Coach Cheats!
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.
Related Posts:
65 Responses to “Coach Cheats!”
Leave a Reply
NEW – my X2 Results Video!
Wayne’s P90X Results Video
Most Popular Products
I’m so glad I read this article. Lately my weight loss has been miniscule. I’ve been doing Insanity, so I was frustrated at this. I’m pretty close to my goal, so I think the problem is that I’m still cheating too much. When I was 100+ overweight I could have a cheat meal on the weekend and still lose weight at the end of the week. Now every little bit matters. I can look forward to a little bit of cheating at the end of my goal, but now is not the time.
Hey coach as i saw you wrote about hamburgers i have a question since i don’t know how to cook as i am 15 my mom cooks and she makes hamburgers from ground beef/lean meat and says they are healthy i have no idea if it is she basically make them from scratch?
thank you
Hey Demetri, if the meat is very lean beef (like 93/7) or ground turkey, then it could be okay. Be sure you use whole wheat buns too, and no mayo or ketchup (mustard is fine, and so are the lettuce, tomato, and pickles).
My girlfriend and I went to a friend’s birthday party. They had 5 different kinds of cake plus the usual appetizers, like chips, dip, meatballs, cookies, oreos, etc.
Needless to say, we both stood firmly and ate some raw carrots and broccoli with some water. I kept reminding my girlfriend (who is a slave to chocolate and sweets) that once we get to our goal bodies, we can indulge in these things we love like you with pizza and whatnot.
It and this article helped us get through the night and we had our protein shake when we came home. WHEW!
Awesome job Michael!!! That will power now is what will get you to your goals and the “light at the end of the tunnel”!!
Hey coach! This article just helped me make a decision that I’ve been trying to make for weeks now:
Should I have some chocolate, or a hamburger/hotdog (seems those are my favorite things to eat) once a week while trying to get to my goal?
Well, obviously my decision is now a deffinate no! I want to get to my goal as soon as possible with no delays or speedbumps in the road. Who wouldn’t, right? Now, I’m not very big (5″8 and 133-134 lbs), and I’m only 18, so my metabolism is fairly high. And, on top of that, I’ve been known not to gain much weight regardless of what I eat. And that’s what I was telling myself while trying to make the decision wether to cheat or not.
But this article made me realize that if I want the torn up stomach and firm legs (and butt, might I add) that I dream of, there shall be no cheating for me on the way there. :D
Thanks so much coach! :D
Hey coach Wayne, I just wanted to ask when you yourself did have a cheat meal like 3 or 4 slices of pizza, do you feel different the next day? Like do you see sudden changes like weight gain or something? lol
Hey Albert. Yes, the added sodium and fat from something like pizza will stay in my system and make me a couple pounds heavier for a day or two until it filters out of my system.
Really glad I read this. I am enjoying killing it with P90X(week 7) but have been thinking lately about NEVER having another can of Pepsi and NEVER again having one of my grandma’s cinnamon rolls(to die for!) and was getting kind of discouraged.
Going to suck it up for the next 6 months, and then live it up!
But only occasionally =)
Hey Wayne, so I’m guessing a whole pizza, meatball sub, chocolate fudge cake and cheese sticks isn’t a good cheat meal? Hahaha (glad I have an extreme will power!)
hey coach..
So tonight my buddies wanted to head to burger king.lOL.. I guess my favorite thing there is a whopper with cheese, and a large fries. However, my 2nd hemisphere of my brain thought dam,, If i eat that tonight, then ill be working tommorow and the next day JUST to burn off that one meal. Then i said f that, and I ate chicken breast, cottage cheese, and half a banana for dinner instead. Im proud!.
I notice that once I have one cheat meal, I cant stop myself from having 2 or 3 or 4 that following week. So i think your right when you say, NO CHEAT meals until you get the results you want.
Way to go Michael! That’s exactly my thoughts.
I find it very inspiring how you can write such concise and clear posts addressing the major topics and simplifying them so anyone can get the results they want.
I started thinking after reading this post (and I’ll keep it on my fridge) When you cheat – you’re only cheating yourself. (out of the results you really want)
Thanks.
Bonnie
I’m trying to gain muscle and have heard that it can help to have a cheat meal. I’m 5’11, 146, 29 in waist and have gone nearly two years without junk. I am now craving junk and was thinking a weekly cheat meal will be fine if I fit them into my macros. What foods would be absolutely terrible to include in a cheat meal?
Hey Justin, I disagree. To gain weight, sure have all the cheat meals you want. You’ll be adding FAT!!!
The best way to add lean muscle mass, with as little body fat as possible, is to run a calorie surplus, but with SUPER CLEAN foods at the right macronutrient % (like my bulking phase 3 diet).