Okay... Someone asked me to explain my refeed days and cheat meals in more detail. So here we go :)
Let's go over cheat meals first.
You must know that this is a cheat MEAL! Not a cheat day. Meaning... It is only one meal in the day. Meaning you follow your macros for the rest of your meals!
And because of this... I normally like to do my cheat meal at the end of the day. I will replace my last meal with whatever I want (for the most part).
I do the last meal because it can be very difficult to eat whatever you want first thing in the morning, and then get back on your diet/macros. So I like to set myself up for a successful day and cheat meal, and just eat it at the end of the day.
Something to keep in mind with this cheat meal is to not eat like an asshole. Don't go over board with it. Yes, eat whatever you want & enjoy yourself.. But stop eating when you are full.
So many times I have eaten so much and made myself feel sick. And then I feel like poop for the rest of the day, and sometimes the next day too. At that point you are not benefitting yourself at all!
Another thing that I started to do (thanks to my coach Justin Harris), is putting a time restraint on your meal.
I used to try to make my cheat meal last as long as possible. I would literally keep eating and snacking until midnight! NO, NO, NO! That is way too much! I was gaining like 4-5 pounds just from that one "meal."
So now, for my cheat meals, I give myself ONE HOUR. I can eat whatever I want for that hour.
I will set a timer on my phone when I begin eating.. & when he the timer goes off... CHEAT MEAL OVER!
I honestly have never made it to the hour. I normally only last 30-40 minutes.
I think I have finally learned to stop eating when I am full.
I also learned... That once you take a bite and it no longer tastes as heavenly as the first bite.. Then you should probably be done. I got this method from a blog/article on girlsgonestrong.com.
Allowing myself to have one cheat meal a week has really helped me stick to my diet. It is a great mental break.
Plus, I don't feel the need to binge or over-indulge, or eat until I'm in physical pain because I know I will be able to eat again in another week.
The food isn't going anywhere. It will always be there. Plus.. IT IS JUST FOOD!!!
An example cheat meal for me is.. (I had this Sunday night after my pro debut):
-Shared a pizza with Tony. I ate 2 slices.
-Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream. I ate the whole pint! LOL. Don't judge!
-A couple Thin Salted Carmel Oreos
-Some Pecan and Pumpkin M&Ms
-Some mixed nuts with some more M&Ms
I really like snackie foods. :)
And during that day I followed my macros the best I could. I was traveling back home from Phoenix.. So I actually didn't get in all my food. I also make sure that I get in at least a gallon of water! All the sugar dehydrates you.
Okay.. NOW REFEED DAYS!
Refeeds are different from a cheat meal. This is an entire day. But it is NOT whatever I want.
On my refeed days I eat my normal foods. Healthy, clean, weighed out food.
My macros are just different for this day. I only have protein and carbs, no added fats.
And I only do this once a week. But it is obviously going to be different for eat person, depending on their current goal/goals.
I do my refeed days for a mental break from dieting, plus... It is great for the body.
I have that one day to be in a calorie surplus. This tells my body that it is not starving; therefore I am able to continue to progress in my weight loss journey. It also helps with my performance in the gym.
Another great thing about refeeds over cheat meals... Is the fact that you are eating your normal foods.. You will less likely have cravings for junk. Yes.. The extra carbs will still cause a little bit of craving, but no where near as bad. It is a lot easier to get right back on track.
BUT.. Do not let the refeed day get to your head. Yes you are in a calorie surplus for the day.. But that doesn't mean it is okay to cheat. You still have macros to follow (if you are doing it the way I do).
It can be easy to justify eating a little extra that day.. But that defeats the purpose of having a planned refeed day.
Plus, if you allow yourself to cheat once... It will most likely happen again.
Don't give up on your goals and disappoint yourself (& your coach)!
Here is what my refeed day meals look like...
Meal 1 (5-6am):
-Grits
-2 pieces of Ezekiel toast
-Egg whites (with spinach and kale)
Meal 2 pre-workout meal (9am):
-Cream of wheat
-Protein powder (mixed with enough water to make a paste like consistency)
-English muffin
Meal 2.5 intra-workout (11-12):
-Cyclic dextrin or Karbolyn
-1 scoop of BCAAs
Meal 3 post-workout meal (2-3pm):
-White rice
-Chicken or ground turkey
-Rice cakes
Meal 4 (5pm):
-Chicken or ground turkey
-Toast (I like bread!)
-Cous cous
Meal 5 (7-730pm):
-Chicken or ground turkey
-More toast
-More rice cakes (LOL)
Meal 6 (9-930pm):
-Casein protein powder (mixed with water to make a pudding)
-Granola
-English muffins
LOTS OF CARBS ON MY REFEED DAYS :) WOOT WOOT!!!
I tend to choose foods that I can eat a lot of! Like rice cakes... One rice cake is only 8g of carbs.
Well.. That is what my refeed day looks like, and cheat meal (when I get one.. right now I am only doing refeeds).
Let me know if you have any questions about either of these.