How to Cheat & Get Lean (By Chris Ferguson President and Chief Product Formulator For BSN) Take This Test!

Q. Do you ever watch cooking shows and find yourself getting hungry? A. Yes or No

Q. Have you ever eaten an entire pizza by yourself and then stopped for ice cream on the way home? A. Yes or No

Q. Have you ever had to order two desserts because one wasn't enough? A. Yes or No

Q. Would you like to have your cake, your fries, your ice cream, etc. and eat it, too? A. Yes or No

I got "yes", "yes", "yes", and "yes." How'd you do?

The Other 10% If I had to marry food, I just couldn't be faithful. I love to eat way too much. Burgers, fries, chocolate, beer, pasta -I love them all.

Evidently, I'm not alone. "Over-fat" is a national epidemic in this country because of crummy eating and exercise habits, and a never-ending supply of delicious, calorie-rich foods. While you and I know HOW to eat properly, it isn't always easy to do, nor do we always want to. Now, don't get me wrong. A fitness enthusiast at heart, I eat "clean" about 90% of the time. I've often advocated a diet higher in protein and lower in carbs and fat. It can work wonders, as it has on many people whom I've trained and otherwise consulted.

But the reality is that there will always be that "other 10%" of the time where my diet gets a little "dirty". Maybe I've had a bad day at the office, a night of partying, a vacation (always a killer), a business trip (ditto), a "crisis" with family or friends, and so on. Or, maybe I've got no particular excuse other than I want to give in to my culinary cravings.

The bottom line is there are an endless variety of explanations why our diets stop looking like "diets" from time to time. And that's okay, because if you don't cheat on occasion, you'll go freaking crazy. Furthermore, sometimes your body just needs a change of eating habits, just like it needs a change of workout habits.

Guilt No More! I've been cheating on my diet for nearly a decade. About three years ago, however, I decided it was time to figure out how to get away with my dietary crimes. I was sick of feeling guilty; sick of worrying that I would wake up in the morning to see that my abs had disappeared, and that my muscles had gone "soft". I was sick of having to "do the time" and suffer an ultra-strict diet for 3-4 days - after an episode of cheating in order to get my physique back where it was.

I began to examine my cheating habits in detail. I considered the type and variety of "bad" foods that I ate, the quantities I ate, and the time of day that I committed my dietary crimes.

Next, I started supplementing with various dietary ingredients that I thought would either prevent my body from absorbing "bad" calories in the first place, or ensure they ended up in a good place (i.e., muscle instead of fat) in the event that they were absorbed.