Why I've Stopped Having Cheat Meals

I remember when I first got into fitness, training, and paying very close attention to what I was eating. At least I thought I was eating clean. I remember the first couple of years, I had cheat days. Those days were packed with an incredible amount of food. After I got sick of feeling sick on my cheat days, I switched to cheat meals. I had two cheat meals per week and goodness did I look forward to them. I scheduled them ahead of time, and knew exactly where I was going to go and what I was going to eat. Over time, those two meals made it easier for me to have cheat meals leak into the week. Next thing I knew, I was "cheating" every day. Towards the end of this timeline, I only had one cheat meal per week. Something I could look forward to each week. Something that would keep me "in check" so I could reward myself for behaving throughout the week. Towards the end of all this, I realized that I hated nutrition, and I got close to hating fitness because it made me so concerned about what I was consuming each day. And, I looked like this:

So funny. I wasn't as happy as this dude, though.

So anyway, I grew tired of getting nowhere, feeling restricted 6 days/week, and making extremely slow process on my fitness and body composition goals. During this period of time playing around with cheat days and cheat meals, I noticed the following more than ever:

1. I didn't enjoy eating. And I'm a fat kid on the inside, what's that about? I saw food as fuel, which is only good when it's not obsessive.
2. It kept me from enjoying dinners with my family, time out with friends, etc.
3. I'm EXTREMELY critical of myself. This didn't help when I had a cookie outside of my cheat meal and felt nothing but guilt and shame.

I'd like to go through all of these so you have something to relate to, or scare you away before you decide to start planning some cheat meals for yourself. 

I Didn't Enjoy Eating

Back in the day, I thought that there was really a thing called "clean eating". Therefore, I ate things like chicken, rice, broccoli, sweet potatoes, lean beef, turkey, oats, and that's about it. Oh and protein powder of course. That's literally all I ate. I'm one of those people that can eat the same thing every day and not care, but that's mostly because I was convinced that eating that way was really going to help me reach my goals. I didn't have any other types of food during those six "non cheat" days, and then I went to town on the cheat meal for that week. As a result of eating so "clean", I felt sick after the meal and I didn't feel like I had rewarded myself. I felt like I was just resetting my mind to be motivated to eat nothing but bland chicken and rice again. Whoopdie doo. Eating became a burden. I also became overly obsessed and extremely critical of myself whenever I ate anything even if I was eating meat and veggies and wanted more, I felt like I couldn't allow myself to do such a thing. Not only did this have an effect on my personal relationship with food, but it began to affect my friends and family as well.

"Adam Can't Have That"

My brothers and I are all grown and have been out of the house for years now. So every once in a while, my parents will cook an absolutely amazing meal and have us all over for some quality family time. Back when I was a "clean eater" and "strict" with my diet, making meals seemed like a burden for my parents. Before they went to the grocery store, they would call and ask if I could eat x,y, and z. "Is it ok if I put butter on the asparagus?", my dad would ask. "Adam are you going to eat some of these cookies I made from scratch?" my mom would ask. My response: "No, sorry, my cheat meal isn't today." Looking back on it, I wish I could time travel and give myself a good punch in the face. The funny thing is, my dad did some bodybuilding shows when he was in his 20s, and he'd still look at me like I was from outer space when I said I wasn't going to have milk because of the sugar or something stupid like that.

It took too long, but eventually I realized that creating memories and enjoying a home-cooked meal with my family was much more important than my "clean eating." 

Endless Criticism

Criticism can be a good thing on some occasions. But a few years ago the criticism I was receiving was very unhealthy. This criticism came from myself. Every time I had a "cheat" whether it was a freaking fun-size snickers, or a double cheeseburger with large fries, I felt an unbelievable amount of guilt and shame. I hardly enjoyed the "cheat" while I was eating it. The guilt and shame came almost immediately but I had those "cheats" anyway because well, I had to right? That's what everyone was doing in the fitness industry anyway. Or were they?

The Solution to the Problem

I'm not the only one who went or is going through this. In fact, a lot of my clients have had an unhealthy relationship with food. Guilt, shame, diet after diet, rollercoaster after rollercoaster. So many people have this going on in their lives right now. 

So what did I change? How and why did I stop eating "clean"? Aren't we supposed to be eating "clean" and healthy all the time in order to reach our goals? Well, not really. Do me a favor quick. Try to define "clean eating" in your own words. Seriously, sit there and define "clean eating". Post your definition in a comment at the bottom of this article. I'm not trying to set you up at all. I'm not saying there is a right or wrong answer. Here's my point: I believe that every idea of clean eating involves some sort of restriction from certain foods. And restriction is the WORST. Restriction is what made me feel miserable during the few steps in my fitness journey. It's what keeps most people from making change with their nutrition, and funny enough it's also what makes people put even more weight back on after they start a diet. Thankfully I found flexible dieting and no longer feel a need to restrict myself from any foods. 

Flexible dieting is what I teach all of my clients. It enables them to enjoy their lifestyle and still crush their fitness goals. Flexible dieting can sound complicated, but it's actually quite simple. In fact, it's as simple as treating your macronutrients like a monetary budget, and fitting a wide variety of foods in that budget. Hit your protein, carbohydrate, and fat goals for the day make sure you get enough fiber, and eat what you'd like! Does that mean I'm telling you to reach your macro goals from 80% Oreos and 20% protein shakes? Heck no. You'll feel like crap. But what I am saying is this: A majority of your calories and macronutrients should come from whole food sources. And if you have room in your macronutrients for some Ben and Jerry's at the end of the day, then have some! That's actually exactly what I did last night. I had room for about one cup of Ben and Jerry's in my macros, so I ate some Cherry Garcia while watching John Wick. I know, I know, what a wild Saturday night. The point is, I eat the things I like when I want to and if I have room in my macros. And no, you don't have to be "a man in his 20s with a crazy metabolism" to do that.

After doing this for a while, I did some math on my macros and calories comparing my old cheat meals with flexible dieting. Turns out I'm actually eating less "junk"  and calories throughout the week than when I had even one cheat meal per week. And, I'm happier.

I'll be honest, it takes a while to get the hang of tracking your macros, and eating mindfully, but I dare you to try it. I dare you to let yourself live. 

The Takeaway

LIVE. That's the takeaway today. Track your macronutrients and calories (which isn't hard), avoid restricting yourself, and allow yourself to live guilt free. 

As always, thank you for reading. Feel free to follow Poehlmann Fitness below for awesome content and giveaways with prizes like apparel, gift cards, and more!

My Top Five Cheats

This post is for all of my Fort Collins people. If you don't live in FoCo, it's all good. I recommend you read along anyway. Not all of these exquisite places are local to Fort Collins, so keep watch because you might have one of these places right across the street.

Before I dive into the details of my favorite places to indulge, allow me to put you in my world. But understand this: I do what I do because it works for me. It may not work for you, and it may not work for Joe & Sally, either.

Anyway, it's just any other day. I wake up, and go through my morning routine. Coffee, journaling, and looking through my execution list (no, I'm not an assassin). Once I have finished my routine, I get ready for the day and check my calendar (fun fact: cheat meals aren't on my calendar, nor are they set in my mind). As I see my schedule, it's white. No blue or green blocks. That means it's a day of blogging, marketing, programming, etc. I don't have any meetings or classes to teach, which means it's time spent at home hustling. So I begin to write, market, develop, program, make calls, etc. And then a text comes.

I feel the two vibrations on the table as my phone buzzes. I look over hoping it's text from one of a few people that I consistently communicate with around lunch and dinner hours. Why? Because I know what they're going to ask.

"WANNA GET SOME FOOD?"

Heck. Yes. Heck freaking yes I want to. If anyone knows my heart, they know that food always makes it happy, regardless of the situation. As begin to thumb my way though a reply, the wheels start turning and I ask, "where you wanna go?" Most of the time, I get the same response.

"IDK. YOU PICK."

I have now become the freaking dictator of this relationship. I am in control for the next couple of hours. I have the freedom to make the ultimate decision. Now, my day has begun.

HERE IT IS...

So here we go. In the mind of Poe, ready to make the ultimate daily decision, we find ourselves ready to approach the top five cheats list. 

1. PIZZA CASBAH

*image belongs to respective owner*

If you know me well, you know that pizza is up there on the list of favorite foods. It's so incredibly simple, yet so incredibly delicious. That's what I love about it. Located near downtown Fort Collins, Pizza Casbah is a small, locally owned pizza shop that has some of the best NY style pies out there. Not only are they known for the size of their pies, but the quality of the ingredients as well. I wish I could explain the difference of taste into words, but you'll just have check it out yourself. 

2. CAFE MEXICALI

*image belongs to respective owner*

With the opening of their first restaurant in Fort Collins, Cafe Mex has expanded and now has two other locations in Colorado. If I'm dying for some Mexican-style food, it's always Cafe Mex. Although all of their ingredients and menu items are fresh and to die for, it's crucial that you try their specialty sweet pork smothered burrito with their creamy habeñero sauce. Aside from the flavor, my favorite thing about a good cheat meal is feeling like I have a massive food baby. You'll never come up short at Cafe Mex.

3. STUFT

*image belongs to respective owner*

If you're a fan of a high quality burger in the Northern Colorado area, you know all about STUFT. Burgers and fries are my absolute favorite when it comes to cheat meals, and there is no better way to satisfy the craving than to hit up STUFT. Aside from their great menu of pre-selected burgers, they have a unique custom order style that will give any sort of twist to your typical burger. From the type of protein to the style of bun, you have the choice to make any burger you want from TONS of different ingredients. And when I say different, I mean DIFFERENT. What's so different about it you may ask? Well, let me tell you this: my absolute favorite burger to make at STUFT consists of two beef patties, honey, strawberry preserves, cream cheese, and peanut butter, with a side of sweet potato fries (I have yet to try better sweet potato fries.. they're killer). Sometimes, I'll even have a donut as my bun. Why? WELL WHY NOT? I know, I know, you may be thinking that combination sounds absolutely disgusting. That's what I thought too, until I said "screw it" and gave it a try. Go out of your comfort zone, people. It usually has a positive outcome. 

4. & 5. THE FIVE GUYS & MARY'S COMBO

*image belongs to respective owner*

You may be thinking, how can numbers four and five be together? Do they have an entree and dessert on the same menu? Nope. Numbers four and five on my list are two completely different places, but believe me when I say this: they are a match made in heaven. If you are close friend of mine, you know what my response is going to be when you say "you pick." 99% of the time, I will respond with: "Five Guys and Mary's."

I would assume that most of you know about Five Guys Burgers & Fries. It's phenomenal. In my opinion, it's somewhere in the middle of fast food, and STUFT. More towards the STUFT side, because the ingredients are soooo freaking fresh. The beef is quality, too. If you've been to Five Guys, you know that you can't walk in or out of that door with any sense of shame, because you're going all in on a big ol' greasy burger. Although the burgers at Five Guys are extremely fresh, they are ridiculously greasy and I absolutely love it. They are also known for making you feel like you have a brick inside of your stomach. They're dense. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that I'm out of commission for a couple of hours after I eat there. And when I say out of commission, I don't mean that in any way related to eating.... because it's time to take a few more steps.

After my big fat greasy burger, I head to the south door, open it, take a few steps to my right, and find myself in sweet-tooth heaven. It's time for dessert. I don't really have a lot of absolute favorite foods, because I eat and love everything. But if you were to put me in a pressure situation in which I had to pick, I would take Cookies/Milk and Ice Cream over anything else. I can't choose between the two, though. Here's the best part: I can get both of those things at Mary's Mountain Cookies. Mary's Mountain Cookies is a Colorado shop with several locations. I believe they just opened one in Missouri, too. Anyway, the cookies are massive, and out of this world. Beyond cookies, they have ice cream and cookie dough that will knock you off your feet.

If I'm really feeling the ice cream that day, I get the sandwich that has a bottom layer of cookie, stacked with cookie dough, about an inch of ice cream, and another cookie on top of that. IT. IS. AMAZING. You might be asking yourself, "how is this kid not sick by this point?" The answer to your question is: I don't know. I really have no clue. At this point I should be puking but I'm ready to down that ice cream sandwich in 120 seconds or less.

If the ice cream isn't an option for me that day, some of my favorite cookies there are the C.O.W., the Monster, and the Caramel Sea Salt. And no, I never get one cookie. That's lame and for the birds. I always get two or more because it's more cookie to eat, and it's more punches on my card toward a free one. 

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not a saint, and neither is any other personal trainer you've met. We all have our "things", and these are mine. We just have to make sure we treat them as cheats, and not habits. 

So next time you're out on the town, or looking for a new place to indulge, refer to this article and pick one of my favorites. Heck, try more than one if you think you can handle it. 

For articles, posts, videos, and tips on things that will actually improve your health, follow me on Instagram and Twitter. Give my Facebook page a "like" too when you get a chance. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. I will probably be eating a cookie within the next 15 minutes. 

Thanks for reading!