# Cheat Meals During Contest Prep?



## SpotMe? (Feb 2, 2012)

Hi Everyone,

I had a search prior to posting this up but can't seem to find the answer I needed so thought you guys may be able to help?

I'm just under 8 weeks out from my first competition, although I've cleaned up my diet for 6 weeks already and cut out cheat meals 4 weeks ago but I'm beginning to worry about my progress.

The weightloss seems to have come to a sudden hault... It could be a number of things but when speaking with and a friend and PT he said my body has probably gotten used to the super clean diet and I need a cheat meal to kick start my metabolism again.

How much truth is there in that? I'm kinda doing this contest prep on my own with help wherever I can find it so I'm careful about what advice I take as I'm finding a lot of contradictions.

I'm competing in the fitness model category which is just slightly more muscular and leaner than bikini, I reckon I'm sitting at about 18%-20% BF atm so as you can tell I've got a lil way to go... I just need to get everything on point so I can smash up this prep and look awesome on stage.

Thank you for any help you can give me


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## cas (Jan 9, 2011)

It will come off mate...what's your weight and how many calories are you on?


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## simonthepieman (Jun 11, 2012)

I experience the best fat loss with calorie cycling. Super low calories for a few days and a massive 'cheat' day. I would look the leanest the day after stuffing my face and a few day after, i'm back to losing weight.

The theory behind it is that you body will try to adapt to the calories it's given. The cheat days boosts your metabolism (because metabolism is linked to volume of calories far more than meal frequency) and leptin production goes through the roof (do you own research on this).

You will still have to eat less calories than you burn (ie take them off other days in your diet), but a large calories days are used by lots of people to cut. Over on irronaddicts, the headcoach recommends it and he is bigger, stronger and leaner than most guys on here and he is in his mid 50s and almost anyone who sticks to it says it works


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## Magic Torch (May 30, 2005)

Cheat meals can be very effective. I normally have an evening where I'll eat what ever and as much as I want for a period of 2-3 hours. I used to use it for a bit of normality during prep, out for dinner then loads of crap watching a film at the cinema.


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## str4nger (Jul 17, 2012)

a cheat meal will help to boost your metabolism and take you body out of starvation mode which happens when you diet for prolonged periods.

Try a treat meal on one evening per week and see how you go,

In the first few weeks of my cut I have 2 cheat meals per week and as I get closer to the date I will drop to one.

also helps from driving me crazy


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## simonthepieman (Jun 11, 2012)

It's important to not think of the as cheat meals.

You are providing the body with a reason to do something different.

The body craves equilibrium. It will seek it. Once there it will remain untill it has to change.

Also note. This is not a 'clean' v 'dirty' thing. Your body has no concept of what is clean or dirty. It responds to the resources given.

This is a calorie issue. Giving the body a large amount of calories will allow the body to operate at a higher level (hence the body heat you will experience on a re-feed). It essentially kicks up a gear. Once you drop the calories to the same level again there is a greater deficit and you will lose fat again.

It's also worth noting, when you are in deficit for a while a large binge of carbs especially low GI will resulting most of the sugar being converted glycogen and fill the muscles (hence the pumped full look). Little if any will be made available for storage if you don't go full retard. And will result in a good gym performance and general well being


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## SpotMe? (Feb 2, 2012)

Thank you guys some awesome advice! 

Since I started my contest prep I was in two minds about having a cheat or high calorie meal once a week but as I'm doing this naturally and for the first time I'm having to figure out how my body works as I go along without losing muscle and I'm thinking my metabolism is slowing down due to the low calorie daily diet.

I'm on around 1600 - 1700 calories a day my stats currently, I'm 23yrs old 5'4" 128lbs approx and I'd guess 19% BF oh and unless you hadn't guessed I'm a woman haha 

What's the best thing to eat in the high calorie meal, shall I stick to things that are still relatively clean such as a burger and sweet potato fries or seasoned chicken and brown rice, something like that?


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## TommyFire (Jul 18, 2010)

SpotMe? said:


> Thank you guys some awesome advice!
> 
> Since I started my contest prep I was in two minds about having a cheat or high calorie meal once a week but as I'm doing this naturally and for the first time I'm having to figure out how my body works as I go along without losing muscle and I'm thinking my metabolism is slowing down due to the low calorie daily diet.
> 
> ...


Eat whatever you want, dont worry about it being 'clean' or not.

In my experience i would try and stay as low fat as possible and just smash something high in carbs- Ben and Jerrys phish food frozen yoghurt is good!


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