21 July 2003
Cheat day for Dieters
 Sometimes it can be very hard to stick with a clean diet and train very hard in the gym (lifting and cardio). Many people give up after few days. They do not have a will to do it. I often hear from people: "I was really good with my diet a whole week, but today I had few beers and some junk food. You know It was nice weather outside, friends came over..."
Believe me, I know it very well. I am an Italian. By us food means love. My family prepares so much food every day, especially over weekends, allfriend and family members come together over weekend and here we have FIESTA! Nobody likes the food more than me.
What do I do? I have one cheat day per week usually Sundays. I only do it when I was eating clean a whole week. That means only when I deserve it! I eat all food in the front of me: pasta, meats, bread, beer, wine, cheesecake... But here is the trick, I eat everything in moderation. I do not try to eat like a maniac during this day. Eat in moderation everything you want. Just do not overdo it!
The cheat day is very important because you will restore your leptin levels (a hormone that liberates stored bodyfat), and restart your metabolism. And when you are on diet again after a cheat day, you will burn more bodyfat.
Many diets fail for two main reasons:
1) T3 levels decrease (your active thyroid) which slows the metabolism down
2) Leptin levels decrease, slowing the metabolism even further.
Cheat days are important mentally as well. It gives me something to look forward to.
If you are on any diet, incorporate one cheat day per week. Make sure to keep fat intake low (around 40 grams/day)
And on the end remember one more thing: "You are what you eat!" I learned one thing from the famous bodybuilder Shawn Ray: if you eat a lot of junk, you will look like junk! |
