A. Ohhh boy... BUSTED!
Truth be told, I generally eat a nutrient dense diet. However, I do have an addictive personality... I went almost 2 months eating a pint of Ben and Jerry;s Chunky Monkey or New York Style Chunk Fudge literally every day after my workouts as a post workout meal! Every Friday night I order 2 calzones with extra cheese and extra sauce... drives my family crazy because I've been doing it every Friday for almost a year! Here's the deal...
When I was bodybuilding, I used to count every gram of protein, carb, fat, every calorie and measure out all my food! I still have all the entries I've recorded in a binder, with every single workout I completed written out as well! My entire life centered around food. I even set my alarm at one point and would go down to the kitchen and drink a protein shake in the middle of the night because I had to eat every 4 hours to "stay anabolic" and grow! I became a slave to my diet. I personally don't count calories anymore because after years of doing it, I have a general idea where I'm at for my intake of nutrients. I used to eat sooo clean and would judge everyone who didn't! Almost like it made me feel superior to them!
Now, to answer the question directly, I know what works for my body and what doesn't. After years of "bulking up" and then "dieting down" I know what works for me personally. Is it healthy? Absolutely not! I don't recommend anyone eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's every day post workout for 2 months. I don't recommend anyone eat chocolate cake when they are having a bad day. In fact, I will give a lecture to any client of mine who does so. The fact of the matter is this, I eat a vegetarian diet. I work out 6-7 days/week. I stagger my caloric intake, time my "bad calories" for when I know my body will burn and utilize them more effectively and don't eat a boring chicken and brown rice every day diet. It works for my metabolism and for my particular goals depending on the time of year. You may notice, most of the "not so lean food" posts I make are during the winter months where I tend to be more relaxed with my nutrient intake and tend to lift heavier weight to increase bulk. I am almost 50 years old and can still lift as much weight and stand next to many people in their 20s and 30s and not be embarrassed (Could be I also have no shame though ha ha). Around the end of March - beginning of April, I begin to clean up my diet and the posts on Instagram won't feature AS MANY junk food pictures.
If I find my body fat is getting outside of a comfortable range for my liking, I will also increase my cardio, decrease my caloric intake and cut back the high fat, high simple carb foods. My body personally responds well to that and I lean out quickly.
FINALLY, let's also keep things in perspective. The posts you see on my Instagram are but a glimpse into my nutrient intake on any given day or week! I generally don't post 6 egg whites with hot sauce and a glass of water with lemon in it. I rarely will post the salad with veggies and chickpeas with black iced coffee. Why? Because it's boring! I post and even eat things like pizza etc. because I'm no different than any one of you! In fact, I'm an emotional eater! I eat anything chocolate when I have a bad day. But again, I know how my body responds, I compensate for the extra calories, simple carbs (sugar) when planning the rest of my intake for the day. I currently eat between 3,500-3,800 calories because I want to get bigger. When it's time to lean out for tank top and beach weather, my food intake will change dramatically.
So, if you see me eating a piece of carrot cake a client/friend made for me, or you see a post with me eating a calzone with a glass of red wine, please understand, you are seeing 1000-1,200 calories of my 3,800 calorie day, and it's usually one or two days/week I eat that kind of food. If your goal is body fat loss, obviously, this type of food is not beneficial for you! I hope I answered the question without trying to sound like I'm justifying eating foods that would be considered junk food. It's just me being me... honest and raw!