A Question About
Healthy Diet Plan
Ask Tom Venuto
Diet Compliance vs. Cheating - How Strict Should You Be? QUESTION: Hello Tom, I've been doing BFL for the past year, and did well at first, losing 3 dress
sizes and 5% body fat, but then I totally hit a plateau and have had no more results since December. I'm wondering if I've been strict
enough with my eating
I bought your ebook, Burn The Fat, and I'm very excited about the information I've read so far, but I need
some clarification about the eating part.
I've been eating according to the BFL philosophy with one "cheat" day per week. What I'm reading in your
Burn The Fat program is instead, to allow myself a couple of "cheat" meals any time during the week or on the weekend, but not to take an entire
day off the program.
However, in your list of foods that turn to fat, you mention that certain foods should only be eaten very
rarely. Does that mean that they shouldn't even be eaten at a weekly cheat meal? I can live with that, but then, what constitutes a "cheat" meal,
(for example, if my favorite hash browns aren't allowed? :)
I know you get a billion emails, but I would really appreciate it if you have time to answer.
Kind regards,
Kathleen
ANSWER: It's not productive in the long term to totally deprive yourself of foods you
enjoy. What you have to do is find a sensible way to work even your most "sinful" favorite foods into your diet, but do it in an amount and
frequency that doesn't set you back or sabotage your progress. This can be done by allowing yourself some "cheat meals" (some people call them
"free meals" or "reward meals.")
One really good way to look at the "cheat meals" concept is in terms of "compliance," which means, what
percentage of your meals are following the guidelines of the program and what percentage are off the program.
Too many meals or days off the program and your results are compromised. Too many days in a row eating
nothing but "rabbit food" and you go crazy with cravings, right?
How much you need to comply (stick with) your program varies from person to person. It depends a lot on
how ambitious your goals are and on how responsive your body is to nutrition and exercise.
When making your decision, keep in mind we all have different genetics and body types, which is something
I discuss in great detail in chapter 5 of BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE (www.burnthefat.com).
Are you a carb-tolerant mesomorph who gains muscle easily and loses fat easily or are you a carb-sensitive
endomorph who gains fat easily? Depending on the answer, your diet program may need to be more or less strict than others.
Don't compare yourself to others - you have to get to know your own body type. Some people can "Get away
with" more cheat meals and still make progress (Yeah, I hate them too!)
Unless you're a competitor in physique sports like bodybuilding, fitness or figure, or you're getting
ready for some type of transformation challenge or photo shoot, I suggest at least 90% compliance.
Whether you adjust your level of compliance above 90% (get more "strict") or below 90% (get more lenient),
depends how far away or close you are from achieving your goals, and most importantly, on what kind of results you're getting each
week.
If you're complying 90% of the time, and you are getting awesome results, you don't have to change a
thing, and you may be able to loosen up your diet a little. I know some people who are definitely only "on the program" 80% or 85% of the time
and they look great.
90% compliance means you are following healthy nutritious, fat burning eating guidelines 9 meals out of
10. If you're eating small frequent meals like the burn the fat program suggests, that's 5 small meals a day X 7 days a week = 35 meals. 90%
compliance means about 31-32 of those meals are spot-on! The other 3 or 4 are for you to enjoy special occasions, reward yourself, and live a
little.
If you're like most people, and you simply want to drop a few pounds, trim a few inches off your waistline
and look better in shorts or in a swimsuit for summer, then 100% compliance is unrealistic AND unnecessary. 90% compliance is more realistic as a
lifesytle, while being strict enough for most people to get results.
On the other hand, if you had a very ambitious goal like preparing for a figure or fitness competition and
you thought you had to reach at least 12 or 13% body fat (which is very low for women), and you knew you would be onstage with judges looking at
every inch of your body in a teeny bikini (paying very close attention to whether anything on your butt and thighs was "jiggling"), then you
would want to be as strict as possible during the pre contest diet period (100% compliance or very close to it).
Keep in mind also, that this is a competitive situation and every time you "cheat" and your competitors
don't cheat, you decrease your probability of placing high in the contests.
Unless you have a competitive physique goal like this, however, then total deprivation of pleasure foods
or cheat meals (100% compliance), is not necessary because you always tend to crave what you cannot have. That's a binge waiting to
happen.
I prefer this 90 or 95% compliance approach over the "entire day of cheating" approach, because I have
seen people use the term "cheat day" pretty darn loosely (basically making it the equivalent of BINGE DAY), and they do a lot of damage in terms
of setting their progress back.
They end up frantically playing "catch up" for the better half of the following week with punishing extra
exercise and dietary deprivation. Slow and steady is better than binge and punish don't you agree?
Allow yourself some leeway. Enjoy food. Enjoy life. Have your pizza, or chocoloate or your hash browns or
whatever makes your stomach happy. It will help, not hurt in the long run. Just be sure to be mindful of your calorie limits, and when you say
you are going to comply 90% of the time, then keep your promise to yourself and comply!
For more information about dieting for fat loss, visit: www.BurnTheFat.com
About the Author:
Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder and author of the #1 best selling
e-book, "BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE.” which teaches you how to burn fat without drugs or supplements using the
little-known secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and
turbo-charge your metabolism by visiting: BURN THE FAT. To get Tom's free fitness newsletter, visit: www.tomvenuto.com
Readers may also be interested in the book review:
Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle by Tom
Venuto
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The Fit Yummy Mummy by Holly Rigsby
The Truth About Six Pack Abs by Michael Geary
Turbulence Training by Craig Ballantyne
Combat the Fat by Jeff Anderson
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