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You Win This Round, Vegas

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Talk about Déjà vu.  A little over a year ago, I published a blog called “feast–>fast” which detailed a cycle of cheating and fasting.

The lead-in to that post was a story about how I went to a business and marketing event in Connecticut, got absolutely wasted, ate too much crappy food, and then fasted as part of damage control.

Why does this bespeak a certain level of déjà vu, you ask?

Well, because I spent this weekend in Vegas, at a business event.  And, as you might imagine, once again I’m writing to tell you about the inanity and insanity, so that you can learn from my mistakes (are they still mistakes if they’re awesome?)

To begin at the beginning, I was invited to speak at a mastermind group in Vegas; led by Criag Ballantyne and Bedros Keullian, the mastermind is comprised of up and coming fitness bloggers/professionals seeking to increase their business.  Some guys are purely looking for an online transition, and others are simply seeking to develop even more kick-ass brick-and-mortar businesses.

The focus of my talk was increasing your visibility in the industry, increasing credibility through leveraging traditional media outlets and increasing the value you put out by simply becoming a better writer (the focus of my talk was writing, truth be told).

Anyway, I know I’m probably boring you with the business talk, so I’ll get to the fun stuff.

I know a lot of you are thinking, “ooooh snap, Roman in Vegas—someone either died or got arrested.”

Well, at least that’s what one of my Twitter followers said.  And, while I appreciate the confidence in my internal party animal, let me assure you it was quite a bit tamer than you’d expect for a guy like me being set loose in Sin City.

While I certainly live a pretty healthy and structured life, something about getting a bunch of us all together seems to throw all of that out the window; so, while we all were hanging out and having an awesome time networking with a lot of other fitness-freaks we were generally very well behaved.

…until Saturday night.

You see, you can only keep a beast caged for so long before he finds a way out.  And when you care a pack of them together…well, you can imagine.

And so, together with Alex Maroko, Dan Go and a few others, a (brilliant?) plan was hatched to “do Vegas right.” 

Craig declined to join us (disappointing, as I’d expected him to play the Zach Galifinakis to my Bradley Cooper), but the rest of us decided to get a table and bottle service at XS, one of the premier clubs in Vegas.

…which as you can probably tell, was about as smart an idea as it sounds.

Although not a drinker, I do enjoy dancing, partying, and the general atmosphere of a high end club—especially in Vegas.  Which means that I planned on having only a few drinks and then just engaging in a night of well-mannered frivolity with friends new and old.

However, as Ron Burgundy is fond of saying: “When in Rome.”

Three shots of tequila later, I’m having a conversation with a Kiwi bloke about the nature of vice and telling a lovely young blonde lady that my friend is, “seriously a really good guy once you get to know him…here’s his number.”

Oops.

I’ll say pretty clearly that I did intend to have a few drinks. It was my cheat day, after all.  And as you know, I love a good cheat day. But, to put it in the most basic terms…

I’d planned to spend the night Cheating My Way Thin…I did NOT, you see, intend to Drink My Way Dead.

A few more shots and a delicious drink made for me by the aforementioned blonde, and I’m officially Beyond Capacity.

Evidently, the result was to intend to Dance My Way Crazy, as we cavorted in a 30-foot radius by alternating the now-classic “Teach Me How to Dougie” with the newer and “Walk Like Bernie” dance.  Alongside Alex, David, and Ryan, I’m pretty sure we reached a new level of hilarity.

I don’t remember leaving the club, I just remember standing in line for a taxi and wondering when I’d get to take my pants off.

Now, I’m a little foggy on the deets, but ultimately we made it back to the hotel where I am told I was fed potato chips at 4am.

When I awoke Sunday morning, my mouth tasted of vodka and regret.

The sun came pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows like an accusatory spotlight, forcing it’s way past my overworked eyelids, storming the ill-guarded citadel that is my skull, searching relentlessly for the soft spots of my brain as it sought to capture the grand prize of my cerebral cortex.

I proceeded to spend the next hour or so on the floor of my hotel room. While I’d like to claim that I was down there because it was comfortable and not because I couldn’t get up, the fact is I found myself holding tightly to the carpet to keep from falling off of the World. A good thing, too, because the Earth seemed to have developed a habit of shifting violently every few minutes.

Eventually, my friends came to my room to get me, and we made our way to one of the casino restaurants to meet with everyone for some breakfast. For me, that meant drinking close to a gallon of water, and eating NO food.

Because, as many of you know, I ALWAYS follow a cheat day with a fast day…especially when that cheat day involves alcohol.

I call this “Feast/Fast” and I’ve been doing this for YEARS.

Origins of Feast–>Fast

When I first began using cheating strategies a few years ago, I simply had a single cheat day; and, while I loved the fact that I could eat whatever I wanted for a full day…I always hated the digestive aftermath of the cheat day.

Eventually, Joel and I started experimenting with various intermittent fasting styles following the cheat day to allow me (and my poor stomach) some time to recover and reset—and noticed immediately that it seemed to make things more effective.

In fact, the Feast/Fast method is so effective that it led, in part, to the creation of an entirely new program, the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet, which uses fast days following cheat days to allow for digestive reset AND extreme caloric debt, allowing for the fastest fat loss possible.

Anyway, getting back to my story: I’m explaining all of this to a few people at the table (being helped by Dan, a proponent of intermittent fasting), so I’ll give you a break down.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

As I mentioned earlier, giving your digestive system a day off has its benefits. Not only will it force your body to more efficiently utilize the caloric overload from the preceding cheat day (resulting in a huge and automatic caloric deficit and rapid fat loss) but you’ll ALSO let the less than healthy stuff move out of your body a bit quicker.

More to the point, you do your liver a favor by allowing it to detoxify you more efficiently, since it won’t have to deal with any “new” stuff you’re taking in. The faster you make that happen, the sooner your liver can get back to producing fat burning enzymes.

The best part is you won’t be sacrificing muscle, because your leptin levels will be so high that the massive caloric deficit a fast day creates will simply help you lose fat that much faster.

And, then, of course, there are the hormonal benefits of intermittent fasting.

  • Increases the secretion of growth hormone. We’ve discussed growth hormone before, so, for the sake of brevity, let’s allow that any and all increases in GH lead to faster fat loss and a greater propensity for muscle gain.
  • Increase in Insulin sensitivity. This is particularly true when training is involved. That is, training in a fasted state increases insulin sensitivity, which of course helps for fat loss. That aside, fasting in general seems to help in this regard.
  • Leptin Manipulation. Leptin levels decrease when fasting, but you get a big boost the minute you start to eat again. Dietary manipulation of leptin for fat loss is one of the main principles of both Cheat Your Way Thin and the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet, by the way

Plus, you’ll FEEL better.

During a fast after a feast, the first few hours can be rough; after that you start feeling incredible. Whether it’s alcohol or a simple food-hangover your body needs to be dealing with getting over the abuse you put it through, not new stuff.

About halfway through the day, toxins are being released and excreted and you’re burning fat an accelerated rate.

By 3pm Sunday afternoon, I was running around with more energy than I’d imagined possible, feeling like Saturday had been a dream…a weird, freaky dream filled with drinking and dancing. I was more productive than usual and even had a great lactic acid workout.

OMG Bonus Infozz!1!

Now, before I close, I just want to give you guys some insight about alcohol for fitness minded folks like yourself.

Personally, the idea of avoiding alcohol and not having a single drink for 12-16 weeks didn’t ever bothered me, so it was never a factor when I wanted to diet.  However, for a lot of people, that isn’t the case.

Really, there are two camps in the fitness community: those who say that you should avoid alcohol at all costs, citing a number of drawbacks; the other camp is a bit more pro-alcohol, citing benefits like anti-oxidants and all that.

Well, like with most things, I take a pragmatic approach and firmly sit the middle-ground:  I don’t think alcohol is really going to completely derail your efforts, but neither is it really going to speed them along.

Which means, ultimately, if you’re going to drink, you need to have a plan in place or you simply won’t get anywhere.

Now, while I don’t encourage binge drinking (contrary to what the story above might imply), I know that the less frequently you drink, the more likely you are to get drunk. So, be careful out there, kids.

 A Few Things To Consider About Alcohol Consumption

  • The wine drinking masses seem to be right, in that alcohol consumption has a few health benefits. Which benefits you’re getting often have do with what you’re drinking (ie the red wine in resveratrol isn’t present in other types of alcohol, so heart-healthy beer isn’t likely. That said, consuming nearly any type of alcohol in moderate doses seems to increase insulin sensitivity (in a long term sense).
  • Along those lines, keep in mind that not all drinks are created equally.  While you can—and should—drink pretty much whatever you like, just be aware that some choices are better than others.  As I mentioned, wine will have certain benefits.  Red wine wins for anti-oxidants (lol-worthy if you’re drinking it for that), but in general dry wines are best as they have the lowest carb count.Going further, spirits like tequila, vodka etc are all extremely low carb, so they’re a good choice, particularly if you mix them with diet soda or club soda.By far, the worst choice is beer.  Firstly, it’s the most carb laden of all sources of alcohol.  Secondly, it’s got a pretty low calorie-to-alcohol ratio, which means you have to drink a lot of it to get drunk.  You’ll be consuming more calories overall.  Thirdly, one of the main ingredients in beer is hops, and hops are full of phyotoestrogens (plant compounds which can lower testosterone).NOTE – for more information on stuff like this, check out GetDrunkNotFat.com
  • In terms of caloric content, alcohol is listed at about 7 calories per gram; however, it has a pretty high TEF (about 20%), which brings it down to just over 5.6 calories per gram.  Depending on how many calories you’re drinking, that may add up and the 1-1.5 calorie difference may have profound effect.

OVERALL RESULT OF DRINKING: while alcohol itself probably isn’t likely to make you fat, it does generally tend to prompt really stupid dietary decisions that WILL lead to fat gain.  So, if you’re incapable of going out drinking without ending up at Taco Bell at 3am, you should reconsider your partying habits.

HOW TO HANDLE IT: Simply, enjoy yourself and fast the day after.  Treat it like a full cheat day, don’t stress too much, and make sure that the days leading up to the night out.

No matter what you’re cheating with—be it alcohol or food—I have to say, Feast–>Fast is the way to go.

Hopefully, you’ve learned two things: first, if you hang out with my crew you’d evidently be ready to party. And second, if you DO have a big party/cheat night, you can leverage that your benefit by having a well planned fast the next day. Just drink plenty of water!

If you use Cheat Days as part of your fat loss strategy, you already know all about using diet to outsmart your body. Well, fast days take it a step further and allow you to increase the fat burning power of cheat days even more.

Okay guys – let’s here it!  I want at least 70 COMMENTS about any of the following

  • a) you thinking my story is hilarious
  • b) your worst hangover story
  • c) how you use fasting or cheat days to meet your goals
  • d) if you think you can drink and still be fit
  • e) if you’re from Vegas and you found my pants

Have at it!

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

  • URL

    ... [Trackback] [...] Read More: romanfitnesssystems.com/blog/vegas-and-fat-loss/ [...]

    January 28, 2015 at 5:59 pm

  • Dickson L

    a) Haha I've got to say, I haven't visited Sin City yet and I'm 23... the hilarity of this story is that I am almost 100% sure that is what would happen to me if I went. But we'll see. Thanks for sharing Roman, love your stories! b) My worst hangover story was on my 19th birthday. Armin Van Buuren was in town and a couple of friends and I went out to party. As the night went on and the drinks kept flowing I noticed a consistent drop in the quality of music, most notably how by the end of the night all I could hear was the "Boom! Boom! Boom!" of the bass and started experiencing time skips. When the end of the night came I was standing at the bar drunk out of my mind wondering where everyone was going when literally, in the blink of an eye, my DD appears out of thin air. He drives me along with two other girls, after dropping one of them off I closed my eyes only to open them a few seconds later (or so I thought ) and I was at my house, no idea what happened to the girl (she got home safe we found out later) or where the last part of my life went. I get home and pass out.. But the hilarity continues as it just so happens, I had a final exam to write the next day. So, I stumble onto campus the next morning and began the herculean task of finding the softest couch possible to rid this hangover from hell. A few hours later, I woke up and met up with the rest of the people I partied with (all just hating their life like I did in that moment) before we went into our exam. I'm not going to lie, I've never written an exam that fast. But it helps when the first line you read starts to send the world spinning out of control and just when it all seemed lost, here's the silver lining: I got an A on the final exam. c) So far I've only been using my Cheat days in conjunction with the program in Man 2.0: Engineering The Alpha. I've only just gotten a taste of them as I'll be done the second phase by this weekend. It's absolutely amazing, eat whatever I want and still lose weight (I think my friends go through cognitive dissonance on the cheat days I had). But the Intermittent Fasting has changed my life as now it's freed up so much time to be more productive, I love it, thank you for Writing Man 2.0 John, I really appreciate it. Will send in the results photos when the program's done. d) In moderation, I think you can still stay fit. However, I personally don't drink anymore. e) Come to Canada and we'll get you some new pants ;)

    July 18, 2014 at 5:43 pm

  • Alejandra

    What are we eating post workout/breaking the 24hour fast after a cheat day? How many calories/macros/etc? 50% of our normal IF daily intake.. just veg/protein.. ? If my norm is 1550, feast of 3000 day before ended at 6pm. Train 5-6pm (as you mentioned--lactic acid training), would I only have 500 calories protein/veg between 6-7 (my normal eating window is 11-7 for IF leangains). Or? Thanks!

    January 15, 2014 at 7:19 pm

  • Alejandra

    Any info on training during that 24 hour fast? For example, HIIT at the 23 hour mark.. just before breaking the fast at the 24hour mark? Thanks!

    January 14, 2014 at 10:24 pm

  • Do Cheat Days Work? The Cheat Day Cheat Sheet - Roman Fitness Systems

    […] cheat. Ideally, you shouldn’t eat at all: this is an intermittent fasting protocol known as Feast/Fast; it creates a huge caloric deficit following the caloric overload. In essence, you get the hormonal […]

    January 10, 2014 at 9:49 pm

  • Nora Wartanian

    I've found that the only people who can regularly drink alcohol and still manage to stay in shape are the freaks of nature who have no problem not eating bad shit when drunk. Unfortunately, by my 4th vodka/soda, my regularly followed mantra of "nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels" has turned into "I NEED EXTRA RANCH FOR MY MCNUGGETS!"....For this reason, and much to my dismay, I keep alcohol consumption at an all time low. Womp womp.

    August 8, 2013 at 6:21 pm

  • Ian Dawson Mackay

    I absolutely love 'The sun came pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows like an accusatory spotlight, forcing it’s way past my overworked eyelids, searching relentlessly for the soft spots of my brain and storming the ill-guarded citadel that is my skull, seeking to capture the grand prize of my cerebral cortex.' That is an epic way of putting it. As a blogger myself, I'd love to write like you!

    August 17, 2012 at 12:42 am

  • Briannelson

    Do you take any greens drink in the morning of your fast day? Any fish oils etc as well

    June 5, 2012 at 9:28 am

  • Brian Murray

    I want to see you and Craig get drunk and "Douggie".

    March 5, 2012 at 3:55 pm

  • Alexander

    2 years into lifting and the first cheat day actually occurred naturally when I was literally too hungry i couldnt take it anymore and ate a whooooooole lot of food and felt bad afterwards so didn't eat for a day. till I read more and understood about cheat days, I then knew it was beneficial and from then on always implemented into my strategy to lose fat. 2nd legit cutting phase I'm in right now and just had my cheat day yesterday lets see if this is up to par with other cheaters out there. First I cleared out out yogurts, fruits, oats, eggs I had at home. then it moved on to 3 tubs of Ben & Jerries, then a proper steak meal outside, then god knows how many protein bars + cereal bars wen i got home, then took a nap. THEN more ice cream and a workout and finally full mcdonalds large meal with nuggets coke and a few protein bars and finished it off with another tub of ice cream. felt AMAZING and wanted to continue to eat but i was so tired i fell asleep. i did myself an injustice by going to sleep early... next weeek tho stomachs gonna know wtsup.

    November 7, 2011 at 5:07 am

  • Josh

    What do you do if you have a cheat day turn into back to back days? What are the 3 most important supplements when trying to lower bodyfat?

    September 12, 2011 at 6:37 pm

  • Jason

    Hey Roman, I'm reading your comments below and at one point you said only BCAAs and no calorie drinks. Before you wrote an article on pulse-fasting, and one of your followers said he was getting good results taking Casein during his fast days, and you didn't seem to have a problem with that. I'm wondering if you've looked into that any further and what your current view of casein pulse-fasting is? and whether that changes when you're following a feast-> fast for any reason? As always, thanks a ton Roman

    August 3, 2011 at 12:11 pm

  • Sean

    Hey John, do you have any general fasting set-up that you use regularly? I'm just curious how your week looks all layed-out. I'm not really interested in a specific detailed diet as per one of your books, just more general guidelines you stick to throughout your week, as far as fasting/cheating etc.

    July 20, 2011 at 10:51 pm

  • Pete Lever

    a) Yup, hilarious story! b) Worst hangover story - woke up in my garden with two ear spacers. The were not there the day before. Never enter a piercing studio on the way home

    July 7, 2011 at 1:48 am

  • Rod

    Your pants?! Heh heh heh.. reminds me of one of my favorite episodes of Monk (ever watch that show?) "Mr. Monk, goes to Vegas". In that one all the cops go to Vegas for a bachelor party. A casino owner's wife has an accident with her scarf in an elevator and dies. Captain Stottlemeyer realizes it was murder and calls upon Monk. But when Monk gets there Stottlemeyer has no recollection of the phone call or that he solved a murder.. and what the heck happened to his pants??? Now back on topic.. I LOVE cheat days.. AND I love the fast days even more.. because I find I drop even more weight after!!! Thanks man!!

    July 5, 2011 at 1:17 pm

  • lee

    is it alright to chew gum on your fast days?

    June 27, 2011 at 6:16 pm

  • Emma Curtis-Smith

    I just want to say that I love your writing style and am really enjoying reading your blogs. They are informative and simplified, without losing the important detail, and most of all funny. Thanks also for all of your exercise demonstrations on You Tube. I am doing the XFLD and look up any exercises I am not familiar with. I had to laugh when I read a readers question "Are you single?"! (I note that you didn't answer!?) Keep up the great work. Super refreshing! Thank you! (o:

    June 1, 2011 at 12:56 am

  • michele b

    Tying a fast day for the first time today (after memorial day weekend...although that was more like three half-cheaty days than 1 really cheat-y day?)... glad to read I can do calorie-free drinks if I get bored with water...

    May 31, 2011 at 10:36 am

  • Jana

    I have a quick question about feast-fast. I have done two rounds of fast days. The first day was pretty much textbook as you would describe them. It was actually better than I expected and got through it quite well. The second was completely different. I woke up with hunger pains and a growling stomach and it didn't go away all day long. I was uncomfortable the entire day. I did do my three workouts with no problems, but the insane hunger pangs returned within 20 minutes of the workouts. I drank plenty of water and tea all day long. By early evening - 5pm, my stomach actually hurt to touch from dealing with the hunger pains all day. It was awful - but I made it through. In situations like this, what effects would eating 1/2 to 1 cup of cottage cheese (or something else) have on my results. Would it rise my hormone levels in response to the food and create a negative effect. In case this happens on my next fast day, I would love to have a strategy to deal with the hunger pains or I will start to seriously dread fast days and am worried it will deter me from the program. If only the second fast day was a good as the first. I am 34, female, 125lbs, 5,4, 22%.

    May 28, 2011 at 6:31 am

  • John Romaniello

    I try to do it once every other day, but sometimes I miss a question or two.

    May 25, 2011 at 8:49 pm

  • John Romaniello

    That can happen. On average, I would say that people shouldn't drink more than twice per week.

    May 25, 2011 at 8:49 pm

  • Tracy

    How often do you check your blogs to answer questions? Just wondering, because sometimes I can't get online for several days and it seems like I miss out on your answering some of my questions. Thanks, keep up the good work.

    May 25, 2011 at 4:36 pm

  • Tracy

    I am confused now about alcohol. I have always heard that if you drink alcohol a lot, like every day or every other day, it will all turn to sugar, making you fat and storing belly fat. Is this true? Or not??? I get tired of conflicting stories and it seems like there can be 100 people giving advice, and you get 100 different answers. What is your take on this??? Thanks, Tracy

    May 24, 2011 at 6:42 pm

  • Claudi

    Great story, would love to join the crew for partying (in case u invite me- that has to wait til I do my next trip from germany -america) ;) just watchd ironman2 last night with a friend and we had a bottle of red- and after 2 glas vino I was drunk already (isnt that what guys call a "cheap date"?). Anyway, what I learned the hard way is to take (any kind of) painkillers, 2 or 3 are usually enough, with a huge glass of water- and NO hangover next day!!! Yes, it works also after bottles of Tequila, Vodka and kissing the wrong guy while not being the usual considerate yourself... my worst hangover? trust me, you dont need to know :D

    May 20, 2011 at 3:50 pm

  • tim

    when having a cheat meal or cheat day is it better to not eat only that cheat meal that day or just follow diet and than also have that cheat meail? the fast day, how long should you wait before eating again, i mostly do 20hours the meail you have on your fast day,how much calories can it contain or just best only veggies and proteines?

    May 20, 2011 at 4:16 am

  • John Romaniello

    That's a great way to set it up - I find people have an easier time fasting when they're busy, so that's probably the best way to go.

    May 20, 2011 at 1:09 am

  • John Romaniello

    Ah I should have mentioned the WC. It's been like 10 years since I've had some. Not even to see Harold and Kumar. I'll have to reconsider. Thanks AD - hope all is well, man!

    May 20, 2011 at 1:08 am

  • John Romaniello

    In your case I'd just stick to the IF plan.

    May 20, 2011 at 1:06 am

  • John Romaniello

    I like it. You'll have to experiment a bit to find the right balance, but overall I think it's great.

    May 20, 2011 at 1:06 am

  • John Romaniello

    I'm quite familiar with Russians and your prolific partying. I dated a Polish girl for a while, and she had a few Russian friends. You guys do it live I've never seen.

    May 20, 2011 at 1:05 am

  • John Romaniello

    Thanks for the kind words, man. Basically you can drink any calorie free beverage. So water, green tea, diet soda, crystal light are all fair game. No protein shakes. Just calorie free beverages and BCAAs

    May 20, 2011 at 1:04 am

  • Galina

    Well, it all is cool. First, I am offended by 'Hey, guys'... OK, not really, but since I and my husband have EVERY WEEKEND booked with my friends. My kids are 21 and 25 year old's and tell me that we party more than they do.... Can you imagine? We are Russians...I am sure you can imagine now as our reputation preceeds us. I can tell you we all can use the fasting day the Next Day....We love to live our life to the fullest, but I am the one who keeps the count... So, I did confirm today what I was doing for years.

    May 19, 2011 at 10:31 pm

  • Goldie

    Roman, I lift heavy 4 days a week: Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri/Sat. What do you think of a cheat day Sunday, stop eating in the evening after dinner (say 8:00pm) and not resume eating until 4:30pm Monday as I eat my pre-workout meal (nuts + fruit + shake with carbs). I'll follow this up with a post-workout shake and dinner. That's 20.5 hours of fasting, once a week. Go no go?

    May 19, 2011 at 8:46 am

  • L

    Are you single, John?

    May 19, 2011 at 1:49 am

  • Thomas

    Hey man really great stuff here however I have a question and hope that you can comment on that: On the fast day you said eating nothing but only dreaking. Does that mean drinking water ONLY or can I add juice or proteinshakes and stuff? Or is it water/green tea for the whole day? keep up the GREAT work... loving you blog!

    May 18, 2011 at 8:56 pm

  • Kathy-ann Best

    Cool now I won't have to feel awful after a night out, I don't drink much but boy do I have a sweet tooth - now I'll just fast. Thanks Roman

    May 18, 2011 at 2:48 pm

  • Dj

    Hey Roman, sick blog man, one of my favorites to read. Full of lolz and real info Anyway to my question, this weekend I got my buddy's birthday to go to. Either way I'll be drinking about ~10-15shots for a normal night. Don't drink often though lol SO my question is, which plan do you think is better? Plan 1) Stick to my regular IF cutting diet, 2000cals, drink whatever I want with diet soda, which shouldn't add much more than 1000cals bringing me only to +500cals from maintance, hardly a step back imo. Eat regularly on the day after and etc OR Have a cheat day and fast afterwards as you said. Although I'm hesitant about this one because, a) cheating/fasting(XFLD) hasn't worked too stellar for me in the past b) since I can't track the calories I just feel its more uncontrolled and left to horomone manipulation rather than strict macro/calorie control. Not afraid of fasting since I essentially do it everyday. Main thing is I don't want to cheat, then have to diet for another full week just to get back to where I was:( Any help is much appreciated man, thanks!

    May 18, 2011 at 1:32 pm

  • Fred

    Ahh, the Vegas. Sounds like you had a blast - well done bru! Alas, I have not seen your pants, but I'm sure that someone with excellent taste is now sporting them. I can surely agree that after a rough night on the town chugging down a pizza or two probably isn't the best idea - even though it might certainly seem so at the time. Fasting the day after drinking might be a complete bitch for the first couple of hours whilst hungover, but I feel sooo much better after pushing through the initial pain. Like you mentioned, you kind of enter a stage where you have more energy than you ever thought possible deeming from the past couple of hours. Plus, you get the additional benefit of not feeling like a complete schmuck for screwing up your diet in a big way two days in a row. But a lactic acid workout the day after? That's hardcore my man. Anyways, I'm def a big fan of the feast => fast strategy. So thanks for being out there and fighting the establishment. Most fitness people would likely hate on the alcohol but it's very cool to see how you can make it work in your lifestyle (to a certain extent).

    May 18, 2011 at 2:34 am

  • AD

    b) No hangovers anymore. Half a bottle of pedialyte right before bed, the other half as soon as you wake up. If you get up to piss during the night, chug some then too. Also, Drunk - White Castle > Taco Bell Sober - Taco Bell > White Castle Being from LI I though you'd give White Castle the nod. Otherwise great story, glad to hear you made it back alive.

    May 17, 2011 at 6:19 pm

  • matt

    a. this story is pure comedy and i'm in college reminds me of every other saturday night only without the vegas part. b. i only drink when i'm at school with my football team so the first weekend last year was the first time i drank in about 4 months. needless to say my tolerance was obscenely low. i drank about as much as i would on a normal saturday night the night after our first game and i didnt even remember leaving my room to go out. during lift the next morning i had to leave to puke. during film i left 3 separate times to puke. until 9:00 sunday night i puked up everything i attempted to drink. worst hangover and day of my entire life

    May 17, 2011 at 5:47 pm

  • Deb Katz

    Thanks again John for the excellent advise, I will try the week of alcohol no junk and one week food no alcohol... also the fast of green tea with occasional shakes if I feel to weak and need some calories. Hugs for being the beautiful YO!!!

    May 17, 2011 at 3:27 pm

  • Ty

    Awesome mistake? Your story is hilarious. I love a good feast/fast because it does make me feel good, and not only leaves me with higher energy levels during the week, but I feel as though my body is "using" food better, although I prefer to feast on sunday and fast on monday, because I'm usually at home on sunday and working on monday.

    May 17, 2011 at 3:16 pm

  • Anne

    love love this article! thank you so much for the info! the regret of a cheat day is terrible but with the fast sounds like the perfect combo!! do u ever get headaches when fasting? just drink more water? Thanks again! Ur website/articles are so inspiring!

    May 17, 2011 at 2:40 pm

  • John Romaniello

    This is a really good idea; thanks man!

    May 17, 2011 at 1:45 pm

  • JB

    great story John and this is perfect Drinking while Dieting 101 kinda info most people wanna know but have probably never read, therefore you should submit this to a magazine of some sort.

    May 17, 2011 at 11:59 am

  • Matan Vardi

    Hey Roman if I'm alternating between clean bulking and cutting for spans of two weeks. should I use XFL or FFP and CCW for my two cutting weeks?

    May 17, 2011 at 11:38 am

  • Rob King

    Roman, Great times meeting you in vegas. As an avid reader of this blog it was great to meet you. Was even better to party with you, I love someone that can train hard and party hard, however the next day was very very rough lol. All the best I will message you when I come to NY for a workout, all the best in life. Rob www.RobKingFitness.com

    May 17, 2011 at 11:37 am

  • Kim

    I'm used to training on an empty stomach and not eating my first meal of the day until @ 12—2 pm. But when I've tried fasting, I always feel close to nauseous after a workout, so not having a protein shake/post workout meal feels like my muscles aren’t getting refueled. Is post workout nutrition not imperative on said fast day? Or what about doing an "raw veggies only" day--sorta as a detox?

    May 17, 2011 at 11:06 am

  • Steve

    I have also noticed how much better I felt the day after if I was fasting. Great information as always on this blog. Thanks John

    May 17, 2011 at 11:04 am

  • John Romaniello

    You're welcome, hope it helped; and thanks for the compliment!

    May 17, 2011 at 10:40 am

  • John Romaniello

    EXCELLENT point! It's amazing how many calories and dollars we spend on that "wild nights" - again, I don't drink often, so the occasional party night is enjoyable. but you make a great point.

    May 17, 2011 at 10:40 am

  • John Romaniello

    Excellent point! While I don't like to demonize food completely, we can generally all eat less sugar. I appreciate the feedback!

    May 17, 2011 at 10:39 am

  • John Romaniello

    No cons at all. In this case it would just be a 24 hour fast rather than a 36 hour one. That's the protocol for Brad Pilon's Eat-Stop-Eat. Very good stuff.

    May 17, 2011 at 10:38 am

  • John Romaniello

    I'll have to look into that...doesn't sound quite correct. One of the main benefits of fasting is the increase in GH production, and GH tends to lower cortisol. Thanks for the heads up, I'll look into it and perhaps do a follow up blog!!

    May 17, 2011 at 10:37 am

  • John Romaniello

    Well, I have had plenty of AWESOME nights out at the bar without drinking, so I think most people are probably overstating the need for alcohol. To answer your question, I'd say alternate. Week 1 - cheat with alcohol but no junk. Week 2- cheat with food but no alcohol. From there, you'll see both progress, AND what works for you.

    May 17, 2011 at 10:36 am

  • John Romaniello

    Fast days it's just green tea and water. Basically, any calorie free beverage. If someone is feeling light headed I'll let them have a shake, though!

    May 17, 2011 at 10:34 am

  • John Romaniello

    If I'm doing a 24 hour fast (last meal was 9pm yesterday, next meal is 9pm today) then I train immediately before my meal. If I'm doing a 36 hour fast (last meal was 10pm yesterday, next meal is whenever I wake up tomorrow) then I simply train as early as I can the morning after the cheat day.

    May 17, 2011 at 10:33 am

  • John Romaniello

    Hey Alta! Glad you enjoyed the story =) Like I said, we're all human--and ONLY human--so it's natural to expect that we'd want to party every so often. I think as long as you're controlling it and doing all the right things otherwise, you'll be fine!

    May 17, 2011 at 10:32 am

  • Tanya

    I love the feast and fast idea... In fact last summer I did the warrior diet which works on similar principles but on a daily basis....Controlled fasting during the day (undereating phase) and feasting at night (overeating phase) . I never felt like I had to deprive myself of any type of food and I lowered my body fat by 3 percent not even trying to! Way to go guys... I love questioning the conventional wisdom of things and you do a great job!

    May 17, 2011 at 9:59 am

  • Deb Katz

    hey john, thanks for sharing your vegas adventures, loved it! I never used to drink until we moved to the rockies, never touched hard liquor only wine or an occasional mexican beer, now I drink straight vodkah & tequila with some soda water. I think I became a true alcoholic here and my weight has dropped since I don't eat as much junk anymore. I stay extremely hydrated but that doesn't help my hangover or stomach sickness that evening or following morning. I have not tried fasting the next day I am simply too sick to get out of bed so I learned to drink gatorade. What do you suggest? Give up the alcohol and just feast-fast from now on. I can drink soda water without the alcohol but what fun is that going to the local dive bar with drunks?

    May 17, 2011 at 9:03 am

  • Benny

    Hey Roman When you fast, do you train as late as you can, pretty much before dinner so you can still have your post workout shake and meal afterwards?

    May 17, 2011 at 8:34 am

  • Justin

    hey Roman, what are the pros and cons of fasting on a day that was not preceeded by a cheat day? and do you recommend it? thanks

    May 17, 2011 at 7:18 am

  • Rhonda

    You are only human and every now and then you NEED to let loose. You are so damn hot I would forgive you just about anything anyway. Thanks for sharing the story and the advice to minimise the after effects!! xx

    May 17, 2011 at 5:19 am

  • Hayden

    I recently read in Men's Health, that although fasting can have benefits, it can increases your cortisol levels to the max!

    May 17, 2011 at 5:16 am

  • Steve

    Great stuff John, I will certainly try the fast day! Drinking certainly leads to bad dietry decisions, I remember many times ending up at the pizza shop on the way home from a big night out, and then getting greasy chicken and chips the next day for the hangover!!!! I solved all that by not drinking, saved me a lot of money too!

    May 17, 2011 at 4:48 am

  • Fotios Kontos

    Hi Roman,I enjoyed you blog about you in Vegas it was both humerous and informative.Now I know to have a fast after cheating.I usually do not cheat but eating is certainly one of our pleasures! I drink red wine occationally primarily because of the health benifits.Sugar is public enemy #1.by cutting down on sugar this society will not be so fat and if we eat sugar with fat the insulin will deposit the fat as fat on our bodies! bye Roman(I prefere to call you Ramain) but its your fucking body and so be it

    May 17, 2011 at 4:25 am

  • kobus

    first of all i love the story! i only drink on Fridays and Saturdays most of the times to muck 1 bottle per night with about 2 liters of coke and a lot of shooters filled with sugar.and i am in good shape about 10% bf and fit.i think its because i eat really healthy in die week and consume almost no sugar.so i think it is possible to drink and stay in good shape as long as you stay healthy in die week and only drink on week ends

    May 17, 2011 at 4:07 am

  • dan

    On fast days, are u allowed to drink protein shakes and/ or Green Tea....or just pure water all day long?!

    May 17, 2011 at 3:20 am

  • Stef

    I was wondering, on a fast day, do you still have some protein shakes or do you just stick with some bcaa's?

    May 17, 2011 at 2:59 am

  • Rhys

    Thanks for the advice and funny story, I've had a few of those myself. A question, on a fast day do you eat nothing at all? I am pretty good about not hitting Taco Bell at 3am, especially since they haven't decided to come to South Africa yet, but if I'm drinking I try to lay off the food. The problem comes the next day. I should now be fasting, but I am usually hungry - advice?

    May 17, 2011 at 2:31 am

  • Marwan Killu

    I am trying out Joel's Xtreme Fat Loss and have done the fasting after the binge day and it's pretty cool with the shake day as well actually for some reason you tend to have more energy. I am using it with Vince Delmonte phase 12 but on fast days and depletion days I tend to use Roman's complex 2.0 circuits along with bodyweight circuits that he designed. Find it much easier than trying to truly lift heavy heavy on a fast day as my body tends to feel a bit sluggish after a binge day with pizzas and everything.

    May 17, 2011 at 2:07 am

  • Marwan Killu

    Hey Roman Love your blog it is both funny and informative. My worst hangover story was in my teens, having drank I don't know how many double vodka and red bull shots I ended up sitting on a roundabout at 4am!! To this day I have no recollection of how I got home that night

    May 17, 2011 at 1:54 am

  • Ed

    The worst I have done is to leave my car somewhere because I thought it prudent to take a cab, and then forget where you left it. A puzzle wrapped ina conuncrum, if ever there was one, I do agree that Vegas is a special place. There is a reason that the cathedral that is the center of the Roman Catholic diocese of Nevada is located on the strip: What is done in Vegas, not only stays in Vegas, it is confessed in Vegas!!!

    May 17, 2011 at 1:12 am

  • Alta

    Ahahaha, thanks for a great start to my day! Not only did your story crack me up, but it's ssssoooo good to know that we are able to enjoy a couple of drinks every now and again on occasions without feeling too guilty as we are able to apply some damage-control! Cheers John, you ROCK!!

    May 16, 2011 at 11:43 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Hey Sara, Sorry to hear your Vegas trip didn't work out--but thankfully we have brave men like your husband serving out country. I know when he comes home, Vegas will still be there -- and the celebration will be all the sweeter. Regarding the fast - correct. No food is eaten on the fast day.

    May 16, 2011 at 11:16 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Hey Lucas, I appreciate the comment; and while I value your insight as a medical student, there are a number of factors you're overlooking. First, there is excess glycogen storage. Assuming someone had a cheat day--even one with alcohol--their glycogen stores are going to be filled from the excess carb consumption. That being the case, there is no real danger of going hypoglycemic. Another thing is that I don't recommend or encourage binge drinking -- my story, while true, is more for entertainment than instruction. I was simply illustrating a point. Moreover, I am giving insight into damage control. Finally, as I said in the post, and numerous times in the comments, adequate water intake is vitally important; and assuming that's taken care of, I simply don't see any health issues here, for most people. Again, I appreciate the comment, and your concern for the safety of my readers, but I think we're all set. -Roman

    May 16, 2011 at 11:13 pm

  • Sara Dinkins

    Thanks for sharing your Vegas story! I've NEVER been to Vegas before. My husband and I were supposed to go with some friends a few months back....plane tickets and hotel room paid for. However, that didn't happen because the army decided he needed to go on a trip sooner than was planned. So we couldn't go, and lost all our money that went into the trip so far. Anyways! I'm really wanting to try this feast/fast thing, but I'm afraid I won't do it right. When you fast, does that mean you don't eat ANYTHING all day long?

    May 16, 2011 at 11:03 pm

  • Lucas Biaggini Diniz Barbosa

    Since you never replied my post, I am gonna repost it, hope you dont mind. I dont wanna be rude or a know-it-all ***hole, but as a medschool student, I dont feel comfortable with people fasting for a whole 24 hours just after getting wasted drunk- and so, higly hypoglicemic. Wouldnt that be very dangerous? For sure tis not a big deal if you just got a few shots last nigth, but after getting wasted, like in your story, it would be extremelly dangerous trying to fast for 24 hours and also working out. Again, i dont mean to be a jerck, I am just trully worried about the safetty of this. We dont want any of your clients and readers to end up in a hospital in hypoglicemic coma state after 16 hours of fasting and workout, do we?

    May 16, 2011 at 10:28 pm

  • Patrick

    Worst hangover story: woke up from the day after bids day (the day when the entire college parties to celebrate the new fraternity bids) and had people coming up to me saying they had a great time with me and I had no idea who they were. They told me I kept ending up with my shirt off and I was telling people I knew Denzel Washington on a personal level and had his number on my phone. On a serious note, I will definitely try the feast fast technique, as being in a fraternity during my sophomore in college will most likely lead to more hungover days, and I can't have it always ruin my goals with lifting and playing college basketball at an optimal level. Thanks for the tip man! E-mail me if you ever find yourself in Roanoke, VA. You might be past your college days, but not too old to appreciate a good college party.

    May 16, 2011 at 9:44 pm

  • LC

    New rule...put down the tea before reading Roman's posts... Worst hangover ever? Birthday party the year there was that drought in Mexico and tequila was ridiculously expensive. We wanted tequila shots. Bar wasn't carrying tequila. We said "ok, surprise us!". Several (alright, I think I stopped counting at 6) pony glasses (read, 2oz a piece) of Sambuca later...I have only vague recollection of leaving the bar. I do have very clear recollection of the entire day after during the severity of hangover we refer to as "making deals with Jesus."

    May 16, 2011 at 9:38 pm

  • Diego

    ive been doing this for a while now and it seems to work well. i usually only cheat on special occasions like friends bday or something like that, so it pretty much spaced out through the year. im actually doing one this weekend for my best friends bday, it gonna be awesome! cheat day ritual goes something like this. wake up, have breakfast then hit the gym followed by playing basketball. from there on out its pretty much eat whatever i want, go drink and party at night, eat some more then fast the next day. i dont mind drinking or even getting drunk on a cheat day because i know its easy for me not to drink anytime else. this strategy seems to work for me and will continue to use it, well cause it is also hella fun. thanks roman! yo btw any chance you share with us how your lactic acid worikout looked like?

    May 16, 2011 at 9:20 pm

  • Jess

    Best/worst hangover story involved the disappearance of 2 pairs of shoes along with my wallet, coupled by an appearance of at least one of my boobs; not in a cool "I'm so drunk, look at my boobies" way, but by falling over a table and my skimpy dress falling off my shoulder "hot-mess" kind of way. Awesome night, which is now the reason I have an "I'm getting pissed" outfit protocol. PS- Awesome post; black coffee OK on cheat day? Dear God, please say yes..

    May 16, 2011 at 8:05 pm

  • Garret

    bahaha funny friggin post! I can definitely relate to that... Sort of... I live in San Antonio and went to visit a girl that I'm "talking" to, who lives in Houston. Well one of the nights that I was there we decided to go party it up at a few different clubs. I thought it was a phenomenal idea considering the fact that I haven't been to any clubs in Houston and I love to dance and have a great time. So i stuck to pure vodka... at the beginning... or at least that's what I remember. Shot after shot after shot and I didn't feel a damn thing. So I downed some more shots of vodka. I was pre-gaming it at my chicks house, mind you. So now we're off to the club. I remember having one shot at the door called Jessica's Pus*y (the bartenders name was Jessica so I really don't know what was in it... but it tasted swell lol). Any way, we walk in and I'm feeling good (just starting to feel a buzz). We take another shot at the main bar and BAYUMM! I wake up the next morning under the blankets of my chicks bed... I woke up and couldn't recall anything about the previous night. My girl tells me... "You got drunk as hell, danced the night away; and right before closing time, I had bought shots for my girls and purposely did not get one for you"(meaning me, and because I was obviously drunk and had no recollection of that moment or any moment after that). According to her I was like "wtf I'm still standing!" so she got me a shot as well. Everyone takes the shot and she turns and finds me missing. She starts blasting my phone up until she gets an answer saying "Hello". She's like "Garret Where the hell are you?!" The person on the other line replied, "Umm, I'm not Garret but he's here passed out, outside next to this club and is about to get arrested by the "Po Po " (I'm sure he didn't use the term "po po" but it sure beats police officers). Any way, her and her friends come and rescue me. They find me with...sad but true... puke all over me... It's my puke, not somebody else puke... GROSS! So their taking me to the car when, OOPS! Drop me head first into the bushes why don't ya, because into that kinda stuff. Finally they get me back to her place, and their like "Poor guy we got to get him out of those clothes"... :) Three girls undressing me...That would be an awesome scenario if I was conscious and had not puked all over myself. So, they get my shoes off, then my shirt, and now they're trying to somehow take off my pants. one of the girls had said "OMG he so heavy, must be all that muscle!" Thanks Final phase fat loss ;). Well they're maneuvering me around and finally slip my pants off to find...Sad but true, and also hilarious because I don't remember a damn thing. But I had pissed myself! All over my new Express boxers purchased that very day... :( "Poor guy" one of the girls said. So, they changed my boxers and put me to bed. The next morning I wake up like how the hell did I get here and asked my girl what had happened. Fell back asleep, woke up and asked her again lol. Any who from what I was told, I had a pretty friggin awesome time. I didn't use a complete cheat day the day after but sure as hell did not have an appetite. Personally, I think I can drink and get away with it. Only because I know my body and I know how to push myself to get my body the way I want it. For others, I'd say it really depends on them and their lifestyle. I work at a bar and train a few people who go to my bar( I'm not a drinker either..Only when it really calls for it...) And I see a lot of people who are drinking ridiculously night after night. That obviously is going to take a toll on your body no matter what. But like I said earlier, one of the clients I train gets pretty drunk sometimes that I see him there. And despite that, I'm happy to say that I have helped him lose 11lbs in about 3 or 4 weeks. Sorry for writing a novel... And I just finished FPFL and got your body weight edition that I am trying out now. I would do the regular edition but I just got into a major car wreck with a peter built semi truck and didn't want to use any weights just yet. My car is totaled but I am still standing lol. Thanks to the Final Phase Fat Loss program ;)

    May 16, 2011 at 7:28 pm

  • Larry

    Roman What do you think about the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde (acetate) and how it effects losing body fat? Larry

    May 16, 2011 at 7:21 pm

  • Mike

    I keep hearing about the benefits of red wine, but the next day after I have a few glasses I get terrible gout. It started in my 20's. I thought I had injured myself playing football. Australian football. Eventually had it diagnosed as gout. Strangely I can drink a few beers or white spirits and have no problem. I use the same method the next day after a I tie one on. Lots of water, if I get hungry I just have a protein drink. No solid food. Seems to work.

    May 16, 2011 at 6:43 pm

  • Jennifer

    The last time I 'let loose' I ended up sleeping in my bath tub naked. I surprisingly didn't wake up with a hangover the next day but I did promise myself that I would never drink like that again. I actualy gave it up and socialy have a single glass of red wine. It's been a year since the bath tub incident and I haven't had a glass of wine in 2 months. I'd say that's not bad for a 28 year old.

    May 16, 2011 at 6:11 pm

  • Tim Hulbert

    Ummm. I live in Sydney australia. AND I found your pants!!!!!!

    May 16, 2011 at 6:10 pm

  • badgear

    My own experience, since I do drink wine (a bottle a day is not unknown), is that it doesn´t matter as long as you follow your caloriebudget. If it comes to keep my weight. I also prefer white wine to red wine, since the later more often gives me the sniffles. There might be som good clues in this article; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101117121807.htm And no, I never been sub10 in bodyfat, I´m just an ordinary 50 year old geezer who was fat a few years ago, but in a better shape today.

    May 16, 2011 at 5:57 pm

  • Riaz

    I've been using cheat days for a while, as I'm on Joel's CWYT diet. After reading your feast>fast blog, I started fasting after the cheat days and it's been working fine for me. As I'm about to start FPFL bodyweight edition, just wanted to know what training (if any) I'm supposed to use on cheat days and fast days. Thanks (and keep these funny blogs coming!)

    May 16, 2011 at 5:55 pm

  • Dean

    Awesome, thanks for the tips.

    May 16, 2011 at 5:49 pm

  • Mare

    On the fast day, what if anything are you drinking besides water? Are protien shakes ok?

    May 16, 2011 at 5:32 pm

  • John Romaniello

    ha! This is great. I've had some similar experiences. Waking up with my clothes on that is. Not the Walk of Shame. I wouldn't know anything about that one.

    May 16, 2011 at 5:30 pm

  • rocky

    I was doing the whole "feast->fast" concept during CYWT and it took awhile to get used to. I started over doing it on a cheat day like eating wayy to much as the scale showed the following week because i hated that starving/light headed feeling of the fast. And just to prove you can over do it on a cheat day, the one week i put on like a pound after doing a crazy week of workouts with FPFL which really killed my motivation at the time. But I eventually started to get used to it and i actually love fast days now almost as much as cheat days. Good stuff Roman.

    May 16, 2011 at 5:28 pm

  • Tara

    I'm going to take this one step further, well, it's a hell of a big step, but I think it's a great plan to have an annual or biannual fast of a longer stretch of time. I also do the weekly, feast-fast thing and it works really well. But it always seems to me that when spring is upon us I feel the need to detox more completely and I do a 7 day fast to reset my pancreas and give all the organs a much deserved break. Now, I know this sounds pretty hardcore and near impossible, but I assure you, it is no only doable, but actully enjoyable once you get past the first couple of days. The amount of clean energy you get is unreal, and everything seems a whole lot clearer. At the end of it all, you spend a couple of days reintroducing food and then your good to go. I always seem to be that much stronger at the gym afterward, and that much faster running, with less effort. Yeah, a bit of muscle comes off, but just a bit...with a bit of effort, not hard to put back on. And for the record, I am a busy mom of 3, with a big house to care for and 2 demanding doggies, and let's not forget the husband! Try it, you'll like it. :)

    May 16, 2011 at 5:27 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Ha! Indeed it did sir. Let me know how you like the books! Awesome hanging out =)

    May 16, 2011 at 5:25 pm

  • Kondio

    Once I was hell of a drunk ass and played bowling. When throwing the ball for the first time this evening I didn't succeed at hitting my alley, instead I hit the next alley on the right. After throwing the ball I fell on the floor and crossed the line with my hand :) An hour or two later I thought that I am already sober so I drove my friend home. Then I drove to my home and ate. After that I layed myself on the bed and then the world started to shift every few seconds :) that's it

    May 16, 2011 at 5:24 pm

  • Kristian Manietta

    "I'm about one drink away from making out with dudes right now" Up there for the funniest quote of the night. I wonder though if what you said on pool deck came to fruition? Great to meet and hang out. FYI, all books you mentioned I picked up in Borders minus the zen one as out of stock.

    May 16, 2011 at 5:14 pm

  • Sara

    Oof best hangover story? I'll go with waking up (fully clothed! even shoes.) in a random dude's bed, running downstairs and out the door before he woke up and trekking 2 miles home across the city in my clothes from the night before (I call it the "city-wide walk of shame"). Oh, and I had to pee so bad by the time I got back, I peed my pants a bit at the very end. And that, my friend, is why I don't drink anymore :)

    May 16, 2011 at 5:13 pm

  • John Romaniello

    I do a cheat day once per week, but alcohol is involved once every 4-5 weeks.

    May 16, 2011 at 5:09 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Dan the Man, Thanks for stopping by, sir! Epic time had by all. And thanks for the insight.

    May 16, 2011 at 5:08 pm

  • Anne

    I love this article! I am doing well on my journey to become healthier but cheat days frustrate me because I dont want to take any steps back, only forward movement from here on out (down 65lbs in 6 moths and loving it). I look at it like i can't have a full cheat day while I am losing and once i maintain I will learn what I can treat myself too- but this is too difficult sometimes and when going out with friends i wont have the sweets and bad food but i'll have the liquor (i stick to vodka and sodawater as to eliminate extra calories/sugars from juices). so i am going to try this fast - my next cheat day is my friends wedding, june 4th, so i will plan to fast june 5th. Can i have coffee on a fast day? do i need to eat special foods when i resume eating? i tend tog et headaches when i don't eat, do u get headaches on fast days?

    May 16, 2011 at 4:48 pm

  • Chris

    Great post Roman. I don't drink myself, but I'll definitely pass this on to my drinking fitness friends. Great story!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:46 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Nate and I have pretty similar views in the general sense. Which means that we both feel it's okay in moderation. I personally only get enjoyment from the results of drinking (ie partying), whereas the actual act of going out and having a beer is fun for Nate. So we have similar theories, just tend to differ in application.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:44 pm

  • Teresa

    Roman! I do enjoy your blogs! I have incorporated the "treat" day, fast day with no difficulties. As to alcohol, I drink a glass of red wine every single day. (On a "great" day, I'll have more than a glass....) I am convinced of the benefits to cardiac health with the red wine. On a personal level, I believe it reduces my stress to sit and savor that glass of wine, so undoubtedly helps with the cortisol levels too...don't ya think? LOL...Anyway, I'm glad you had fun in Vegas, and I think you were an excellent choice to give the presentation you did. If you speak as well as you write...all is good!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:44 pm

  • John Romaniello

    I've tried it; for some reason it made my cheat day LESS enjoyable. Like, I couldn't eat as much, got full more quickly, and overall just had some issues. You COULD just have less calories the day before a cheat day instead of a full fast. Good instinct!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:43 pm

  • John Romaniello

    I blame the vodka for memory loss, yes. Tequila gets the blame for questionable decisions.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:42 pm

  • John Romaniello

    It's probably not necessary in the strictest sense of the word...HOWEVER BCAAs help a lot and are so cheap you really have no excuse not to take them. Check out this blog post http://www.romanfitnesssystems.com/blog/faster-than-fasting-a-look-at-biotests-new-protocol

    May 16, 2011 at 4:41 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Yessir, I do. Generally I take about 4x the recommended serving. Essentially the Joel Marion formula. Should have mentioned that!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:40 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Haha that would have required A LOT of dancing! The part about the carpet was totally true. Oh, my.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:39 pm

  • Tanya

    Too many hangover stories to recount....that's probably why I am to visit blog sites about fat loss....I will try the feast-fast - havent' had the willpower to get through my first fast day yet. Tried and failed...

    May 16, 2011 at 4:39 pm

  • John Romaniello

    It's my pleasure =) I appreciate being a part of it!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:39 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Yeah. Although I'd do 3 days of strength and 1 day of density, just for some extra hormonal increase.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:38 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Not my style, but it's totally cool to drink it.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:38 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Hey Kia, Well, the first thing is to try a small fast - let's say 16 hours. So if your last meal is at 9pm on Monday, make sure your first meal isn't until 1pm on Tuesday. After that try 18 hours, then 20, then 24. You should be able to get to a full 24 hour fast without too much trouble if you generally have a good diet. Once you are able to fast for 24 hours, you can start putting in a cheat day before the fast day. Do this once per week!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:37 pm

  • Alea

    What about Crown Royal and diet soda?

    May 16, 2011 at 4:35 pm

  • John Romaniello

    I heart tex-mex. Excellent choice! Fast after, and you're home free.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:34 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Alcohol does cause leptin levels to fall significantly. Really, the best way to deal with this is that if you're going to binge drink, try to keep your diet clean. If you're going to just have a few drinks, you can have a full cheat day. The impact is pretty minimal from what I've seen.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:34 pm

  • John Romaniello

    No sir. Not even any live ones. Fail.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:30 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Huh! Well, look at that. I do read BSP's blog, but I missed that post. Beer drinkers, rejoice =) Thanks for posting that!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:29 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Absolutely - check out www.LeanGains.com and www.BradPilon.com - tell'em Roman sent you!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:28 pm

  • John Romaniello

    You know I used to live in Long Beach. Back before it was cool. It's a lot more fun now...and you guys know how to throw a Funday. Small world!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:27 pm

  • james Quigley

    haha damn dude you totally beat me to the punch! I am going to write to "How to survive a sunday funday". Being that I live in Long Beach NY, very appropriate timing. Great stuff though buddy. Hilarious as always. I can't fast after a day of boozing but I will tell you this. I got Joel's email last week and put it to the test. I'm loving it and your right. Today I'm fasting and after my workout I finally feel amazing. ( half dead zombie boy on the fitness floor for a.m clients tho) Thanks John..I now hear vegas calling my name.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:23 pm

  • Chaz

    I'm also wondering about alcohol and leptin...Joel recommends avoiding booze on cheat days, but Tim Ferriss says its no big deal, I think he even says something like "Drink a whole keg for all I care". Ive been trying to completely knock the stuff out of my diet for a while now, but I think it can help at the end of a long week for some psychological recovery, in moderation of course. Loving this GetDrunkNotFat.com site. So....whats the story on how alcohol affects leptin? Am I destroying my cheat day leptin boost by drinking a bottle of red wine? Thanks!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:21 pm

  • Billy

    Hey John, Trying out fasting today after a big cheat day. The choice was somewhat instinctual but reinforced by articles like these. Pardon me if this appears lazy but do you have any other resources on the site or in general that speak to intermittent fasting in more detail? Mainly looking for frequency info Thanks!!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:18 pm

  • Tom

    No "Dead Hooker"?

    May 16, 2011 at 4:17 pm

  • Wendy

    genius! Most of my cheat days involve tex-mex and margaritas...I'll try fasting next time for more damage control. cheers!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:16 pm

  • Kia Komadina

    Ok, so I don't drink alchohol. I've only ever had one sip of beer (at age 6) which made me think the rest of the world had to be crazy to drink that stuff. lol. That aside, I am trying to get my head around these fasting days. I'm a very busy Mum of two girls (insert no say on daily schedule), and work part time. I train with weights 3 times a week and do short burst interval sessions on the intervening 3 days. I am conscious of what I eat, and am at my 'ideal weight', just trying to loose the last bit of fat so my muscle definition is visible (in very untechnical terms). How would feast and fast days work for me??? This may be totally irrelevant, but I have fasted before and never managed very long as I get very weak - which in my lifestyle is just not an option. Thanks heaps for any feedback!

    May 16, 2011 at 4:03 pm

  • Luke

    The issue of the health benefits of alcohol consumption is pretty hotly debated and seems to be one of those areas where you can find evidence to support any position. Do you read Brian St. Pierre's blog? He wrote a post on the benefits of beer: http://brianstpierretraining.com/index.php/the-benefits-of-beer/. I don't think it's fair to write off beer entirely.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:03 pm

  • Tony Roe

    Good stuff, Roman. Good stuff. This makes me think of something I read from Berkhan about altering your diet the day you plan to drink (decreasing caloric intake from carbohydrates a decent bit, and from fat drastically to help hinder fat storage). That said, I think you can get away with drinking occasionally from a fitness standpoint. However, I don't see any real problem with abstaining and it's probably what I'll do (I tend to make terrible food-related decisions when I'm drunk).

    May 16, 2011 at 4:01 pm

  • Trevor

    I love the idea of fast days, I just don't know when to do it. Right now I'm in phase 2 of Del Monte's MYM, and I'm on a 3 days on - 1 day off schedule. When would the ideal fast day be? I don't want to do it on a workout day as I need both energy to do the workout and to recover after it, but I also feel like I need the nutrients on the off day because they say muscle growth occurs while you're recovering, and so I can be ready for the following day (or 2-3 days, as it were). Any advice would be appreciated.

    May 16, 2011 at 4:00 pm

  • Felix

    Question about FPFL Im looking to increase muscular mass and definition(i look good but i wanna look awsome) Can i just do the strenght training excersises and avoid the dynamic, density etc..?

    May 16, 2011 at 3:57 pm

  • Ylwa

    Too many skinny bitches again? I have to ask - what does Dave really see in you as his partyman? You should ask him. And thank you again for helping turn my worst hangover story into my fairy tale :)

    May 16, 2011 at 3:53 pm

  • Mike

    Great post Roman.... I always fast after a night out of drinking and glutinous fun. My following day consists of... Digestive Enzymes for obvious reasons Water Large unsweetened iced green tea from Starbucks to expedite the flushing Depletion workout---full body beating of whatever I am feeling that day---usually bodyweight and some type of lactic acid training. I have also found that scotch, though a brown liquor, has become my drink of choice for two reasons... 1. To truly enjoy you need to sip slowly which heads hindering binge drinking 2. Charles Bronson drinks it---and, well, I don't think I really need to explain why that is a good reason to drink scotch. -MA

    May 16, 2011 at 3:51 pm

  • Bruno

    Extreme fat loss diet requires BCAA on fast days, is it necessary to avoid muscle loss?

    May 16, 2011 at 3:50 pm

  • Roan

    Oops I forgot this question! Do you take BCAA's on your fast days?

    May 16, 2011 at 3:44 pm

  • ken

    If you fasted the day BEFORE the cheat day, wouldn't that be better? It would give the excess calories you eat on the cheat day " a place to go"

    May 16, 2011 at 3:44 pm

  • Lucas Biaggini Diniz Barbosa

    I dont mean to be rude- I am a great fan of yours- but as a medschool student, I just dont feel comfortable with people Fasta a whole day after getting wasted drunk- and so, hipoglicemyc- on the nigth before. Wouldnt it be extremely dangerous?

    May 16, 2011 at 3:42 pm

  • Roan

    I liked this story! Though I am questioning myself why there are no pictures... Was it that bad Roman? Nonetheless I usually don't drink, hen I do, I take a few shots. I love the burning taste. But I don't like beer at all, so I never drink it. I rarely go out anyway, not necessarily for my body, but I hate waking up at 1 pm and still feeling kind of beat up. Though I have a question. I remember Joel Marion saying in his program that alcohols numbs the leptine boosting effect of your cheat day. What's your point on this? About the cheat and fast days, I simply love them. I needed to get used to the cheat days more then to the fast days. All this time I got used to not cheating but suddenly.... a whole day...? I felt like I was lying to myself. But we're cool now. I like getting myself some burgers and pizza's but I stay away from those bad carbs that run into your bloodstream like crazy because I really can't take them. I wind up getting hyper-active and then suddenly very tired and depressed. Nah. Just give me my fat burgers. Then the holy fast day. Fuckdamn. Nothing feels as good as a fast day. Though I used the CYWT program, meaning I got myself a protein shake and some fatty's every 3 hours, I can imagine the feeling being almost the same. Going straight to your goals, I literaly feel the fat burning of my body. Anyway. Enough said for me. Hope you had a great week!

    May 16, 2011 at 3:40 pm

  • Tony

    Hey Roman, How do your views on alcohol differ from Nate's views? (Who if I recall is partial to the occasional beer or two). P.s. The last (and only) time I've been let loose in Vegas genuinly read like the early draft to the Hangover script. I am still to this day convinced they based it on my night. Highlight of the night = getting an ace picture with two hot paramedics. (Still have no idea how this picture came about). Low point of the night = slipping over on some idiot's spilt drink in the toilet. It looked lame, and I busted my ankle.

    May 16, 2011 at 3:38 pm

  • Rebecca

    Very interesting! How often do you "cheat"? Is once a week too often??

    May 16, 2011 at 3:37 pm

  • aditi

    Is the vodka why you haven't emailed me back :)

    May 16, 2011 at 3:28 pm

  • John Romaniello

    lol, sadly I remember saying that.

    May 16, 2011 at 3:26 pm

  • Chantel

    I think you have officially convinced me to try the fasting after an excessive food day. I typically drop my kcal quite a bit the following day, but don't fast. I do get a bit anxious about the idea of fasting, but think I am ready to try it. And really, if I commit to try this, then I know I must really want to eat that junk to face a fast :) I had read some where, once upon a time, that diet pop can contribute to faster intoxication if used as alcohol mix. Do you know if this is accurate? Your story reminds me about why I don't drink any more... I have far too many of those stories to count... I just about died laughing at my own memories when you felt like you were falling off the world... LOL

    May 16, 2011 at 3:23 pm

  • Rosa

    If you dance wild enough, don't ya burn off most of the booze calories? I loved the part about you laying on the floor and holding tightly to the carpet. Hilarious!

    May 16, 2011 at 3:22 pm

  • David Sinick

    "I'm about one drink away from making out with dudes right now"

    May 16, 2011 at 3:20 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Well, it sounds like you just need to dial it back a bit. Try to at more protein on your non-fast days, as well as veggies.

    May 16, 2011 at 3:16 pm

  • Nefer

    I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong but I tend to binge like crazy the day after a fast. The very first few weeks that I tried it (2x a week as in Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon) my results were great. But now in my 4th week of Intermittent Fasting, I have a net loss of 3 lbs and too many binge days. What the hell? Nefer

    May 16, 2011 at 3:15 pm

  • Chantry

    When you say fast day do you mean you don't eat anything at all?

    May 16, 2011 at 3:08 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Glad you enjoyed it - and I appreciate the compliment. Cooper has pretty stellar hair, so I'm not sure I can compete. But I do appreciate it!

    May 16, 2011 at 3:04 pm

  • John Romaniello

    Hey Sue, Normally I train on a fast day - either lactic acid training or in some cases basic dynamic stuff. I didn't train this time, mainly because I had a pretty bad headache. And, yes, just water, green tea, and other calorie free beverages. No food at all!

    May 16, 2011 at 3:03 pm

  • Sue

    Just wondering if you work out on the fast day? And by fasting, I'm assuming mean drinking just water and absolutely no food? Just want to be clear!

    May 16, 2011 at 3:00 pm

  • Gaby

    ''as I’d expected him to play the Zach Galifinakis to my Bradley Cooper'' Laughed as crazy from this one:) Although I think you're way hotter than Cooper:) Just saying...

    May 16, 2011 at 2:48 pm

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