Cheat to Lose Diet

You know, I've never been a fan of these different weight loss "concepts" we see popping up all around us. Lots of these books offer bits and pieces of good advice, but on a whole, I don't think they're all that great.

For me at least, it took changing my lifestyle by getting active, exercise, and eating the right foods. When people ask me how I lost weight and I respond with "diet and exercise" - (diet as a noun of course, not a verb) it's almost as if they didn't believe me. Nope, it didn't take diet pills, a trainer, or some special "concept."

The cardio they talk about is HIIT High intensity interval training. It is the best way to lose fat, google it, you don't need to buy a book.

This is nothing new and he didn't make it up. Cycling calories and carbs has been around for decades. Here's one way, go no bread/dairy/fruits Mon-Fri with healthy fats, veggies and protein, eat healthy but whatever you would like to on the weekend (no restriction on carbs but dont go too crazy..if carbs go up, fats have to go down), repeat and lose weight. Just another fad book now focused around the new hot topic of the hormone "Leptin". Oh yeah...he is also promoting a supplement which I am sure he has vested interest in. (aka the Bill Phillips route...smart marketing though if you are running a aupplement business). HIT works and has also been around for a long time...as it promotes the neccessary hormones to burn fat all day, as that is what real fat burning is...an all day/night process. (not how many cal you burn in an hour of jogging)

Anecdotally, I'd say this works. I've experienced myself that feeling of actually having lost fat after a binge, provided it was surrounded on both sides by sensible eating.

Besides leptin, there is also an increase in metabolism that goes along with increased food consumption, and a decrease in metabolism from a long-term caloric deficit.

I'd love to read through the references on this one. I've been interested in Leptin research for a couple of years now. One would think though that gradual weight loss would also avert a major leptin fluctuation that would promote regain?

HIIT training is very effective, but let's consider for a minute those who are looking to lose substantial weight. They are often deconditioned and may suffer from joint pain. It's important to build a good cardio base.

Mike OD,

Yeah - I was wondering about the supplement thing. I know Bill Phillips promoted them heavily because of his EAS interests.

SCal said:
The cardio they talk about is HIIT High intensity interval training.[...]

It think I will buy this book. Looks interesting. I and some friends are running a site that looks into different weight loss methods. I think we will review this book.

:-)

My sister told me about this book and she said it was pretty interesting and better than most diet books. One of the things I like about it as it has cheating in it and weight loss is not all about eating everything good.

I don't usually "cheat", diet-wise, but I do allow myself a day off from working out once a week. It seems to help me keep the weight off. I also have experienced the same thing that Kailash has...losing weight after eating a lot. Once I ate a massive ice cream sundae for dessert (it was HUGE) and I was 5 lbs lighter the next day. Weird, but true.

Spectra said:
Once I ate a massive ice cream sundae for dessert (it was HUGE) and I was 5 lbs lighter the next day.[...]

Introducing the latest revolutionary diet plan: The "Massive Ice Cream Sundae Diet" by Spectra. Lose 5 pounds in one day!

This one has "best seller" writen all over it Spectra, lol...

This concept used is interesting though I do not like the word 'cheat'. You can cheat once or twice but the body knows it. Actually the method involves confusing the body so as to burn more calories and to make sure that the food get converted and utilized more effectively. The nutrients from the food are put to good use rather than stored as fats. The problem is that not everyone can follow the method and thus do it well at the same time. It boils down to sensible eating and a conscious effort to control your food intake.

"Metabolic Drive" is actually a product of Biotest. Joel Marion is a contributing writer for their free, online bodybuilding magazine and community, T-Nation.com

I'm not sure how the financial ties might exist between Marion and Biotest, if they exist at all. He did get a real nice plug on T-Nation (article-cum-advertisment) for this book a few weeks back.

And that might have been all Marion got in exchange for the Metabolic Drive recommendation. It is actually just a protein powder, and he might prefer a recommendation for his readers, rather than others of unknown quality.

Overweight people do not burn fat doing cardio training at a high heart rate. Very briefly, fat sits outside the muscle cell, stored in fat cells. Carbs (glycogen) are stored inside the muscle cell. The body is inheriently lazy and find's it easier to breakdown carbs for energy than fat. If you do cardio exercise at a high heart rate the body does not have sufficient time to transport the fat from the fat cells, through the blood stream to the working muscle, get it inside the muscle and break it down to then get it into the mitochondria in time to meet the energy requirments. This is why athletes do not use fat to fuel sports performance- it's more than twice as energy dense as carbohydrate but the body cannot metabloise it quick enough to meet the energy requirments of intense cardio.

Fat breakdown for energy occurs when muscle glycogen has been sufficiently depleted from doing higher intensity activity, which is then immediatley followed with 'easy' intensity cardio activity (heart rate 125bpm women and 140bpm men). This is the basis of my '2 Fuel Tanks' System of weight loss.

I too have budged from a plateau (in the right direction LOL) by having a cheat day (actually, I think I read it on this site, "zigzagging" calories) so I think this could very well work.

Hi All,

Just to clarify the Metabolic Drive issue, I have no financial interest there and T-Nation.com would have still interviewed me about the book whether or not I recommended any Biotest product -- I am a regular contributor to their publication. I believe meal replacements are valuable in any diet and Metabolic Drive just happens to be the one I feel is best from both a quality and taste standpoint.

I trust those who have picked up the book enjoyed it. While it may share similarities with other programs (all diets have at least something in common), you'd be surprised just how different and unique it is by checking it out.

Best of luck in your fat loss endeavors,
Joel

I picked up the "Cheat to Loose Diet" book at the library last Saturday and just finished my first week. Tomorrow is my first LowGL day. If I'm reading correctly I get to add 8 items from the LowGL list(with some restrictions)tomorrow-amazing. I also read that I need to stay off the scale for awhile because I'll probably gain some weight back with this change, but being 8 lbs. lighter than last Monday morning sure is encouraging! I'm still searching the internet for a good price on Metabolic Drive powder though.
Carol

I think this book sounds like its worth a read, but it also seems like every weight loss book is saying the same thing. Eat frequently, keep a check on carbs, exercise and use moderation. So I get to cheat one day a week, big deal. Any person who has even a somewhat busy life will get tired of all the food preparation, packing your lunches and eating every three hours anyway and end up having a day of not having to think of every single thing they put in there mouth. A cheat day is going to happen anyway, no matter what diet your on. You could probably get away with not buying the book and making it work for you just by reading the reviews. Ive read different books and tried a few of them, Im just not seeing how there could be anything new here. Good luck to anyone who tries it.

The cheat to lose diet is vert practical. Yes, the information has been around for several years. But Joel Marion has put it together in a very efficient plan. I have never been on a diet. I just changed my dietary habits and did some exercise, both cardio and weightlifting. Never did low carb, low fat or any type of outlined diet. I lost 45 pounds with just diet and exercise.

But after that I hit a plateau. I still had to lose another 45 pounds. Now I am on the cheat to lose diet. I have tried before to incorporate cheat meals, but the results were minimal. Joel's diet plan isn't as simple as eat low carb and have a cheat day. There is a priming phase that is meant to increase insuline and leptin sensitivity. In this period weightloss will be very fast. Then there is a core phase which is the main phase of the diet. After reaching your goals you can live on the maintance phase with less structure and a lot more calories. Because your metabolism won't be damaged like it will be in many other low calorie diets.

Why do people who have never tried this diet feel they're in a position to judge it? This is not a "fad diet". It takes you through specific steps, each one designed to give your body a specific hormone reaction. The "cheat day" is not to merely give you a psychological break. It's *essential* to raise your level of leptin. The days leading up to the cheat are also in a specific sequence to work on your insulin and cortisol levels. Speaking as someone who has tried, Atkins, South Beach, and Nutrisystem, I have found this diet to be amazing! PLEASE, study the science behind this program before mouthing off about it!

*is skeptical* Every year, "supposed" scientists and doctors find a different culprit for something that ails us...*pouts*

Next thing you know, they'll be telling us not to breathe the air 'cause it'll cause our eyelashes to fall out. Quel horreur! Wouldn't want to walk around without lashes...might get dirt, or one of those tiny fruit flies, in your eye. Ouch!

Mouse &hearts

For some people "cheat days" can help. For other people, cheat days can significantly hinder. It depends on what cheat treats are eaten and the constitution of the individual.

For example, a good many overweight people, and a fair number of normal weight people, are addicted to refined (processed) carbohydrates. If such people have refined carbohydrates on cheat days, when they re-start their diet (either a healthy eating diet or a weight loss diet) they soon experience withdrawal symptoms and strong cravings.

Those cravings will continue for four or five days. By the time the cravings diminish, the next cheat day has arrived. They have their refined carb treats again and the cravings are back full force for the next four or five days.

In that way, they remain in a constant state of distraction and dissatisfaction.

I don't usually "cheat", diet-wise, but I do allow myself a day off from working out once a week. It seems to help me keep the weight off. I also have experienced the same thing that Kailash has...losing weight after eating a lot. Once I ate a massive ice cream sundae for dessert (it was HUGE) and I was 5 lbs lighter the next day. Weird, but true.

I have literally tried every diet there is available on the market. My most recent success was the slim n six diet and exercise program. The excersise series is great, but it is very strict about staying away from junk foods, refined carbs, etc. So I end up bindging and then I get discouraged.

I'm going to give the Cheat To Loose book a shot. I really like the idea of having a cheat day, and the concept of manipulating leptin. Sounds like nothing I've ever tried before. Looking forward to it!

I'm in the middle of the 2nd week of the priming phase. I haven't been on the scale for a few days, but it seems like I've lost some. So far, the diet has been easy to stay on. I've stayed 100% strict and it's been plenty of food. I was concerned about the first week--that I would be low energy w/out the extra carbs--but it didn't happen. It was fine. Now, I'm concerned that the higher glycemic carbs are going to mess w/ my blood sugar, but I'm probably wrong there too.
Can't say that it works yet, because I haven't got to a cheat day yet. I'll keep you posted as I proceed.

I love this diet. I wasn't a bigger eater but gained weight. It helps me to focus on certain foods on certain days.

I never knew that I was addicted to carbs until the priming phase. It was hard but I made it. I love the cheat day.

Also, this book was recommended to me by my personal trainer.

It works for me because during the week I focus on what I can eat for the day and that is it. I know the food groups by hard and I can be at a restuarant and choose low carb or high carb. Then my snacks are centered around low carb or high carb each day. So it makes it easier to say I need peanuts verses I had fruit for the first snack now I need protein. Depending on the day, you automatically know what foods you should be eating and it is easier to stay within those limits.