Wifes Diet. Will a cheat meal help or hinder??

[canadian_mofo]

Ok my wife has been on a high protien no carb deit for the past 3 weeks without any type of cheating.

She gets all her proteins from very lean meats and protien shakes, and I guess the only carbs she would get is from fibrous veggies (brocoli, lots of spinach/kale and other salads ect) and almonds.

She has also started her gym regime up again going 6-7 days a week incorporating weights at least 4 of those days. And is doing really good.

Now my question is when I've done this type of diet I've always found one cheat meal a week actually seems to help me, however im a little unsure when it comes to women. Will it help her as well or hinder her??

[Talo]

it will help in more ways than one. My wife and I are doing this right now also.

[Delt King]

After 3 weeks she's due for some carbs. It will help with thyroid function and metabolic function. Although its sometimes tough to stop eating carbs once that meal is done.

[fitbody]

depends on person
cuz when you call it a "CHEAT"
that inplies to me she can have anything she wants and more often than not they go for junk
which can be more damaging than good in the sense in...
alot of times they can't stop and lose control
i have found that a clean load is often better
or if i do let them have a TREAT meal i prefer to call it
then i get them to tell me exactly what they are gonna have and they cannot deviate from that
if they have a problem they dont' get them again only a clean carb maybe fat load depend on person

[steve_d]

depends on person
cuz when you call it a "CHEAT"
that inplies to me she can have anything she wants and more often than not they go for junk
which can be more damaging than good in the sense in...
alot of times they can't stop and lose control
i have found that a clean load is often better
or if i do let them have a TREAT meal i prefer to call it
then i get them to tell me exactly what they are gonna have and they cannot deviate from that
if they have a problem they dont' get them again only a clean carb maybe fat load depend on person

^This....

In the past I didn't cheat, but do so now. I can control myself, but many people can't. If you can't, perhaps "cheating" can be bad. Although, if their diet is really on par, and they are extremely meticulous throughout the rest of the diet, an all out cheat day is still very easy to overcome... But of course isn't optimal, so why do it? Seems a whole lot easier to take a more moderate approach rather than a completely restrictive approach to allow for an 'all out cheat'. To each their own though. Some people have better luck mentally knowing they can go crazy for a whole day. For those people, physically it might be optimal to have a controlled cheat, but mentally not so much.

It's very individual. However, when someone is told exactly what to do, what to eat, and when to eat it, it seems as though the whole mental aspect is eliminated. They just do as they're told. It's a lot easier when there is an end date in mind too. If your wife is just dieting for the sake of getting healthy, then the cheat may be harder to go through. It really depends on everything to be honest! The key to longer term success is to make sure the diet is sustainable mentally. While the research might suggest physical benefits, I still think the most important reason to cheat or not to cheat is the mental benefits. Who cares if its physically beneficial if it makes you feel like crap, right??? Can you mentally handle the slight rebound from a cheat? Or vice versa... Can you mentally handle the restriction of certain foods long term?

Many people rebound from a diet because it was very restrictive and not sustainable. Cheating can help in my experience.

[canadian_mofo]

great thanks for all your input guys/girls.

[Praetorian]

I prefer the term refeed as opposed to cheat as "cheat " really signifies doing something wrong. A controlled refeed as DK says works in a number of ways...it increases T4 to T3 conversion, it replenishes glycogen supplies for training, and it gives the athlete a much needed mental break.

P