Refeed question

[Sparky97]

I’ve been cutting and I’m down to 195 from 230. I’ve been using 3 mg of Reta per week, 2 IU of GH per day, and 250 mg of test per week. I really like where I’m at now, and my current diet fits my work schedule perfectly (I work in the trades, so quick and easy meals are ideal).

If I want to maintain this weight and physique, would it make sense to have a refeed or cheat meal once every 4–5 days? I know there’s probably more to it than just guessing. Right now, I lift two days on, one day off, and do 20 minutes of cardio on lifting days only. I’m on my feet all day Monday through Friday, so I’m not sure how to accurately gauge my calories to maintain this size.

If I could simply have a refeed or cheat meal every few days and maintain my weight, that would be ideal because the structure of my current meals is great with my work situation but I’m still losing weight so obviously still in a deficit.

 

[Sectør]

I mean the simplest way to do it would be to do everything you’re doing exactly the same, then just bump calories a bit (preferably on training days) until weight stabilizes

If you genuinely have no idea how many calories you’re eating and your eating varies a lot day to day, then yeah maybe the refeed day every few days could work (although I’d still keep the refeed clean with lean proteins and just add more carbs through rice/potatoes/etc).

Tracking calories would be your best option. If you’re not tracking then keep meals consistent. If you can’t do either of these then yeah fuck it just throw some carbs in there every 4-5 days on like a back or leg day

 

[Sparky97]

I mean the simplest way to do it would be to do everything you’re doing exactly the same, then just bump calories a bit (preferably on training days) until weight stabilizes

If you genuinely have no idea how many calories you’re eating and your eating varies a lot day to day, then yeah maybe the refeed day every few days could work (although I’d still keep the refeed clean with lean proteins and just add more carbs through rice/potatoes/etc).

Tracking calories would be your best option. If you’re not tracking then keep meals consistent. If you can’t do either of these then yeah fuck it just throw some carbs in there every 4-5 days on like a back or leg day

Sorry, I forgot to add… I’m having 2700 calories a day.

2700 cals, 242 protein, 261 carb, 65 fat. Not sure why I didn’t include that lol but yes I am tracking. I just don’t want to change any of the current meals / exercise routine. The meals have worked great for work and pounding a ton of food on my breaks killed my productivity at work so that’s why I figured maybe a cheat / refeed for dinner every few days.

 

[Sectør]

Sorry, I forgot to add… I’m having 2700 calories a day.

2700 cals, 242 protein, 261 carb, 65 fat. Not sure why I didn’t include that lol

I’d go to 3000 calories on training days and see if that helps stabilize the weight. Give it a week or two to see if weights stabilizing then reassess if you need another increase in calories.

 

[Sparky97]

I’d go to 3000 calories on training days and see if that helps stabilize the weight. Give it a week or two to see if weights stabilizing then reassess if you need another increase in calories.

So for the calorie bump, would you recommend it all come entirely from carbs?

 

[Sectør]

So for the calorie bump, would you recommend it all come entirely from carbs?

I would yeah.

If possible you could even reduce the fats a bit and move them to carbs too

 

[Sparky97]

I would yeah.

If possible you could even reduce the fats a bit and move them to carbs too

Thanks. A few TDEE calculators have my maintenance calories (for 195) set at 3300. I’m not sure how accurate it is. But I’d really enjoy getting a cheat meal once every few days to replenish lol

 

[qbkilla]

Thanks. A few TDEE calculators have my maintenance calories (for 195) set at 3300. I’m not sure how accurate it is. But I’d really enjoy getting a cheat meal once every few days to replenish lol

Tbh, sounds like your looking for a cheat meal to cheat. Nothing wrong with that but id be honest with yourself, cutting calories on other days to accommodate a junk meal is not superior to just bumping them up to maintenence.

 

[Sparky97]

That’s not what I’m getting at. I’m okay with just increasing my calories but I’m worried that the increase will affect productivity at work. The meals I’ve been eating have been incredible for my performance and not leaving me lethargic. That’s why I suggested a junk dinner before bed every few days to just sleep off the lethargy

Tbh, sounds like your looking for a cheat meal to cheat. Nothing wrong with that but id be honest with yourself, cutting calories on other days to accommodate a junk meal is not superior to just bumping them up to maintenence.

 

[TDeck]

I downloaded the Cronometer app and have been using to track my nutrition for a few months. It’s very easy to use and free. I was the type of guy that wanted no part of tracking, because I loosely knew what I was consuming.

I’m hindsight, I spent way too much time being stubborn. I actually enjoy the process now and have made significant improvements by utilizing the app.

I agree with most of the other posters. If having a cheat day keeps you honest, than by all means go for it. But realize you are overly restricting calories every other day to compensate for it. Personally I like maintaining consistency throughout the week.

 

[Sparky97]

I downloaded the Cronometer app and have been using to track my nutrition for a few months. It’s very easy to use and free. I was the type of guy that wanted no part of tracking, because I loosely knew what I was consuming.

I’m hindsight, I spent way too much time being stubborn. I actually enjoy the process now and have made significant improvements by utilizing the app.

I agree with most of the other posters. If having a cheat day keeps you honest, than by all means go for it. But realize you are overly restricting calories every other day to compensate for it. Personally I like maintaining consistency throughout the week.

I’ll give that app a try. Thank you!

 

[qbkilla]

That’s not what I’m getting at. I’m okay with just increasing my calories but I’m worried that the increase will affect productivity at work. The meals I’ve been eating have been incredible for my performance and not leaving me lethargic. That’s why I suggested a junk dinner before bed every few days to just sleep off the lethargy

You're 300 below maintenance? That's 4 bananas or a banana and 2 tbsp pb. Adding 300 calories to a below maintenance diet should only help your performance. No need to change your diet to add some calories.

 

[Sparky97]

You're 300 below maintenance? That's 4 bananas or a banana and 2 tbsp pb. Adding 300 calories to a below maintenance diet should only help your performance. No need to change your diet to add some calories.

I’m going to bump my carbs up then but I think I’ll do this on training days only to start. Thank you for your help

 

[hawkmoon]

I'll echo Sector here: if a refeed is truly needed it should be clean carbs. I never advocate junk.

In a prep refeeds are to address either too fast a loss - which should be changed strategically - or to mitigate dropping performance in the gym which would mean tissue loss in the end.

If you are thinking refeed because your are reaching a point where you want to create a new maintenance level you need to consider how you got there and how to stay there.

Long term having regular refeeds will only work if you are in a deficit the rest of the days. You could structure it with a good framework as a carb cycling schedule, but I wouldn't be looking at cheat meals as a long or even medium term solution.

 

[Sparky97]

I'll echo Sector here: if a refeed is truly needed it should be clean carbs. I never advocate junk.

In a prep refeeds are to address either too fast a loss - which should be changed strategically - or to mitigate dropping performance in the gym which would mean tissue loss in the end.

If you are thinking refeed because your are reaching a point where you want to create a new maintenance level you need to consider how you got there and how to stay there.

Long term having regular refeeds will only work if you are in a deficit the rest of the days. You could structure it with a good framework as a carb cycling schedule, but I wouldn't be looking at cheat meals as a long or even medium term solution.

I understand now. If I’m carb cycling, should I stick to a higher carb day (350-400 carb) every few days? Or just do higher carbs on all training days, and the 260 carbs that I’ve been having daily on rest days?

 

[grammo13]

I understand now. If I’m carb cycling, should I stick to a higher carb day (350-400 carb) every few days? Or just do higher carbs on all training days, and the 260 carbs that I’ve been having daily on rest days?

Two schools of thought majority here go by

Non training day and training day like you mentioned above, where carbs would be higher on training days. Could be as simple as having some carbs in your workout water and/or some extra pre and post workout carbs

High, medium, and low carb days where you'd have 1 or 2 high carb days on your most demanding training days. Moderate carbs on other training days, and low carb on off days.

Both effective, but the second option requires a bit more planning. When life gets busy I stick with the first choice where I'll just simply add more carbs around my training sessions.

 

[Sparky97]

Two schools of thought majority here go by

Non training day and training day like you mentioned above, where carbs would be higher on training days. Could be as simple as having some carbs in your workout water and/or some extra pre and post workout carbs

High, medium, and low carb days where you'd have 1 or 2 high carb days on your most demanding training days. Moderate carbs on other training days, and low carb on off days.

Both effective, but the second option requires a bit more planning. When life gets busy I stick with the first choice where I'll just simply add more carbs around my training sessions.

Got it. I’ll throw in Gatorade powder for intra on training days. Thank you!

 

[hawkmoon]

Two schools of thought majority here go by

Non training day and training day like you mentioned above, where carbs would be higher on training days. Could be as simple as having some carbs in your workout water and/or some extra pre and post workout carbs

High, medium, and low carb days where you'd have 1 or 2 high carb days on your most demanding training days. Moderate carbs on other training days, and low carb on off days.

Both effective, but the second option requires a bit more planning. When life gets busy I stick with the first choice where I'll just simply add more carbs around my training sessions.

Exactly. The carbs are a tool to be used when most effective.

I train MWF, those are higher carb days. I simply don't need them on other days, giving me an opportunity to moderate calories and keep insulin sensitivity high.