The "Cheat" day...

The cheat day... the one word every person like myself loves to use to allow themselves to overeat and indulge in extra calories...

Now... My daily calorie/MACRO (jazz hands) goals look like this:

Calories: 1,800

Protein: 186 grams

Fat: 83 grams

Carbs: 93 grams

And I, more or less, have stuck to this for a while - and it works for me. The only time I'm really hungry or don't feel like I have enough energy are the days following an intense routine at the gym or the days following a night of tossing and turning in bed with no sleep. 

But then - on Fridays - I have a "cheat day". 

I've found that a cheat DAY... is a bad idea. A cheat MEAL... totally acceptable - within limits. 

Can I eat 8,000 calories on a Friday night - you bet your ass I can!  Should I?  No. I should not. 

If you've been spending every day counting calories, weighing your food, looking at MACROS (jazz hands), and basically giving your life into the evils of healthy living - then when it comes time to reward yourself - have some damn control. 

If I were to eat every day like I should and then blow it all on Friday with doughnuts for breakfast, a medium pizza for lunch, 3 Mountain Dews in the afternoon, and Nachos with a side of beer for dinner - I'd A: be putting down about 4,000 calories and I know for 100% certainty that it would be well out of my MACROS (jazz hands!)... And then what?  Well it would send my body into a spiraling vortex of doom pretty much. My sugar levels would be all over the place, my blood pressure would probably spike, and I'd probably feel like shit... I say "probably" even though I know this actually happens because I've tried it. 

What I suggest, therefore, is the lovely idea of a moderated cheat MEAL... for example - today is my "Cheat day" so I had an 8" Chicken and bacon pizza from Pizza King - Pizza King is absolutely f*Cking awful by the way... but I forgot to bring my lunch so I was stuck with it - It is most assuredly outside of my calorie range... but it's probably not TOO far off from what I'd like to eat. The worst thing being the fat content and the carbs in the crust - but one meal out of the entire week won't wreck me. 

Then tonight - I'll have my lettuce wrap "nachos" which will take me over my goal calorically, but is still pretty healthy and in tune with my goals... 

So - how about it?  1 meal a week where you can go crazy - but not TOO crazy?  Give it a shot. It helps. 

Until Next Time - All things in moderation.