[Andrew]

@Clare thanks for this. Can spinach be eaten raw? I have pre workout around hrs before i train.

Should i take veggies out of my pre workout and add it onto another meal?

Also, considering spinach will be my only green how much should i aim to eat a day?

[Andrew]

Dieting and restriction of foods is what causes this issue. I guess it’s about re training the body to eat foods it’s not eaten regularly for a long time or just not having one. How important is it yuu have one regularly ?

Not important at all. When i first started cutting at 92kg they helped a lot mentally. Im 79kg now and dont even crave them. Just in their for routine at this point.

Would a structured refeed be better or just no cheat meal at all?

[Andrew]

Meals off plan aren’t an issue unless they cause an issue. These meals also don’t have to be large and calorie dense either. I feel like people get a little caught up and over eat on the meals they get some “freedom”
I personally would match your calories closely for the meal you swap, start by only eating easy to digest foods that are tasty or different from that you usually have to try and create that mental break. Even something like a Nando’s that can create a social aspect ( when they open) can give you the break you need if a weekly diet break is something that will help you adhere moving forward

Yup, very guilty of this. Will eat as much as i can just because i know i can progress week after. Nukes my digestion though.

Going forward will opt for a more sensible approach. Do you think a structured refeed will be better?

[Andrew]

Hi Andrew, what benefit do you see from the cheat meal?

Is it a psychological release? Or just to reduce hunger?

Would you not be better off splitting it into smaller meals that are easier to handle?

If you have it daily it may as well be part of your plan, right? Rather than a “cheat”?

Cheat meal is a weekly thing, every friday. When i started cutting i the mental benefit was great. As i get leaner surprisingly i dont care for it much so its there just as routine.

Very much contemplating removing the cheat meal and just doing a refeed when needed. Would this be a smart approach?

[Andrew]

I agree with Clare here – it’s definitely the amount of food that really affects the digestion post free meal. It can be the type but if it’s after every off plan I would look at volumes

Thanks Meg. I was flirting with the idea of Removing cheat meal all together. Alternative is lower the volume like a lot of people have said. Does 250g Steak 250g rice sound sensible for a 79kg male?

[Andrew]

@Clare Thanks for the reply. It used to be a dirty cheat meal. Had bad problems. Have switched it up to a Clean cheat meal. 500g steak 500g rice 1 tin of beans.
This is a lot more food than im used to and definetly feel full/bloated after. Do you think its the amount im eating rather than the food itself?
Perhaps next week i should go for 250g steak 250g rice and assess. Would be over the moon if that fixed my dilema. Also no, i feel no desperation to have a cheat meal, more just a routine i have had years

500g steak – this should be obvious it’s going to cause upset.
We no red meat is hard to digest.
We no average serving is 150-200g for normal people. 2-300g big guys
500g is simply asking for trouble lol [/quote]
I appreciate this, this is all new things im learning.

Going from here i have two options what would you advise?

1. Stop Cheat Meals and make sure digestion is best it can be on Daily Regular Diet.

2. Cut cheat meal to 250 Steak 250 Rice.

As it stands Hilly, i dont care about a cheat meal much. Its something i look forward to and tastes good and doesn’t interfere with goals. But need it? Certinally not

[Andrew]

I didn’t know there was Gluten in oats. Will remove beans. I used to have Whey iso woth these meals but caused bloating and discomfort. Is there any downside to these meals with no protein? Would baby rice be better or how about some Gluten free oats from Myprotein or something

Cream of rice trainedbyjp or baby rice.
Yes, basically not optimal for protein synthesis. Not really what we want. definitely you need protein to grow or to keep your muscles. [/quote]
I have seen no downside since cutting out 120g whey. No loss in strength and no visual muscle loss, really happy with how im coming together physique wise. Is there any other reason i should be concerned about protein intake?

I have 6more weeks cutting until i re-adjust diet, at that point i could add more protein in with a Top tier protein powder. I really dont care about the price i just need something that works.

I will never budget myself on my health.

[Andrew]

Hey, 6 rice cakes for meal 2? No protein in meal 1 or 2? So possible issues could come from the gluten in oats, and definitely take out the baked beans. Some people don’t get on well with acv either. Remove one item at a time until your workout what is causing the issue. Even chicken has some people reacting badly but it’s unlikely.

I didn’t know there was Gluten in oats. Will remove beans. I used to have Whey iso woth these meals but caused bloating and discomfort. Is there any downside to these meals with no protein? Would baby rice be better or how about some Gluten free oats from Myprotein or something

[Andrew]

Hi. I don’t see protein in m1 m2 m4. Check out the macro planner on the apps. I would adjust first the diet. Maybe then add switch veggies. And Add the green powder by trainedbyjp help with constipation. X

I used to have Whey iso but this caused bloating and discomfort. Will WheatGrass be any good?

[Andrew]

Great stuff bud with the progress, yeah broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, basically there higher in fructans which make it harder for you to digest properly. With your digestion problems I would stay well clear. With the oats as well mate which also contain gluten are also going to cause you issues so replace with 70g of ground rice / rice (dry weight).
Cheat meal, get rid of the beans( high fibre) and cut the meat portion too 250 g and the rice too 250 g and just replace the calories with something else you enjoy which isn’t going to cause any issues digestion wise. With the 500-600 cals you’ve taken out have a gluten free muffin etc.
What your doing is working and you are happy so keep it up bud.

Spinach would be 10x easier i assume although i have never had it. So would that be 50g spinach raw on both meals? Does this contain good nutrients in relation to Broc?

Great so 250g Steak 250g Rice and a Gluten Free muffin. I will be estatic if this cures problem because around 9months ago my gut was Nuked by eating foods i was intolerant to. Have come a long way since then however still some little tweaks to be made.

[Andrew]

@Clare Thanks for the reply. It used to be a dirty cheat meal. Had bad problems. Have switched it up to a Clean cheat meal. 500g steak 500g rice 1 tin of beans. This is a lot more food than im used to and definetly feel full/bloated after. Do you think its the amount im eating rather than the food itself? Perhaps next week i should go for 250g steak 250g rice and assess. Would be over the moon if that fixed my dilema

Steak takes a while to digest and beans are difficult to break down for most people, so that along with the sheer amount of food is causing your body to struggle to digest it all, causing discomfort.
If you need to have an off plan meal, then I would opt for foods that are easier to digest and lower the volume.
[/quote]
Lower in Volume i can definetly do, as far as easier foods to digest what would you suggest? Would i be okay to cut meal in half or change food also?
Fyi – im Gluten Dairy and yeast intol[/quote]

Do you actually need an off plan meal? What is the purpose?

If you just want to get more calories in, then why not increase across all meals instead of having one large one and causing yourself discomfort?

However, there’s nothing wrong with Steak and rice, just reduce the amount of steak and omit the beans.

[/quote]
Certinally dont need a Off plan meal. Sure its something i look forward to but as it stands the cons outweigh the positives.

So yeah i really dont need one, i just always thought a cheat meal had great benefit on a cutting phase.

Maybe i will Opt for 250rice 250steak. See how i get on. But like i say, i couldn’t care less about a cheat meal. I’v been doing it mainly because i know i can and still get leaner each week

[Andrew]

Again mate what are you goals? If you don’t cheat meal mentally then don’t have one.

Hi James, on other thread i repled with current goals. Hope it helps

[Andrew]

Hi mate take out the broccoli and replace with spinach (50g) , replace the oats with ground rice to start with especially being gluten intolerant. Me personally I don’t like the diet at all, I’m not sure what your goals are but if you could give some background we can help a bit more.

For sure. Goal are just to look good and stay fit. Have gone from 92 to 79kg since the start of the Year. Have been doing fantastic and the best i have ever looked.

Digestive problems have been a rollercoaster which once nailed will be perfect. Broccoli for spinach can be done, although i wasn’t expecting Broc to be of concern?

I have another 6weeks cutting in me hopefully take me down to around 75kg then Maintain from there and become more perfomance focused.

Hope this helps

[Andrew]

@Clare Thanks for the reply. It used to be a dirty cheat meal. Had bad problems. Have switched it up to a Clean cheat meal. 500g steak 500g rice 1 tin of beans.
This is a lot more food than im used to and definetly feel full/bloated after. Do you think its the amount im eating rather than the food itself?
Perhaps next week i should go for 250g steak 250g rice and assess. Would be over the moon if that fixed my dilema

Steak takes a while to digest and beans are difficult to break down for most people, so that along with the sheer amount of food is causing your body to struggle to digest it all, causing discomfort.

If you need to have an off plan meal, then I would opt for foods that are easier to digest and lower the volume.

[/quote]
Lower in Volume i can definetly do, as far as easier foods to digest what would you suggest? Would i be okay to cut meal in half or change food also?

Fyi – im Gluten Dairy and yeast intol

[Andrew]

@jade-kelsie thanks helpfull to know thankyou. Would you suggest cutting that cheat meal in Half? Would that be okay?