after eating that.


On keto, yes, and depending on what you can handle and make good progress.

Hell some guys practically cheat all the time and get ripped. Bastards.

Like Frosty said, that is not "cheating" on a keto diet. That is a planned...lets call it..."get my fucking metabolism back up" meal lol. The term "cheat meal", like has been said in this thread numerous times before, is a bad way to put it. Cheating is something that is not planned(Fuck its tuesday morning and I just ate a box of amazing dounuts instead of my eggs and fish oil), but a planned "cheat meal" is actually a critical part of the diet IMO. And I also am a believer in anything goes for that meal(except alcohol). I figure that I'll throw up before I do any damage in a two hour window. Might not be the best approach, but fuck it, it helps me keep my sanity and has been working for me. But' I am going to start cleaning up my "cheats" just because I am so close to the show. I just won't eat foods too high in unnecessary fat, but I'll still pig the hell out on Saturday nights!

Nitro Fueled Barbie/Mel Marx
09-04-2009, 11:31 AM
its not ok to cheat. but id lie if i said i havent. not an all out food fest, but im a picker, so ill pick at a bite of this or that. it doesnt really hurt me, i always get ready a bit early, so im lucky. but its not something i do all the time either. i never have alot of weight to drop so my 16 week prep gives me plenty of time to drop 10 -12 lbs that i need to.

I 2nd that one sister. I am a picker too. Especially pre and post workout.:yep:

GENESIS
09-04-2009, 11:53 AM
i thought this thread was in the relationship section... nvm

Northman
09-04-2009, 01:48 PM
On keto, yes, and depending on what you can handle and make good progress.

Hell some guys practically cheat all the time and get ripped. Bastards.


I agree to an extent, the thing I wonder now is if these cheat meals are still helping me...

I'm not one of those guys who gets ripped easily, in fact I have never been classified as ripped ever.I've been lean but not ripped.

I'm about 9 percent give or take right now and that is the leanest I've ever been.

Shooting for 7 percent.

figurebre
09-12-2009, 12:49 AM
I feel SO guilty with my "mandatory" refeeds on the weekends.
My calories are pretty low throughout the week, and we are manipulating my diet differently so as to drop some extra weight I SOMEHOW gained this off season :(
But I am supposed to cheat to give my metabolism a boost. I never really know if I take it too far? How far should I go? One meal? One meal could be a bowl of spaghetti........OR one meal could be a bowl of spaghetti, ice cream, cookies and bread. Anyone else feel me on this?
Either way, I feel so guilty and I don't know how I will drop weight with two cheats a week. But I do trust my trainer.

SallyAnne
09-12-2009, 01:10 AM
I feel SO guilty with my "mandatory" refeeds on the weekends.
My calories are pretty low throughout the week, and we are manipulating my diet differently so as to drop some extra weight I SOMEHOW gained this off season :(
But I am supposed to cheat to give my metabolism a boost. I never really know if I take it too far? How far should I go? One meal? One meal could be a bowl of spaghetti........OR one meal could be a bowl of spaghetti, ice cream, cookies and bread. Anyone else feel me on this?
Either way, I feel so guilty and I don't know how I will drop weight with two cheats a week. But I do trust my trainer.

I feel you on this. lol My calories are low and carbs non existent during the week.

I've found that even if I stuff myself, I'm still not eating as much as my eyes want me to eat. lol

sassy69
09-12-2009, 02:48 AM
I feel SO guilty with my "mandatory" refeeds on the weekends.
My calories are pretty low throughout the week, and we are manipulating my diet differently so as to drop some extra weight I SOMEHOW gained this off season :(
But I am supposed to cheat to give my metabolism a boost. I never really know if I take it too far? How far should I go? One meal? One meal could be a bowl of spaghetti........OR one meal could be a bowl of spaghetti, ice cream, cookies and bread. Anyone else feel me on this?
Either way, I feel so guilty and I don't know how I will drop weight with two cheats a week. But I do trust my trainer.


Ask your trainer to define "mandatory refeeds" for you. If it means 1 meal, get x number of carbs, whatever. I'm a big proponent of your trainer being able to answer your questions and you asking questions. The stress of figuring out what "mandatory refeed" means is raising your cortisol, thus inhibiting efficient fat burning. So I'd say, get that little detail sorted out so you can get back to the business of metabolism!

maxxmuscle
09-20-2009, 03:41 AM
I dont "Cheat".... even if it didnt affect my Physique,it would mess my head up ! I do have a refeed / high carb day ! In the past i would'nt even do that,as i believed it would undo all of the previous week hard work.After speaking with Skip he explained things and brought me around to the idea.....

Now i look forward to Saturdays Refeeds :) And continue to make progress each week.Even though every Saturday that little voice in the Back of my head is saying "You shouldnt be eating all these carbs...you will get fat" lol :) Come the following friday i know i did the right thing though......its benefits the body in the long run....and gives you a much needed mental break ! My Fiance tends not to look forward to my high carb day though.....i put out some nasty gas :( lol !

Triple-H_2005
09-22-2009, 12:39 PM
The last time I cheated (unscheduled) was in 1997. I made the mistake of thinking that because some of my friends at the gym could get away with it and win, I could do the same thing...WRONG!

I have to kill myself to get into shape, and I realized that even a 'little cheat' would throw off my entire mind set and start a cycle that I really had to fight to escape.

I also know that since I'm so tall, and have still a lot of filling out to do, I MUST be in shape to even have a shot at winning. The thought of showing up out of shape terrifies me...