I cheated today and my husband supported me with it. He's the one that encouraged me to cheat.
I cheated today... oh relax. I cheated on my IIFYM clean eating.
I allow myself one cheat meal a week and one refeed day. Wednesdays are my cheat meal days and usually Saturdays are my refeed days. With today being my cheat meal it meant I got to indulge in something sinfully delish and something totally out of norm for the clean eats that I have on a daily bases. I picked fried chicken. Snickers didn't know which exactly chicken to buy so he got a combo pack that sells a three for one day.
Consequently however, because tonight was my cheat meal it also means that tomorrow I'll be struggling through a low carb day. I'd love to do a no card day to really bounce back from tonight's evil, evil, so-bad-it's good cheat meal but no oatmeal in the morning is just unimaginable in my world. I do love my hearty, healthy, warm-in-my-belly oatmeal.
1. It shocks your metabolism and breaks a plateau.
It's very easy to eat the same thing, same amount of calories day in and day out when you're eating clean and trying to lean up, like what I'm doing, but the key is to not let your body get comfortable. You don't want your body to get comfortable with your calorie intake no more than you want it to get comfortable with your training. You've got to change things up.
2. It helps to keep you sane.
Too often people feel deprived at first when they start eating clean or even long after they have started the lifestyle. It's like knowing you shouldn't be eating something but wanting it even more because you can't have it. Well, now you can so enjoy it.
3. It also helps to keep your social life alive too.
Eating out with friends is a huge thing here in Korea but it simply wouldn't be possible if I ate clean 24/7. Moreover, no one would want to eat out with me either if I did. And Heaven help someone invite me to their house and serve me something that's not healthy. I refuse to be the party pooper at the party and I think it's just bad manners to not take part in what my host or hostess had cooked up.
Carb-cycling and clean eating can leave the glycogen levels low which is a problem because glycogen is the main source for our energy and we need that energy to train hard. Replenishing your glycogen levels means you'll have the energy to train intensely. Being able to train with more intensity means you'll be able to lift heavier weights and increase your muscle gain. More muscle means more fat burn.
5. A cheat day raises the body’s leptin levels.
Leptins basically tell your brain your body's nutritional status and this in return effects your hormones like your testosterone thyroid levels, sleeping patterns, depression and so on.
6. It acts as a motivator to continue eating clean until the next cheat day.
If you know you can indulge again in whatever favourite food you've written off your list of clean eating goodies than you're simply less likely to cheat uncontrollably because you know it's not just a one shot deal.
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