Effective Bodybuilding Strategies: Carb Refeed And Keto

Carb refeeding is a controversial topic in the health and fitness industry. A refeed day is a planned increase in calories for one day on a weekly or biweekly basis, intended to give your body a temporary break from calorie restriction. Carb refeeding is particularly relevant for those on the keto diet, as it involves eating more carbs to increase leptin levels and prevent weight loss plateaus. However, this can kick you out of ketosis, and it may take a while to get back into it. Some people on the keto diet opt for a cyclical ketogenic diet, which involves adhering to a standard ketogenic diet most days of the week and then having 1-2 days of higher carb intake.

Refeeds are tailored to the individual and can be a meal, meals, or a window of time

Refeeds are tailored to the individual and can be a meal, a few meals, or a window of time ranging from three to 48 hours. The term "refeed" is rarely used when discussing an individual who isn't dieting or trying to lose weight.

Refeeds are used to increase leptin levels, which can boost metabolism, decrease hunger, and facilitate fat burning and weight loss. Leptin, a hormone that decreases as you diet, regulates hunger and metabolism. When leptin levels drop, thyroid hormones also drop, and ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, increases.

The frequency of refeeds depends on body fat percentage and how long someone has been dieting. People with higher body fat levels may not need to refeed as often because they have more leptin. Conversely, the leaner someone is, the more often they will need to refeed.

Refeeds are usually heavy in carbohydrates because leptin is highly responsive to glucose metabolism. The type of carbohydrates consumed depends on the size of the refeed window. For a small refeed, slower-digesting, higher-fibre carbohydrates like rice, potatoes, pasta, or bread may be preferable to prevent overeating. For larger refeeds, fast-digesting, carbohydrate-dense foods like pancakes, maple syrup, sugar-based sweets, and kids' cereal may be better options.

Refeeds are used to increase leptin levels, boosting metabolism, decreasing hunger, and allowing fat burning and weight loss to continue

Refeeds are a great way to boost your metabolism and keep fat burning going after extended periods of calorie restriction. They are used to increase leptin levels, which helps to regulate your hunger and your metabolism. Leptin is produced by fat cells and tells your body that it has adequate fat stores, helping to regulate appetite and encourage calorie burning.

As you decrease your calorie intake and begin to lose body fat, a change in hormones occurs, which tells your body that you’re experiencing a calorie deficit. At this time, your body will begin to look for ways to reduce it as much as possible to limit weight loss. Leptin levels begin to decline, and your body receives signals to eat more food and burn fewer calories. This process is known as adaptive thermogenesis.

By introducing a refeed day every week or so, you might temporarily increase your leptin levels through increased calorie intake, which may help keep your body’s fat-burning process working more efficiently. Carbohydrates have a positive impact on leptin, and carbs are the main focus of refeed days due to their superior ability to increase leptin levels, compared with fats or proteins. Therefore, by eating carb-rich foods on your refeed day, you’re likely giving your body the best chance to balance its leptin levels.

The leaner you are, the more often you will need to refeed as you will have less leptin. Refeeds are predominantly very heavy in carbohydrates. This is because leptin is highly responsive to glucose metabolism – that's carbohydrates being converted to glucose. So when refeeds are heavier in carbohydrates, leptin levels will increase more than if you had eaten an excess of calories from proteins, fats or fructose.

The amount of leptin in your body is very much dependent on your body fat levels. The more fat you carry, the more leptin you’ll have and the less need you’ll have to refeed. The reverse is also true: the leaner you are, the less leptin you will have circulating in your body, and the more often you will need to refeed.

Refeeds are used by those who are “cutting” or looking to lose fat

A refeed day is a temporary break from calorie restriction that involves a controlled day of overeating with a focus on carbs. It aims to counteract the negative effects of calorie restriction and aid weight loss. The idea behind a refeed day is to counteract the negative effects of being in a calorie deficit, such as lower hormone levels, increased hunger, lethargy, tiredness, and hitting a weight loss plateau.

The main goal of a refeed day is to eat in a calorie surplus in a controlled manner. This is achieved by eating in a calorie surplus, with most of the increase coming from carbs. Carbs are the main focus of refeed days due to their superior ability to increase leptin levels, compared with fats or proteins. Leptin is a hormone released from fat tissue that plays a key role in regulating hunger and feelings of satiety. It is believed that once leptin is released from fat cells, it signals to the brain that the body has received adequate food and that it's time to stop eating.

There are several benefits to refeed days. Firstly, they may prevent a weight loss plateau by increasing leptin levels and preventing adaptive thermogenesis from interfering with weight loss. Secondly, they may lower your risk of binging by reducing the negative impacts of caloric restriction and decreasing feelings of deprivation. Lastly, refeed days may improve physical performance by replenishing glycogen stores.

However, there are also some potential downsides to refeed days. Firstly, there is limited research on the topic, and adaptive thermogenesis is still a contested topic among researchers. Secondly, the human body is incredibly sophisticated and can easily adapt to changes in food intake. Just as it takes time for leptin levels to decline and adaptive thermogenesis to take place, it likely takes more than a single day to adequately elevate leptin levels enough to support weight loss. Lastly, it can be easy to go overboard on a refeed day, especially if you have been experiencing intense cravings due to the intensity of your calorie restriction.

Refeeds are predominantly very heavy in carbohydrates

The type of carbohydrates you will want to consume during a refeed is largely dependent on how big your refeed meal or window is. For individuals with higher body fat levels, who are simply adding in 50 to 100 grams of carbohydrates in their final few meals of the day, they may wish to use slower-digesting, higher-fibre carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes, pasta, or even bread if they can digest it well. The reason for this is purely psychological: if your refeed is small and you eat carbohydrate-dense foods that you don't typically have on your diet, you will be more likely to overeat and splurge on these carbs that generally give less satiety.

However, for those who are holding extremely low body fat levels and trying to hit a high-carbohydrate target, they may wish to use carbohydrates that are very fast-digesting and very carbohydrate-dense in nature. This is so you won't get full easily and have to eat less in order to hit your required target.

To sum up, refeeds are a great way to boost your metabolism and keep fat-burning going after extended periods of calorie restriction. However, they are extremely specific to the individual. If you find that the week after your refeed you haven't reduced body fat or lost weight, it's likely that you have eaten too much.

Refeeds can be beneficial for elite athletes who are following very low-carb diets

Refeeds are used by those who are "cutting" or looking to lose fat. Typically, people refeed once a week, as leptin levels will have dropped by roughly 35-45% after 4-7 days of a calorie-restricted diet. However, the amount of leptin in your body depends on your body fat levels. The more fat you carry, the more leptin you'll have, and the less need you'll have to refeed.

Refeeds are very heavy in carbohydrates because leptin is highly responsive to glucose metabolism. For individuals with higher body fat levels who are adding 50-100g of carbohydrates to their final few meals of the day, slower-digesting, higher-fibre carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes, pasta, or bread are recommended. In contrast, individuals with extremely low body fat levels who are trying to hit a high carbohydrate target may wish to use very fast-digesting, carbohydrate-dense foods so that they don't get full easily.

To sum up, refeeds are a great way to boost metabolism and keep fat burning going after extended periods of calorie restriction. However, they are extremely specific to the individual, and if you find that you haven't reduced body fat or lost weight after a refeed, you've likely eaten too much. The leaner you get, the more you will benefit from longer, heavier refeeds.

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