First Cut, Cheat Day Question

i am on my first cut, and i have a question about the cheat day. can i literally eat WHATEVER i want? and as much as i want? or is it possible to go overboard? im basically following the cutting plan from john romaniello. he says to have a cheat day and then fast the next day.

You can definitely go overboard. If you went out and ate 15-20k calories it’d probably be overboard. A good rule of thumb is 3 times your calorie intake on a normal cut day. So if you’re normally eating around 2800 for a cut, have your calories be at max around 8400.

I do, but I don’t go too crazy. It’s more of a semi-fast for most of the day and they I have a big meal or 2 in the afternoon and evening. Next day I just don’t feel hungry at all.

Been dieting since December, down 22lbs so far.

[quote]PowerT wrote:
i am on my first cut, and i have a question about the cheat day. can i literally eat WHATEVER i want? and as much as i want? or is it possible to go overboard? im basically following the cutting plan from john romaniello. he says to have a cheat day and then fast the next day.[/quote]

You are going to have to try it and see. If you have unlimited time for your cut it may not be a big deal. If you have a goal/date you may need to see if you can afford it. I too have been cutting since December, I have till April 8th and am trying to drop 50lbs. I felt I could not afford a cheat meal every week. I have had 3 cheat meals. Lost 35lbs as of yesterday. I need to average 3lbs a week to hit my goal so no more cheating. I am also adding 2 pulse fasts a week to help reduce weekly caloric intake. Bottom line there are many factors you need to consider.

[quote]BlakeAJackson wrote:
Bottom line there are many factors you need to consider. [/quote]

This. Also, I like the idea of doing the semi-fast mentioned above bc you absolutely can go over board. If you are prone to being fat, like me :(, I would keep it to one BIG cheat meal as your last meal of the day and just pound what ever you want.

Cheat “Days” potentially can do much more damage than Cheat “Meals”.

[quote]PowerT wrote:
i am on my first cut, and i have a question about the cheat day. can i literally eat WHATEVER i want? and as much as i want? or is it possible to go overboard? im basically following the cutting plan from john romaniello. he says to have a cheat day and then fast the next day.[/quote]

I want to add that cutting is tough. If you are wanting to drop serious weight/fat and achieve sub 10% body fat then you need to make your diet a priority. A cheat day where you can eat as much of whatever you want doesn’t really make a lot of sense if you are really serious about getting super lean. Most people are on restricted diets when cutting, low calorie, pretty much eating the same thing day in and day out. Your cheat day might only be having eggs with cheddar cheese and whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, eating out at a clean restaurant, perhaps Greek, or having a steak with loaded baked potato. If your going to eat a large fry and 2 triple bacconnators at Wendy’s 3-4 times on your cheat day then you are having a sabatoge day. I would say if you are going to gorge on fast food or a buffet, keep it to one meal and stick to you diet for the rest.

[quote]BlakeAJackson wrote:

[quote]PowerT wrote:
i am on my first cut, and i have a question about the cheat day. can i literally eat WHATEVER i want? and as much as i want? or is it possible to go overboard? im basically following the cutting plan from john romaniello. he says to have a cheat day and then fast the next day.[/quote]

I want to add that cutting is tough. If you are wanting to drop serious weight/fat and achieve sub 10% body fat then you need to make your diet a priority. A cheat day where you can eat as much of whatever you want doesn’t really make a lot of sense if you are really serious about getting super lean. Most people are on restricted diets when cutting, low calorie, pretty much eating the same thing day in and day out. Your cheat day might only be having eggs with cheddar cheese and whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, eating out at a clean restaurant, perhaps Greek, or having a steak with loaded baked potato. If your going to eat a large fry and 2 triple bacconnators at Wendy’s 3-4 times on your cheat day then you are having a sabatoge day. I would say if you are going to gorge on fast food or a buffet, keep it to one meal and stick to you diet for the rest. [/quote]

Like you said though, there are many factors to consider. Sometimes a big cheat will do more for “tricking” the body into dropping fat (in the long run) than a smaller cheat… It all depends.

[quote]BlakeAJackson wrote:

[quote]PowerT wrote:
i am on my first cut, and i have a question about the cheat day. can i literally eat WHATEVER i want? and as much as i want? or is it possible to go overboard? im basically following the cutting plan from john romaniello. he says to have a cheat day and then fast the next day.[/quote]

I want to add that cutting is tough. If you are wanting to drop serious weight/fat and achieve sub 10% body fat then you need to make your diet a priority. A cheat day where you can eat as much of whatever you want doesn’t really make a lot of sense if you are really serious about getting super lean. Most people are on restricted diets when cutting, low calorie, pretty much eating the same thing day in and day out. Your cheat day might only be having eggs with cheddar cheese and whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, eating out at a clean restaurant, perhaps Greek, or having a steak with loaded baked potato. If your going to eat a large fry and 2 triple bacconnators at Wendy’s 3-4 times on your cheat day then you are having a sabatoge day. I would say if you are going to gorge on fast food or a buffet, keep it to one meal and stick to you diet for the rest. [/quote]

?

I had entire cheat days and dropped fat. I could see if he was contest dieting, but not many here need to be that strict with a diet just to get somewhere around 10-12% body fat.

Most of this is based on THE GENETICS OF THE PERSON DIETING.

There are no rules that fit for all people. If dexter jackson can diet down without cardio, it doesn’t mean everyone can…and it doesn’t mean he needed to do it just because other people did.

…and yes, I am well aware Dex does do cardio NOW when he didn’t years back.

[quote]MAF14 wrote:

[quote]BlakeAJackson wrote:

[quote]PowerT wrote:
i am on my first cut, and i have a question about the cheat day. can i literally eat WHATEVER i want? and as much as i want? or is it possible to go overboard? im basically following the cutting plan from john romaniello. he says to have a cheat day and then fast the next day.[/quote]

I want to add that cutting is tough. If you are wanting to drop serious weight/fat and achieve sub 10% body fat then you need to make your diet a priority. A cheat day where you can eat as much of whatever you want doesn’t really make a lot of sense if you are really serious about getting super lean. Most people are on restricted diets when cutting, low calorie, pretty much eating the same thing day in and day out. Your cheat day might only be having eggs with cheddar cheese and whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, eating out at a clean restaurant, perhaps Greek, or having a steak with loaded baked potato. If your going to eat a large fry and 2 triple bacconnators at Wendy’s 3-4 times on your cheat day then you are having a sabatoge day. I would say if you are going to gorge on fast food or a buffet, keep it to one meal and stick to you diet for the rest. [/quote]

Like you said though, there are many factors to consider. Sometimes a big cheat will do more for “tricking” the body into dropping fat (in the long run) than a smaller cheat… It all depends.[/quote]

Lol. That’s exactly why I had to clarify. You maybe right, but I guess what I am trying to get at is your decisions on your cheat day may reveal more about your commitment to your goal then you want to admit. This is his FIRST cut. Finding The will power to push past wants was brutal for me on my first cut. Depending on what he is wanting to eat and how rediculois he wants to get it, my guess is will be telling of his overall success.

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]BlakeAJackson wrote:

[quote]PowerT wrote:
i am on my first cut, and i have a question about the cheat day. can i literally eat WHATEVER i want? and as much as i want? or is it possible to go overboard? im basically following the cutting plan from john romaniello. he says to have a cheat day and then fast the next day.[/quote]

I want to add that cutting is tough. If you are wanting to drop serious weight/fat and achieve sub 10% body fat then you need to make your diet a priority. A cheat day where you can eat as much of whatever you want doesn’t really make a lot of sense if you are really serious about getting super lean. Most people are on restricted diets when cutting, low calorie, pretty much eating the same thing day in and day out. Your cheat day might only be having eggs with cheddar cheese and whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, eating out at a clean restaurant, perhaps Greek, or having a steak with loaded baked potato. If your going to eat a large fry and 2 triple bacconnators at Wendy’s 3-4 times on your cheat day then you are having a sabatoge day. I would say if you are going to gorge on fast food or a buffet, keep it to one meal and stick to you diet for the rest. [/quote]

?

I had entire cheat days and dropped fat. I could see if he was contest dieting, but not many here need to be that strict with a diet just to get somewhere around 10-12% body fat.

Most of this is based on THE GENETICS OF THE PERSON DIETING.

There are no rules that fit for all people. If dexter jackson can diet down without cardio, it doesn’t mean everyone can…and it doesn’t mean he needed to do it just because other people did.

…and yes, I am well aware Dex does do cardio NOW when he didn’t years back.[/quote]

I agree that we don’t have enough information to get to specific. I pretty much said what you did in my first post, I am currently cutting for a transformation challenge through gold’s, so I guess I am reasoning that if you are serious you need to have a goal and a deadline. I am assuming that cutting is for a specified time, but the op never replied so it could be indefinite and just simply as long as it takes. I don’t post a ton on here especially with regards to training or diet, mainly just try to practice what I learn. I am currently having good success and just want to share a few things I have found since I am currently in the midst of a massive cut.

You can tell I am an amature at choosing who to reply to. 5"10 170 14% body fat and cutting?!?! Take your time on the cut and eat as many cheat meals as you can.

[quote]Professor X wrote:

[quote]BlakeAJackson wrote:

[quote]PowerT wrote:
i am on my first cut, and i have a question about the cheat day. can i literally eat WHATEVER i want? and as much as i want? or is it possible to go overboard? im basically following the cutting plan from john romaniello. he says to have a cheat day and then fast the next day.[/quote]

I want to add that cutting is tough. If you are wanting to drop serious weight/fat and achieve sub 10% body fat then you need to make your diet a priority. A cheat day where you can eat as much of whatever you want doesn’t really make a lot of sense if you are really serious about getting super lean. Most people are on restricted diets when cutting, low calorie, pretty much eating the same thing day in and day out. Your cheat day might only be having eggs with cheddar cheese and whole wheat pancakes for breakfast, eating out at a clean restaurant, perhaps Greek, or having a steak with loaded baked potato. If your going to eat a large fry and 2 triple bacconnators at Wendy’s 3-4 times on your cheat day then you are having a sabatoge day. I would say if you are going to gorge on fast food or a buffet, keep it to one meal and stick to you diet for the rest. [/quote]

?

I had entire cheat days and dropped fat. I could see if he was contest dieting, but not many here need to be that strict with a diet just to get somewhere around 10-12% body fat.

Most of this is based on THE GENETICS OF THE PERSON DIETING.

There are no rules that fit for all people. If dexter jackson can diet down without cardio, it doesn’t mean everyone can…and it doesn’t mean he needed to do it just because other people did.

…and yes, I am well aware Dex does do cardio NOW when he didn’t years back.[/quote]

I think for your particular situation Prof’s comment is most appropriate - this is you first cut, you don’t know what will or won’t work yet as you’ve never done it. You can read as much cutting advice as you like but the only way you’ll find out is through experimentation and finding the sweet spot where you can remain consistent and keep dropping fat at a steady rate. By all means read, read, read, ask, ask, ask, its how we learn but at the end of the day you’ll find what works for you through trial and error, in my opinion the most important thing is you find a groove where you can cope mentally, drop fat effectively and with minimal muscular atrophy.

I can give you a few ideas or strategies though;

  1. as MAF mentioned above with some individuals an entire day can cripple progress, if this starts happening with you I’d go with something light on the morning but that still tastes good like grits, 2% milk, protein, vanilla extract, almond extract and some apple sauce so you’ve got something in the tank, fast the rest of the day (include a protein shake midway if felt needed) till around 7p.m and then just cheat till you feel like moving would be more difficult than an empty bar squat. So its kind of like a pulse fast modified for a cheat day, the mini fast should minimize the impact of the cheat foods and in addition its a lot harder to cram in 8k calories in 3/4hours than it is during a whole day so you’ll still feel highly satisfied having stuffed your face yet won’t have consumed as many calories as normal, then return to diet as normal next day. This one works pretty well for me as I find fasting for 6 hours or so pretty easy but I also, like CT, don’t wanna stop once I start.

  2. have a full blow out, smash it down through the entire day, really make your body your food disposal b****, then pulse fast the next day.

  3. half cheat food for morning, pulse fast through day, rest of cheat at night, so you get some satiety in the morning, fast a bit and hopefully place yourself at a metabolic advantage, all the while having another mini-feast to look forward to in the evening.

Just 3 ideas to experiment with that I’ve found to have minimal impact and not detract myself too much mentally. I think everyone’s got some good points but you will find what works for you, its like the meal frequency argument; traditional bodybuilding dogma is every 2 hours, yet you have greats like Serge Nubret eating only 2/3 times a day but with huge portion sizes and of his time he had a beautiful physique. Or Ronnie, pretty much eats clean all year round with the same thing everyday. I think a key factor in diet is finding a system that works for you but is sustainable and enjoyable because at the end of the day we lift not only for progress but enjoyment and maintaining the love for what you do imo is more important for me, I think too often people get so wrapped up in ‘living to work’ rather than ‘working to live’.

My 2cents, hope it works out for you bud and enjoy the striations. God bless.

So now we advise newb’s to look to pro bodybuilders for diet? They are taking a cocktail of drugs that can vastly change how much, and what they can eat while remaining lean or cutting.

I think you can tell if your diet is working by your cheat day.

If you go to IHOP on Sunday morning for the beginning of your cheat day and have 6 chocolate chip pancakes, 12 pieces of bacon and toast with peanut butter and you still feel like having lunch at Pizza Hut later then maybe the rest of the week wasn’t going that strictly.

I mean I remember the last cut I did (and should take my own advice and do again!) I would eat a breakfast like the one I mentioned and then feel so full that I think I stuck to protein shakes the rest of the day.

This is in no way scientific or well thought out…it’s just what I found to happen to me.