The Rock’s 5 Wildest Cheat Day Meals of All Time
When you're one of the most ripped stars in Hollywood, your cheat day is also going to carry some serious power. Dwayne Johnson, AKA The Rock, is proof of this. The Jumanji and Tooth Fairy star puts the "eat" in "cheat" pretty much any time he has the chance to hit an off day when it comes to nutrition.
To be behold the sheer spectacle of gastronomy that is a Dwayne Johnson cheat day meal, you can follow the man on Instagram, where he semi-regularly posts these formidable feasts.
But, in order to make your life just a little simpler (this is, after all, what we at Men's Health are all about), we rounded some of the highlights from his feed—in all senses of the word.
One obligatory note we have to make here: The Rock is superhuman. He's doing an insane amount of training—so much so that his caloric needs far surpass those of even most relatively active guys. This means that while it's okay to consume The Rock's cheat meals through the eyes, it's probably not a good idea to actually consume them.
And, to reinforce all that, also know that the whole "cheat meal" thing isn't something that all dietitians endorse for various reasons. If you find that a cheat meal can help you stick to a diet long-term, good on you. But if you find that you're obsessing over cheat meals, or binging when you do decide to partake, it might be time to question how psychologically effective they are for you.
Just don't tell The Rock we said that, okay?
The Double Double Cheeseburger
In the first pic, Johnson enjoyed a couple of bacon cheeseburgers with a generous pouring of his tequila (and a shot of self-promotion).
"I have a big shoot in the gym tomorrow for my next @projectrock @underarmour collection," he wrote in the caption. "In a crazy science, these cheat meals tonight should actually help my physique come in with a more fuller pump and vascularity for tomorrow’s shoot. Or maybe I’m just looking for more excuses to drink my tequila and eat like shit 😂".
Baked Goods Madness
In the second photo—and from the same day—his array of sweet treats couldn't be contained to just one plate.
"Now subvert all this sugar glory with a great Ken Burns documentary on PROHIBITION and we have ourselves a helluva party," he said. "Don’t cheat yourself, treat yourself and enjoy your cheat meals my friends."
Sushi-Cookie Combo
It may not be everyone's favorite combination of flavors, but who are you to argue with the inventor of The People's Elbow?
Caption: "Late night soosh train 🍣 🚂 cheat meal in full effect.
Accompanied by soy sauce and hunks of woooooosabi and two big ass chocolate chip cookies."
Bolognese and Bagels
Carbs on carbs, all served with a heaping helping of emojis.
Caption: "The action #cheatmealsunday continues with my 🇮🇹 favorite - pasta shells 🐚 🍝 smothered in a delicious vodka bolognese with fresh shaved Parmesan.
Don’t have my Italian bread so bagels with garlic butter will pinch hit for the night.
It’s all going down..
#thatsamore❤️
#delizioso 🍝🍷"
Brioche French Toast With Whipped Cream and Coconut and Also at Midnight
This one is kind of self-explanatory.
Caption: "It’s midnight and that cheat meal vibe is hittin’ right 🥥🥃🍞
Try this one at home/
Brioche French toast
Whip cream
@teremana maple toasted coconut chips
@teremana toasted coconut maple syrup
This one is absolutely ridiculous and 💯 guaranteed to send you to bed happy and sinfully satiated.
And for the added soul & vibe, throw on some Sam Cooke and make it right.
Enjoy your cheat meals, my friends.
#itsallaright 🥥🥃🍞"
And, again, just in case we weren't clear before, Johnson might refer to the "crazy science" of cheat days as reason to indulge, but the truth isn't quite so simple. In fact, the idea that a cheat day can actually help boost your metabolism is a misconception.
"Eating more to burn more isn’t quite how things work," nutritionist Chris Mohr previously told Men's Health. "Your metabolism does increase after you eat, but if you binge on 1,000 calories worth of pizza or brownies, your metabolism doesn’t ramp up to burn 1,500 calories to handle what you just consumed."
So unless you're going to be spending as much time in the gym working off your cheat day as The Rock, you might not want to try to replicate his Sunday menu, and enjoy your favorite treats in moderation. "While the single-day binge can be helpful for some people, occasionally indulging in smaller portions of your favorite foods may be more sustainable for the long haul," Mohr says.
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