LEVEL 4 - NUTRIENT TIMING & FREQUENCY (Part 2) Single Day Refeeds Flashcards
What are some common names for a refeed?
Refeeds, or they may be referred to as carb cycling, calorie cycling or macro cycling. Regardless of the term, each means that you are distributing calories, and potentially macronutrients, in specific ways across days of the week in hopes of favorable outcomes.
What is the most common iteration of a refeed?
The most common iteration, the periodic (often once per week) use of a 24 hour refeed where calories are brought to maintenance primarily via an increase in carbohydrate�
What can you gain from a refeed day?
This strategy shares similarities with diet breaks in that one of its purposes is to attempt to reverse metabolic adaptation. Not surprisingly, the increase in energy expenditure from 24 hours spent at or slightly above maintenance is small compared to what would be expected after a multi-week diet break. However, there may still be psychological and physiological bene ts to 24 hour refeeds that make them worth implementing.
In addition to potential psychological bene ts, this strategy theoretically could help with glycogen replenishment, energy levels, and thus potentially performance and muscle mass retention over the course of a diet�
What are the dangers of a refeed day?
The key is to ensure it is under your control, does not turn into a binge, and is a calculated increase to approximately maintenance calories via an increase predominantly in carbohydrate.
What might be the time period required to reverse hormonal adaptations (metabolic adaptation)?
The hormonal adaptations that occur from dieting may not be effectively reversed by a single day spent even far above maintenance calories. It seems that not only is the magnitude of calories consumed during a refeed important, but the length of time spent out of a de cit as well. In fact, refeeds lasting 48 hours or longer at maintenance calories may be required to e ectively begin reversing these hormonal adaptations.
Who should use single day refeeds?
I would recommend the use of 24 hour refeeds for most people when beginning a diet.
Metabolic adaptations are less of a concern when eating higher calories, doing less cardio, and when higher in body fat. Therefore, the issue of 24 hour refeeds not e ectively reversing metabolic adaptation is not a concern when starting out. Additionally, the bene ts of having a psychological break may improve adherence, and glycogen replenishment may aid performance and lean mass retention.
How do you implement single day refeeds?
The easiest way would be to raise calories to your calculated maintenance (as discussed in Level 1) for one day a week� Remember, that by doing so, this means you need to reduce your calories a bit more on the 6 dieting days to maintain the same weekly rate of weight loss�
How could you use refeeds when dieting to gain weight?
You can’t but you can adjust calorie days so you have more leeway on weekends.
