Frequently Cheat on Your Diet?

It is certainly true that you can cheat on your diet and still acquire amazing physical results. No one is denying that consuming a weekly cheat meal or using an IIFYM protocol doesn’t work for bodybuilding success. Body composition will be fine, provided you reach the optimal levels of macronutrients, micronutrients, and calories. However, just because this is true does not mean you should frequently cheat on your diet. I argue that NOT cheating is significantly easier.

For most behaviors that require modification, it’s far simpler to bite the bullet with 100%, maximum effort. This builds true discipline, true willpower, true character, and defeats the addictions from within. It’s the most effective method of conquering your goals for real while eliminating all excuses and mental confusion. You may think that regularly consuming bad foods is keeping your sanity, but the truth is that you’re only strengthening the addiction that caused you to suffer in the first place. You place poisons on a pedestal, and view them as rewards. The opposite should occur.

Why should you include unfavorable foods into your diet at all? By correctly eating for long enough, cravings completely dissipate and taste buds alter. You will actually prefer clean eating, while greatly enhancing your health! The manipulation of calories/macros to fit in garbage is only masking the addiction, while strengthening the neural pathways associated with poor foods and behaviors. Now don’t get me wrong, I still have a cheat meal once in a blue moon. True moderation is fine, and I won’t stress since I eat right 99% of the time. The difference between others and me is that I don’t follow a protocol like IIFYM which selectively includes meals that should not be part of a proper diet. Nor do I intentionally indulge in negative eating practices, or consume cheat meals on a weekly basis. The reality is that having an extra-large pizza every single week (52 per year) is NOT moderation, and in no way is that healthy. Recognize how much processed junk is entering your body, and the detrimental effects this causes in the long run. A large, planned weekly cheat meal will harm you down the road.

Additionally, many fitness enthusiasts claim to follow an 80/20 or 90/10 split, where the majority of time they eat healthy. Some succeed with this approach, but most fail. This brings me on to a significant point! When you let a little in it becomes a lot. For example, I’ve been following a majority plant-based diet for almost a year, and rarely had animal products available. However, upon leaving the house I would go crazy and eat as much as I wanted. This led to an increased frequency of eating out, which made me crave foods that weren’t a part of my normal diet. That’s when I truly understood how much it easier it was to eat right 100% of the time (went vegan shortly after). And for the overweight male, I can see this problem being far worse! They won’t adhere to the principles of moderation, nor will the diet be strict in the grand scheme of things. As the frequency of cheating increases, so will the diet’s effectiveness diminish. Understand that consistently eating that which should not be there does not correct the root cause. Instead, you must face problems head-on and you obliterate these addictions once and for all. This is the real secret to long term dieting success.