I am a physique coach, group fitness instructor and personal trainer. As such, I earn my living by helping people get maximal results from doing exercise. It is in my best interest to proclaim the benefits of regular exercise (of which there are MANY). Having said that, I am first to tell you that when it comes to weight loss and muscle gain, ie getting the body you desire, at LEAST 70% of your results will come from your diet.
When I first got serious about my nutrition I still had a lot to learn, super low carbs was the latest craze and I followed it. To say I was extremely strict with my food would be an understatement. I ate absolutely ZERO sugar, very little dairy- only no fat options, my only carbs came from limited oats at breakfast time and only lean protein sources. I cooked with no oils or fats (not even spray). My highly scientific plan was this: Eat no sugar, as little fat as possible and NO CARBS after my carefully weighed (and limited) breakfast oats each morning. Although somewhat unbalanced, this delivered dramatic results- I was super lean, (with friends comparing my physique with that of a long distance runner…ewwww) neverless, defined abs was the goal and I was measuring consistently under 7% bodyfat.
Cheat meals were vary rare, perhaps once every 3 months… I could eat a steak from a restaurant and the first thing I would taste would be the oil, and feel the grease on my lips. Having something that contained sugar would have me buzzing like an ADHD kid with his own supply of red cordial concentrate, and anything with added preservatives or high fat would leave me feeling sick within minutes of eating it. I would always go nuts on the carbs, particularly refined carbs like ice cream, bread etc. So basically, I would eat my cheat meal, feel sick, regret it and decide that I would probably need to go for a run to burn off the extra calories….Funny thing was though, after these rare instances I would notice I would wake up the next few days feeling and looking noticeably leaner and more muscular (in a marathon runner/scrawny triathlete kinda way J ).
I decided it was time to do some research, was I going crazy? Did eating “BAD, NASTY, DEVIL LIKE CARBS” occasionally really help me lose fat and stay lean? What about the endless barrage of “low carb, reduced carb, no carb, get homicidal with all carbs at all costs” talk within the industry? This is when I first heard of Leptin, and the idea of a high carb meal no longer seemed like “cheating” myself.
Introducing Leptin, a protein hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and expenditure and get this, plays a big part in regulating appetite and metabolism! It is considered an anti starvation/metabolic balance hormone. Basically, it lets the brain know when there is enough fat stored in the body.
Low calorie, low carbohydrate diets will decrease leptin levels, as your leptin levels decrease, your body will go into starvation mode- this is basically your body’s way of saying “I am not sure how long I am going to have to survive on such limited food, we better hold onto as much fat as possible”. So quite literally, your fat loss will slow down immensely or even come to a screeching halt. This is particularly relevant for those with low bodyfat levels, or who have been on low carbs/ low cals for an extended period of time.
So, in this instance raising your leptin levels will give your body the kickstart it needs and get you out of starvation mode, and back to burning fat! So how do we raise leptin?
Introduce a regular refeed meal…which simply means….EAT LOTS OF CARBS!! Now before I go on, this is NOT for everybody, actually, this is definitely for the minority of dieters, if you have been following a super low carb diet for an extended period of time and your fat loss has stalled, then perhaps introducing a reefed meal is for you. If you have “been watching” what you eat or “been good” then I highly doubt you are in need of a refeed. Basically, if you have to ask if you qualify for a refeed, then you probably don’t!
A reefed meal is not to be confused with a cheat meal, it is NOT a free for all buffet extravaganza worthy of an American eating competition.
A reefed is designed to fill your liver and muscles with glycogen (energy stored as carbohydrates) and then spill over those carbs into your fat cells, in turn signaling your body that you have enough energy to burn and raising leptin, kickstarting your metabolism into fat burning mode again. Common sense would suggest this is preposterous, but think of it as taking one step backwards, in order to take many more steps forwards.
As everybody is different, there are no concrete rules to the refeed meal, in fact some people incorporate an entire day or more to refeed, carefully consuming an extra 20%- 50% above maintenance calories for that day. Others choose to go for shorter periods 2-10 hours, where they do not count or measure the extra calories, but simply eat as much as they can within the designated time frame to ensure their cells have plenty of new fuel and can start burning that fat again! As a general rule, the shorter the refeed, the more drastic the increase in calories needs to be.
As for what to eat, in essence you are carb loading, so lots of carbs! Not necessarily low GI ones, they will leave you feeling too full and you will have to consume A LOT of them. Think things like white bread and honey, low fat ice cream, cereals, pancakes, pasta etc… sound awesome? Hang on a second, before you hit the bakery or Italian restaurant- on these designated refeed days you should definitely lower your protein intake (to as low as 1.5g per kg bodyweight) and eat as little fat as possible.
How often you refeed will depend on how lean you are and how long you have been following a strict low carb/cal diet. Again, it really is a process of personal trial and error as no two people are alike. The general rule of thumb is for those very lean and doing lots of strenuous exercise (males <8% bf women <14%bf) you could refeed anywhere up to every 2-3 days, typically though you would refeed every 4-5 days. If you find yourself constantly starving/obsessed with food and if you are losing muscle and/or strength you may need to refeed more often.
Now, whatever you do DON’T weigh yourself the day following a refeed, you WILL be heavier. The carbs will make you hold water (4g water per 1g carb approx.) so this is to be expected. Within a couple of days of returning to your regular diet your weight will drop back down, usually to lower than it was before the refeed.
Many people (in fact most) find that low carb diets work well for rapid fat loss. Over time though, your body seeks to find homeostasis, or balance and will begin to try and put a stop to you losing fat. Among other things, it will reduce leptin in an attempt to slow your fat loss efforts. If you have been following low carbs and low calories diets for an extended period of time, and feel stumped because you are no longer losing weight, perhaps doing the unthinkable and introducing a high carb, refeed day is exactly what your body needs to continue burning fat. Think of it as “tricking” your body out of starvation mode, and back into fat burning mode.
On a personal note, I am not advocating a particularly low carb diet, nor am I suggesting you follow a diet that includes a refeed day. I have tried this method and have found my energy levels fluctuate drastically and find myself craving carbs after refeed days. Instead I now choose to eat lots of carbs (with every meal) on a daily basis and therefore have no need for a carb up.
This Is a photo Of one of my Physique Coaching clients- Mel, After a carb up that lasted 2 days!!
For more information, or a tailored Dietary Plan please contact me on anthony@purehealthclubs.com.au
