honeybunch1
Cathlete
I am firmly committed to a weekly cheat day (today is the day this week!), and I got this goodie from my weekly Men's Health Newsletter that I thought y'all would find of interest:
Q: I'm having trouble sticking with my diet. A friend told me to try a cheat day. Is that okay?
A: There's something to be said for the cheat day. I know that it's made a huge difference in the consistency of my diet.
In the past, I would try to eat "clean" every day, with no lapses. Basically, I had a hard time maintaining a strict diet for more than 4 to 6 weeks at a time. Eventually, I would break down, and eat everything in sight. But not just for a day. I had an all-or-nothing attitude. So I was either dieting and eating right — or I wasn't. Once I fell off the wagon, I didn't get back on. At least not until I started to get fat again.
Then I adopted the "cheat" day philosophy, where I eat "right" 6 out of 7 days. Physically, one day doesn't make any difference in my body fat. Psychologically, it makes all the difference in the world. It's easier to stay disciplined during the week, knowing that I can indulge on the weekend. And after a day of eating the bad stuff—for me, it's high-glycemic carbs — guilt-free, I'm more ready than ever to get back to my diet.
Few nutritionists would tell you to do this, because they'll claim it's not a healthy lifestyle change. Instead, they'll push the everything-in-moderation philosophy. But I really don't think I'm wired as an everything-in-moderation guy. (I once ordered everything on the first three panels of the wall-menu at Taco Bell.)
Interestingly, my diet on my non-cheat days is a lot better now than it was even when I was following their standard dietician advice. As a bonus, I look better, too.
—Adam Campbell, M.S., C.S.C.S., Assistant Fitness Editor, Men's Health
Q: I'm having trouble sticking with my diet. A friend told me to try a cheat day. Is that okay?
A: There's something to be said for the cheat day. I know that it's made a huge difference in the consistency of my diet.
In the past, I would try to eat "clean" every day, with no lapses. Basically, I had a hard time maintaining a strict diet for more than 4 to 6 weeks at a time. Eventually, I would break down, and eat everything in sight. But not just for a day. I had an all-or-nothing attitude. So I was either dieting and eating right — or I wasn't. Once I fell off the wagon, I didn't get back on. At least not until I started to get fat again.
Then I adopted the "cheat" day philosophy, where I eat "right" 6 out of 7 days. Physically, one day doesn't make any difference in my body fat. Psychologically, it makes all the difference in the world. It's easier to stay disciplined during the week, knowing that I can indulge on the weekend. And after a day of eating the bad stuff—for me, it's high-glycemic carbs — guilt-free, I'm more ready than ever to get back to my diet.
Few nutritionists would tell you to do this, because they'll claim it's not a healthy lifestyle change. Instead, they'll push the everything-in-moderation philosophy. But I really don't think I'm wired as an everything-in-moderation guy. (I once ordered everything on the first three panels of the wall-menu at Taco Bell.)
Interestingly, my diet on my non-cheat days is a lot better now than it was even when I was following their standard dietician advice. As a bonus, I look better, too.
—Adam Campbell, M.S., C.S.C.S., Assistant Fitness Editor, Men's Health