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Are Your Cheat Days Cheat-y Enough?

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As we crest the rise of the hill leading up to the release of the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet, I’ve been getting hit with a lot of emails. Which is great, because it gives me an opportunity to interact with people on a more personal level, and really help out.

The problem with emails is that they only go to one person, and a lot of that information could likely benefit nearly all of my readers; to that end, I want to share some of the more common ones I get with you.

This post is going to be about Cheat Days, because I have been getting more Cheat Day questions than I know what to do with. Not surprising, considering how prominently Cheat Days are featured in XFLD Some of them are really great—they have to do with timing workouts and some other cool stuff.

Others…well, not so much.

It’s like people just don’t GET it.

Here is a sample of some of the questions I’ve been getting:

“Roman, normally I get about 1800 calories per day. On my Cheat Days I’m getting about 3000, sometimes 3200. Is that okay?”

Well, that depends. If you are eating 3200 calories before 2pm, and then eat another 3200 after that, then it’s okay. If your entire caloric intake for the day is only 3200, you’re screwing up. Double or triple it and get back to me.

“Generally I have NO carbs at all. Not even any. So for my Cheat Days, I’m adding in some yogurt (13g carbs) and having oatmeal for breakfast. I’m male, 6’1’’ and 160 at 18% body fat by the way. What do you suggest?”

You are literally screwing this up in every way imaginable.

Firstly, you need some more carbs to grow some more muscle, which you desperately need at your height and weight.

Secondly, 13g from yogurt and then a bowl of oatmeal isn’t a Cheat Day, it’s a diet day for anyone sane.

Check out my blog post on calorie calculations.

“For my Cheat Days, I’m trying to have fast digesting but healthy carbs, like fruits, some waxy maize, and then good protein. To me, this seems more beneficial than eating junk food. The way you guys spin it, it seems like you’re saying you HAVE to eat crap.”

This is actually a really interesting question, and I’m glad I get to address it here.

Certainly, you don’t have to eat junk food.

The main thing to note is that Joel’s research suggests that for the best benefit, you should be eating carbs and fats together while getting a surplus of calories. Can you do this with fruits and healthy oils? I’m certain you can.

I just don’t know how convenient it is.

Mainly, if you’re looking at it from the perspective of stomach volume, how much “healthy” carbs are you going to need to eat to get the same calories from a few slices of pizza?

How long can you do that before feeling “full” gets in the way of the program, because it hampers your ability to eat enough calories to get the positive effects of over-feeding?

I’m not saying it’s impossible; I’m just of the mind that it’s just less practical and therefore less effective. Not to mention, all of that is completely discounting the fact that most people are using Cheat Days because they like the freedom to eat whatever they want, and in most cases that’s “forbidden” food.

In an ideal situation for you, if you were able to get the same number calories and identical macronutrient breakdowns from ‘healthier’ foods, would you have the same results? Probably. Would you be better off than someone who was eating junk food? No idea.Personally, I think you’re going to be A LOT better off allowing yourself some latitude–afterall, that IS the purpose of the Cheat Day.

But if it makes you happy, go for it.

“Roman, you and Joel always talk about these huge Cheat Days, and it seems cool for you. But I just worry about eating that many calories. I know you have science to back it up and you’re lean as anything in all your pics and videos so you seem real with it—but level with me. REALLY, how much do you eat on Cheat Days? And is it really just really junky foods?”

GREAT question. Allow me to answer your question with another question: Have you ever heard of a Vermonster?

Check these vids for my Cheat Day battle.

In this video, as I begin to dig in, I’m confident, happy and even a little euphoric as I begin to crunch and munch my way to an ice-cream filled heaven:

After that, things got a bit iffy…

In this video (about 15 minutes later) I’m realizing quickly that 20 scoops of ice cream is a bit more challenging than I’d thought initially. Less than halfway through, I come to see like MANY, MANY situations in my life, I may have let my ego guide me down a path I should have viewed with a bit more trepidation:

Another 20 minutes later, I’m hurting. Just before this video (and it’s a shame we missed it) was that magical transition from “it’s so good…it’s SO good” to “it’s so bad…oh, my God this is so, so bad.” We’d also started making friends at Ben and Jerry’s as the spectacle of two trainers eating ice cream on camera draws some questions:

Less than 10 minutes later, I’m pretty much done.

I feel like I can keep eating…as long as I’m not eating ice cream. I want to vomit or die, in no particular order. I tap out with little shame.

So, as you can see, that I LOVE my Cheat Days. Just truly love them. This was a bit much, of course, and I certainly do NOT endorse or recommend this to anyone as a habitual thing, I’ve just personally wanted to eat a Vermonster (or try) for a few years now.

The thing is, I went on to eat a lot for the rest of the day. It’s just that I had to eat solid foods. Ice cream just did me in. I doubt I’ll eat Ben and Jerry’s for about a month.

Ultimately, the rule for Cheat Days is eat WHATEVER YOU WANT, just don’t eat until discomfort. I ate a bucket of ice cream, and stopped when I knew it was time.

I did this with 100% confidence in the program, because I have 100% confidence in Joel and the science, so I KNOW with 100% certainty that even eating a Vermonster (or failing at eating one) isn’t going to take me away from where I want to be.

Cheat Days work. That’s all there is to it.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Let’s hear about Yours!

PS  – Don’t forget to pick up the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet!

About the Author

John Romaniello is a level 70 orc wizard who spends his days lifting heavy shit and his nights fighting crime. When not doing that, he serves as the Chief Bro King of the Roman Empire and Executive Editor here on RFS. You can read his articles here, and rants on Facebook.

Comments for This Entry

  • Zanah Marie

    Hi before a cheat day should I fast a day before and workout? I just lost the weight and I'm going to Disneyland :( kinda scared to eat but I mean it's Disneyland you know. Also my intake is pretty low at the moment so would it be okay to have a cheat day right after I lost the weight? Thank you xx

    October 5, 2016 at 7:53 pm

  • Weimy Orm

    What happens if I'm on a trip for like 2-4 days and there is no healthy days, maybe fruits but that's about it. For these 2-4 I will be eating in restaurants and at fast food places. Will I gain weight? Is there any specific fruit to eat? Pineapple, watermelon? Help!

    May 25, 2014 at 10:20 am

  • Michael El Niño Mazepa

    The funny thing is my full fast day after cheat days are extremely easy cause of how much I eat on my cheat day. Its about 5X the calories I normally consume so the hunger pains only start arising around 10pm on my full fast day. Which as John said, you just combat by going to sleep early.

    March 27, 2014 at 12:57 am

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  • Kiriouss

    man.. lol this just loos kinda unreal lol... i mean with all the science im still afraid to do it somehow>.> it just seems too good good to be true:P but its such a win win situation that i really want to try it. But i have a question. When is the best time to go for a 24 hour fast day on that week? before cheating or afterwards?

    March 2, 2014 at 2:23 pm

  • Cardiogirl

    This is my cheat day I NEVER finish all of it My Average Cheat Day · Fresh mozzarella and prosciutto roll-finished · Apple jacks cereal · Strawberry fruit rollups · Spam · Cooler ranch Doritos · Luigi’s cherry Italian ices · Eggo home style waffles · Sorrento mozzarella string cheese · Reeses-finished · Large rice crispy treat-finished · Large lucky charms treat-finished · Deluxe Italian sub-finished · Cooler ranch Doritos loco taco-finished · Soft beef taco-finished · Breadsticks-finished · Chicken tempura roll-sometimes I finish · Cherry slurpee-finished

    February 28, 2014 at 9:33 am

  • John Romaniello

    Jan Krueger well, you just drink a lot of water, go to bed early, and try your best. Main thing - if you eat enough on a cheat day, your fast day should be pretty easy

    January 13, 2014 at 6:09 pm

  • Jessica

    Dude. Gross. But I'm sold on the cheats. Question is, what does Neghar eat on a cheat day? I'm a woman, so I would never attempt to eat that much ice cream; however, I am curious to know what a fit woman puts down on her cheatiest cheat day:)

    January 12, 2014 at 11:41 am

  • Jan Krueger

    "fasting" day looks really hard. How do you get through the day?

    January 11, 2014 at 4:44 am

  • Jan Krueger

    Cheat day looks great, but how do folks make i through the first "fasting " day?

    January 11, 2014 at 4:42 am

  • The Cheating Cheat Sheet - Roman Fitness Systems

    [...] a day off from your diet can help you lose fat faster. In fact, I believe it so much that I have the cheatiest cheat days [...]

    November 13, 2013 at 5:10 am

  • Em

    Should you use a cheat day in your first week of dieting or wait a bit longer?

    July 7, 2013 at 5:58 am

  • Seth Oliver

    Roman, I should have posted a comment here a long time ago, better late than not at all: I met you in Vegas in May, 2012 at the NL poker table at Aria and after I got home, I started following this massive cheat day once / week like we discussed. From June, 2012 to the end of December, 2012 my weight went from 173 lbs to 175 lbs. My metabolism shot up from around 2,200-2,300 calories / day to 2,700-2,800 calories / day. My bench press working sets went from 240-245 to 285. And best of all, my quality of life improved dramatically. I just competed in my first show last month and am now going back onto your once / week massive cheat day for my offseason. You da bomb brother. -Seth (Duluth, MN)

    June 21, 2013 at 2:42 am

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    December 30, 2012 at 9:15 pm

  • Kaylie

    On cheat day, should you exercise more than normal? Or at all?

    November 7, 2012 at 6:40 pm

  • Niki

    What happens if I have a cheat day twice a week instead of once? Sometimes just once a week is hard to do, but I'm not looking for an excuse--more encouragement toward just ONE cheat day a week. I'm feeling like I'm in serious trouble diet wise because I've been having trouble staying at just one cheat day a week and I'm not certain why. Help please?

    July 27, 2012 at 3:14 am

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    [...] Right Amount of CaloriesHow much weight can I lose in 17 days with strict dieting and exerciseAre Your Cheat Days Cheat-y EnoughWhy do we eat moreHow much weight can I lose in 17 days with strict dieting and exerciseThe Best [...]

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  • Cookie

    Will you PLEASE help me put together a Gluten free cheat day? I am NOT doing a good job at this. I really feel like it's much more difficult to go all out carb wise, while keeping the fat lower when you're gluten intolerant - almost all prepared (and most homemade) gluten free goodies are loaded with fat, and honestly, just little portions leave you feeling SO full, I usually end up around my normal calories with about 300g's carbs (as apposed to my ultra low 30). I even tried to eat regular (no-gluten free) ice cream to see if I could put some respectable numbers up but ended up breaking out all over and having respiratory issues that I'm still dealing with 3 weeks later (both issues - sux)

    July 2, 2012 at 2:56 pm

  • Rob22

    hi! I eat A LOT, maybe 6-8 times a day, but I´d like to think that I eat very healthy as well... and cook almost everything myself, which is very time-consuming, but I like it. For some reason I get light headed very quickly if I don´t eat every 2-3 hours. And a lot of times I don´t even feel hungry, I just notice I have to eat something when I am starting to get dizzy. I´m 5`6``, 136 lbs. Since I work and study, it´s not like I have a lot of time to exercise, but I try to do it 2-4x per week, doing intervals at least once a week and changing my routine every 3-4 weeks. For those of us who don´t exercise 6 days a week: would a "eat-all-you-can-half-a-day" be fine? Till now I haven´t felt the need of doing this more than once every 7-10 days, and then it´s usually a night out with friends, drinking 4-6 beers and having a burger or so... If more, then the next day I really eat about a fourth of what I usually eat. But I seldom do a planned "whole day cheat day", the drinking part helps me keep mentally balanced as well.

    June 27, 2012 at 11:09 am

  • Kian

    I'm incorporating cheat day into my diet plan and I'm facing this particular situation. There are times  in-between my two cheat days, I'm in a situation where I can't eat "clean", e.g. my cheat day is on every sunday and from monday to saturday I'm in situations where I have no choice but to eat things I'm not suppose to eat unless it is a cheat day. So do I still continue my cheat day on the second sunday since my leptin may not have decreased significantly over the weekdays (thus does not require to "restart" my leptin) or do I skip the second sunday cheat day and wait till the third sunday?

    February 20, 2012 at 11:54 pm

  • Nickdothee

    Does anyone know if you should or shouldn't be working out during a 24/hr or 36/hr fast. Is it okay if that day becomes your "day off" from the gym? 

    February 9, 2012 at 11:59 am

  • Alexander

    does cals in cals out theory still apply if incorporating cheat days? Not that I'm holding back on my cheatdays, but I was wondering if you need a certain deficit before going in the cheat and a certain deficit following the cheat ie: fast day. to 'balance' out the equation so that ur still losing fat?

    November 8, 2011 at 5:22 pm

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  • zoidberg

    Hey Roman, For you super lean dudes, I'm sure you can get away with the 3xcal high fat/carb cheat days no probs. For me, I've got about 20kg to lose and it just doesn't work for me. I still like the idea of high cal day then fast, and am thinking maybe doing a 3 day change in my pattern which goes something like this: Protein only Day, Pseudo cheat Day, Fast Day, where my Pseudo cheat day consists of around 420g of Carbs, 80g Fat, 280g protein. It's not an all out cheat day, but it's very high carb (which is the best macro for leptin response) and I still get to eat out, so it keeps me sane (which is probably the most important idea about this approach). I do Strength training on the cheat day. During the week I have 2 other day setups which I alternate. 200carb/35fat/235protein on strength training days with majority consumed post workout, and rest days 50carb/30fat/215protein. I've been following this for about a month now with good results. Before that I was doing a strict 1500 cal/day diet with good results but I hit a plateau. Also the 1500/day was terrible for strength training. Since I modified my pattern to include many carbs post workout, I'm now increasing resistance weekly so it's hard to gauge my actual fat loss at the moment. I'm after something I can stick to forever (so I don't care if it takes a year or longer to get trim). I think training every day of the week is just not for me moving forward. 3x strength training plus the proteinonly/cheat/fast day is enough for me to stay in this pattern. So cheers for opening my eyes to the cheat day approach, I think it's helped me to stop thinking I'm actually dieting, which I never felt before while losing kegs, so I'm thinking this is probably the shiz. cheers mate

    November 6, 2011 at 4:01 pm

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  • Huddi

    My Cheat Day starts fomr 6am on Saturdays until midnight, this way I can eat comfortable throughout the day! :P I'm considering to making it 4am, as my fast & diet is extreeeeeeeme!

    November 2, 2011 at 12:48 pm

  • Huddi

    Hi Roman, a thought! I do my cheat day once a week on Saturdays. I eat what I want from 6am to midnight (18 hours). I then fast for 36 hours... Is it possible, not to have 2 cheat days where I can consume anything I want for 9 hours, and then fast for 18 hours... Thus both halved... Is this ok? Or will the effects be negative? Or could this be better? Which is more suited for better fat loss? Thanks.

    November 1, 2011 at 7:06 pm

  • Huddi

    I did a strict diet for 2 months, my morale was so down but I was stubborn to go for it. Then I did trial and error with cheat theories; that is the only way how you can find a solution to a diet that fits ones body. I consumed 3-4 days in a row of anything I wanted to, without fasting. I thought I could shock my body, felt awful, stopped training in those days. But I realised my muscles were pumping and looking more ripped, including my semi 6 pack. I am now sticking to the once a week cheat day followed by a fast; it works wonders. In the first week, I've noticed my lower flab (the last bit to the road of abs) split... For me it's a sign of more fat loss, it's so great for cheat days, especially since this is a LIFESTYLE CHOICE...

    November 1, 2011 at 6:30 pm

  • Samuel

    What intensity/amount of exercise qualifies me to be able to have a badass cheat day such as the one shown in the vermonster vid?? Is there any circumstances where a person shouldnt be having cheat days because their not doing enough exercise?

    September 29, 2011 at 5:33 pm

  • Debby

    Okay... Ill try to make this short... I started an intense body overhaul back in january. in December 2009 I was 182 lbs (5'4, Female). This was my heaviest. Since January Ive lost about 40 something lbs (up and down). My lowest to date was a flimsy 134(not muscular). Im now at a relatively muscular 137. My goal is to hit 130 by the new year. My program is a lot more lax foodwise than when I began, but now instead of 4 2hr bouts of Weights/light Cardio, I now do 7 days of typically 600 cals on the elliptical and alternate weight days. Ive been doing the cheat day thing (involuntarily) for the past 2 mos only to feel like i have to destroy myself at the gym throughout the week to get back to normal (800 cals elliptical, same weights). Currently I consume regularly: 1.5 cabbage, several tomatoes, 5 apples, 8oz Chicken,1scoop weigh protein w/almond milk/cocoa powder, 2tsp glutamine, and two kale and spinach salads with spicy mustard and vinegar. 100+ oz H2o.Total: 1400 cals. approx. I dont know about everyone else, but on a cheat day I generally put away 3 or 4 boxes of some low cal cereal(organic/gluten free), vegetarian beans(sweet kind), 3 bags air popped popcorn, some yogurt, and whatever else I can to not feel too guilty healthwise, but be COMPLETELY stuffed! After this I feel like SHIT and the guilt and bloat overwhelm me totally. I then proceed to do 3 days of 1400 food cals, 800cals elliptical w/weights, followed by 3 days of 600 cals elliptical. Then im exhausted and virtually back to square 1... Ive been doing this for a while and Im seeing no progress scale wise.. though im generally happy to get back to my "friday" weight, after undoing the damage of the cheat day. What the hell am I doing wrong? for the next 2 weeks, my focus will be weight loss on 1400 cals plus 600 elliptical w/weights..because this cycle is exhausting as HELL!

    September 29, 2011 at 10:50 am

  • therese

    Burn The Fat is based mostly on nutrition, although there are chapters on exercise recommendations and mindset. You can choose the physical activities that you enjoy and that work for you. Fast Fat Loss Diet

    September 17, 2011 at 5:33 am

  • joel

    Fat loss diets are interesting and result oriented. I am doing one of these. I heard a lot about xtreme fat loss diet plan. What is your opinion on it?

    September 4, 2011 at 11:49 pm

  • Ron Conte

    This article is completely correct!! Anyone who is afraid of a cheat day, I feel very bad for u. CHEAT DAYS ARE ESSENTIAL. I'm primarily 7% body fat. I lift weights 6 times a week, I do two intense spin classes for 45 minutes twice a week, I also work 8-10 hour days doing construction, which also burns calories. If you work your ass off, u fuckin deserve a cheat day. Throughout the week I eat 6 meals a day consisting of 7am 2 cups egg whites 1 cup oatmeal Banana Flax vitamins and other Essential vitamins and minerals 10am 7.5 oz baked chicken 5 oz. Brown rice Spinach salad Almonds 1pm 7.5 oz baked chicken 5 oz. Brown rice 7 oz. Broccoli Almonds 4pm 7.5 oz baked chicken 5 oz. Brown rice Spinach salad Serving natural peanutbutter Workout at 5pm Finish workout with two scoops of whey with banana. 6:30pm 7.5 oz baked salmon Large sweet potato Broccoli or asparagus Flax vitamins All natural peanutbutter 9:00 pm 2 scoops whey protein Flax vitamins By Sunday I'm insane, I fucking hate Chicken, brown rice and I just want to gorge. So I wake up Sunday and start off with a healthy breakfast 2 cups egg white Oatmeal Banana From then on I open the flood gates. At 10am I'll have 2 bacon egg and cheese sandwiches, extra Bacon and cheese At 12 pm I'll Have a huge tuna, Bacon sub from subway with extra Bacon and chipotle Around 3pm ill get a large order of oniOn rings and cheese Fries from a &w with whey pretein shake. Around 6pm I get a large steak and cheese pizza and eat it ALL Around 9pm I will Get buffalo chicken wings and a Buffalo chicken calzone. For dessert I get individual Friendly Sunday's or ben and jerrys like Roman, so fucking Good. On Monday I'm satisfied with junk food, I begin a week of intense training, hard work at the job, and a PERFECT diet. After confusing my body and metabolism with all the Junk I ate, I SHReD fat within days of Sunday to where I have a 6 pack by wednsday, and by Friday I look Huge and back to 7 - 8 % body fat. The fat FLIES off u , and the Mind, body, and sOul, thanks you for giving it what it needed! A binge cheat day!

    September 4, 2011 at 10:56 am

  • Manny

    Awesome info! Since I am a poor college student who keeps getting turned down for job interviews (f***ers!!!) I can't get the XFLD right now so I was wondering if this will do untill I do get it. Sunday-Cheat day Monday-Fast day;Fat loss complex from T-Nation(Tumminello complex) every day after monday is alternating from the complex and a full body workout with saturday rest, and since I have a meal plan I try my best to keep the cals and carbs in check during the week. Thanks!

    September 2, 2011 at 9:05 am

  • Breezeah

    No, you will not benefit from less cheaty cheat days. I thought eating a bit less would be better than eating that many calories, but after experimenting I can absolutely assure you Roman is right, You absolutely must take between 2.5-3 normal calorie intake on your cheat days. Also, if you are not doing a density workout, you are also making a big mistake. Feast+Desnity->Fast is the way to go!

    August 20, 2011 at 7:10 am

  • Jen

    Hey Roman, Thanks for the info! I'm on my first Fast Day of the XFLD and having trouble with the BCAA capsules, or keeping them down. I don't seem to be able to keep them down on an empty stomach (lost at least six of them a little later in the morning). Rather than risk constantly tossing my BCAA's, i ate a little something to keep them down. Do you think I'll drastically decreas the benefits of a Fast Day without the BCAA's? Thanks!

    June 23, 2011 at 2:26 pm

  • Tj

    I seem to be making decent progress so far, except for the BCAA supplements. I have discovered they stop me up like a cork! I mean miserable! I just can't handle the amounts of BCAA and whey protein that I am told I need to ingest. On fast days, I guess I will have to go with water and unsweetened tea. I will have to worry about the muscle later. I just want to get rid of the ball lf flab around the middle, and so far, I seem to be firming up and making good progress. My endurance is getting better and I am looking pretty dang good for a 57 year old male. I really have a cereal jones... I love shredded wheat with fruit and Stevia. Piza is always good too. But I continue to progress, slowly but surely. I even turned down donuts at work the other day!

    June 6, 2011 at 11:03 am

  • Emma Curtis-Smith

    Class Roman!! Laughed my ass off! (o:

    June 1, 2011 at 1:12 am

  • John Romaniello

    There are even a few recipes in there, but we should definitely add more. That's a great idea. Thanks! And thank you for the compliment.

    May 25, 2011 at 9:56 am

  • John Romaniello

    Seriously! Hooray for leptin.

    May 25, 2011 at 9:55 am

  • John Romaniello

    Sweet tooth all day all night. I love candy, cookies, cake...all that. When I'm cheating, it's never, "wow I would love some pizza or a burger." It's always, "where's the ice cream at!?" Just how I'm wired =)

    May 25, 2011 at 9:55 am

  • John Romaniello

    Eeesh. That's pretty insane man. Yea, the MSG hangover is no fun. Even when cheating I now tend to stay away from Chinese food...no idea why.

    May 25, 2011 at 9:54 am

  • John Romaniello

    It's possible - I would say try to do a BW workout on your cheat days (that way you don't have to leave the house) for about a month, and see how it goes. The only way to find out is to test it.

    May 25, 2011 at 9:53 am

  • John Romaniello

    Haha, I dunno, the aftermath felt an awful lot like #LOSING. But I appreciate the compliment =)

    May 25, 2011 at 9:52 am

  • John Romaniello

    XFLD has different "types" of diet days - cheat day, fast day, shake day, low carb day, protein only. It's very comprehensive; you'll see how it's laid out when you pick up the program =)

    May 25, 2011 at 9:51 am

  • John Romaniello

    PRECISELY correct! Thanks for that, Glenn!

    May 25, 2011 at 9:51 am

  • John Romaniello

    As I mentioned in the blog, your cheat days don't HAVE to be all junk food - as long as you get in the calories and macros you're fine. Ans yes, you can just do a 24 hour fast instead of a 36 hour one.

    May 25, 2011 at 9:50 am

  • John Romaniello

    As long as you're limiting the cheating to once per week (or once every 5 days) and doing it inline with the strategies I've outlined, no reason to feel guilty. Thanks for the kind words and I can't wait to see your results!

    May 25, 2011 at 9:49 am

  • John Romaniello

    I appreciate the feedback! XFLD is pretty intense and insanely effective. Regarding the bonuses, email me.

    May 25, 2011 at 9:48 am

  • John Romaniello

    Most people are a bit too strict and hard on themselves. That's why I decided to write the blog =) Glad you got some insight from it!

    May 25, 2011 at 9:47 am

  • John Romaniello

    I have seen that episode! I was very impressed, Adam is a beast. I'd love to get my hands on him - I think we could get him to drop 30 pounds of fat and gain 10 in muscle in about 3 months.

    May 25, 2011 at 9:46 am

  • Doug

    WOW! I was worrying this whole time that I was maybe overdoing it on my Sunday cheat day. Maybe eating a few too many calories on that one day and undoing a bit of progress from the rest of the week. I guess I've been too strict and hard on myself. Hmmm.... I usually eat a wildcaught salmon, and a fried egg sandwich with organic sourcream on it for breakfast. (I LOVE sour cream) A little later, I'll eat a couple of bowls of flaxseed cereal with almond milk. A dark chocolate bar dipped in sunflower seed butter for a mid morning snack. By then I'm pretty full. For lunch/dinner I'll get a fat burrito from Chipotle (about 1400 calories) And maybe some pasta for dinner/dinner if I have my daughter that weekend. Sounds kinda boring I suppose, especially compared to THE VERMONSTER!!!! LMAO! I might try expanding my horizons a bit.

    May 25, 2011 at 12:10 am

  • Dora Yau

    Hi Roman, I just want to ask that if I have already purchased the XFLD and your program last year. Is there anyway I can still get the bonus that you are throwing in with the new launch of the XFLD? Btw: XFLD is an awesome product. And works amazing. Cheats days totally work.

    May 24, 2011 at 6:52 pm

  • Nic D

    Hey Roman, I'm doing your Final Phase Fat Loss workouts now and love them. I eat pretty healthy normally. When I have a real good cheat day (like pizza or chinese buffet and chocolate/peanut butter girlscout cookies) I've always felt guilty and like a fraud since I like to help friends out with workout and fat loss advice. I'd love to get the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet to learn about that more. Keep up all the good work!

    May 24, 2011 at 9:04 am

  • Edvier

    I used to cheat every Sunday and when using Joel's CYWT it worked for me I have been using it for more than 1 year. I don't know why suddenly it's not working anymore. I cheat every Sunday but I am stuck in a plateau since January, I can't loose weight neither fat %. I am wondering if doing this in a long term may damage the metabolism and if i need I reset maybe overeating. I think my body it's in a starving mode, and that's why no matter how much exercise i do, it's not going to loose it's fat.

    May 23, 2011 at 9:04 pm

  • mdlozen

    Another great post, Roman! I would also like to know if you can benefit from less "cheaty" cheat days. If I eat that much greasy and/or sugary food, I would definitely suffer the next day. On the same note, do you have to fast a whole day to get a benefit? I tried it a few times and although I was able to work out in the morning, as the day progresses I get weaker and weaker, and I have hard time concentrating let alone do a PM cardio! Could I be doing something wrong?

    May 23, 2011 at 8:43 pm

  • Phrank Booth

    I just completed four days of low calories and am about to enjoy a large pizza with everything on it and yet.............I still don't think I coulda tackled as much of that Vermonster as you did. Romes, you're an animal ("winning")!

    May 23, 2011 at 7:17 pm

  • Glenn

    Pizza is my favourite food. The best part about Cheat Days is not just that you can eat it, but that you SHOULD eat it, and can do so with a clear conscience. I believe it's not "falling off the diet wagon" occasionally that does the most damage, but the emotional torment you put yourself through for having done so. Cheat Days mean no torment.

    May 23, 2011 at 4:06 pm

  • Sonia

    So what do you eat the other days to make that work for you?

    May 23, 2011 at 3:48 pm

  • wendy

    Cheat Days rule!. I have one- every Sunday- for the past 10 years! After years of tweeking the weekly diet to where I feel I am totally dialed in- I still have a muffin top!! In my research for answers, this is the only thing I have found that I have not done -ever- "Make your cheat day on a day you have a good hard workout". Well this is a real problem for me. Sunday is family day, rest day, picnic, movies, hanging with friends,chilling at the house, birthday parties and any other celebration we can think of.Becasue of this, it is the perfect cheat day for me and anyone who hangs with me- family included. Needless to say it is the one day I do NOT workout. My body needs rest too! Working out Sunday is NOT an option. Could this possibly be the only reason my last bit of muffin top wont dissappear? Can it really matter that much?

    May 23, 2011 at 3:39 pm

  • luca10

    Hey Roman! Just want to thank you for your super informative and yes, funny blog. I am 11 hours into my first fast day and hoping to make it through the next 6 hours food free. So excited for the launch so I can get the whole picture. All the best :)

    May 23, 2011 at 3:31 pm

  • Jason

    Hey John, Have you seen the episode of Man vs Food where Adam finishes the kitchen sink? (episode where he eats huge amounts of icecream) Your youtube videos remind me of that episode except he had a bigger spoon and the vessel his ice cream was put in was pretty cool. Worst cheat day was eating so much chinese food during brunch that I had a MSG hangover for the next 48 hours. I felt sick at work and I could not eat anything solid for that next day. Liquid substance was only thing I could actively put in my mouth. Definitely worse than a real hangover. P.S. Your blogs are awesome.

    May 23, 2011 at 2:41 pm

  • Toby

    Great post. My usual diet (when I'm lean bulking as opposed to the 4-5 week periods I do a few times a year which I refer to as beast mode bulking...) consists of medium carbs from natural sources with some starchier carbs thrown in for good measure around workout time, with one cheat day per week (usually Friday or Saturday), in which I consume on average around 4,500- 5,000 calories from a wide range of healthy and not so healthy (I am a sucker for pastries, cookies and anything classified as a desert) food choices. I always schedule this cheat day around a brutal training session (think benching, deadlifting, front squats and weighted chins... ouch!). This cheat day has allowed me to continue gaining solid mass whilst staying pretty lean (went from 5'9 160, to 5'9 170 in a few months, whilst never getting above abut 12%). They also allowed me to satisfy my sweet tooth to there is nomore to satisfy, whilst still feeling (relatively) healthy :-) In a nutshell- I frigging love cheat days. Are you more of a sweet tooth man, or a savoury junk food type of guy when you cheat? Toby.

    May 23, 2011 at 2:41 pm

  • Wes

    Ah, the Ver-monster. I, too, have been defeated by that delicious beast. I plan to try again sometime--maybe this summer. My best cheat day was a dinner at a Chinese buffet. Sadly, though, it was one of those hurt-yourself experiences. I should have stopped after the first dessert plate, but no, I stupidly went back for a second. And then a soft-serve ice cream cone. I spent 3 years working at a Baskin Robins in high school, so I know how to load up a soft-serve cone. It was at least a foot of ice cream. Six hours later I was still uncomfortably stuffed. It was a legendary feast amongst my friends. And only one of the food related stories they have of me.

    May 23, 2011 at 2:25 pm

  • Shelby Meidinginger

    I love cheat days, I think they keep me sane. After what you said about massive calories though I could probably even eat more than I do. I just normally eat whatever I want and don't really pay attention to the calories, but I guess a couple cookies isn't enough calories.

    May 23, 2011 at 1:50 pm

  • Dante

    Hey Roman, Even though I`m a huge fan of Cheat Days (cuz deep inside I`m still a fat kid) and I trust you and Joel 100% could you expalin a bit how this works cuz my maintanance calories are 2100 and on a diet a cut somewhere to 1100 plus one fast day , thats 7100 calories negative balance per week. Then if I add somewhere around 7000-8000 calories on a cheat day , how could I be losing at least one pound per week? Are hormones taking care of the rest? Thanks alot :)

    May 23, 2011 at 1:44 pm

  • Stacy

    I've got one month to loose 10 - 15 pounds. I would not get there dieting as I normally do, so I am crossing my fingers on this one. I usually follow diet and exercise programs to the letter but then eventually get bored and fall off the wagon followed by gaining the weight back. I'm looking forward to learning more about this and seeing if I can make it work for me.

    May 23, 2011 at 1:27 pm

  • Tracey

    Awesome videos, some things really do seem like a good idea until you put them into practice. Hope you managed to keep the ice cream down for the remainder of the day? Shall be keeping my fingers crossed that mine will be the randomly picked comment so I can learn more from you.

    May 23, 2011 at 1:18 pm

  • Doug

    Sounds awesome! Can't wait to be the next testimony! Thanks a bunch and hooray for leptin!

    May 23, 2011 at 1:16 pm

  • Caleb Quinn

    I am so excited for this program, there are so many interesting concepts and ideas here! hitting fat loss from all angles. Probably the last diet and nutrition book you will ever need, AND it comes with workouts! making it probably the last fitness purchase you will ever need (especially if it has recipes!)

    May 23, 2011 at 1:09 pm

  • Heidi

    Roman, Is the book "The Cheat to Lose Diet" the same thing as the Xtreme Fat Loss diet? Is it just same book, new look or is the new/different stuff in the Xtreme diet recently released??

    May 23, 2011 at 12:39 pm

  • Carole MacCannell

    Wow! that cheat day of yours looked like the worst and the best of times! Can't wait to get started.

    May 23, 2011 at 12:13 pm

  • Reka

    I think I could eat 20 scoops of ice cream. Gotta try one day. Are they 4 dkg scoops? Also, maybe this just skipped my attention, but what is the difference between the programs you and Joel released now and last year? I mean, what makes this year's 2.0 programs different from the 1.0 ones?

    May 23, 2011 at 11:54 am

  • Dina

    Where does beer/wine fit in on cheat day. Is it ok to have a few? Thanks

    May 23, 2011 at 11:47 am

  • Stef

    What I always do before a cheat day is empty(or try to) my muscle glycogen completely.. So on the morning of my cheat day I have a really intense cardio session on a almost empty stomach (I just take some bcaa's or proteinshake).. Then, I start cheating and if anything, I don't hold back.. If I was to count my calories on a cheat day, (which I don't), I'd say I eat between 10000 and 15000 calories.. I actually love the day after the Cheat day the most, cause even though I am fasting, my muscles are really really really full (Like the hulk, but then bigger :D) and I tend to have crazy intense and extremely satisfying workouts...

    May 23, 2011 at 11:34 am

  • Karen Praxel

    Can't decide if this epic of a cheat is thrilling or terrifying! You rocked the effort Rom! LOL I discovered an amazing whole animal butcher shop that only carries local, organic, pastured raised meats from ranched they visit and approve of (ethical, sustainable, etc..) My new FAVE cheat is burgers made with their bacon grind: 1/2 prime hamburger, 1/2 ground BACON!! With some organic blue or cheddar cheese on a pretzel bun...OMG! Amazeballs. And give this girl some fries over ice cream any day and you can see why I need to love me my workouts! Really excited to be incorporating some IF with guidance by you and Joel. Rockin' on.

    May 23, 2011 at 11:07 am

  • Janet

    I love your cheat days concept, I have them but have yet to follow-up with a fast (ok, I'm a little scared...) I haven't had my BMI measured in a long time, do you recommend the hand-held thingy the gyms use? I understand they're not very accurate but probably a better start then my guessemit. Thank God you couldn't finish 20 scoops of ice cream, you really are mortal after all! ~ JP P.S. How did Dave do with his bucket? P.S.P.S. You're getting a little long on top, time to schedule a trim with your local head hunter ;~)

    May 23, 2011 at 10:37 am

  • Heidi

    John, on the fast day, do I need to be taking BCAA's? If so, in what form or does it matter? thanks!

    May 23, 2011 at 10:34 am

  • Charles Mclaughlin

    Hi Romanator, XFLD looks like the most craziest diet ever invented! I thought cheating was eating slice of apple pie and some pudding but you have definitely shed some light on what you mean by cheating. I thought just eating a surplus of calories with unhealthy foods was enough. I was totally wrong on how much you want us to eat on cheat days. I bet your stomach went all revenge on you the next couple of days! :) hehe.

    May 23, 2011 at 10:10 am

  • DCC

    Cheat days are awesome :)

    May 23, 2011 at 9:53 am

  • michele b

    "It's like someone is adding ice cream from the bottom!" HILARIOUS!!! What do you think of less extreme cheat days for less extreme diets? Beneficial, unnecessary, or detrimental?

    May 23, 2011 at 9:45 am

  • xena

    OMG!!!! (say that alot huh,?! lol) But anywayssss...I think, well let me be straight up honest here, I KNOW I had my biggest bolded totally not justifiable but so D#$!N good Cheat * cough cough PIG OUT* BBQ last Sunday!!!! And I was soooo not on planning on doing that..but suddenly my hands&mouth started to taking over things,well not things...but heeps of so ff-ing delish food!!! Luckily one thing was good: I did not consume any alcohol(just a zip of red wine, really). So my cheatfeast consisted of chicken in many different ways..,lambchops,potato mash ups,garilcbread(trust me a whole baquet and then some..) and what I normally don't never ever drink: soda's and lemonade..I can't remember my hands touching anything green that day... Yes I did a fast yesterday and I was thinking to do another fast tommorow but instead of a fast I will do a only and nothing but all greens day!!! Hmmm maybe I will make it a steady thing like Wednesday=Veggie day! Ha! I think this was just on of those moment that you just totally snap out of your diet routine and occurs only once or twice at the most. I hope..lol

    May 23, 2011 at 9:16 am

  • Margo

    I have a question about cheat days and fast days.. I am on medication that I MUST take with food at least twice a day so not eating anything for a day is not an option for me. How do I tailor or tweak cheat days and post cheat days to maximize the benefit? Right now, after a cheat day I eat super clean and up the fiber (veggie content). Doesn't seem to be working all that well though but I also don't go supercrazy on cheat days b/c I feel like crap after eating that much starch and sugar. HELP!!!

    May 23, 2011 at 9:10 am

  • Zephyr

    I'm liking this whole feast--->fast idea. Looking forward to giving it a spin. ^_^

    May 23, 2011 at 9:09 am

  • Eva

    I tried following xfld last summer, and really went all out on cheat days,drinking chocolate milk, having cookies, candy, and cheasy greasy pizza type stuff. The rest of the weekdays I followed the program to the letter, fasting and everything, but afteks I had no results that I could measure at least. Could this have to do with the fact that I'm a woman, and that our bodies might react differently to overfeeding etc? (I'm 22, 5ft8 and around 155lbs) I really want the program to work, is there anything I can do differently for it to work for me??

    May 23, 2011 at 8:31 am

  • John Romaniello

    Active! Density training is best on your cheat day

    May 23, 2011 at 7:18 am

  • John Romaniello

    It's a bit individual, but on average I stand by my recommendation that people should be looking to eat about 2.5-3 times their normal caloric intake on a cheat day.

    May 23, 2011 at 7:16 am

  • John Romaniello

    Awesome! That's great to hear, Jay. Feast-->Fast is definitely a lot of fun, and very effective. Glad you're having such a good experience with it. And keep in mind, it works even better within the context of the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet

    May 23, 2011 at 7:15 am

  • John Romaniello

    Good question! Yes, I still use cheat days to maintain, even when not specifically looking to lose fat.

    May 23, 2011 at 7:13 am

  • John Romaniello

    Most people report similarly. It seems that as long as you don't stuff yourself to the point of vomiting, more calories won't hurt you. Enjoy =)

    May 23, 2011 at 7:11 am

  • Debbies21

    I know it depends on a lot of factors, where you are in your journey just starting, halfway there, or almost at the end. But truly how much should you eat on your cheat meal or day. I was always the skinny kid. I could lose 10 pounds just having a stomach flu, 5 pounds if I missed a meal, now that I'm older its frustrating that it's taking longer to get where I want to be so I don't want to delay getting to my goal because I had a piece of pizza or a bowl of icecream.

    May 11, 2011 at 8:48 pm

  • Jay

    I just had my first feast-fast days and it totally worked. I was 178 lbs on Friday (the day before my fast, which I was for two weeks) and then 180 lbs on Sunday (the morning after my feast). I fasted all day Sunday and by Tuesday morning I was 176lbs. I followed the fast day with a couple low carb days. On my fast day, I was not hungry at all. I kept drinking water with lemon (cleansing purpose) and green tea (lemon & ginger) to sooth my stomach from all the ice cream I ate the day before. I went to the gym on Sunday Morning and did my weekly cardio for 35 minutes and felt great. Now I look forward to Cheat Days and don't feel crazy trying to figure out when should I cheat on my diet throughout the week. It helps me to keep me calm and my girlfriend loves it because we can go eat all the stuff she has given up living with me.

    May 11, 2011 at 7:11 am

  • Jenni

    Hi, Just wondering if cheat days apply to those trying to maintain (and not lose weight) can it still be effective somehow, and do you John use cheat days even when you are fit and not needing to lose fat? Thanks!

    April 18, 2011 at 4:59 pm

  • Danny

    At first I went all out on cheat days, 7000-8000 calories. Then i decided to lower my calorie intake on cheat days to about 4000-6500. Surprisingly, my fat loss went down,, I am now back to old cheat-y cheat days. 7000 + calories and i seem to be losing way faster.., I really don't know why it works better for me, but if you have been only taking 1000 above maintenance on your cheat days, you are definitely not getting a lot of benefit from your cheat days. I am a 5'11 150-155 pound 10% BF guy and taking in 7.5-8 k calories on my cheat days, helps me lose fat faster.

    April 10, 2011 at 10:55 pm

  • Janet

    Is the cheat day follwed by a fast day? I am eating 1000-1200 a day now, Im 5ft and I need to lose another 30 pounds I am 157 my lowest has been 127 and afteer a car accident 2 years ago I have gone up 30 pounds. I eat protein, fruits, low carb ones, and veggies. any i ideas on how to get this off? PLEASE HELP! thanks

    April 7, 2011 at 8:25 am

  • Jenni

    Hi, I'm not trying to lose weight right now... just trying to maintain, so should I be incorporating cheat days into my meal plan? Or is that strictly for weight loss purposes? And if it does apply to me should It be as intense of a caloric surplus? Thanks!

    April 6, 2011 at 7:18 pm

  • Jenni

    Hi, I'm currently not trying to lose weight, just looking to maintain right now... Should I still be incorporating cheat days? Or is that strictly for weight loss? And if I do have cheat days should it be less intense? Thanks for the help!

    April 6, 2011 at 7:16 pm

  • MJ

    Man, john you rock haha thats insane, my problem is I dont know when to stop, since im eating so strictly during the week, I go all out on cheat days..but thas the point ey? I used final phase and cheat your way thin together months ago, amazing result, then I gave up cheat days and stuck to hiit and strength training workouts and maintained a regular diet and felt good. Buuut of-course plateaus have arisen and Ive gotten bored, therefore today was my first cheat day in a looong time....and thus..this clip was my inspiration..haha

    September 26, 2010 at 12:21 am

  • yllek

    hi john, is better to be active on cheat days or better to be idle? Thanks

    August 21, 2010 at 3:43 pm

  • AlexD

    Great one, a shame you did not manage to finish it though. It's true people are usually either too strict, or not enough.. being on cheat days or diets (both aren't the best options). I am waiting to get Joel's new book, but as I do currently, is that I time my cheat days to be just before a day with some extra cardio (e.g. HIIT for how long I can last). Does that make sense? Finally, an old cheat back in 2008, a good one, http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v369/85/124/688332434/n688332434_919822_6989.jpg followed by its 12 scoops icecream. Felt really good. Thanks for this Roman, keep up the good work !

    June 29, 2010 at 10:38 pm

  • Joseph

    Where's the blog on calorie calculations? My wife and I are late fifty's+ and been having success with the Xtreme - I'm 6' 0", 185lb and she's 5'2", about 150, maybe 145 at this point - we're not young or overly muscled - I'm thinking 6,000 calories is way overboard for us - you think?

    June 2, 2010 at 10:25 pm

  • Justin

    Hey John, Just a real quick question for you: When should you stop "cheating" on your cheat day? Is there a time or a certain amount of time before you go to bed?

    May 31, 2010 at 11:20 pm

  • Reka

    I'm really getting fed up. For 4 days, I'm dreaming about my cheat day and drooling when I pass by the ice cream stands. Then the cheat day is getting the better off me. I was always able to eat as much as an army, nothing could stop me. Now on these cheat days I feel so puffy and bloated, it's no more than about 500 calories and I can't look at food anymore, it's terrible. Maybe this isn't for me after all. I haven't had ice cream since my first cheat day because by the time I would go have one, I feel so full that I couldn't force it down my throat. And I love ice cream, and I want to eat it every single day, but I don't eat it on the other 4 days, and I'm not able to eat it on the cheat day. So far it's sucks, and I start to doubt that I'm really able to eat that much. Weird. But I'll check soon if it works well enough, and if the results are encouraging, I'm sticking with it as much as I can. I think these short period very radical things work wonders for people who have a good routine and are stuck with a plateau. They are very good to boost through plateaus and get results quickly without gaining back the fat later.

    May 29, 2010 at 12:09 pm

  • Dante

    Hey John, you guys rock but I had a quick question cuz i`ve been doin my cheat days but the day after my belly looks like it`s covered with a new layer of fat.Is that normal?

    May 27, 2010 at 5:27 am

  • Dave

    @Zach You're a moron. Go choke on a veggie burger and shut the fuck up. I could go on, but you aren't worth the wear and tear on my keyboard. Anywho, speaking of how much Abercrombie blows, I just wanted to point this out because it made the video that much funnier: I love how in the first video the guy right in front of Roman has an Abercrombie shirt on hahaha Great stuff, my man! Keep it coming, I'm a huge fan.

    May 25, 2010 at 12:19 am

  • Robyn

    John, I'd be interested to read your thoughts on what Pauline Nordine has to say about cheat days (http://www.fighterdiet.com/blog/). She's in the cheat-days-should-be-controlled-refeed-days camp (i.e. more oats, wholemeal pasta, omega-3, etc). I'm into the third cycle of XFLD & following it to the letter. Only had one deviation, which was alcohol on the night of my third cheat day. I won't do that again, as it apparently inhibits leptin production (although, there is some research that alcohol may increase leptin in women, but reduce it in men... but don't quote me on that. There's also other research that suggests that after acute alcohol consumption leptin decreases in blood serum, but remains at preconsumption levels in adipose tissue.). Anyhow, since started XFLD I've never looked so lean. I even have a six pack coming through. Yet, with long term restricted diets (e.g. evidenced based 12 week programs) the weight has come off pretty slowly, albeit body composition changed noticably in the desired direction.

    May 21, 2010 at 7:06 am

  • SRG

    Thanks so much for the videos. I ate ice cream today on my Cheat Day 3, but it was only a small - I really couldn't eat any more. I guess I need to up my cheat days to keep up with you :) I so enjoyed the videos - a great ending to Cheat Day 3 for me. I'm looking forward to Fast Day 3 tomorrow - I don't have to think about what I'm going to eat - "nothing" is real easy to fix !!!!

    May 21, 2010 at 12:30 am

  • Reka

    it feels weird... I have to keep telling myself that it is all right because after a while I feel with every chew that I'm ruining my body instead of perfecting it... but I trust the stuff:) funny, working out hard every day isn't as challenging as this :D How many bf % can someone lose by the way? I'm really looking forward to see that. I have a very strong feeling that, for the first time in my life, after nearly two years of living like a fitness freak, I'll finally go below 20%. And then there will be no return!:)

    May 20, 2010 at 3:58 pm

  • pam

    hi john, i just had my first cheat day (on the XFLD) yesterday, and i have to tell you, it was hard work! i was nervous about eating so much (and so much sugar/fat/etc) in one day, but i did it. and i was soooo uncomfortable! to maintain my current weight (158, and im 5'8"), i would need 1800 cals so i shot for 5000 on the cheat day. yikes! i think i made it to 3900 cals by 10pm... then i had to ROLL myself to bed! after eating a huge muffin, handfuls of crunch 'n munch and cheetos, a big roast beef sandwich, several pieces of chocolate, a piece of carrot cake, spaghetti and meatballs w/ lots of parmesan, a piece of fritatta, a cup of ice cream, a brownie, soft cheese and crackers, one glass of red wine, three glasses of juice and lots of water... OMG it was really hard!! so im very glad i dont have to look at food during the fast day today... wow. do you have any suggestions on how to consume enough cals on the cheat day without feeling totally uncomfortable??

    May 18, 2010 at 10:58 am

  • Matt

    Hilarious video! I'm doing Joel's Xtreme Fat Loss and I'm loving those cheat days. Just had a burrito from Chipotle that was the size of a small child in a diaper and I'm still cutting fat...unreal! You guys know your stuff.

    May 14, 2010 at 3:27 pm

  • Sinisa

    You got bigger eyes for food then your belly, that is something we say in Coratia, same as saying you bite more then you can chew :). I got the XFLD from Joel's site and I'm 2 weeks in the program, and I have to say that I haven't been following the diet to the letter. I don't have the protein powder and I don't have the BCAA's so I tried compensating. On my fast day early in the morning I get some oatmeal (maybe 100gm) , rest of the day is just water and a few almonds. The shake, protein day are very hard for me but I manage somehow (I make shakes with cottage cheese,fruits,flax). Tomorrow is my cheat day I'll try and indulge in some foods that I haven't had in almost a year, I'll try to indulge more. Even with me not following everything to the letter I managed to lose 4 pounds since starting the program. I have to say that your exercise program is excellent and very challenging, the initial sores are gone but new come every week, haha. One question, am I going to be ok without all the supplements? Anyway, I love the blog and you got a great sense of humor keep up the good work!

    May 13, 2010 at 5:49 pm

  • Doc S

    Zach; Dudes like you give fitness a BAD NAME. Lighten up, or go play jacks with the girls... Roman - in the interest of Zach's political correctness, perhaps we should get Ben and Jerry to come out with a flavor to complement "Chubby Hubby"??? Let me suggest "Big- assed Suprise"... In any case, Roman, keep up the great site

    May 12, 2010 at 9:12 pm

  • arlow

    I want to see Marc Mcdougal comment on this. I like to keep a lean (7-11%) everything year round, and I don't see me maintaining a 28 inch waist OR a lean face if I binge out like this once every 20 days. Let me finish your book and get back to you on this... I don't do cheat days, I do massive refeeds once a week post-workout (tricep days).

    May 12, 2010 at 11:32 am

  • Annie

    Do you still cheat when you're not doing the Xtreme Fat Loss diet? If you do, how often and would you recommend it for the average trainee?

    May 12, 2010 at 7:51 am

  • Raj Sri

    Roman, Do you think people who's BF is on the higher side should still have cheat days? I've been on a strict keto now for 14 days and was thinking about having a cheat day. I am hovering around 20% bodyfat

    May 11, 2010 at 7:26 pm

  • Ignacio

    Im just so happy!! :D cheat days are great!! its been like 5 months that I haven't eat a pizza, or a whole liter of ice cream! I have been very strict whit my diet, for what? just some pound less of fat. but now in just 5 days I have lost like 3 pounds! and I see my muscles more ripped and toned in just 5 days of the program!! and the best part is this day!! oh my god!! Im eating a cookies and cream ice cream right now :)

    May 9, 2010 at 1:04 pm

  • Linn

    Hey roman! Just a quick question, i'm new in this concept with cheat and fasting days so just wondering if the fasting day should come before or after the cheat day for the best results? Thanks for your time, and y´well i think you did a good job with the ice cream after all. Linnéa

    May 9, 2010 at 11:09 am

  • Bob

    I'm just starting this and I can't wait. One question about the work outs. Since you are working out every day how do you break up the body parts? Please help me get the best out of this program. I also have your FPFL Progam and have wondered the same.

    May 9, 2010 at 2:33 am

  • Chris

    Roman, I just have to say that reading your blog comments as I sip my first cup of Folgers is my favorite way to start a day. You are hilarious! That said, I am loving your FPFL workouts, as are several of my clients. I'm only recently (re)turning to the Cheat To Win diet protocol. I forgot how much fun it is. Hey man, what I thought would be helpful (and good reading) is if you could post sort of a "Day In The Life" of what you might eat on a typical day during this diet. Not necessarily the Cheat Day, but the rest of the time. Is it something you follow for the most part year-round? Just kind of wondering if it is part of your lifestyle, or something you dial in every once in a while. Forgive me if this has been covered elsewhere.

    May 8, 2010 at 8:04 pm

  • Boxtavious

    Ok first I gotta ask, how much does a Vermonster cost? Second, I think this should be a video series, maybe tackle a Cold Stone ice cream cake next. Maybe you'll get a TV deal out of being the personal trainer who eats these ridiculous things by himself.

    May 6, 2010 at 7:21 pm

  • Dave

    I usually have cheat days whenever i work my weakest body parts. I use giant sets so im in a huge oxygen debt everytime i workout. Is 2 cheat days , 3-5days apart too much? Should i stick to 1 ? Thanks, Dave

    May 5, 2010 at 8:19 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Mat, I basically stop eating before bed...which on cheat days I try to have be 11pm. My last bit of food might be 10:30--usually some cottage cheese and a fiber shake (to help with the following day). So I fast from then until I wake up on the morning of the shake day. Keep in mind I also go by "feel" -- so if i'm REALLY starting to feel like crap, i'll either take a nap or have some protein. Haven't needed to do that in a while though.

    May 5, 2010 at 3:15 pm

  • Mathieu D

    John, Last time I've read about fasting (before XFLD), it said we shouldn't be fasting more than 24 hours. Therefore what it suggested was to stop eating at, say, 6pm (or 10pm in the cases I've tried it) on the cheat day, and then on the fast day, get a low-calorie meal of protein + healthy fats *right away* after 24h of fasting. Joel isn't giving any such boundaries/details about the fast day; what's your take? Do you cheat-eat until you get to bed on your cheat day, then don't eat at all until the morning post-fast-day (Day 3)? Thanks Ro! Mat

    May 5, 2010 at 2:44 pm

  • RANDY

    hey john! i think people who are used to eating just a cheatmeal for the longest time are a little scared of the concept, im sure chris shugart(the v diet guy) are one of these guys. He even states in one of his articles that you should avoid cheatmeals or have 1 every 2 weeks. I love food so i really want to give this cheatday thing a try. I have joels book the cheat to lose diet. I have been on the abs diet for awhile( 1 cheatmeal a week ) and truth is 1 whole cheatday seems 10 times more fun. No, make that a 100 times more fun. Your workout combination of strength,lactic acid,dencity,dynamic,complexes plus joel marions cheat to lose might be the missing link or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or whatever you want to call it. Ive been trying to get ripped so ill definetly give the feast fast a try. Any advice? What are depletion days anyway? not to pull your leg but us normal human beings are sooooo lucky to have you an joel. hope to get as ripped as you are in 4 weeks=)

    May 5, 2010 at 3:45 am

  • Liam

    when having a big cheat day like that does that mean that if u were to eat anything bad the following couple of days it would be detrimental more so than any other time. first timer i have used thibs new system perfect rep etc it has made me really stronger and bigger 70 kilos to 83 but fat has followed suit. listeming to u i am now 80 kilo n leaner than ever cheers ps where is my free stuff Aussie humour better than all

    May 5, 2010 at 2:42 am

  • James

    lol reminds me of food challenges me and my friend used to do on my cheat day (every day was a cheat day for him;). The 40 nugget challenge and the mushjack fajitas for 2 (each) come to mind. John is this part of what you did to get ripped in the first place or what you do now that you are already ripped?

    May 4, 2010 at 8:52 pm

  • Debra

    @Paula - @John Romaniello - I too eat primarily a raw vegan diet but it would be easy to do a high fat high calories day with guacomole or some other avocado dish, there is raw vegan "ice cream", several nut-based dishes that are high fat and high calorie. So I think even doing raw it would be indulging in those things which most of us fit-minded individuals usually avoid eating just like those who eat a more traditional diet. The videos definitely do not make me want to eat ice cream, that's for sure! And I am wondering now healthy it is to overwhelm your system with calories and fat such that you binge eat and then fast.

    May 4, 2010 at 6:49 pm

  • Molly

    That was hilarious--and I think you made your point CLEARLY about cheat days! HAHA, I think what people don't understand is that in order to do a cheat day you have to be on a program and have a planned week. You can't just eat the normal american diet and then double or triple that one day a week and expect results!

    May 4, 2010 at 1:02 pm

  • Concetta

    That was a lot of ice cream! I have been going back and forth, buy or not buy XFLD. It certainly would be a great experiment. Very scientific, very specific training. Structured. I was also wondering if an almost vegan could do this, but I seems it will work with any "diet." Thank you for answering these questions.

    May 4, 2010 at 9:01 am

  • Annie

    Hahaha "Chunky Monkey" For some reason that was hilarious. Nice videos/blog. I don't understand how people can not eat much on cheat days... haha Oh and I totally agree with you about the vegans

    May 4, 2010 at 7:51 am

  • nathan

    Hey Roman, Before i share my 1st cheat day, a question: does cheat day start on waking (on cheat day) or can be a set 24 hours (say 6pm-6pm) is there a difference?, have you/joel tried it out? ok, full english breakfast, with milkshake, large cappacino and 2 slices of cake, 1 large indian takeaway meal with rice/bread/dessert, pre workout drink, peri-workout MRP with added isotonic sugar drink, post workout snikers cheesecake (awesome!), 5 bangers (sausages) and mash with gravy, 1x ft long subway sandwich and large ice cream... BOOM! felt so good yet so bad... after claiming i would never eat again, i was soon planning my next one. hahaha. Tip: dont let your clients catch you in the mall eating all this shit or they will totally loose faith in you, as what happened to me twice last saturday!

    May 4, 2010 at 7:37 am

  • Chuck

    Hey Zach, as Robin said, Roman loves joking. I'm a vegetarian, almost vegan, I only eat eggs. And I didn't feel offended by what Roman said. I know he was kidding and even if he's not a vegetarian, well, that's his call. I've had to put up with all the "how do you get your protein/are you in a cult?" kind of line for years too, and I see what you mean. I've also learned to let go. After all, if I feel better, if like what I do and know it's good for me, why should I care what other people say? Or sometimes, just because it can be fun to see how other people react, I'll tell them "oh, and you like to put pieces of dead animals in your mouth, yuck, dude you're gross!" And I'd just like to point out that merely cutting meat/dairy out of your diet is not enough. If you eat junk food 7 days a week you probably won't lose fat, with or without meat. See what I mean? Of course there are very healthy vegans and vegetarians. It's just that you gotta learn what to eat and when to eat it too. And I guess you know what you're doing. But to go back to the purpose of these videos, I really think Roman wanted people to stop worrying and feeling guilty about overeating on cheat days. Sure, he bit off more than he could chew, literally haha but I feel much more confident now and I know I can enjoy my cheat days. Plus, I HAVE seen results. Have a great day!

    May 4, 2010 at 6:04 am

  • Bob

    @Zach - Grow up.

    May 4, 2010 at 5:45 am

  • David Fine

    Soooo good. And Zach is defo the sprinkles on my enjoyment.... he just topped it off nicely. Thank you.

    May 4, 2010 at 5:11 am

  • Sean

    Great post John! I just have to get the other 6 days a week down to even start the CYWT program! ;-) Eventually.... Hey Zach, maybe you just need to sit down and eat a nice organic steak or some fish oil? It might soothe your anger. :-)

    May 4, 2010 at 4:43 am

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By Zach@John Romaniello - if you had said "i don't wanna be friends with any blacks" or "but if youre jewish, stay away from me", do you think that people would have found that funny, even if they knew you were joking? making fun of people who wear Abercrombie is funny cause its so absurd and obviously not serious. singling out a group of people who actually do get continually harassed and ridiculed by many who aren't joking and are sometimes violent, however, is not funny, no matter how much your buddy Craig Ballantyne tries to reassure you that it is Your argument strengthens mine. Logic, in a conversation, is linear. By your own admission, refusing to be friends with someone because they don't eat caramel or because they shop at Abercombie is so far past the point of ridiculous that it CANNOT be taken seriously. Therefore, no one would take it seriously; instead, it was--or should have been--interpreted as a joke, because that's what it was. Tying Veganism to those statements in the manner I did extends the umbrella of humor to include that statement, by virtue of the fact that it was included in a litany which we have already establish was jocular in nature. Further to that, I think it's a bit ridiculous to compare making a comment about someone's dietary choices to making one about someone's race. I see your point (if I squint at it), but ultimately you're committing a bit of a logical fallacy. You're saying that it would be an identical issue for me to compare someone's race (which is not a choice they make) to their diet (which is). That argument MIGHT make sense if you mentioned something like homosexuality, which many people will argue is a choice and others will argue is not. Veganism is a choice, race is not. Your argument is flawed. Also, not only have vegans commented on this thread without complaint, but also have asked for advice about how to tailor this method to their lifestyle. Having said all of that, I'd just like to mention that in your original post you mentioned me thinking "I was tough" and stating that I "couldn't go a week without eating meat." Outside of you personally attacking me--which is just fucking lame--you're essentially making the argument that Vegans are "tough" because they can survive without meat. I hope you realize that is pretty ridiculous; mainly, because making a lifestyle choice and sticking to it for what you seem to think are "moralistic" reasons shouldn't be hard. It should be fulfilling and rewarding. Once again, I appreciate your defense of whatever individuals you think I may have offended with my less than politically correct statements. I'll just remind you--and anyone else--that I run what I consider to be an extremely personal website, upon which I post extremely personal opinions. I have never, EVER claimed to be serious, or tough, or anything other than an expert when it comes to fitness information. The manner in which I disseminate that information is not like other fitness pros, which is why this blog is so popular. And that is not changing. If you're easily offended, this is not the blog for you.

    May 4, 2010 at 3:53 am

  • Zach

    @John Romaniello - if you had said "i don't wanna be friends with any blacks" or "but if youre jewish, stay away from me", do you think that people would have found that funny, even if they knew you were joking? making fun of people who wear Abercrombie is funny cause its so absurd and obviously not serious. singling out a group of people who actually do get continually harassed and ridiculed by many who aren't joking and are sometimes violent, however, is not funny, no matter how much your buddy Craig Ballantyne tries to reassure you that it is

    May 4, 2010 at 3:32 am

  • Robyn

    damn zach seriously? like for real, u didnt know that roman is a tongue-in-cheek kind of guy? isnt it kinda obvious? for one thing, i know roman is a very caring guy, he made a damn support thread for me on fb for pete's sake! he did that cuz he care's about his clients and i was and am having trouble with motivation. i may not know roman in person but it doesnt take a real genius to figure out if someone is a good, kind person, and that is exactly what roman is.

    May 4, 2010 at 2:24 am

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By ZachCaramel is disgusting, people should be able to wear Abercrombie if that's how they choose to spend their money, and vegans are ten times tougher than you'll ever be. you think youre tough cause you can go a few days eating low carbs but youd never have the balls to go a week without meat. its easy to eat the way you do when you know itll make you look better and help you get hot chicks, but vegans still eat the way they do even though all they get for it is ridicule and harassment, but theyre that dedicated to their morals that they do it anyways. your criteria for choosing friends is flat out retarded. I'm only responding to this because you're coming at me from an adversarial place, and I don't like being disrespected on my own fucking site. So, because I'm in a relatively good mood, Zack, I'll assume you didn't realize I was joking. 1) I've already stated in the comments that I worked at Abercrombie for years. One of my best friends is a manager there, and one of my clients is a model for Hollister. Those comments were aimed at them as an inside joke. 2) Seriously, look around the site. One of the MAIN TESTIMONIALS on this VERY WEB PAGE is from a Vegan. Additionally, Craig Ballantyne, who is a close friend, was Vegan for a bit, and mainly, I was making fun of him. And HE thought it was funny. 3) Further to that, many vegans are not as "principled" as you think. They honestly believe their way of life is healthier, so they are doing it for self-serving reasons that are, ultimately, no more or less selfish than vanity or trying to "get hot chicks." 4) Regardless of how I eat, NOTHING about looking how I look is easy. If it was, most people would have achieved a relatively impressive physique in a decent time span, and wouldn't come to this blog or others like it for information on a daily basis. 5) Given the entire attitude of the post, the videos, and the site at large--which is OBVIOUSLY extremely tongue-in-cheek, if you walked away from the video thinking that I ACTUALLY choose friends based on where they buy jeans or what toppings they put on ice cream, I think you're probably not really going to enjoy being a reader. I'm not going to stop making jokes, or having fun doing this shit. Enjoy your self-righteousness and feel free to find a bland, poorly written fitness blog run by a guy who doesn't have an attitude. Sorry, Zack. I guess I'm just an asshole.

    May 4, 2010 at 2:08 am

  • Zach

    Caramel is disgusting, people should be able to wear Abercrombie if that's how they choose to spend their money, and vegans are ten times tougher than you'll ever be. you think youre tough cause you can go a few days eating low carbs but youd never have the balls to go a week without meat. its easy to eat the way you do when you know itll make you look better and help you get hot chicks, but vegans still eat the way they do even though all they get for it is ridicule and harassment, but theyre that dedicated to their morals that they do it anyways. your criteria for choosing friends is flat out retarded.

    May 4, 2010 at 1:57 am

  • Arthur

    Hey Roman, That was an awesome example of showing 2 things, a. that you can eat whatever u like on these days and b. that you should eat only until your stomach can take it. Being of Greek background i love my food and there's always a tonne around - thus backing up a healthy week of strategic eating and working out with a day of indulgence is perfect - you and Joel deserve to be knighted!! Cheers mate.

    May 4, 2010 at 1:39 am

  • Paul

    omfg dude, you`re a monster hahahaha. Why the hell do i feel fat like a mudda fucka after a cheat day? i usually just fast it out like just eat breakfast then continue all day with out eating to get back to my shape, cause it seems like after a cheat day a good 4pack becomes a 2-0pack easilly hahahahah

    May 4, 2010 at 12:56 am

  • Meshel

    I felt sick watching those. The places your brain goes is amazing. Although it did add a bit of laughter to the day :)

    May 4, 2010 at 12:34 am

  • Rachel

    ***The Biggest Loser Proves Xtreme FLD Works!!!*** I'm a big fan of the biggest loser and if you don't already watch it, I think you should check out the latest episode (season 9 ep 14). If you go to www.hulu.com you can watch it. There was a "cheating" challenge and only one person Cheated to win the prize. He ended up eating well over 4,000 calories. No one else wanted to sabotage their weight loss efforts and even the trainers freaked out about it. The guy also incorporated a tough work out at the end of the day like the XFLD. Well guess who the biggest loser was that week! If only the other contestants would've known... I was still somewhat of a skeptic, but as I watched this episode I was putting this diet to the test. I'm a believer now. I tried to email Joel, but the email was returned. I thought you guys might like to spread the word on that one.... P.S. I love caramel and want to die just walking by Abercrombie & Fitch because of the smell alone.......and they refuse to make jeans for a girl with an ass

    May 4, 2010 at 12:31 am

  • David

    I'm doing Vince del Monte's YSPQ. I follow his mealplans(low carb) so i don't get too many carbs daily(1-2 fruits and veggies). He said he had/has 2 cheat days and both when he worked out his weakest body parts so that he'd take advantage of the high carb/high calorie effect. Is 2 cheat days too much? I'd have them 3-5days apart. The workouts are REALLY intense so i'm getting a huge metabolism boost from the oxygen debt. And for the cheat days, are there any other "rules" than the ones you mentioned? As in, what about late eating? After I'm done his program, I'm buying everything that you have and are selling and I'm going hard on it! Thanks in advance, David P.S: I wonder what the people that walked in thought about you while you were battling with the Vermonster. They prolly didn't think of you as a fitness expert until you took your sweater off :P

    May 3, 2010 at 11:41 pm

  • Chris

    @John Romaniello - Thanks for your encouragement. I LOVE Mexican food, so that's a real good idea for cheat day. I have gotten used to not eating the breads and pastas and don't miss them much, but that would be an idea for cheat days. Eating the desserts I make for my husband---things like apple cake, butterscotch brownies, cookies, all made with good ingredients---would be another idea for cheat day. I like to make pancakes for cheat day. My problem with it lately is that I haven't had the taste for those foods. I really like the way I eat day in and day out. I guess I'm wondering if I can be successful with the diet if I DON'T go all out on cheat days and eat those foods that I've learned to not even miss. I've been maintaining; just not losing. It gets discouraging.

    May 3, 2010 at 11:36 pm

  • Julie

    Great video. I'm sorry to see you suffer at our expense, but you proved a good point, and I'm glad you did not vomit! At one point in my life, I figured cheat days were a way to eat a very sane portion of a forbidden food, because I never trusted the science behind eating whatever I wanted until I was sated. Then, a friend of mine convinced me to go out for pizza and beer. I said Ok fine, I'll plug it into my cheat day, have a slice and a Diet Coke, and we'll see. Six LARGE pieces of pizza later, two pitchers polished off, a round of Irish Car Bombs and more beer, I woke up the next day, ate breakfast, went to the gym and had a killer chest set, and came home leaner. It was freaking awesome. Thank you John!!

    May 3, 2010 at 11:17 pm

  • Nikki

    What kind of work outs are you doing to make this possible. The diet I am on is the EODD diet. I realy don't think that this would work in combination with your cheatier cheat days......or would it? I feel like I am constantly skimping on meals carbs and fats, and I walk my dog 2 miles a day then hit the gym for an hour and a half 3-4 times a week for cardio and strength training - plus 10 - 20 minutes of cardio in the morning before work. What do I see? Well I lost 25 lbs and now I am stuck - what gives?

    May 3, 2010 at 11:08 pm

  • Drew

    Now you know the tuth of "too much of anything is a bad thing." I'm reminded of the time I had my favorite dessert, French Silk Pie, an was asked to eat an entire pie in one sitting. I didn't even try, I knew it was just not possible. It's"too rich", but one piece is still the greatest thing in the world, dessert-wise. I have to admit watching this video makes me want to avoid cheat days! Haha. Maybe that's the real secret of the diet: eat so much junk you never want to see it again? Seriously, though, the sight of that tub of ice cream muck was a little gross to me even before you started. One question: is there a way around the fast day? I have an over-active metabolism and get migraines (to the point of having dry heaves). It's not a prety sight and I am very careful to get enough calories in a day to avoid it, even when I'm doing a PSMF day. Even on a PSMF day, I have to eata little more calories than is normally called for (even then, I get the light-headedness) to avoid the migraines. Let me know your thoughts, please.

    May 3, 2010 at 10:59 pm

  • Darryl

    @John Romaniello - Seems like a good idea but I just felt like the fast day was perfect for a day in which I should be concentrating on my Lord and Savior. Definitely will try it though and hope that I wont have to battle the post cheat day water bloat on a school day. lol talk about embarrassment. "Darryl how the heck did you get so fat over two freakin days?"

    May 3, 2010 at 10:26 pm

  • Janis

    Can your program be done on a vegan diet?

    May 3, 2010 at 10:22 pm

  • Marc

    Hey John! It's great seeing videos like this, I love how down-to-earth you (and Joel in other vids) always are! Makes me feel that much more confident in what you have to offer :) I love my cheat days, maybe not to the level of eating a huge tub of 20 scoops of ice cream but it's definitely fair to say I make the most of the day! I live in the perfect location for a cheat day, with takeaways, chip shops, restaurants and cafes all on my doorstep. Usually I'll start the morning off with an all-day breakfast. Then lunchtime it's pizza or burger with chips. Then evening it's a chinese takeaway or something from the local Japanese restaurant! Oh and of course a steady stream of yummy snacks in between the meals! And after all that, still losing fat each week?! Can't ask for a better deal really! Can't wait to get started on XFLD, even more frequent cheat days with even bigger results; seriously, you and Joel make things too easy for us! :P My worst cheat day would probably be on my birthday when my flatmates decided it would be a good idea to 'treat' me to "The Beast". It consisted of 12 toast halves, a serving of chips, spaghetti hoops, 6 sausages, 6 bacon rashers, 3 fried eggs, 2 fried toast halves, serving mushrooms, serving grilled tomatoes, serving beans, 2 black puddings and 2 hash browns. And this didn't come on a plate, oh no, this came on a tray! http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs017.snc1/4513_534226716114_289300801_2038302_5915084_n.jpg Needless to say, I was no match for The Beast and after forty minutes of fierce eating, I was beaten, having only gotten through 3/4 of it! And by the end, I felt the exact opposite of how you did after the Vermonster! I couldn't eat another bite of savoury food, but happily ate the ice cream that followed! If we had both eaten half of each other's mighty meals, I think we both would've conquered them! Look forward to hearing about your bonus tomorrow! Marc

    May 3, 2010 at 10:13 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By Darryl@John Romaniello - OK, cool. The reason I start early at times is because I have to turn in at 8 o clock on Saturdays to get enough rest for worship on Sunday morning. Just thought it would help me to get the proper caloric surplus but I guess not. Thx for the reply John, u and Joel are both my favorite fitness go-to guys :) That makes some sense. Have you considered doing cheat days on Sundays? Some of my favorite moments have been hitting a nice pancake house with the family after Church and not having to worry about eating "clean" foods. After that, a nice BBQ, etc. Aaaahhh summer. Built for cheat days! Thanks for the compliments, by the way

    May 3, 2010 at 10:13 pm

  • Tpaul Homdrom

    Haven't used a Cheat Day ever before, but with you and Joel both backing it up, looks like I will. Although 6400 calories sounds like a tall order... it will sure be a blast!!! Ha can't wait to try it out, looks awesome, sounds awesome. Keep up the great work John!

    May 3, 2010 at 10:02 pm

  • Darryl

    @John Romaniello - OK, cool. The reason I start early at times is because I have to turn in at 8 o clock on Saturdays to get enough rest for worship on Sunday morning. Just thought it would help me to get the proper caloric surplus but I guess not. Thx for the reply John, u and Joel are both my favorite fitness go-to guys :)

    May 3, 2010 at 10:02 pm

  • Sarah

    Hi Roman I am easing my way into the Cheat Days and gaining confidence. I was really pleased that after a big day eating sugar, fats and carbs that my weight went down a bit, not up, when I weighed the next weekend!! I'm looking forward to seeing your launch in a matter of hours! My question is: Since January I have dropped down to 57 kg and I'm 5'8", my body fat has reduced to 20.5%. I've lost about 8 kg and reduced by bodyfat by about 5%. I noticed over the past few weeks however that my waist size has crept up as well as my hips, nothing drastic but a bit of a change. I am doing the exercises and I walk 1 hour in the morning over rough paddocks, up hills (I live in Australia on a farm), and 30 minutes in the evening. My weight has gone down however. Not sure what is happening with the change in shape, could it be I am doing my exercises and weight lifting incorrectly?

    May 3, 2010 at 9:54 pm

  • Clement

    Hey roman, on your non-cheat days, how low should you go? I think I get the point that cheat days are for you to go wild! Hahaha

    May 3, 2010 at 9:47 pm

  • rudolf

    can I suggest food like noodles from rice or mung beans - no wheat or other grains in it. Full plate of noodles heavily sprinkled with various crushed nuts and added honey, butter or lecithin will give plenty of carbs+fats. Ideal meals also could be based on vegs, teh vegstew can be carb bomb or mashed sweet potatoes+pumpkin. Also chicken-veg soup can provide lots of carbs+fats. Cake based on almond flour,carrot,lemon,eggs,cocoa powder, and toped when served with honey, maple syrup etc. Also duringtheday you can keep drinking honey water or honeytea all teh time and /or maple syrup etc, lots of cals could be absorbed via drinks. I am also grain free and dairy free, there is lots of recipes in vegans books,websites etc... eating white flour is also highly demineralizing.

    May 3, 2010 at 9:44 pm

  • Alex Judson

    Hey roman, I don't chime in much but i have read everything you have written pretty sure, here and on T-nation and other sites, i gotta say first off just thank you for all you have put out there man, i love it. I have always been intrigued by this whole cheat day idea and am just wondering, how much of a caloric deficit do you generally wanna be running throughout the week in order for a cheat day to be useful? I am thinking of implementing the cheat->fast day with one of your dynamic workouts in the morning and a long walk at night in the next attempt i make to lose weight. Would this idea be ideal for someone doing something like a no carb very restrictive diet once a week? Any comments on when these are best incorporated? Thanks! Alex

    May 3, 2010 at 9:31 pm

  • rose

    Gluttony at its best! (One of the 7 capital sins.) If you can fly over to Rome, Roman I'd be honoured to treat you to the world's best "gelato" served in fancy glass coppette (bowls) and silver spoons. You can keep ordering different flavours and avoid having to eat runny ice-cream in a soggy carton. The whipped cream on top adds a nice fattening touch too. I love pistacchio and licorice gelato but not together. I guess Oscar Wilde's saying that "the best things in life are either illegal, immoral or just plain fattening", will have to be reviewed after the invention of Cheat Days. Can't wait to be part of this new fitness experience. Who knows I may even share my deadly tiramisu recipe with you.

    May 3, 2010 at 9:25 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By PaulaWow...I would love to do that, but being lactose intolerant has put a stop to that. I am a raw foodist so having a bit of a problem with the cheat days. Not much out there to go and gorge yourself on except nuts, nuts and more nuts. I am enjoying all the info I get from you guys so I just want to give you a very big hug and say thank you. Wow--you know I was thinking about doing a raw food experiment for 1-2 weeks sometime over the summer. I'd love to pick your brain about it. Thanks for the hug =) Returned with an extra squeeze

    May 3, 2010 at 9:22 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By DarrylHey Roman, lol nice cheat day bro. My cheat day is a little bit more ritualistic. I usaually start off with a big Hershey's Symphony bar then eat either some pie or some form of baked delicassy. Later I will move on to pizza or spaghetti along with some ice cream. The rest of my meals usually depends on whats lying around the house lol. I do have a couple of questions for you though. 1) Does your muscle mass determine how much you should be downing on a cheat day or does it not matter? 2) How bad is it to have a premature cheat day, say starting at 11 o clock Friday night instead of Saturday morning? Muscle mass acts as a determinant for pretty much everything--the muscle you have is going to determine your maintenance calories, which in going to factor into cheat days. Now as a general rule of thumb, ideally your cheat day should be around 3 times your maintenance; but honestly most of the time it's not even worth counting calories. Most people just seem to naturally gravitate towards that. Or rather "top out" at just about where they are supposed to be. In terms of starting at 11pm, i would say best to avoid it, but if you are celebrating something and want to make that part of the cheat day, go for it of course. Just wouldn't make a habit of it

    May 3, 2010 at 9:16 pm

  • Stacey

    Cheat days can be hard. Old habits die hard. Too many days of calorie counting in my past. I will work at it and trust the process! A day of pizza and ice cream sounds great right now!

    May 3, 2010 at 9:14 pm

  • Paula

    Wow...I would love to do that, but being lactose intolerant has put a stop to that. I am a raw foodist so having a bit of a problem with the cheat days. Not much out there to go and gorge yourself on except nuts, nuts and more nuts. I am enjoying all the info I get from you guys so I just want to give you a very big hug and say thank you.

    May 3, 2010 at 9:11 pm

  • Mike Arone

    HAHAHAHA! Awesome...thanks for that...your eyes were crossed in video 4 for christ sake...point taken...great!

    May 3, 2010 at 9:11 pm

  • Adam

    Ever heard of the McPizza? 1)Take pizza dough and spread pizza sauce on it, taking extra care to distribute evenly and unformly 2) Throw a shitload of burgers fries nuggets whatever you want on there from McDicks 3) Top with cheese then toss it in the oven Magical I tell you

    May 3, 2010 at 9:00 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By SaraMy cheat days always revolve around Ben & Jerry's! Good choice! I just tried their Pumpkin Cheesecake flavor and it was amazing! Thanks for taking the time to film your misery; this makes me feel less guilty when I indulge on my cheat days hah Ha! Glad I could help. Pumpkin Cheesecake is amazing, but I have to say I can't eat a whole pint. Cubby Hubby, on the other hand, I destroy.

    May 3, 2010 at 8:59 pm

  • Gwen

    Gee, Roman! I would be willing to give that a try, but with moose tracks, nuts, and whipped cream only. All those different flavors melting together would make me feel really sick too!

    May 3, 2010 at 8:58 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By KrisHey Roman; Just trying to wrap my head around this "Cheat Day" concept. Okay, so it's actually an all day eating frenzie, not just one cheat meal?! So for those of us really trying to dial it in....won't this hamper any progress we've made during the week? How about the stomach bloat that occurs when we strict diet and then slip up? Yikes!!!! I am really intriqued by the whole concept yet really apprehensive to just "let go" for the day. What if I can't stop after that and the next day turns into another cheat day instead of the Fast Day. Whoa, whole new concept here!!! Kris Yup it's a full cheat day. You touch on a REALLY interesting thing: not being able to stop. I have found that if you're eating enough on the cheat day, you really tend not to have that issue. Think of it a bit like a hangover--when you wake up the day after drinking too much, you're usually able to stay away from the booze for several days without any trouble. Cheat days are VERY similar in my mind =)

    May 3, 2010 at 8:57 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By ChrisWOW!!! You have definitely proved to me that my Cheat Days are NOT cheat-y enough. I thought I was doing well to make pancakes (out of wholesome ingredients) with agave syrup (to die for---to me), have some of the totally healthy peanut butter cookies I make for my husband (made using white whole wheat flour, no less). I do try to eat fats and carbs together on Cheat Days. But, I have a real issue. Please help. I can't eat dairy (and I notice that most of the cheat foods contain dairy of some sort) and don't do well with wheat. SOOOOOOOO, how can I do cheat like you do cheat without all the foods that would really affect my gut? Second, I really don't have any interest in eating real junk food (besides the fact that most of it contains those things that I can't have). How can I make the most of Cheat Days while not going over to the dark side? Thanks. Hmm. Well if you're looking at cheat foods without dairy or wheat, you have some limits but there are plenty. For starters, you can obviously just eat lots of cool mexican foods with corn chips, guacamole, beef etc. That stuff is great and makes my cheat days amazing. I've been known to eat several burgers on cheat days, and I know you can get wheat/gluten free buns. Let me ask you--what do you LIKE to eat that you normally deprive yourself of?

    May 3, 2010 at 8:55 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By wendyheres the problem with my cheat days. 2 years ago I deleted sugar from my diet. I simply do not eat it anymore- so a typical cheat day involves foods that have sugar in the ingredients. That is not bad since a cheat day is to cheat. Whats bad is after a sugary meal& dessert, I get sick and bloated. Then if I happen to eat it in the afternoon- I am done the rest of the day- and by Monday morning at 6AM when I am working out- I have just fasted for 14-15 hours. That really sucks. So my cheat days are pretty lame- I usually add a bag of chips and a few pieces of bacon. Otherwise I get sick. So basically, we're really talking about sugar issues here. It seems like you generally keep your insulin very well in check here. Have you been tested for hyper/hypoglycemia?

    May 3, 2010 at 8:53 pm

  • wendy

    heres the problem with my cheat days. 2 years ago I deleted sugar from my diet. I simply do not eat it anymore- so a typical cheat day involves foods that have sugar in the ingredients. That is not bad since a cheat day is to cheat. Whats bad is after a sugary meal& dessert, I get sick and bloated. Then if I happen to eat it in the afternoon- I am done the rest of the day- and by Monday morning at 6AM when I am working out- I have just fasted for 14-15 hours. That really sucks. So my cheat days are pretty lame- I usually add a bag of chips and a few pieces of bacon. Otherwise I get sick.

    May 3, 2010 at 8:51 pm

  • Chris

    WOW!!! You have definitely proved to me that my Cheat Days are NOT cheat-y enough. I thought I was doing well to make pancakes (out of wholesome ingredients) with agave syrup (to die for---to me), have some of the totally healthy peanut butter cookies I make for my husband (made using white whole wheat flour, no less). I do try to eat fats and carbs together on Cheat Days. But, I have a real issue. Please help. I can't eat dairy (and I notice that most of the cheat foods contain dairy of some sort) and don't do well with wheat. SOOOOOOOO, how can I do cheat like you do cheat without all the foods that would really affect my gut? Second, I really don't have any interest in eating real junk food (besides the fact that most of it contains those things that I can't have). How can I make the most of Cheat Days while not going over to the dark side? Thanks.

    May 3, 2010 at 8:47 pm

  • Sara

    My cheat days always revolve around Ben & Jerry's! Good choice! I just tried their Pumpkin Cheesecake flavor and it was amazing! Thanks for taking the time to film your misery; this makes me feel less guilty when I indulge on my cheat days hah

    May 3, 2010 at 8:45 pm

  • Kris

    Hey Roman; Just trying to wrap my head around this "Cheat Day" concept. Okay, so it's actually an all day eating frenzie, not just one cheat meal?! So for those of us really trying to dial it in....won't this hamper any progress we've made during the week? How about the stomach bloat that occurs when we strict diet and then slip up? Yikes!!!! I am really intriqued by the whole concept yet really apprehensive to just "let go" for the day. What if I can't stop after that and the next day turns into another cheat day instead of the Fast Day. Whoa, whole new concept here!!! Kris

    May 3, 2010 at 8:33 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By Björn Rösingerhahahahahaah really great i did this last week but our spoons are smaller.... how much have you paied for here you would pay around 30$ lol... and one big question me and my mom are on cywt and i'm working out too but i kinda stopped loosing fat but thats ok. so the thing is that my mom needs like 4 days after a cheat day even with fast day to get to the weight at the cheat day and than she dont looses more. is this normal? she hasnt lost anything since 2 weeks. wishes from germany Björn Well the main thing is that you should ONLY weigh yourself ONCE per week when on a program that involves cheating. Just weigh yourself the morning of the cheat day BEFORE you start eating, and that will give you the most accurate reflection of your weight and how to track progress. If you're not losing fat for the past 2-3 weeks, I'd say you can add in more exercise without an issue

    May 3, 2010 at 8:31 pm

  • Chris

    WOW!!! You have definitely proved to me that my Cheat Days are NOT cheat-y enough. I thought I was doing well to make pancakes (out of wholesome ingredients) with agave syrup (to die for---to me), have some of the totally healthy peanut butter cookies I make for my husband (made using white whole wheat flour, no less). I do try to eat fats and carbs together. But, I have a real issue. Please help. I can't eat dairy (and I notice that most of the cheat foods contain dairy of some sort) and don't do well with wheat. SOOOOOOOO, how can I do cheat like you do cheat without all the foods that would really affect my gut? Second, I really don't have any interest in eating real junk food (besides the fact that most of it contains those things that I can't have). How can I make the most of Cheat Days while not going over to the dark side? Thanks.

    May 3, 2010 at 8:31 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By TravisHey Roman, Did Dave end up finishing his? The first video he barely had any left! (he must had been chowing down haha). Props for trying to finish it though. I have gone a little crazy on my cheat days like eating numerous bags of chips among other things but nothing that compares to this haha. He actually got REALLY close. He pushed quite a bit harder than I did, and paid for it. He threw up later in the day and was feeling lousy all day long. I went on to have a pretty good day full of other fun foods. Thanks for the props!

    May 3, 2010 at 8:29 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By RyanI've been following Joel's "Cheat Your Way Thin" program in tandem with your "Final Phase Fat Loss" workout plan, and the results have been staggering. I've reached single digit body fat, lost inches in the waist, and even managed to gain a couple of pounds via lean muscle mass (never thought I'd see the day) - all while enjoying my favorite foods every week. My friends and family think I'm a genetic freak because they usually see me on Saturdays while I'm eating a whole pizza or devouring a half pint of B&J Chubby Hubby. I try to convince them that it's 100% discipline backed by sound science that allows me to eat the way I do. Unfortunately, they don't see me on the other days of the week when I'm strictly adhering to Joel's carbohydrate cycling plan. I strongly urge your readers to give this program a try. Aside from its effectiveness, it's a refreshing and fun approach to diet. I used to have the same thing. Now, people seem to have a better understanding that it works. Just give them time, they'll come around. Thanks for the support =)

    May 3, 2010 at 8:27 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By SuzieBeen doing a little experimenting because I don't have the diet yet but have lost 5 pounds this week. My cheat day was were I started. I ate pizza, a gyros, steak and pasta even had popcorn and resse candy bar. Wow did it feel good to be able to eat after trying to watch everything you eat. Today is cheat day number 2 had starbucks coffe and cake, doritos, mcdonalds cheeseburger and fries can't wait for dinner! Oh to be a size 5 again I will be happy dancing!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the fact that I am not hungry!!!! Thanks for telling us that we can cheat!!!!!!!!!!!! Glad you're enjoying it! Just wait till you get XFLD!

    May 3, 2010 at 8:26 pm

  • Julie

    Ohhh I wish I could eat ice cream! Although not that much I am sure I would be sick! I have not been a fan of cheat days until I had my most horrific cheat day ever! I was training with my friend for a competition and we have been eating ONLY chicken, spinach and asparagus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yum:( We had a moment of weakness where we found ourselves at the nearest 7-11 standing in front of the chocolate bar display. I think we bought one of everything. We sat behind the 7-11 (did I mention in an alley) and proceeded to stuff our faces until we were sick. So now I allow myself cheats every once in a while but it is ever only a small amount not 20 chocolate bars in one sitting. I am ill just thinking about it!

    May 3, 2010 at 8:25 pm

  • Henry

    So yeah, what's this I'm hearing about fast days? Care to elaborate?

    May 3, 2010 at 8:25 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By SherryJust watching this made me sick. Nice, happy to be of service. But, watching the playback was hard for me as well.

    May 3, 2010 at 8:24 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By Lisa JenkinsWowzers! I don't think I've ever seen anyone come as close as you did to finishing that much ice cream in one sitting! While ice cream is not my thing, I am definitely looking forward to indulging in some cookies, cakes and doughnuts (I hear Krispy Kreme calling my name)! Can't wait to get my hands on this program and put it to the test! Perhaps Krispy Kreme's will be next! Just not a whole bucketful.

    May 3, 2010 at 8:24 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By RobynOMG Roman! That bucket of ice cream looked like actually disgusting lol and I LOVE ice cream! Congrats on doing your best tho! Oh I guess we can't be friends anymore because I used to work at A&F lol and I still like that place. :) I also used to work at A&F. I was the shirtless dude in the front of the store. It's an age thing; guess I'm just past it =) Glad I could make gross you out, my friend!

    May 3, 2010 at 8:23 pm

  • Henry

    Man that was epic! I might give it a go! Well, I have a lot of faith in your circle of fitness knowledge as it has helped me get into the best shape of my life. But when I heard about this cheat day jargon, the first word that came to mind was 'bullshit'. I just couldn't believe it. Well on my first cheat day I went to an all you can eat buffet and ate a crap loud of protein and jello. Man was the awesome! Then I realized there was a mass evacuation going on a couple of blocks away. (I was in Times Square) Moral of the story being, cheat days are an EPIC WIN!!!

    May 3, 2010 at 8:23 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Originally Posted By AnkitLol, this was hilarious. I can only imagine the envy inspired by someone built/in shape eating a vermonster. Haha, yea, we got a lot of funny looks, especially when I took the jacket off and they were like WTF. Awesome

    May 3, 2010 at 8:21 pm

  • Willi

    BRAIN FREEZE...don't think I could do, but, what the heck...if Joel says go for it and it's okay...BRING IT ON! Awesome knowing this is okay...I was doing this before, just not following the plan...cheat days RULE!

    May 3, 2010 at 8:19 pm

  • D Hughes

    That was awesome Roman. Thank you. I now can get my fish and vegetables wife to cut loose. Especially when she watches your totally awesome "ripped" self show her how it's done. When we go to the gym together she follows me through the FPFL work outs hating me during it, but loving me afterwards. Thank you so much for your guidance. I am drinking the koolaid!!!

    May 3, 2010 at 8:15 pm

  • Clement

    Hi roman, thanks for the post. you really made things clear there. I was underthe impression that since my maintenance level was 2100 calories and I was eating 1800 on non-cheat days, 3000 cals on a cheat day was the limit. But then again, you shouldn't have limits on cheat days! Anyway, the only problem I have with the programme is supplements. I'm a whole foods guy and don't like taking in supplements. If I'm not wrong, there's a day in which supplements are all that are to be taken in, am I right? If so, can I substitute them with a lean protein or something?

    May 3, 2010 at 8:10 pm

  • Ted

    LMAO. That was one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life. Regarding the Vermonster - When my older sister was swimming for Wisconsin she took down a Vermonster by herself in like 30 minutes. You should be jealous. I know I am. I've never had a good experience with a cheat day, honestly. I can tell you, however, my worst experience. 5 o'clock rolled around and all I'd had to eat was 3 bars of Divine dark chocolate for breakfast (at noon, mind you. I like my sleep) because I then spent the next 5 hours in a psychology research lab. I then proceeded to order 3 large stuffed crust pizzas from Pizza Hut because of their anything you want for $10 deal. Extra cheese, pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, jalepenos, and mushrooms on each. Sat in front of the TV watching baseball and before 7 pm I'd finished all but 4 slices of pizza. Couldn't fall asleep until 2 because I was so nauseous.

    May 3, 2010 at 8:05 pm

  • Sue Heintze

    You know you're insane do't you! So did you throw up? If you did it doesn't count! Top marks for effort Roman :)

    May 3, 2010 at 8:05 pm

  • Ted

    LMAO. That was one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life. Regarding the Vermonster - When my older sister was swimming for Wisconsin she took down a Vermonster by herself in like 30 minutes. You should be jealous. I know I am. I've never had a good experience with a cheat day, honestly. I can tell you, however, my worst experience. 5 o'clock rolled around and all I'd had to eat was 3 bars of Divine dark chocolate for breakfast (at noon, mind you. I like my sleep) because I then spent the next 5 hours in a psychology research lab. I then proceeded to order 3 large stuffed crust pizzas from Pizza Hut because of their anything you want for $10 deal. Extra cheese, pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, jalepenos, and mushrooms on each. Sat in front of the TV watching baseball and before 7 pm I'd finished all but 4 slices of pizza. Couldn't fall asleep until 2 because I was so nauseous.

    May 3, 2010 at 8:04 pm

  • Sue Heintze

    You know you're insane don't you! So did you throw up? If you did it doesn't count! Top marks for effort Roman :)

    May 3, 2010 at 8:03 pm

  • Tom

    Wow! Perhaps you're pulling a little reverse psychology out there, LOL. You have taken away any immediate desire I've had to eat ice cream. Great, great video. Fun stuff, thanks Roman

    May 3, 2010 at 7:45 pm

  • Slagathor

    Oh yeah, also - do you get ice cream sweats? Like meat sweats but from B&J's? If, you do I guess it would be after 30 min of non-stop ice-cream eating

    May 3, 2010 at 7:28 pm

  • Mitch Gerharter

    Cheat days are what makes life worth livin'!!! For me its always a big ol' Blizzard from Dairy Queen and a fat order of Pizza Hut cheese sticks with ranch! Oh my!!! I'm so curious and excited about this fat loss program! I'm worried that I won't be able to afford it. See how it goes I guess! I wish the best to all who get a shot at employing it in their lives! One last thing... Gotta ask... What's the rule on beer and alcohol? Thanks so much and best of luck to all!

    May 3, 2010 at 7:24 pm

  • Brett C

    And what did you eat the next couple of days after that cheat day??!

    May 3, 2010 at 7:20 pm

  • Slagathor

    This post put me in a Roman's random ruminations mode: What kind of sane, normally intelligent person actually classifies oatmeal as cheat food? Personally I see oatmeal as a punishment and only eat it if force fed. Should you be counting calories even on you cheat days? If you're iffy on whether or not you get enough calorie surplus? I think I've been bad. If so - is there a lower limit to how much you should overshoot your calorie intake on a cheat day to make it efficient? Given that going from 1,800 to 3,200 is a 70 % increase in calories and still is way to low in you opinion? How much is a Vermonster? I fucking hate Sweden. A pint of B&J's will cost you a ludacris $6-7 bucks. I know Joel and you recommends working out on your cheat day, but if the whole idea is to create a large calorie surplus, is that really such a good idea? Don't you want to hang on to every calorie you can then?

    May 3, 2010 at 7:14 pm

  • Matty

    Glorious Mr.Roman, Just glorious. High-Five. Anyone out there looking for some cheat day breakfast magic try this. x number of pieces of peanut butter stuffed french toast, with bananas on top, maple syrup, icing sugar, whipped cream, cinnamon, and whatever dessert you have in the fridge, last one i had i put cheescake on top, another time a blizzard for breakfast dessert. delicious, high-five.

    May 3, 2010 at 7:14 pm

  • Salvador

    Man, I've been excited about the program because it's target is the fat loss; but now that I see you eating like this, I bitch slapped myself of feeling guilty about yersterday's meal just because I added an extra portion of rice, an extra portion of brown rice!!!!, not fat ass cheese or sweet bacon or a greassy sausage. Not even in my sickest dream I was eatin like that, LOL. I literally cannot wait to see what's in this program. About my best and worst days, well my worst cheat day it was quite along ago but I remember that I loved this creamy ice lolly Magnum, but that day I had one and I don't know what happened but it melted my stomach, beacause I couldn't get out of the toilet, and since then I dont have huge cravings for creamy icecreams, except Haagen Dass those are the heaven on my mouth. An my best was in fact a week ago when Joel launched the updates. I dont know if you're familiar with mexican food but there are this "garnachas" in spanish, and that day I had the most glorious "huarache" with an extra beef on top, meltin cheese and chili, (my mouth is watery now), I thought it was orgasmic, jajaj that for the cheat day and simply combined with the predepletion day of the lactic acid workout I learned in FFFL (JAJA) and BUM I manage to get rid of half pound over my navel wich is facy my hardest area; I was so fuc**** astonished, I couldn't belive it, REALLY, half pound of pure fat gone in one day!!!! I dont think I can wait till tomorrow.... So there you have; i hope to see more of this videos and some updates in the coming days. Peace From Mexico, your friend Salvador.

    May 3, 2010 at 7:13 pm

  • joanna

    hey roman, nice work on the icecream! I dont have to be afraid now of cheat days! Thankyou very much for clearing this up.. I shall not be afraid anymore, and ill eat whatever i choose on that special day.. Ofcourse with no discomfort :p.. Would love to see how the xfld is done on the other days to lose fat rapidly for the 25 day cycle.. I cant wait for it to come out!! Yayyy! :)

    May 3, 2010 at 6:44 pm

  • Andre

    lol man these videos just made my day. this same thing happened to me with pizza on my cheat day. i ate like two pizza boxes myself LOL...

    May 3, 2010 at 6:42 pm

  • Bethany

    Wow! This was actually liberating! I am nowhere near the point of feeling comfortable with eating that much icecream. But it does make me more comfortable knowing that eating outside of perfect, clean eating is NOT going to hinder your final goal efforts. And, if it actually helps...even BETTER! Great post! I look forward to seeing the results of using cheat days.

    May 3, 2010 at 6:32 pm

  • Jani

    Roman, thanks for the very entertaining blog post! I love ice cream too but this looks like something that I couldn't handle either... Anyway, I give you A+ for the effort and for making a good point. Keep up the good work with the blog!

    May 3, 2010 at 6:27 pm

  • Russ

    I'm thinking I'm going to be eating a similarly ridiculous amount on my cheat days and am going to have a hard time getting off the couch to do that mass workout I've heard is part of XFLD.

    May 3, 2010 at 6:26 pm

  • VB

    Yoh!! I thought i could eat alot of crap on a cheat day. LOL. I must say though, if you trust Joel's methods you bound for success. I have been cheating since the ending of last year. I was a bit skeptical first but what can i say. IT WORKS! My cheat days are generally thought up during the week. I have a cheat day on Sundays. Every week. My cheat days are generally more or less the same. Morning: HUGE bowl of Keloggs Coco Pops Snacks: Sweets and Chocolate Lunch: 2 Single Burgers generally Supper: Most of a LARGE Pizza with extra cheese. I Love Cheese. I build up for a cheat day and it just keeps me focused during the week so i know i can enjoy it when it comes around. But i do have a fast day followed By a mainly protein day the days after. And BTW, I just love the FPFL system. I'm seeing good results and will hopefully forward before and after picks after Week 6. But when i do the workouts some days i just think you were #*@& in the head when building up the program. LOL. It's brutal, but i manage everything within the allocated time. Keep up the Good Work!! Cheers

    May 3, 2010 at 6:21 pm

  • Terra

    Roman, you are hilarious! I LOVE seeing your videos! and, rest assured, I will NOT try that! I am very interested though, in seeing all the science behind Joel's theory....I'm a very disciplined person, and don't feel the need to cheat for myself....but want to learn more about the leptin influence. Thanks for a most entertaining post!

    May 3, 2010 at 6:17 pm

  • Keith

    F-ing awesome video roman. You think you could tell me exactly what you ate for the rest of your cheat day? Just really interested. Thnaks

    May 3, 2010 at 6:16 pm

  • Jim

    I and three other people at the Vermonster back in my college days at the B&J scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont. We did finish it, but mostly it was thanks to our our lone woman. She was this tiny thing training for a triathalon. I had about 5 scoops then bailed. But we did finish in under 30 minutes. Wild and crazy college days...

    May 3, 2010 at 5:58 pm

  • Susan

    After losing 50 pounds, I again weigh what I did 30 years ago -- but then I used to complain that I was fat! Now at 13% bodyfat, I want to get down to 9% (lowish for a woman, I know), but it's so much fun to tell my teenage daughter that sorry, her clothes are too big to borrow! Cutting these last few percentage points has been tough, and I found myself automatically doing cheating days once a week already; the problem is that getting ready for a cheat day somehow takes a day or two more, as I prepare (and taste, big time) all the goodies I'm going to allow myself. (I make a mean cheesecake; my apple strudels and lasagnas can weigh tons!) Of course, you have to drink plenty of coffee, piled high with whip cream, to keep up your strength for all this cooking! (Did you ever notice that raw cake batter really tastes better than the final, baked product? And you can drink it down in a shot, no chewing!) Anyway, I think that your 5 day cycle will probably be the key to breaking this last barrier for me, as 7 days is really just too long to wait for a reward! If I do say so myself, I already have other women (sometimes even girls) coming up to me in the gym, asking me what's my secret, but if XFLD does its magic the way you claim, I think I'll go into a new profession. Do you guys do international franchises?

    May 3, 2010 at 5:55 pm

  • Jessica

    I had no idea I wasn't eating enough on my cheat days. As always, thanks for the info!

    May 3, 2010 at 5:46 pm

  • Danielle

    Is the Vermonster truly supposed to be eaten in one sitting? Wow! I can't do ice cream once it starts getting melty. Just watching you eat it satisfied my desire for ice cream today! I think the hardest thing about cheat days would be getting past the restrictions I've put on my diet. I desparately want to lose that last bit of body fat to show those abs, but the cheat days are so opposite of my normal regimin that it will be hard. Enjoyable, but I would imagine there will be a HUGE guilty feeling afterward. There is also that fear of it not working for me for some crazy reason, and the weight surging on instead of melting off. PS - I love caramel and don't do A&F. Thanks for the video!

    May 3, 2010 at 5:44 pm

  • Rylee Jo

    I've said it once and I'll say it again---You crack me up! What a great way to answer a question! Keep the humor--it's good for you health and makes the day for a lot of us! Rylee Jo

    May 3, 2010 at 5:42 pm

  • nelson

    great post roman, im starting to know more about how a cheat days is suppose to work.

    May 3, 2010 at 5:42 pm

  • debra

    I like the idea of cheat day...I'm actually more concerned with the fast days..BTW I didn't watch your vids..I believe you ok..I've got a weak stomach.

    May 3, 2010 at 5:42 pm

  • Laura

    Wow! It's a shame you couldn't enjoy all of the ice cream! At least you were able to eat during the rest of the day. I also find it hard to increase the calories as high as you're suggesting. I can't wait to read the plan so it's more clear!

    May 3, 2010 at 5:42 pm

  • Paul

    Wow. I wonder why so many questions about the cheat day and not the fast day?

    May 3, 2010 at 5:38 pm

  • Jason

    John, that was AWESOME. We LOVE ice cream on cheat day. Big part of the day, usually multiple servings of cold stone love it size. Pizza, and the best cheese fries with bacon almost round out the day. Chinese food is also fairly common, and of course when a game is on, you can't beat good bar food -- potato skins and beer battered onion rings! I am 42 yrs old, 5'8: about 152 lbs, and 10% bf. Want to strip a couple of % of bf (get into that 8-9% range) and at some point add 5-15 lbs of muscle. All in all pretty happy where CYWT has taken me, so looking forward to the new program to really trim down. For those reading with any doubt -- believe it. Cheat Day WORKS -- physically and phsycologically. Believe in the program and follow it as prescribed and the weight will come off. Look forward to the bonuses John. JK

    May 3, 2010 at 5:36 pm

  • Laurie

    Roman, generally I eat all my meals at home but on cheat days I Iike to go out to eat...I can enjoy a variety of meals I would never have at home with the added benefit of the good company of friends or a handsome date which is just as much a feast for the eyes as the stomach...

    May 3, 2010 at 5:29 pm

  • Miguel

    Hey John, That looks like a yummy "food" perfect for a Cheat Day. I have two questions though: 1) when I've been dieting for a while it is as if my stomach shrunk and when I try to overeat one day I just can't unless I do as much harm to myself as you seem to have done to yourself in those vids? how to deal with this? 2) is this by any means healthy? Joel himself admits it's "extreme" and I wonder what the impact of this diet on the "inside" of your body is compared to the "outside"? even if you end up with a great phyisique, is any healthy at all? Thanks for the blog and for the information!

    May 3, 2010 at 5:17 pm

  • Sam

    Dude- You looked ruff during that video. It kind of reminded me of a drinking binge. As the videos progressed, you got less happy, you looked like you were going to vomit at one point, at the end you took your sweat shirt off... Hilarious. Loved it. The Vermonster is on my list of things to do also. And I can't wait to see what Joel has to say about this.

    May 3, 2010 at 5:17 pm

  • Matt Somero

    Roman, thanks for shooting straight! I think the important clarifIcation you and Joel provide is to stop prior to discomfort. Eat what you want, stop when satisfied, and when the next craving sets in, have at it! I'm implementing lactic acid training already but looking forward to specifics on nutrition for the depletion day as well.

    May 3, 2010 at 5:10 pm

  • Pats

    Wow that was crazy, never saw an ice cream bucket that big before... I always went crazy on cheat days, but i never thought "pros" went even more nuts then i did lol. And here i was proud of me eating a whole large pizza for lunch by myself :p Thx Roman for those funny vids, can't wait to start XFLD with a cheat day every 5 days :D

    May 3, 2010 at 5:08 pm

  • Brandon

    Ok, Just for the record, when the first video finished, the recommendations that came up were "Bad Romance" by Lady GaGa, "Bad" by Michael Jackson, and "The Bad Touch" from the Bloodhound Gang. Youtube agrees with your keywords and said it was a bad idea.

    May 3, 2010 at 5:04 pm

  • Darryl

    Hey Roman, lol nice cheat day bro. My cheat day is a little bit more ritualistic. I usaually start off with a big Hershey's Symphony bar then eat either some pie or some form of baked delicassy. Later I will move on to pizza or spaghetti along with some ice cream. The rest of my meals usually depends on whats lying around the house lol. I do have a couple of questions for you though. 1) Does your muscle mass determine how much you should be downing on a cheat day or does it not matter? 2) How bad is it to have a premature cheat day, say starting at 11 o clock Friday night instead of Saturday morning?

    May 3, 2010 at 4:58 pm

  • Ross

    lol Vermonster! I always eat pizza on a cheat type day. And it certainly is easier to consume more calories when eating junk food. Its like its prepackaged to give you massive quantities of calories. Sure theyll try to trick you by giving some really lame serving size....but who really eats that? Im down 4lbs in the last week by following the info I get in the emails from you and joel. I can only imagine what Id be losing if I followed the program completely. Trying to lose about another 16lbs by June in preparation for a fight. I really think you guys should look towards that market more.Most fighters are clueless when it comes to proper dieitng and fat loss. Im gonna keep reading the emails,doing my diet and trying to lean down, and maybe Ill by that program too, cuz itd be great to go in not looking like I just dieted down 20lbs. Haha.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:55 pm

  • Brian

    Loved the blog and the videos Roman. Your blogs are always entertaining! So did you have a fast day after that massive cheat day? : ) I am also a big ice cream fan. Last Saturday on my cheat day the wife and I went to DQ and each got a medium blizzard. I took care of mine fairly quickly, but my wife only ate a couple of bites and decided that she didn't want the rest of it so I finished hers off as well after I mixed in some additional M&M's from our candy jar! Not quite the same as the Vermonster though. I am sure I couldn't down all that in one sitting either. That is insane. Pizza and ice cream are two of my favorite foods for my cheat days, as well as cookies, pastries, candies, and anything with peanut butter and chocolate.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:55 pm

  • Alex

    Hey John As i saw you eating it I could really imgaine how you felt :D. My mom makes really great cuisines (which is russian national food) and I always eat like 30-40 of those (something around 1kg of whole food holy crap) and then i'm always so full that i can't even move. So I'm happy to see that cheat day are supposed to be like normal eating day so i can enjoy some pizza or something, Thanks for answers and can't wait for tomorrow.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:54 pm

  • Brian

    Loved the blog and the videos Roman. Your blogs are always entertaining! So did you have a fast day after that massive cheat day? : ) I am also a big ice cream fan. Last Saturday on my cheat day the wife and I went to DQ and each got a medium blizzard. I took care of mine fairly quickly, but my wife only ate a couple of bites and decided that she didn't want the rest of it so I finished hers off as well. Not quite the same as the Vermonster though. I am sure I couldn't down all that in one sitting either. That is insane. Pizza and ice cream are two of my favorite foods for my cheat days, as well as cookies, pastries, candies, and anything with peanut butter and chocolate.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:53 pm

  • Alex

    Hey John As i saw you eating it I could really imgaine how you felt :D. My mom makes really great cuisines (which is russian national food) and I always eat like 30-40 of those (something around 1kg of whole food holy crap) and then i'm always so full that i can't even move. So I'm happy to see that cheat day are supposed to be like normal eating day so i can enjoy some pizza or something, Thanks for answers and can't wait for tomorrow.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:53 pm

  • Marge

    What happened to me a cheat days is I ended up thinking anyday and everyday is cheat day....big mistak so you all be careful, cheat day mean only one cheat day a week. I am trying to start over (18 # heavier).(also didn't exercise hardly at all during the cold days, like all winter) So I am doing the start up deal, doing the three weeks start up before I get to the core days. The first week is low carb/no carb, I have Jason's dress size diet and Joel's, which are really one int he same since Jason wrote both. I am on day three, I had started my day out good Friday, then I worked at a banquet and ate the alfredo tortillinas, fish then after work at like 10:30pm, proceeded to the Down South Philly's in Port Orange, FL, and had two beers, 4 inches of a steak Philly, 6 chicken wings and a cocktail, so I figured that Saturday was a good day to start, so I did. I got in some excercise and on Sunday followed the same and didn't touch any popcorn at the movies. So I will see.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:53 pm

  • Jamie

    Thanks for the clarity on cheat days! I've been wondering a lot of these questions myself, and i do try to triple my normal calorie intake on my cheat days. I love your stuff and right no I'm on week 3 of FPFL and i love it! Thanks again

    May 3, 2010 at 4:53 pm

  • Ty

    Awesome. That actually did clear things up for me quite a bit. Thanks John.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:51 pm

  • Bill S.

    Roman, You are the man! I love ice cream too but I know I could not have kept up with you. Even though you think it was stupid you did prove your point at least to me. Since I'm new to this 'cheat day' idea I really don't have a best or worst. However, I am looking forward to your bonus though because you always come through with a winner! Also, I'm psyched about Joel's XFLD and look forward to the 25 day challenge.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:50 pm

  • Jerry

    LOL, no wonder you pioneered the fast day to follow this up!

    May 3, 2010 at 4:49 pm

  • Travis

    Hey Roman, Did Dave end up finishing his? The first video he barely had any left! (he must had been chowing down haha). Props for trying to finish it though. I have gone a little crazy on my cheat days like eating numerous bags of chips among other things but nothing that compares to this haha.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:49 pm

  • Danavir

    Nice!, ima try that out some time!

    May 3, 2010 at 4:46 pm

  • sule

    haha good to know john, i always feel bad when i binge on cheat days as i feel i am doing something wrong and feel a bit guilty. and the truth is i have been fasting after cheat days for a long time even without you guys now announcing it. it just felt right to balance out binging with a lil starvation ( even though this is exactly what the experts say not to do?). the only problem i have is that i eat so little on non-cheat days that when i cheat i feel full so easily. so i know the rule is not to eat until discomfort, but i find i cant get in enough carbs if i do not force myself lol, what should i do about this problem?

    May 3, 2010 at 4:43 pm

  • Josh Denny

    LOL! That's great. For me a pint just about does it. I have been working up on my Chipotle eating though. I used to barely be able to eat an entire burrito from Chipotle. Now I have advanced to a whole burrito and three crunchy steak tacos. Yummm! And I can do it while driving back to work without getting it on me, LOL. Nice work. You inspire me ;)

    May 3, 2010 at 4:42 pm

  • Doug Drexler

    Roman, Damn... that is about the funniest thing I've ever seen. You are one funny guy! Wow!

    May 3, 2010 at 4:41 pm

  • JH

    Good article, it's really hard to know how cheat-y you need to be without feeling overly guilty or doing yourself some damage. The first question response about doubling or tripling the 3200 calories is a real eye opener!

    May 3, 2010 at 4:40 pm

  • Chuck

    dude I thought the bucket was for both of you. I had a helluva cheat day yesterday but compared to yours it's bushleague. Anyways, now we know how cheaty your cheat days are! haha Thanks for the videos and the explanation.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:39 pm

  • Sue Kuchman

    I'm so looking forward to my cheat days. Even when I'm being bad I end of compensating with something good. Never a totally bad day. I can't wait. There's a new pizza shop down the street and this will be my excuse to try it out.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:38 pm

  • Bj

    hahahahahaah really great i did this last week but our spoons are smaller.... how much have you paied for here you would pay around 30$ lol... and one big question me and my mom are on cywt and i'm working out too but i kinda stopped loosing fat but thats ok. so the thing is that my mom needs like 4 days after a cheat day even with fast day to get to the weight at the cheat day and than she dont looses more. is this normal? she hasnt lost anything since 2 weeks. wishes from germany Björn

    May 3, 2010 at 4:38 pm

  • Sue Kuchman

    I'm so looking forward to my cheat days. Even when I'm being "bad" I end of compensating with something good. Never a total "bad" day. I can't wait

    May 3, 2010 at 4:36 pm

  • Ryan

    I've been following Joel's "Cheat Your Way Thin" program in tandem with your "Final Phase Fat Loss" workout plan, and the results have been staggering. I've reached single digit body fat, lost inches in the waist, and even managed to gain a couple of pounds via lean muscle mass (never thought I'd see the day) - all while enjoying my favorite foods every week. My friends and family think I'm a genetic freak because they usually see me on Saturdays while I'm eating a whole pizza or devouring a half pint of B&J Chubby Hubby. I try to convince them that it's 100% discipline backed by sound science that allows me to eat the way I do. Unfortunately, they don't see me on the other days of the week when I'm strictly adhering to Joel's carbohydrate cycling plan. I strongly urge your readers to give this program a try. Aside from its effectiveness, it's a refreshing and fun approach to diet.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:35 pm

  • Yael Grauer

    Hilarious. I thought my pint of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food in one sitting was bad, but this takes it to a whole new level.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:34 pm

  • Suzie

    Been doing a little experimenting because I don't have the diet yet but have lost 5 pounds this week. My cheat day was were I started. I ate pizza, a gyros, steak and pasta even had popcorn and resse candy bar. Wow did it feel good to be able to eat after trying to watch everything you eat. Today is cheat day number 2 had starbucks coffe and cake, doritos, mcdonalds cheeseburger and fries can't wait for dinner! Oh to be a size 5 again I will be happy dancing!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the fact that I am not hungry!!!! Thanks for telling us that we can cheat!!!!!!!!!!!!

    May 3, 2010 at 4:34 pm

  • Sherry

    Just watching this made me sick.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:33 pm

  • Belley, Robert

    Hey John, great adventure ;) I share your love for ice cream brother. Every year in Boston we have the Scooper Bowl. And each year I eat my age in cups. This past year I had to indulge in 30 cups of ice cream in just about an hour. Fun and Delicious. You stack your cups as you go along as a display of glutony-bad-ass-awesomeness. Gotta love the blood sugar spike eh? Haha Rock on John! Rob

    May 3, 2010 at 4:32 pm

  • Lisa Jenkins

    Wowzers! I don't think I've ever seen anyone come as close as you did to finishing that much ice cream in one sitting! While ice cream is not my thing, I am definitely looking forward to indulging in some cookies, cakes and doughnuts (I hear Krispy Kreme calling my name)! Can't wait to get my hands on this program and put it to the test!

    May 3, 2010 at 4:30 pm

  • Robyn

    OMG Roman! That bucket of ice cream looked like actually disgusting lol and I LOVE ice cream! Congrats on doing your best tho! Oh I guess we can't be friends anymore because I used to work at A&F lol and I still like that place. :)

    May 3, 2010 at 4:28 pm

  • Ankit

    Lol, this was hilarious. I can only imagine the envy inspired by someone built/in shape eating a vermonster.

    May 3, 2010 at 4:20 pm

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