Cheat Meals, Flexible Eating, and Dietary OCD
Today, I want to touch on several related points, all going back to the main point of eating healthy, yet still being able to have a great social life and enjoy some of your “off limits” foods. So first I’m going to look at cheat meals and how to do them. Next, I’ll show you how I eat to not need to worry about scheduling cheat meals. Finally, I want to dig into the dietary OCD that too many people seem to have that keeps them from actually enjoying what they eat.
Cheat Meals
I’ll go ahead and tell you that I hate the term “cheat meal”. It implies that you’re doing something “bad” and since you’re being “bad,” you probably need to somehow punish yourself to make up for it. However, since it’s a common term, I’ll work with it. The way I see it, there are two basic ways to deal with cheat meals.
The First Way: Scheduled Cheat Meals
Some people go with the method of planning out their cheat meals. So every week or two, they’ll go out for pizza or beer and chicken wings or ice cream or whatever their particular poison happens to be. I think this is fine when you’re first starting out with shifting to a healthier way of eating because it gives you something to look forward to. It’s easier to stay on course during the week if you know that you can have whatever you’re craving on the weekends.
I also like this way in the beginning because the beginning is when the cravings hit the hardest. I think it helps people stay on course if they know they can give in a little once or twice a week.
But for a lifelong way of doing things, I think you should eventually move away from a strict eating schedule and go to a pattern of eating that lets you be flexible, eating right 90% of the time and still enjoying whatever life brings your way.
The Other Way: Flexible Eating – Eating In Chicago And Boston
Basically, I don’t schedule my cheat meals. I know that I’m going to go out to eat once or twice a week and it might entail some non-Paleo foods. And if I don’t go out to eat or if I go somewhere and end up eating Primally, then I just avoided cheating just because it was scheduled.
Vacation is one time when I know I’m not going to stick to 100% good eating. For one, there are too many good restaurants and two, without a kitchen in the room, it’s hard to stay strict. I look at vacation as a time to enjoy what other cities have to offer me.
For instance, I was in Chicago for a long weekend back in September. Here is a sampling of a few of my meals:
- Pizzeria Due: Real deep dish Chicago-style pizza and a couple beers
- Yolk: Omelet loaded with meat and cheese, side of fruit, pancakes with bananas and blackberries
- Goose Island Brewery: Pulled pork with rice, beans, and habanero-pineapple salsa. Two very strong and amazing beers.
- Rock’s in Lincoln Park (while watching Notre Dame lose to Michigan): Burger with pineapple, avocado, and teriyaki (and yes, I ate the bun) and sweet potato fries.
- The West Egg: Egg and chorizo scramble with sour cream and avocado, fried potatoes.
How exactly can I justify following a dinner of pizza and beer with a breakfast that includes pancakes and syrup, a couple more beers that night, a burger the next day (with a few more beers), and then fried potatoes with my final breakfast? Here is one tip I wish people would remember: it’s not the single data points, but the overall lifestyle that matters. I balanced my eating with 20-25 miles of walking over 4 days and only ate twice each day because I was busy seeing things and hanging out with friends, as well as not being exceptionally hungry due to eating big meals already, even if not completely “Primal”.
And I followed up my Chicago trip with a trip to Boston a couple weeks later. After the above list, you might be scared to see what I ate there. Here you go:
- Steak tips, eggs, and mustard-drenched potatoes
- Tons of baked, steamed, and boiled fresh seafood – lobster, mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, salmon, tuna, scrod, and raw oysters
- Fish ‘n chips slathered in tartar sauce and malt vinegar and a Guinness at an Irish bar
- Cannolis from Mike’s Pastry
- Sufficient quantities of clam chowder
Feeling The Effects Of A Blow-out
And what were the after-effects of all of this? Nothing. No decrease in my performance. In fact, I came back and killed it in the gym and after the Chicago trip, I set a 1-mile PR (5:50). No increase in body fat. Nothing. So you see, you can “have your cake and eat it too,” so to speak. You can cut loose and enjoy some of the delicious foods available in other cities (or in your own) without worrying about whether every bite you take is Primal, Paleo, or Zone-conforming. As long as you keep your overall lifestyle healthy, you are free to go out and dig into some pancakes, pizza, and beer now and then.
I think a lot of people get way too worked up about “staying in the Zone” and “being Paleo” when they should really just focus on enjoying life. I know that the way I eat the other 90% of the time that I’m not vacationing allows me to cut loose and try some new things, have a few beers, eat pizza, and open my day with some of the best pancakes in Chicago with no concern of ill effects. In fact, I won’t even lie and say that I felt like crap from what I ate. I felt just fine.
Now I know that someone is misconstruing what I’m saying and probably thinking “How can he say that you should have a blow-out just because you’re on vacation?” Someone is probably also thinking that I’m casting aside my previous advice and saying that it’s okay to eat garbage because I didn’t see a performance decrease. Nope. Not at all. I know that if I did that all the time, I would feel it, I would see performance decreases and body fat increases.
The key here is that when I’m at home, my meals are as healthy as can be. I don’t make pancakes at home. I don’t make cannolis at home, nor would I go to a bakery in Louisville and get one because there are no “must eat cannolis” here. And I certainly don’t fry fish at home. It’s pretty much all meat and vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds…real food with some occasional sushi or Mexican food. And since I’m unfortunately not on vacation all that often, you can see how the percentages work out and why I don’t even have to give a second-thought to how I eat on vacation.
Is Your Diet Too Restrictive To Just Live?
I have actually seen people ask how they can eat Paleo or stay “in the Zone” at a baseball game. You can’t, short of smuggling your own food in. If you want to go to a baseball game and have a hot dog or nachos, do so. And deal with clean eating before and after. Or eat beforehand and just enjoy the company. Do you really want to count out 15 almonds when you should be just hanging out with your friends? Is that what life is about?
The ultimate goal should be that you are able to step off the wagon for a day or two, then jump right back on without punishing yourself or stressing out. If a friend drops in town and wants to go grab a drink, can you do that or is it not on your plan so you have to turn them down?
Dietary OCD: Orthorexia?
Okay, so it’s time for a quiz. When you looked at my vacation meals there, did you gasp that I ate pancakes or notice that even when I dug into a stack of refined flour and sugar, it came beside a plate full of meat, eggs, and fruit? Did you ask yourself, “how can he eat all those potatoes?” several times or did you notice that they all came with meat, eggs, and typically fruit or vegetables?
Don’t be obsessive-compulsive about your eating, my friends. I have literally seen questions like “do I need to count the carbs in two tablespoons of basil when calculating my Zone blocks?” Yes, you read that right. There are people that are concerned over the carb content of basil leaves. If basil leaves are wrecking your metabolism, you should probably see a doctor. I’m betting that an entire pound of basil leaves can contain no more than a few grams of carbs.
I’m reminded of people that argue over whether carrots or squash or bananas are “favorable” or “unfavorable”. Really? Our girl Melissa Urban derailed The Carrot Train To Crazytown a few months back and I couldn’t agree more. (It’s cool that you had better things to do than hang out when I was in Boston, Melissa. No, really…I’m only a little raw about it.)
Arguing about whether carrots, pineapple, sweet potatoes, and acorn squashes are “good” or “bad” is a serious Nuke The Fridge moment for anyone proposing healthy eating. It may be “healthy eating,” but it’s not a healthy relationship with food. Worrying about the carbs in your herbs and spices or whether something like a carrot or a squash, which I’m betting have not made anyone fat in the entire history of obesity, are good for you is taking navel gazing to a higher level.
It’s Really Not That Serious
So how you deal with cheat meals is up to you. I know that they’re going to happen, so I don’t go out of my way to schedule them. I eat clean 90% of the time so that the other 10% of the time, I can relax and do whatever. I can eat sushi without being concerned about the rice. I can dig into the chips and guacamole at a Mexican place before my plate-load of carnitas. I can have a drink or two while watching football with friends.
I don’t count blocks, calories, grams of carbs, or grams of fat. I simply eat real food most of the time and my performance and health are great. There’s really no reason to make eating such an obsessive-compulsive thing. I doubt the Okinawans, Inuit, or Kitavans ever measured a gram of their carbs or fat, yet they’re some of the healthiest cultures ever.
On the other hand, if I’m going to dig into something I wouldn’t normally eat, I go for the best of the best. I don’t eat pizza very often, but when I’m in Chicago, I’m going to get some good pizza since it’s pretty much the Pizza Mecca (sorry New Yorkers). You won’t find me at a pizza buffet eating a bunch of not very good pizza though. A Snickers bar does nothing for me, so I don’t eat them, but a nice fluffy stack of pancakes a few times a year sure hits the spot.
How do you handle cheat meals? Do you ever just cut loose and dig into something really processed and refined?
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Hey Guys,
My cheats are few, far between, and small in quantity. The main reason is that I feel yucky after eating them and have learned to avoid it. Might be a bit of OCD, but I doubt it.
When I do cheat it had better be worth it. A run of the mill cup cake, wonder bread, white rice, breakfast cereal, tortilla chips, etc are never going to cut it. A half a piece of chocolate cake from an excellent bakery or a small amount of great ice cream would do it.
jeff
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This is a great article! Too often, fitness experts fail to acknowledge that people WILL cheat sometimes. Otherwise, we become slaves to that which should bring us joy and pleasure.
Thanks!
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Great post! Like you, I’ve shifted to looking at what I eat on a global scale. I usually do have one splurge meal a week, but mostly, I just eat real, whole foods most of the time, and don’t worry about spikes in cals/carbs/fats etc on a day-to-day basis. I’m gluten/dairy free, and love to cook, so my diet is pretty clean already, but like you and Jeff – when I do splurge, I want it to be the very best! Thanks for this post, and reminding us that food OCD is not the best policy for wellness!
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I just finished a two day cheat. Mainly because my wife’s birthday was one day and we had a wedding the next. But I’m now in the middle of a 24hr fast and am back to eating normally. I’ll drop whatever water and weight I gained this week. Not going to kill myself about it. In fact I got out of bed to set up the crockpot to run overnight with some meat for my wife today so she wouldn’t have to go get lunch somewhere.
Now just need to stay fairly clean till Christmas. Cause I’m sure they’ll be a little cheating then.
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Great article…
You pretty much described my eating patterns above. Special occasions are no time to put a big stop sign on your forehead. Enjoy the moment, partake in things you don’t eat regularly. I’m Italian so food is central to most of our celebrations. I can’t say no to my nonna’s home made pasta and nor do I want to?
Mike
P.S. Great pic of a Sicilian canolli above. Way better then a venetian one.
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Great article, guys – well said! Thanks, as always, for the reference.
And Kustes – give a girl some notice next time, huh? I would have loved to meet you at Boston Beer Works for some sweet potato fries and pumpkin ale.
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“Cheating” was my problem the first time with paleo back in ‘06. For the first 12 months or so, I was fine and, to a point, militant about my food choices. And, honestly, that worked for me.
My problem, however, was when I began to allow a “cheat” here or there, that instead of looking at it healthily and, as you said, focusing on the clean eating before and after, I was hard on myself and that just made it worse.
This time, however, I’m keeping all of that in mind. I no longer beat myself up if I slip and I’m no longer so constantly strict that I can’t enjoy time out with my family and friends.
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Well said Scott. Life should not about counting carbs/calories….it should be about making each moment count in life.
The real success to eating right is not looking having a mentality of “foods I can’t have because my diet says so”….but rather just focusing on “foods I want to have for better health”. “Choose Health” not “Avoid things” with your eating outlook. You don’t have to be perfect to see good results and you will also not feel deprived. Thinking “I shouldn’t eat a donut” will just have you craving one (as no one likes to be restricted), but thinking “I love eggs and fruit” instead will never have you craving or feeling like you wanted something else to eat. Life happens and nothing should be expected to be perfect all the time, as that is the quickest way to get frustrated, derailed and off track on what is really important.
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I think this a great way to live ,if you at or near your ideal weight. I have not “cheated” in the 4 months I have been LC/IF, but I look forward to the day (40 more lbs) that I will. I just want to keep losing at this point and don’t want to slow it down.
Jim
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This is EXACTLY how I eat, and EXACTLY the message I try to convey to my clients. Nobody can eat strict all the time; you’re just setting yourself up for failure. Eat real food most of the time, and if mom has some home made brownies when you come visit, eat those too!
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With kids it is hard not to have an occasional cheat meal – although I really try to make sure that everyone in the family enjoys healthy, natural cuisine.
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Scott:
Thanks for this one. I’ve already scheduled a coupla ‘cheat days’: Thanksgiving and Christmas! I like the take-home message here (“it’s the overeall lifestyle that matters”). Yes, sometimes I like to enjoy myself. I’m going to Peru in April and have NO intention of being strictly Primal/Paleo while there (though I also plan on having a six-pack before I leave as well.
)
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I like your style exactly the way I do my “Cheats” never scheduled I just enjoy the food I enjoy when out and about with friends and family…Whether that includes a boat load of Sushi and sake, Pizza and beer or Cheesecake I just enjoy and get on with life and eating good the rest of the time….
Great post!
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Jeff, right on…gotta make it something you enjoy. No point in just eating less healthy stuff for the sake of it.
Greg, I agree. I think it also makes it harder to stick to clean eating if you look at any transgression as a huge deal.
Jenn S, I’m mostly gluten and dairy-free, though I’m able to use a nice loaf of crusty bread (slathered in butter) at a good restaurant or ice cream as cheat foods since I don’t have any necessary reason for avoiding them other than I don’t think they’re good to eat all the time.
Joe, there’s definitely cheating at Christmas! But I also have some goodies coming in from a local farmer…I ordered a goose and a ham, so I have that to look forward to. Like you, I usually end my vacations where I did a lot of non-Primal eating by fasting the day I travel home, then jumping right back into clean eating.
Michael, right! If Mom wants me to come over and have dinner and happens to make spaghetti, I’m not going to make an ordeal out of it. The company of the family is more important than what I eat at that one meal. What’s the difference between Sicilian and Venetian cannolis?
Melissa, valid point…in my defense, I didn’t even know you lived up there until Renee said “Melissa can’t make it” and I said “Melissa who?” =D Next time!
Dan, I think the militant attitude often leads to an “oh eff it!” mentality where one cheat turns into two, turns into two days, a week, and complete abandonment of the whole healthy lifestyle. Glad to see you’ve found a middle ground that keeps you well, both mentally and physically.
MOD, I like that. You’re right that thinking in terms of good and bad makes things more irresistible.
Jim, good call about ideal weight. Obviously someone just starting out with 50lbs to lose needs to be more cautious with what they eat. But the eventual goal is getting to the point that you can be less than perfect and still maintain. Keep up the great work!
Hiit Mama, luckily I know nothing about that, but I can imagine!
Bret, that’s my basic idea. Be good most of the time so when I travel or go out to eat, I don’t have to stress out. Have fun in Peru…I’m jealous. That’s high on my list of places to go.
Thanks Chris! I love sushi…I think I could eat it daily.
Cheers all,
Scott
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I completely agree with non-restrictive diets. I see nothing wrong with enjoying a bowl of ice cream as long as you don’t go overboard and eat the whole carton in one sitting. I think people who restrict foods are more likely to end up binging.
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Amen to this superb post.
I also hate the term cheat meal and much prefer “Treat Meal”
I think there are two camps though when it comes to treat meals and whether they should be scheduled or not.
For those who have good self control and ability to counter balance intake with expenditure then definately “free style” is the way to be.
However, for those who struggle with food, I think a more it’s more important to schedule in treat meals to try and avoid opening the flood gates to all and sundry.
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Oh, my – you’re human! Love the menus (for ‘where you where’); thanks for sharing. Your philosophy is solid and what too many of us forget. I constantly battle same issues when I travel, get uptight, and find that I usually weigh less when I come home…because of all the exercise ‘on the road.’ BALANCE:)
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If you’re going to cheat, cheat well. A special occasion, a vacation, or a special treat after achieving a goal are well-deserved when eating clean 90%+ of the time. But it’s got to be really good, and I might not feel GREAT after eating it, but I think just knowing that I CAN eat a treat now and then is motivating.
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Great article, guys.
This is basically how I eat (though I always include wanted carbs around my workout). I went on vacation, knowing I couldn’t control my intake entirely, so I fasted until I was hungry and then had whatever I want. Came home lighter.
When I’m at home, it’s 90% paleo-ish and savior the “less clean” meals. It works for me.
Best,
Skyler
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Nice post. No question it is the pattern not the occasional deviation that makes the difference in the long run.
Michael
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While I agree that you can’t always stay on target on vacations and unique situations and still lead a normal life, I think cheat weekends are a bad idea. For me personally, if I have had a cheat weekend, I’m far more inclined to continue to cheat the next day. It’s always the, “Oh, well, tomorrow then, that’s when my weekend will be over.” Now you may say that I just have a lack of control or willpower, but it’s pretty clear there’s a lot of evidence of the addictive natures of wheat and sugar.
I also find a problem, personally, that if I see there was no obvious damage from a cheat, I’m more and more likely to do it more and more often… right now I’m struggling to go back to a stricter paleo diet, but my cravings have been triggered and it is a true struggle to go back to where I was, eating wise. So while you’ve got some good advice here, I always think there should be the caveat that some people who have addiction responses to wheat and/or sugar, cheating can be a really bad thing. It’s had a snowball effect for me for sure.
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I’m mostly paleo/primal I would say 85-90%. My meals are paleo I eat grassfed and I don’t do dairy, starches or grains. I may cheat with a meal every so often but most of the time I don’t even really want to. Rather than a meal I like to have a piece of dark chocolate, coffee with breakfast and maybe a bite of something sweet as a dessert everyday. So I have wondered if it matters that my other 10-15% are these little things everyday vs. a meal a week or whatever.
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mindbodygoal, I like that. Take the emphasis off the bad (cheat) and put it on the good (treat).
Cook 4 Seasons, I may appear to be a cyborg, but I am in fact human. =D
Chris, I agree…same as I said above. I won’t eat a Snicker’s and you probably won’t find me eating Pizza Hut, but give me something awesomely non-Primal and I’ll probably give it a go.
Sue, I agree. Everyone has to know their tolerance for treats. I know that I can hop on and off the wagon at will, so I don’t have to be as strict as others. But thanks for keeping me in check by noting that some have more addictive responses to wheat and sugar. Good luck with getting back to where you were.
Cheers
Scott
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Cheat meals ain’t the problem. It’s what happens after the cheat. Some people just spiral the hell out and are better off without them – or invest some serious time on dealing with their attitude towards the event.
The latter approach is the only thing that works to prevent yoyoing back and forth in the long term. People that can’t deal w cheat meals are the same people that have problems eating at maintenance and just enjoying life – with them, it’s either hardcore dieting or “anything goes” (for a week – then it’s back to dieting those extra pounds off again).
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Good article Scott, well said.
But what happened to the previous post? Last week I had a glance at the supposed “controversial” article re charity fitness events and put it on my mental ‘to read’ pile; came back and it’s gone??
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Mike OD Reply:
@Will – it is getting a makeover and will be released again next week with less “controversy” (as it overshadowed the positive message of reducing disease risks for many….and we do not aim to purposely create a Jerry Springer like environment just for traffic, especially if it compromises the positive message for health around here).
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Cheers Mike. As I’m not as thin-skinned as some, I personally would’ve preferred to read your less politically-perfect version, but I can understand where you’re coming from.
Looking forward to checking it out next week.
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[...] myself. Or If out with some friends I will enjoy a few beers and wine with dinner. Have a look at this post by the guys at Fitness Spotlight it really gets the point across [...]
[...] Cheat Meals [...]
[...] myself. Or If out with some friends I will enjoy a few beers and wine with dinner. Have a look at this post by the guys at Fitness Spotlight it really gets the point across [...]
Yeah I hear ya! Thanks for that Scott, you have saved me from OCD!
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[...] myself. Or If out with some friends I will enjoy a few beers and wine with dinner. Have a look at this post by the guys at Fitness Spotlight it really gets the point across [...]
[...] Article from Fitness Spotlight [...]
Great post. I have hit that 90/10 spot in my life too and have been waivering between satisfied with my eating and thinking I should be doing “better”. Thanks for the wake up call and Happy New Year to you!
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As someone who is new to Crossfit and the zone, I loved this article. I once thought I’d eat strict then when I hit my weight/ physical status I’m happy with I’ll cheat and work out just to maintain. Then I realized I never want to stop improving. I just try to eat right most the time. Usually a night of drinking each week, and normally sat and sun I eat off the zone for most of the days. But heck, I’d rather do something I can stick with then torture myself for months and end up failing and gaingin weight back.
good article
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[...] this post from the Fitness Spotlight on how to handle “cheat meals” and stay on track. This [...]