I’m nervous posting this article because I don’t want the first few lines to get misinterpreted, so promise me you’ll read the WHOLE thing!!!
Guess what, Coach Wayne has a cheat meal every now and then. So does Mr. P90X, Josh Spencer. So does Tony Horton. Even Shaun T. with his 4% body fat likes to have 2-3 donuts once a month or so.
What??? I thought Coach Wayne always says NEVER CHEAT?? Yes …. and no! That’s why I want you to read this whole article!!!!
First off, were my 90 day results some of the best ever? Yes! How many cheat meals did I have during those 90 days? ZERO!
Were my 180 day results even better? Absolutely! How many cheat meals did I have during that second round? ZERO!
I never ever cheated, not once, on my way to my goal. I got down to 208 and 5.5% body fat. I was pretty shredded (and still am!). And I realized that everyone who had great success with getting ripped NEVER CHEATED on their way to their goal. That’s why I always tell you guys to NEVER CHEAT!
But did you catch what I said ….. “on my way to my goal”. Once at my goal, the rules get to change a bit. Here’s the deal = a single cheat meal will basically derail your progress for 2-3 days. It takes 2-3 days of clean eating and working out just to get back to where you were before the cheat meal. Can you imagine someone who has 2 cheat meals per week? How much progress will they make toward their goal? If you said basically none, you are right! Every time they cheat, they derail for 2-3 days, so if they cheat every 2-3 days they can kiss their progress goodbye! And since most of you on this site are trying to get results, I tell you to never cheat. That’s how you’ll get to your max results the fastest!
But a little known secret that us who are at our goal know is that we can derail for 2-3 days with a cheat meal and basically have no consequences. If I’m already where I want to be, it doesn’t hurt me to derail my progress! If I am trying to make progress and see changes, derailing myself is a big problem. So the moral of the story — have relentless commitment on your way to your goal, and then once you are there you get to enjoy a little freedom without hurting yourself.
So how often do I have a “non-P90X approved” meal? About once a week or so. And usually it’s something like pizza (maybe 3 or 4 slices), or a hamburger. I still see no reason to do french fries, fried chicken, or any of the really horrendous things. But I’ll indulge a bit in a meal that sends the Tap and Track into code red for a bit LOL, knowing that I’m okay with derailing myself for a couple days. I’m already at my destination, so no harm done. If I start to indulge more often, however, the train would go into reverse and I’d head backwards. No way will I let that happen! I’ve been able to break the old habits, and I can have a cheat meal without losing my momentum now.
But again, unless you are in that place where you can safely say that you are happy with your current results, don’t do a cheat meal! And also, if you find that a cheat meal turns into a cheat day and a cheat weekend without being able to regain control, then DON’T CHEAT! We have to be in control of our appetites, not let our appetites control us.
Shaun T. can eat his donuts once a month, and within a couple days he’s still the ultra-ripped Shaun T. But if Mr. Chubby eats donuts once a month, he gets to stay chubby! LOL!
To the victor go the spoils!
So please don’t leave this article thinking, “Well heck, Coach Wayne is ripped and he has an occasional cheat meal, so by golly I will to” (especially if you are on Day 3 or something!!!). But if you are thinking long term, know that by deferring your pleasure now, you can enjoy not only the occasional cheat meal later, but enjoy a healthy, ripped, fit body as well.
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
