Cheat Meals vs Refeeds

One of the most misunderstood concepts in regards to dieting in my opinion is the difference between refeeds and cheat meals... these terms are often used interchangeably when they are not the same.

By the very name - Cheat meals can be almost any food the dieter craves because there is no specific requirement on the composition of the food.  It comes down to what the person's favourite food is ...so it could be "healthy" or "unhealthy". The main purpose of a cheat meal is psychological in nature! Which for those who struggle mentally can still serve a purpose because it gives a mental break from dieting thus ensuring long term adherence to a diet, however cheat meals are not specifically targeted at boosting metabolism.

I personally do not utilise cheat meals as part of my overall game plan. 

You won't love the effect is has on your PhyZique!

The purpose of a refeed is physiological in nature, it is usually used to alleviate or prevent a stall (usually water retention or metabolic adaptation) during a diet.  A refeed is different from a cheat meal since there is a specific macronutrient composition that must be adhered to.  For instance, while a cheat meal can be any meal that the dieter craves, a refeed MUST contain carbohydrates as this is the primary macronutrient that causes the synthesis of LEPTIN.  Protein does as well but it is not as effective as carbohydrates. Dietary fat does not have any effect on leptin so your metabolism isn't elevated when a refeed is done with meals high in fat but low in carbohydrates. This means that with carbohydrates levels raised fat levels must go down unless your goal is fat storage.  In other words if there was ever a day to obsess over low fat food sources,  a refeed day is it---> all depending on the amount of carbohydrates.  

 

Refeeds are a series of meals eaten over a period of 5 hours to 3 days (depending on the 4 points below) to boost metabolism by first raising   LEPTIN.  The duration and frequency of the refeed depend on several factors

1) How long the person has been dieting - It’s been my experience that the average person will need to go on a refeed after 6-8 weeks on a diet but it all depend on the bottom two scenarios. 

      

2) Body fat level - The amount of body fat a person is carrying affects the frequency and duration of a refeed.  The higher the body fat, the less frequent a reefed is required. At the high end this may be as long as every 2.5 to 3.5 weeks, after being on a diet for at least 8-10 weeks.  You should note the lower the amount of fat carried the more frequent the reefed required. For example, an athlete who's already lean to begin with will have to refeed every 7 days after an initial 6-8 week dieting period.

3) How severe the deficit is - The greater the calorie deficit (and length of time the diet has been going) the more pronounced the adaptation... thus the window of opportunity created physiologically from the refeeds which allows for a longer refeed period... up to 3 days! 

4) Volume of Activity/ exercise - This plays a significant role because it can literally change the condition of the 3 points mentioned above if the person on a diet is doing way too much exercise which depletes glycogen stores and exacerbates the adaptations that is mentioned above.

Refeeds are an integral part of my nutrition plan. 

Now go DO...