Refeed Day

June 14, 2015 / Articles, Diet & Nutrition
Refeed Day

Refeed day

Have you been dieting for a while and have smashed into a plateau? Feel mentally fatigued and very low in energy? Most likely your leptin levels are low. In this article we’ll discuss the power of a refeed day and how to incorporate it into your diet.

What is a refeed day?

Leptin is a hormone that regulates satiety, metabolic rate, and serves other functions as well. When you’ve been in a caloric deficit for a long period of time, your leptin levels will decline, thus leading to a slower metabolic rate and an increase in appetite. This could also have physiological and psychological effects on your body, such as an increase in hunger or mood swings.

The goal of a refeed day is to help kick the leptins level back up to give you the benefits of psychological stand point and boost your fat burning process.

How to refeed?

Leptin is very responsive to glucose, so the best choice is to consume 100% extra carbohydrates or to increasing your carbohydrates until you’ve hit your maintenance or a slight surplus mark.

How often?

If you’re still fairly above 10% body fat (guys), or 20% (girls), you can start with one refeed day once a week and adjust accordingly from there.

Your CSN and muscles rely heavily on carbohydrates, so you can see how this might benefit your mental lethargy.

Common mistakes

Refeed is NOT a cheat day. Don’t go binging on any food; this may put you back into a weekly surplus which may lead to unwanted fat gains.

Make sure you plan refeed days accordingly. It doesn’t have to be stressful. We know increasing your calories may look scary, but think of it as 1 step back, 2 steps forward.

Example
John’s TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) = 2500 calories
John’s current calorie intake (cutting) = 1995 calories (500 calorie deficit)
John’s current macros = 170g protein, 160g carbohydrates and 75g fat which = 1995 calories
Now this is what Johns’s re-feed day would look like:
Protein = 170g
Carbohydrates = 365g
Fat = 75g

Total calories = 2815 (which is 315 calories over Johns’s TDEE, putting him into a slight calorie surplus for this day)

Food Sources: Consume any CHO food choices you like, as long as it’s high in carbohydrates to meet your needs.

  • Rice
  • Ice Cream
  • Lollies
  • Pancakes
  • Pasta
  • Banana
  • More lollies
  • Bread

Note: This is just a rough guideline to help spread the knowledge of refeed days. Please make sure you consult with your medical alliances to ensure you’re on the right path.

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