Refeed days?

(Chris ) #1

Are refeeds something you NEED to do or is it just like a cheat day of some sorts?

#2

What do you mean by “refeed” days? Refeed is a term I have heard used for what happens after and extended fast.

(Crow T. Robot) #3

Are you talking about carb refeeds? If so, then, no, you don’t need them.

(Chris ) #4

He summed it up, it’s just a day that you overload on carbs.

#5

Ah… ok. Seems like a step backwards for no reason.

(Chris ) #6

That’s what I thought but I watched a few videos of people mentioning that they did it so I wanted to see what your guys thoughts are on the matter.

(Crow T. Robot) #7

My experience as well. In fact, I know someone who started LCHF about a year ago, has since reached her goal weight and uses a weekly “carb day” as a way to keep from losing more weight.

(Simon Saunders) #8

I find lazy keto maintains my weight with no issues

(Crow T. Robot) #9

Yeah, I prefer adding fat and a few more daily carbs for maintenance rather than a carb day like she does. Mostly because it would turn into a carb week if I did that.

(Dustin Cade) #10

my understanding is that folks that are not doing keto for diabetes or weight loss really, will incorporate in refeed days, though for those of us who are on the diabetes scale we do not want to do it…

(Chris ) #11

Personally, I started this diet so I could bring my down my body fat percentage (currently at ~19%) to the 12-14% range. But I guess regardless I probably won’t be doing any refeed days since all it will really do is slow down my progress.

(matt ) #12

There is zero reason to have carb days beyond wanting to.

(Patrick B.) #13

The only time I have heard of re-feed day in a ketogenic diet is when you have finished your extended fast of 3 days or more. We don’t purposefully eat carbs except the incidentals that come with vegetables. My re-feed Friday night was wings, a sirloin steak and a helping of broccoli.

If someone is wanting to stave off weight loss they should be eating more fat, not carbs. Personally, for me, it’s not worth being popped out of ketosis.

(Chris ) #14

Alright, thanks for the info.

#15

I don’t agree. It is definitely not a general thing.

Some people do it but I simply cannot see the logic for any kind of health reasons. If you want to have some days when you eat more carbs or feel that it helps your physical performance and training to up your carb level a bit then do what works BUT for most people it is a slippery slope back to unhealthy eating.

(Sascha Heid) #16

Sorry honey, it just happened. It didn’t mean anything, it was only for the sweets. I love you!
Muscles are very usefull in both scenarios.

(Michelle) #17

I found this podcast really informative regarding carb cycling / carb refeed. In the study, the folks that carbed up lost more muscle and it took them longer to get back into ketosis (5 days). The group that stayed keto lost the most fat.

(Corey) #18

I definitely agree - great episode with loads of new information especially if you are active and have training goals!

#19

I find that a refeed day helps me with my training. My body fat has reduced enough, and if I don’t do any sort of refeed I find that my muscles get weak and I start to lose energy - the opposite of what keto normally does. Once a month or so I will have a carb-filled day, and my stomach always hurts a little and I get foggy, so I know I’m not at risk of slipping back into bad eating habits. Carbs help my muscles, but every other part of me feels gross. If you have any extra body fat you probably don’t need to refeed, but if you’re doing long endurance training I find that it helps. Exogenous ketones also help me feel better when I have more carbs than usual. If you’re at risk of falling off the wagon entirely, then I imagine refeed days are unnecessary, but if you start to feel lots of muscle weakness with endurance training, you might want to try.