i'm 12 weeks out from my first show and @ 8.5% bf at 180 lbs. would it be benificial or detrimental to have a cheat meal once a week? i wanna be strict as he-ll but i also have a girlfriend that eats totally different from me and likes to go out to eat once a week.

Here comes the tough love news - at 12 weeks out if you are at 8.5% bf you need to drop about 4% bf over that time frame to be competitive on stage. That equates to a little more than 8 lbs of body fat loss as your goal, or a little less than .75lbs a week. If you want to be show ready 1 or two weeks out, which is ideal, then your body fat loss goal is closer to 1 lb a week.

You also want to try to lose the body fat slowly and without a ton of cardio. If you have to do a ton of carido then you will also be at risk of burning up muscle for energy and thus losing some of your hard earned muscle mass along with the body fat.

It would be great if your girl friend understood your goals and what you need to accomplish. If she did perhaps she would not expect you to be eating as she does, or joining her in eating differently than what your plan calls for. Cheat meals are a no-no during the final 12 weeks especially if you still have 4.5% bf to try to lose. Working as hard as you have and will still need to work at your diet should not be undermined by a need to keep your girl friend happy about how you eat when you go out together. Those two goals are going to conflict and only one of the two gets you into contest condition.

Make a game of it - have her help you be creative in making your food selections work in a social environment. Pre-contest food does not have to be bland and boring. Seasonings are fine, interesting salads (without bad dressings) are fine, try some variety like roast turkey instead of just chicken, or a different type of fish than you might be used to. Food exchanges like that are not going to hurt you as long as portions are still controlled, and it can give you a little more variety. Talk to her about goal setting and the feeling of accomplishment that a person gets after completing a difficult task. Ask for her assistance and support. Who knows, perhaps she will get the fitness bug also?

In the end cheating on meals to please your girlfriend is just not going to work with your plan to be contest ready. This is especially important for your first show. You do not yet have the experience to know if you are ahead of schedule or behind. In general, you can never be too conditioned for a show. The better conditioned you are (leaner) the bigger you will look and the better your symmetry and muscle separation will be. It is an awsome transformation to watch. Treat it like an experiment where you are the test case. It is very interesting to see the changes that will happen to your appearance.

I hope that she will come around to seeing things in the right light and not be upset with you for wanting to be your best.

I appreciate the response MadDog. I've been doing the beverly thing for almost 4 yrs now. I have no prob with being strict and know how to spice up my diet (no pun) to break the monotany. So, I pretty much have the same mindset as you, as explained in your post but to hear it from an experienced BB just reaffirms it. I'll probably print this out and let her read it. maybe she'll get a better grasp of it hearing from a third party. thank again

Oh MAN!! You are at a perfect bfc for 12 weeks out. Strict dieting, you should come in shreded with plenty of muscle hanging on.

That is most "coach's" dream! "Hey. I'm at 8.5% and I'm ready to compete." That's a rare thing for most trainers/nutritionist that are guiding to contest time.

A big reason why cheats are a no-no, you're two weeks away, dieting is tougher than ever because you're lower calories. You begin to crave just to cheat. There's no other reason. You're not starving. Your mind will make you think you're in perfect shape and a good cheat won't harm you.

12 weeks. That's all.

Frank

To add a little different opinion to the mix.

When I went to see Jeremiah this past August I was at 10.3% at 155, I compete bantam/lightweight. I was 14 weeks out. He said I could have one cheat meal per week up to the 10 week point. At that point I was to cut them out. Unfortunately/fortunately at the 11 week mark (3 weeks dieting) and at 8% I obtained a new job so I aborted the precontest plan for another time.

So in 3 weeks I dropped nearly 2% bodyfat with one cheat meal per week, and I should mention I gained 2lbs of lean tissue as well. When I went back I was at 154.5 lbs still.

Anyways, I would say its okay until week 10, but Im an ecto/meso with a lot of ecto qualities necessitating more carbs. I do well on high carb diets, etc.

Good Luck!