If you’ve been following me, you know I’m working with Justin Harris of Troponin Nutrition (yeah, the same guy who got Dave Tate jacked AF). He has been absolutely incredible in taking my training and physique to new heights. And man, I get to eat good.

Of course, no matter how great a diet is, it’s always fun to cheat once in a while. Now, I eat pretty healthy all the time, and enjoy it… but that doesn’t mean I can’t let loose sometimes.

So, without further ado: my top 5 cheat meals!

  1. Chicken. Yep, chicken. But not just any chicken… a whole fucking rotisserie chicken from the heartland of America, otherwise known as Costco.

    Don’t want to make a trip to Costco? Get a whole fryer chicken from the grocery store. Pat it dry, salt and pepper generously, and stick it in a 425-degree oven for an hour. Then eat that whole motherfucker.

  2. Cereal. Probably not the worst thing in the world, but let’s be real. I’m not having a bowl of cereal. I’m having a whole fucking box.

    My top 3: Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Peanut Butter Crunch, and the old classic: Honey Nut Cheerios. Family size, of course.

  3. Peanut butter. By now you’ve caught on. I’m having a whole fucking jar of peanut butter.
  4. BBQ. I can go HAM on some barbecue beef ribs, but I do this one pretty rarely, on account of I don’t handle high amounts of animal fats that well. As good as this shit tastes, it’s not worth spending the whole next day on the toilet.
  5. Sushi. Yeah, you know where this is going. The closest all-you-can-eat place. Unless someone else is paying, then I’m going for the good stuff.

Now, all that said, if you’re on a strict diet, a cheat meal can have some negatives: it can increase cravings, slow fat loss, and make you feel kinda shitty for training. Here are some strategies that Justin and/or I recommend for minimizing these negative effects:

  • Fill up on veggies first. I usually slam a solid pound of green vegetables and half a gallon of crystal lite before having a cheat meal. This helps fills me up and keeps me from over doing it (for the most part).
  • Make the cheat meal the last meal of the day. Same idea as above, and this prevents your cheat meal from becoming a cheat day.
  • Try to match your scheduled macros. This isn’t always necessary, but it can be helpful to substitute a regular meal with the same macros, but “cheat” foods — for example, you could sub a high-carb meal with a bowl of cereal and protein powder to help curb cravings.

Of course, if a “conservative” cheat meal doesn’t appeal to you, you can always go super heavy. Trust me: I won’t judge, I’ll be jealous.