The Science Behind Cheat Meals

Cheat Meals?? If eating clean is the absolute best thing for your body, then what is all this talk about cheat meals? I get that sometimes you just want to indulge, but what about all that hard work you do each and every day? Wouldn't eating poorly just damage all your hard work? I have an included an article that addresses these issues and explains it better than I could if I tried to rephrase it.

"The science behind how cheat meals actually work revolve around a few principles that need to be discussed. These three principles are as follows: thyroid hormone output, 24 hour energy expenditure, and serum leptin levels. More specifically, cheat meals rely on increasing or the upregulation all of these factors
Cheating still needs to be planned and somewhat controlled, especially if it is within a contest preparation regime. This is because leptin levels are closely linked with genetics. Leptin is a protein but is hormone-like in nature. It circulates in the bloodstream and regulates appetite. Leptin is an appetite suppressant. Leptin levels decrease while dieting and in a caloric deficit. This is where a cheat meal can be beneficial to a dieter. Cheat meals are beneficial to increasing leptin levels for a period of time. Now that leptin has been increased in the bloodstream additional physiological factors result. With increased calories from a cheat meal, the body then upregulates metabolism to expend these calories. 

When dieting continues, the metabolism is still slightly elevated from the cheat meal, thus leading to an even greater energy expenditure and increased fat loss. Because metabolic rate is closely linked to thyroid output this is how the increased thyroid hormone is tied in to the cheat meal. Also, with an increased metabolic rate, thermogenesis increases as a result.
There should even be somewhat of structure
 The idea that cheat meals cause problems are derived from the idea of psychological factors rather than physiological ones."
RX muscle.com 


Dwayne Johnson, "The Rock" had the mother of all cheat meals after eating clean for a consecutive 150 days. Not quite sure how he ate all that but props to him for setting a good example on eating clean.

"This is my reward for 150 consecutive days of eating clean"


Have you planned your cheat meal for this week?

- FitWhitt

FitWhitt.com Presents - What's in Yo Gym Bag?

ALWAYS check with a physician before adding supplements into your workout plan.

Cellucor C4 Extreme - Creatine as a pre workout supplement
Creatine is a nitrogenous organic acid. It helps supply energy to all cells, primarily muscle cells. It achieves this by increasing the formation of ATP. Creatine is naturally occurring in our skeletal muscle but originates from mostly the meat we eat. Since I am a pescatarian, research shows significant decreases in the amount of creatine in vegetarians, using creatine is very helpful. The good news is that research also demonstrated comparable creatine levels between meat eaters and non meat eaters when veggies took it as a supplement. Creatine has been proven to help with short, high intensity workout duration over long endurance duration.  If you want fast and explosive lifts, it works great. Research also shows that it helps in gaining significant muscle mass and strength in skeletal muscle tissue. Creatine can cause dehydration so make sure you drink plenty of water with it. There are alot of rumors out there about the pros and cons of creatine. This article helps clear some common myths up.

 The result is a highly absorbable creatine that simultaneously increases Nitric Oxide and ATP levels within the body.* Creatine nitrate is a highly efficient vasodilator, opening up the blood pathways into the muscles promoting optimal nutrient deliver and muscle pumps.*
Creatine Nitrate also enhances intestinal absorption while decreasing intestinal distress (once a common concern of creatine supplementation).* The compound increases permeation of the intestinal wall, reducing compound breakdown thus augmenting absorption.*

MusclePharm Amino1 - Branch chain amino acids and recovery
Branch chain amino acids help promote protein synthesis, preserving lean muscle mass and preventing catabolism. Branch chain amino acids contain 3 of the essential amino acids our bodies need. These 3: L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine all play a crucial role in muscle development because they are metabolized in the muscle and not the liver. This allows the muscles to use them to help build muscle. Since they are absorbed directly into the muscle tissue they help with strength, power, faster recovery, promote muscle building and energy levels. Taking them before, during and after a workout helps feed the muscle when they need it most. Vegetarians especially benefit due to a restricted diet and source of essential aminos not coming from a meat source.

- Smith Machine pad

- Extra workout clothes

- Weight belt - Why wear a weight belt?
Some theories state that if you wear a weight lifting belt, you will be able to keep your waist small because you will not be contracting and developing the obliques when lifting. This prevents a "blocky" shape to your abs.

- Shower bag/shoes

- Iphone case

- Heart rate monitor - FT40

- Extra hair ties

- Fat-Fader lotion
Fat-fader is a lotion that contains aminophylline. It has been proven to reduce the appearance of cellulite by shrinking the cells to give the skin a slimmer and leaner look.

- Workout plan - train with Team Bombshell

- Workout Gloves (Not Shown)

- Glutamine (Not Shown)

Good Things Thursday

I wanted to pass along this article from fitness RX. My link function is not working properly so it is provided below in an unsightly form.

The link is: http://www.fitnessrxmag.com/fitness/training/1445-fitness-myths-revealed.html

It discusses the top 26 fitness myths revealed that I thought many would find insightful and helpful.

Myth #1 – If you eat after 7 p.m. you will gain weight
Myth #2 – If you are a woman and you lift weights, you will get bulky
Myth #3 – You have to be very flexible to do yoga
Myth #4 – Crunches will give you washboard abs
Myth #6 – Eating candy bars, honey, sugar or drinking soda immediately before exercising will provide a quick burst of energy
Myth #7 – Cardio, cardio, cardio is the way to lose weight
Myth #8 – Nautilus or other weight stack machines are safer than free weights
Myth #9 – You can spot reduce fat
Myth #10 – The best time to exercise is in the morning
Myth #11 – No pain, no gain. If you aren't sore after a workout, you didn't work hard
Myth #12 – It isn’t necessary to warm up before exercising
Myth #13 – Cooling down and stretching after exercise is a waste of time
Myth #14 – A fat-free diet is optimal for good health
Myth #15 – If you build muscle and stop exercising, it will turn to fat
Myth #16 – If you have fat and start exercising, it will turn to muscle
Myth #17 – Protein is all the same
Myth #18 – If you didn’t exercise when you were younger, then it is too late now
Myth #19 – Exercising during menopause causes more hot flashes
Myth #20 – Most low-fat foods are low in calories
Myth #21 – Coffee and tea are the best to drink before exercising
Myth #22 – If you can’t exercise for at least 30 straight minutes, don’t bother
Myth #23 – Organic food is healthier than non-organic food
Myth #24 – Vitamin supplements can replace a balanced diet
Myth #25 – Older adults should avoid resistance training because they can hurt themselves
Myth #26 – A calorie is a calorie. They are all the same


The myths that I have personally struggled with are not in taking the appropriate amounts of healthy fats in my diet. Since I have incorporated an increased amounts of fats, I have noticed huge improvements in my physique.

Have an excellent day and eat your fats! (The right ones). Oh and Ryan has a message for you...