The world of fitness nutrition is full of advice, interesting experiments and a myriad of supplements. How do we know what's right? Who do we trust? Should we eat a bit of everything in moderation or follow a strict diet to reach our fitness goals? Do we avoid certain foods? How do we keep ourselves motivated then?
So many questions! And there are just as many answers out there. I say go for advice from professionals or scientifically based information. Science can't be wrong, right?
Ask any sport scientist or nutritionist and you will be told that you can't just eat anything if you are looking to achieve top fitness levels. You need to fuel your body with the right foods on macro (e.g. proteins, carbs, fats) and micro (certain amino acids, minerals and vitamins) levels.
But, unless you've got will power of steel, it's almost impossible to be 100% healthy 100% of the time. Even if you were, it may turn out not to be so healthy after all. Why? Let's learn about the science of the weekly cheat meal.
A cheat meal is a calorific galore of food which one should allow oneself once a week after following a healthy diet. It should revolve around a hormone called leptin, i.e. the anti-starvation hormone. It helps regulate the amount of fat the human bodies carry. That is to say the higher the amount of body fat, the higher leptin levels and vice versa.
During prolonged dieting, the levels of leptin in the body decrease (as does body fat). In fact, studies have shown that within the first week of dieting leptin levels can drop by 50%. When this happens an important molecule - glycogen - drops. The glycogen produced by the liver controls production levels of a host of other hormones including testosterone, oestrogen and cortisol.
When glycogen falls, testosterone and oestrogen fall and cortisol (the stress hormone) increases. This is not good news for your muscles because cortisol makes you fat.What's more, when leptin levels drop too low, the fat burning process stops and the body, thinking that it is starving, will do all it can to store more fat!
Enter the cheat meal. Having a carbohydrate-heavy cheat meal once a week (preferably after an intense workout) raises leptin levels and actually boosts fat burning. Why? Leptin is closely correlated to carbohydrates and hence a large carb meal raises leptin (and insulin) levels, the body thinks it is not starving anymore (in fact it is overeating!) and sets off the fat burning process once you get back to eating leaner, lower calorie meals.
The moral of the story? Cheat meals are an indispensable part of healthy eating. Not only do they provide you with a psychological and gastronomical buzz, but they boost your body's fat burning process and therefore help you achieve your fitness goals! And if you have your cheat meal after a hard workout, you will be helping your muscles grow and retain glycogen which leaves little room for fat retention.
What's the catch? It is important to keep it to ONE cheat MEAL and not to turn it into a whole cheat DAY! Got that? Go on then, treat yourself :)!