Tip Drop the Cheat Meals Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Diet & Fat LossEating Tip Drop the Cheat Meals Cheat meals have their place but not if you' re already too fat It' s time for a reality check Read this or just run to your safe space and stay fat by Chris Shugart April 19, 2016April 5, 2021 Tags Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips You don't need anyone to tell you that candy, cookies, sodas, junk food, fast food and excess booze are wrecking your body or at least hampering your progress. Actually, maybe you do. That's because there are a lot of hucksters and spineless pleasers out there telling you that this shit is okay "in moderation." This is the sad new state of today's diet and fitness industry: really fit people telling really fat people that it's okay to eat crap... because "body love" or because "science" or because they've run out of marketing ideas. They also like to say "there's no such thing as a bad food" because apparently they define "food" as anything you can swallow that won't kill you immediately. Well, they're wrong. Every time an overweight person consumes what we'll classify here as "obvious crap" they're either taking a step backward or temporarily halting their progress. And since many of these foods have addictive properties or wreck gut bacteria in such a way that causes extreme cravings, moderation goes into the trash faster than junk mail. Ditch the Cheat Meals If your goal is to lose fat, keep it off for good, and boost performance, cheat foods have to be set aside. Yes, there are a lot of plans out there that encourage cheat foods, but those people-pleasing plans have about the same long-term success rate as Weight Watchers did for your fat aunt. Maybe it's time to grow up and stop feeling so entitled to a food reward every time you do your workout. Sure, a few skinny young dudes and heavy steroid users can get away with eating junk for a while, but try staying lean after the age of 30 or 40 when you eat like a spoiled chubby kid every weekend. Like a good strength and conditioning coach, a diet coach must first fill the cracks in the foundation, then build up a strong structure. This is easy, because usually the athlete knows damn well what he's eating that he shouldn't be. And you do too. Oddly, it's human nature to keep making those obvious mistakes until someone tells you to cut it out. So here it is: cut it out. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Supplements Tip The Common Vitamin That Nixes Nervousness The answer to jitters, sweaty palms, and rapid heartbeat is probably sitting in your supplement cabinet right now. Calm Down & Sleep, Cortisol Control, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips TC Luoma June 18 Supplements Tip Protein Shakes – Are You Using Them Wrong Science says that if you drink your protein drink at a specific time you'll lose more body fat. Take a look. Diet Strategy, Nutrition & Supplements, Performance Proteins, Protein, Tips TC Luoma May 13 Diet & Fat Loss Tip Bodybuilder Cheesecake – The Recipe Here's an easy cheesecake recipe that ups the protein, lowers the sugar, and smacks you in the mouth with flavor. Diet & Fat Loss, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Protein, Recipes, Tips Gareth Sapstead May 24 Diet & Fat Loss Tip Immunize Yourself Against Fat Gain Consume a little bit of this substance every day to prevent fat gain or lose fat. Here's the science. Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Gut Bacteria, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips TC Luoma October 1