Today I want to talk about Cheat meals.  Many people hear the word "cheat" and automatically assume the worst.  Well, I'm here to tell you that when used properly, a cheat meal can actually be very beneficial to your results.  This does not mean you should cheat regularly and adopt unhealthy eating habits, it just means that there are strategic times to use cheat meals to your advantage.

When you have been on a calorie deficit for a long period of time your body's metabolism starts to slow down.  Losing weight can actually become harder and harder until you eventually stall.  This is your body's way of maintaining homeostasis.  Your body is very smart and when it notices things are different it starts to react and do things that aren't always optimal to your results.  The longer you are in a calorie deficit the lower your leptin levels will become.  Leptin controls your metabolism, your hunger, and your energy expenditure.  The higher leptin levels you have the better.  In order to raise your leptin levels, a cheat meal or a refeed can be incorporated into your diet.  The difference between a cheat meal and a refeed is that a cheat meal is essentially anything you want, and a refeed is a more strategic and calculated way of adding more calories (usually in the form of carbs).

Depending on your goals, your current weight and body fat percentage, your dieting experience, training experience, muscle mass, etc, will determine how often you use this strategy and whether or not it is in the form of a cheat or a refeed.  Cheat meals and refeeds can also be used when you begin to notice your performance in the gym starting to suffer.  The hard dieting is affecting your energy levels and by having a higher calorie day your body will be able to repair itself better and provide you with more energy during the week.

Personally, I use both cheat meals and refeeds depending on the situation.  If I know I have a big family event, a holiday, or a party to be at, I will adjust my diet accordingly and plan my cheat on that specific day so that I can enjoy it with everyone else.  When I am seriously trying to cut up (usually before summertime) I will plan strategic refeeds to keep my metabolism boosted and help me survive my intense workouts.  For instance; when I am using a ketosis diet (no carbs), I will have a refeed of nothing but carbs about every week or every 2 weeks.  These carb refeeds help restore my muscle glycogen and fuel me for my upcoming workouts, while also boosting my metabolism. 

So now you know that if you have been working hard and killing yourself every day, you are allowed to indulge every once and a while without feeling guilty.  You can also take comfort in knowing that this indulging can actually benefit you and increase your results.  Use this information I presented to you wisely and responsibly and you will be on your way to achieving your fitness goals in no time!

-Anthon88