Ice cream, chocolate cake, pizza, beer, soda, cookies, donuts, bread, butter. Wouldn't it be great if we could build our best body and also eat these wonderfully sinful foods? It doesn't seem fair that we, as humans, can develop all of these super tasty foods, yet cannot indulge in them as we want because we know they are harmful to both our external and internal selves.
If you were dieting, how long could you last, knowing that these great tasting foods were there for you to eat whenever you wanted, but that you could not eat them because they weren't on your diet? Forever? 6 months? 3 months? 1 week? In reality, there is a way to eat these "forbidden" foods, and still achieve a level of physical excellence that would seem impossible had they been a regular part of your diet.
Though I cannot take credit for this excellent way of conquering two very important hurdles in everyone's quest for the perfect body, I mention the reward system because it is a very powerful physical and psychological support system for continued success.
Bill Phillips, the creator of the Body For Life system and the book of the same name (I highly recommend that you read this book and apply its principles), came up with the idea of allowing one day to "let down your guard" and indulge in whatever food or drink you happened to be craving (as part of a maintenance program, and not in the initial 12 weeks of your transformation). You may be thinking to yourself that you don't need to "cheat" and will be completely strict forever because you want the best results. This is a big mistake. In fact there are several reasons why you actually need to indulge every once in a while.
The first reason is physiological. As explained earlier, our metabolic system is the result of millions of years of evolution. It has developed coping and survival mechanisms that enable us to survive the inevitable periods of famine: the primary objective for your body is to survive - everything else is secondary. And, in order to survive the many eras in human history when food was scarce, human metabolism developed into a self-regulating mechanism. When food supplies were limited for extended periods of time, metabolic rates slowed - this was (and is) a crucial process for survival. It works when the body detects a reduced calorie intake and downward adjusts the rate at which it burns calories.
And, while this is an excellent survival mechanism that works well in times of famine, it works against us when we go on a diet. Since most diets call for a reduction of calories, over a period of time our metabolic rate naturally slows. This makes it harder for us to lose fat. Consequently, if we continue to diet, we have to continually lower our calories: the longer we diet, the fewer the calories. And, of course, the body compensates for this with another powerful signal - hunger. This usually leads to the end of the diet because it becomes unbearable. The all-powerful urge to eat is too strong for us to resist and we give in, usually in a big way.
On the other hand, by eating more calories than you need - in essence telling the body that there is plenty of food around - you are much less likely to reduce your metabolic rate. And, your chances for continued fat burning are increased indefinitely. But if you eat more calories than you need on a regular basis,then you won't burn any fat: you will store it, and this is not the goal. So, the Max Fat Loss plan - one variation of calls for twice weekly "carb loading" days, where you eat more calories than during the rest of the week.
The second reason for rewarding yourself regularly is psychological. Consider two scenarios. In the first scenario, you are put on a diet program that is strict, and where you can only eat certain, approved foods. You will follow this program for life and never be allowed to eat any of your favorite foods ever again. In the second scenario, you are put on a diet program that is strict, and where you can only eat certain, approved foods. You will follow this program for life, but once a week you can eat whatever you desire. Can you feel the difference when thinking of the two programs? In one you will never be allowed to eat your favorite foods again. In the second, all you have to do is be strict for one week, and then you can eat your favorite foods. In terms of being able to keep mentally focused on the program, the second program is much easier to follow: nearly everyone can be strict for one week at a time.
That is the what it is all about - taking one step at a time, one week at a time, to achieve physical excellence. And, with the reward day concept, you can continue to stay in shape, have your cake and eat it, too.
Author Resource:-
Next, get the entire list of 20 "Blueprints" I created that allowed me to dramatically transform my body and win the 1998 Body For Life contest. Imagine finally getting the body you've always wanted! Only available at Harry's Blog
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