WEBVTT - Fit Tip - Stop Calling it a Cheat Meal 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:05.880 Welcome to Fitness Disrupted, a production of My Heart Radio. 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:18.720 I am Tom Holland, and this is Fitness Disrupted. I 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:21.119 was talking to someone the other day, actually it was 0:00:21.160 --> 0:00:26.360 on a podcast, and this person alluded to the fact 0:00:26.600 --> 0:00:30.720 that they had lost a significant amount of weight and 0:00:30.840 --> 0:00:33.880 kept it off. So I wasn't familiar with this person 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:38.440 before the podcast, and whenever I meet someone like that, 0:00:39.720 --> 0:00:42.600 I need to know the story. And I have brought 0:00:42.680 --> 0:00:47.360 you a handful of those people like David Garcia who 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:49.879 lost over a hundred pounds and kept it off for 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:52.839 over ten years, because that is part of the puzzle 0:00:54.080 --> 0:00:58.640 hearing those stories. How did they do that? Because we 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:02.800 learned from that. When I wanted to be successful in 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:06.319 this industry, I started to look into people who had 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:11.080 been successful in this industry that I admired, that I believed, 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:15.920 you know, was aligned with their philosophy. Jack Lolaine one 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:20.440 of the well the top person and so the same 0:01:20.480 --> 0:01:25.400 holds true with people who have been successful at weight 0:01:25.440 --> 0:01:30.640 loss and kept it off in a healthy way. Really important. 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:32.759 We need to look at evolution, We need to look 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:36.160 at the empirical evidence. We need to look at everyday life, 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:39.959 what we can do and everyday people, not celebrities, not 0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:45.720 people like that, but your next door neighbor who made 0:01:45.720 --> 0:01:51.640 significant change and kept it off and is healthy and happy, 0:01:51.800 --> 0:01:54.360 all of those things. So I kind of turned the 0:01:54.360 --> 0:01:58.720 podcast around at that point and just started interviewing this person, 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:02.840 and one thing popped out of me. And this has 0:02:02.920 --> 0:02:07.680 for years. This person said that they had, you know, lost, 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:10.040 I think it was over sixty pounds. I think that 0:02:10.120 --> 0:02:12.720 was to start. But they used the term cheat day, 0:02:13.919 --> 0:02:17.240 cheat day, and cheap meal. Now, for those of you 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:23.160 don't know many diet plans, maybe eating plans will give 0:02:23.200 --> 0:02:27.240 you cheat day and cheap meal. And I have used 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:30.920 those terms in the past, but I stopped. I have stopped, 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:33.679 at least using it in the way that this person did. 0:02:33.760 --> 0:02:37.720 And the current meaning, the connotation that people have with 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:39.960 cheat day, we need to stop using it. And I 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:43.639 said this to him. I said, listen, you're not cheating, 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:47.640 and I went into why. And that's today's podcast. Perfect 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:51.639 for a fit tip, Perfect for a fit tip. Let's 0:02:51.639 --> 0:02:55.440 look at what the Dictionary definition of cheat is. Right 0:02:55.560 --> 0:02:59.720 as a verb, it's to act dishonestly or unfairly in 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:04.320 order to gain an advantage, especially in a game or examination. 0:03:05.120 --> 0:03:09.200 It can also be to avoid something undesirable by luck 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.600 or by skill. An example of that would be like 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:18.480 she cheated death in a car crash. Right. And then 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:21.720 one of the definitions when it is used as a 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:27.400 noun is a person who behaves dishonestly in order to 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:31.400 gain an advantage. What what is the common theme in 0:03:31.520 --> 0:03:38.240 all of these definitions. There's negative connotation. It's a negative 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:42.800 just jumps out of you, right, And so this is 0:03:42.840 --> 0:03:46.560 one of the main reasons we need to get rid 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:51.960 of that term. In my opinion, Listen again, as I 0:03:52.080 --> 0:03:54.440 say that you could do whatever works for you, I'm 0:03:54.520 --> 0:03:57.600 just as always putting my take on it. I don't 0:03:57.640 --> 0:04:02.120 like it. I think it's it is a negative for 0:04:02.160 --> 0:04:07.800 the reasons I just said. And words matter, words matter 0:04:07.840 --> 0:04:13.280 a lot. It goes to eight people, how many times 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:16.679 am I going to bring that up until I die? 0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:22.400 And it goes for intensity of exercise, it goes for uh, 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:26.560 you know, nutrition, how I approach my day and how 0:04:26.600 --> 0:04:31.080 I approach a week. And I don't call it cheat. 0:04:31.120 --> 0:04:33.200 I mean I've called it cheat in referring to how 0:04:33.279 --> 0:04:37.200 it is used in the common vernacular. But when people 0:04:37.200 --> 0:04:42.000 ask me how I eat, I say I eat five 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:46.320 to six medium sized meals a day, where one or 0:04:46.440 --> 0:04:50.120 two but generally one is less than perfect. That's the 0:04:50.960 --> 0:04:54.839 of the day. And then when it comes to a week, 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:59.200 I eat generally what I eat that way right, where 0:04:59.360 --> 0:05:04.320 one meal a day Monday through Friday generally is less 0:05:04.360 --> 0:05:09.080 than perfect, usually dinner when I'm less strict. And then 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:14.040 on the weekends is where I do the vast majority 0:05:14.200 --> 0:05:20.800 of my less strictness, And that makes sense, makes sense 0:05:20.839 --> 0:05:22.520 for me, makes sense for many of you. But I 0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:24.320 don't call it cheating. I don't say a cheat on 0:05:24.320 --> 0:05:27.320 the weekends. That's a negative. That means I'm not doing 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.919 something I should be doing. And there is no perfect 0:05:30.920 --> 0:05:35.599 no matter what these social media fitness guru tell you. 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:40.799 I watched another the other day talking about cheat meals 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:44.120 as well, and the person was eating as they were 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:47.360 talking about cheat meals, and suffice it to say, I've 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:50.200 been in this industry long enough, I would argue, study 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:54.440 enough psychology, body language, all that kind of stuff to 0:05:54.800 --> 0:05:59.720 make an educated guess that this person was struggling this 0:05:59.800 --> 0:06:03.479 for and had not figured out how to eat and 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:07.160 was feeling guilty about those cheap days. And that's one 0:06:07.200 --> 0:06:10.039 of the huge problems with the term cheat and the 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:17.159 connection to guilt. And then where do you stop funny 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:19.720 story at my brother's expense. I have many brothers, so 0:06:19.760 --> 0:06:24.080 I can throw this out there without outing this person. 0:06:24.160 --> 0:06:29.040 But he did the Body for Life many years ago 0:06:29.040 --> 0:06:30.719 where they called it a cheat day. That's probably one 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:33.200 of the places that came from Bill Phillips Body for 0:06:33.240 --> 0:06:34.800 a Life. You have a cheat day. I think that's 0:06:34.800 --> 0:06:36.800 what it used. I'm almost positive it's long time ago. 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:42.159 But anyway, my brother tried this program and what he 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:47.360 would do, I can laugh again, it's family, uh is. 0:06:47.520 --> 0:06:51.480 On that day he would go off the rails. And 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:56.040 that's another issue with the term cheat and being what 0:06:57.640 --> 0:07:01.480 so restrictive all of the other days, so he would 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:07.320 literally eat himself sick. He didn't feel good. Can you 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:10.040 see the problem with that. You're restrictive six days of 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:12.920 the week. You go off the rails to the point 0:07:12.960 --> 0:07:15.360 where you're well, since I can have whatever I want, 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:18.800 I'm gonna have everything. Is that a way to live? 0:07:19.880 --> 0:07:26.560 It didn't work for him. Words matter. Words are really important, 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:31.040 especially when it comes to exercise and nutrition. So it's 0:07:31.040 --> 0:07:35.840 not a cheat day, it's how you eat. It's a reality, right, 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:40.920 it's real world. There is no perfect there's enjoyment, and yes, 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:43.520 it's a healthy lifestyle. I don't want to use the 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:46.880 word cheat in anything. I don't cheat in in the 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:51.040 events I compete in. I don't cheat in school. I 0:07:51.080 --> 0:07:53.800 don't cheat, and I don't cheat on my diet. It 0:07:53.920 --> 0:07:57.400 is part of my diet. It's a healthy diet, all right. 0:07:57.640 --> 0:08:01.840 And this goes to social gatherings. We are social people. 0:08:02.480 --> 0:08:05.840 I talked about the blue zones to put that into context, 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:07.960 and a lot of people have a connection with that 0:08:08.280 --> 0:08:11.480 or starting to just places in the world where people 0:08:11.680 --> 0:08:16.520 live long, healthy, you know, vibrant lives and social connections 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:18.240 are huge part of that. So this is a big 0:08:18.280 --> 0:08:22.000 issue with food. I don't want to get into too 0:08:22.000 --> 0:08:24.360 deep because this is a fit tip, but I'm Irish 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:29.280 and Italian, and my Italian grandmother I used to tell 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:32.120 me and everyone you need to finish everything that is 0:08:32.160 --> 0:08:34.679 on your plate or it's a sin. So she would 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:39.080 bring in not it's not just cheating their religious implications. 0:08:39.160 --> 0:08:43.160 That's a problem. I joke, but it's it's it's not funny. 0:08:43.200 --> 0:08:48.240 This is part of the issues with eating and culture 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:52.280 and family gathering. So to keep this a fit tip. 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:57.520 When I am less than perfect, are times when I 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:00.520 have less control? Does that not make sense? So in 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:03.880 other words, Monday through Friday, when I'm making my breakfast 0:09:03.880 --> 0:09:07.080 pretty much, i'm making launch, I'm in the office, the studio, 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:09.800 I'm controlling my dinner. On the weekends is when I 0:09:09.800 --> 0:09:14.840 will tend to go out with friends and family social gatherings. 0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:19.360 That's when it makes sense for most of us to 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:25.360 be less than perfect. So weekends, family gatherings, when you're 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:30.480 at a restaurant, when you're with friends, when we have 0:09:30.600 --> 0:09:34.920 less control, and that's okay, you still make great choices, 0:09:36.440 --> 0:09:38.880 but you can have dessert and you can have that 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:43.080 appetizer because when it comes to the calories in calories 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:44.960 out over the course of twenty four hours or the 0:09:45.000 --> 0:09:50.640 course of seven days, this works. And let's go back 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:53.360 to the definition. As I wrap this all up, you're 0:09:53.400 --> 0:09:56.559 not avoiding as was in one of the definitions. You're 0:09:56.600 --> 0:10:07.640 not acting dishonestly or un fairly. You are living. And 0:10:07.760 --> 0:10:12.360 let me end with this. The same person said in 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:17.320 their journey that took years to get to that sixty 0:10:17.320 --> 0:10:20.959 pounds down, and it's very smart, like had has had 0:10:21.000 --> 0:10:24.000 done his homework. He used the term failure and mistakes, 0:10:24.000 --> 0:10:29.559 made a lot of mistakes along the way, and I 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:31.400 I challenged him one more time, and I said, you 0:10:31.440 --> 0:10:37.480 didn't make mistakes. It's all part of the journey. That 0:10:37.720 --> 0:10:42.280 was the journey. That is the journey learning what so 0:10:42.520 --> 0:10:47.040 much about your personal likes and dislikes. With exercise and 0:10:47.080 --> 0:10:51.640 with food, that takes time. It's not a failure to 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:54.760 try form of exercise, ago, I don't like that. Try 0:10:54.840 --> 0:10:59.520 ten forms of exercise, different classes and go. That's not 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:05.120 for me. Food is even harder, more challenging to learn 0:11:05.400 --> 0:11:11.360 what is healthy and what you like and what your 0:11:11.360 --> 0:11:15.560 body responds to, in other words, your levels of hunger 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:19.880 and satiety. That takes time. People, there's that's not failure. 0:11:20.120 --> 0:11:24.720 Failure is doing the same thing or making mistakes, is 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:28.120 doing the same thing over and over again, right, insanity. 0:11:28.760 --> 0:11:31.280 But that's just the process. So don't beat yourself up 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:35.160 that way either. It takes time. Took this person certain 0:11:35.160 --> 0:11:36.760 amount of time. It will take you a certain amount 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:39.560 of time taking in the information. That's the final thing. 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:43.200 There's many others, but one the final points is this 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:46.080 person was learning what was bs and what was science, 0:11:46.840 --> 0:11:50.839 And that's really hard. It's a lot of bad information 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:55.360 out there. Okay, so when we do the when you 0:11:55.480 --> 0:11:57.520 don't call it a cheap meal, but it's when you're 0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:00.800 less strict, when you're enjoying life, when you have less control, 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:03.480 and hey, when you go off the reservation, when you 0:12:03.520 --> 0:12:04.880 go you know what, I want to go to that 0:12:04.920 --> 0:12:10.480 fast food restaurant. When you are healthier, when you are 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:13.520 on that journey and learning and your body and mind 0:12:13.600 --> 0:12:16.440 are changing in a way that is really hard to 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:20.360 describe and put out there, but it gets easier. You 0:12:20.440 --> 0:12:26.199 crave the fast food less, you do it less, you 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:30.320 enjoy it less, and when you do do it, it 0:12:30.400 --> 0:12:33.680 reminds you of how good healthy food makes you feel. 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:41.200 Last story, then I promise it's over. Iron Man South 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:44.520 Africa actually came up in my memories, my Facebook memories 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:49.800 recently a couple of years ago. Brutal, so many things 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:52.560 went wrong before the race and and during the race 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:57.400 as a result, and just brutal race. But during the run, 0:12:57.480 --> 0:13:02.000 which was the hardest run and i've it was one 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:06.120 of the top three. I passed. There was out and 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:10.640 back three times, so three loops essentially for the marathon, 0:13:11.679 --> 0:13:16.480 and I passed to McDonald's three times the next morning, 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:19.880 and anyone who's done endurance races or races like that, 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:23.000 no that you oftentimes wake up and you just crave garbage. 0:13:23.360 --> 0:13:28.360 You want salt, and you want fat, even though like again, 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:32.600 I go very infrequented fast food restaurants, but I was like, 0:13:32.640 --> 0:13:35.240 I need that, and I remembered it as being close 0:13:35.280 --> 0:13:37.719 to my hotel. I started out on foot, which was 0:13:37.880 --> 0:13:40.600 hard because it was the morning after the race. It 0:13:40.640 --> 0:13:43.040 was a lot farther than I had remembered, but I 0:13:43.120 --> 0:13:46.200 walked the whole way and when I walked inside, it 0:13:46.280 --> 0:13:50.760 was filled with what fit iron man triathletes, men and women, 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:55.560 all eating McDonald's. But you looked at these people and 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:58.679 what do you what do you know? Everything I just said, 0:13:59.559 --> 0:14:02.240 they crave it less, they do it less, they enjoy 0:14:02.240 --> 0:14:05.440 it lest, but we do it. There is no perfect 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:10.880 and we're not cheating. It's a weird reward that is 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:14.679 like you enjoy for about eight seconds and then yes, 0:14:14.800 --> 0:14:17.880 you get the mc gurgels and you're remind yourself of 0:14:18.040 --> 0:14:25.360 why you're probably you know, yeah, you know what I 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:27.000 was gonna say. You probably didn't want to know you 0:14:27.040 --> 0:14:30.880 wanted it because those people myself included. We eat a 0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:33.880 lot of egg whites, We eat a lot of you know, 0:14:33.960 --> 0:14:37.920 oatmeal every now and again. You do it and it's 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:46.240 not cheating, it's living. Stop feeling guilty and stop calling 0:14:46.240 --> 0:14:49.600 it cheating. All right, Thank you for listening. Love this 0:14:49.640 --> 0:14:53.080 topic as I do them. All you can reach out 0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:55.760 to me. Tom h Fit is Instagram and Twitter. Tom 0:14:55.920 --> 0:14:59.880 h Fit messages, comments, questions, Love to hear from you. 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:02.360 Rate the show, follow the show, whatever way you can 0:15:02.400 --> 0:15:05.960 connect to the show. I greatly appreciate it. What else 0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:08.840 Fitness disrupted dot com You can email me through the site. 0:15:09.560 --> 0:15:12.120 All this stuff matters people. All this stuff adds up. 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:16.160 All this stuff will make it easier and make you 0:15:16.240 --> 0:15:20.720 happier and make you healthier when you figure out your plan. 0:15:21.920 --> 0:15:24.680 Thank you for listening, and remember there are three things 0:15:24.760 --> 0:15:28.560 we all control. How much we move, what we put 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:32.720 into our mouths, and our attitudes or choices, and those 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:35.960 choices also go to what we call things, how we 0:15:36.040 --> 0:15:41.040 frame things. That's up to us nobody else. I am 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:49.320 Tom Holland this is Fitness Disrupted, Believe in yourself. Fitness 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:52.520 Disrupted is a production of I Heart Radio. For more 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:55.800 podcasts from my Heart radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 0:15:56.000 --> 0:16:01.080 Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.