Increasing Kcals to Break Through a Plateau??

[woodswise]

Double Post!

 

[jhotsauce7]

Refeed day required every so often!

 

[shortz]

Bud, go back and look: you asked "Are you on cycle? Taking HGH? Peps?" I responded "I am cruising atm on 125mg test E . . ."

If you had asked "Are you carb cycling" I would have said definitely no. Every time I mess with carb cycling, I feel like sh#t and my trainer says "don't do it".

Maybe that was a Freudian slip! 'Cause those are quite different questions, LOL.

Don't worry, it's all good!

Yeah, I made a new paragraph when I asked about carb/calorie cycling, but realized after I read it, you probably couldn't tell I was trying to ask two different questions.

I hate it when that happens, especially when it is an important name . . . I.e. someone whose name I should know cold, and I can't remember it cause I haven't seen them in a while! Grrrrr!

Yup, I am even worse with names.

BTW, I wish I could remember where I came across this info, but I found that someone (high level lifter) pinpointed a close range of when to refeed. It was actually closer to every 1.5 weeks to 2 weeks, NOT once a week, unless you're in a very, very large deficit.

Many people screw up refeeds by eating way too much too. There is a technical approach to refeeds, based on your requirements and your current deficit. I usually refeed with about 300 extra carbs and it's between every 2 weeks and 3 weeks.

 

[jhotsauce7]

Shortz I have always read that kcal from fat on a refeed should be dropped 25% while carbos are increased x% ... Do you know why this is?

 

[shortz]

Shortz I have always read that kcal from fat on a refeed should be dropped 25% while carbos are increased x% ... Do you know why this is?

There are two reasons for this, both of which is about optimizing the metabolic response (the endocrine system, including insulin response) The first is, fats can slow the absorption of carbs and proteins. It's believed that by decreasing fats, that the uptake is faster. Second, the idea of a refeed isn't to cram as many calories as possible. it's actually to reverse and/or prevent metabolic damage. So, knowing this, and knowing that fats have minimal short term effect on the metabolic system compared to carbs, the idea is to dramatically increase carbs without dramatically increasing calories. Typically you don't want more than 500 extra calories on a refeed, at least, IMO.

 

[woodswise]

BTW, I wish I could remember where I came across this info, but I found that someone (high level lifter) pinpointed a close range of when to refeed. It was actually closer to every 1.5 weeks to 2 weeks, NOT once a week, unless you're in a very, very large deficit.

Many people screw up refeeds by eating way too much too. There is a technical approach to refeeds, based on your requirements and your current deficit. I usually refeed with about 300 extra carbs and it's between every 2 weeks and 3 weeks.

So are you saying while on a keto diet you refeed every 2 weeks to 3 weeks? I can see that, but I thought it was more like every 4 weeks or so. I'll have to ask my trainer what he thinks about that. When I started, I was going to diet for 4 weeks, go on maintenance with carbs for 4 weeks, then diet another 4 weeks. Now I am on week 7, and after my refeed (without carbs), I am losing weight again and I have plenty of energy.

You should know, the first three or so weeks, I kept breaking the diet with carbs, maybe 100 or so, and one Sunday about three weeks ago, I took the day off entirely and had about 500g of carbs extra. So I have been refeeding almost instinctively, without it being part of the plan.

If I'm gonna do it, I guess I might just as well make it part of the plan going forward.

 

[shortz]

So are you saying while on a keto diet you refeed every 2 weeks to 3 weeks? I can see that, but I thought it was more like every 4 weeks or so. I'll have to ask my trainer what he thinks about that. When I started, I was going to diet for 4 weeks, go on maintenance with carbs for 4 weeks, then diet another 4 weeks. Now I am on week 7, and after my refeed (without carbs), I am losing weight again and I have plenty of energy.

You should know, the first three or so weeks, I kept breaking the diet with carbs, maybe 100 or so, and one Sunday about three weeks ago, I took the day off entirely and had about 500g of carbs extra. So I have been refeeding almost instinctively, without it being part of the plan.

If I'm gonna do it, I guess I might just as well make it part of the plan going forward.

THey say that it takes 2 weeks to get in to ketosis, so the rule is, at the very least, be at 50g of less for two weeks. After that, there are several ways to approach it. According to the Atkins diet, you increase to a maintenance carb of about 100. Some people will simply refeed and reset every two weeks. It's really preference, but I prefer the refeed to reset it completely, but ONLY if you are truly following the keto carb limit.

Your trainer might do it differently. I can't say that some ways are wrong, but 4 weeks is pretty tough for most people

 

[woodswise]

This is very helpful. Thanks.

I am getting about 35 to 50g carbs per day. Surprisingly, I am at least three weeks since my last real cheat, and am feeling great. Good energy, losing weight, not hungry or craving carbs. I was just thinking the other day I wonder if someone can stay on this diet perpetually.

The key for me has been to eat enough fats. If I don't get enough fats, I am miserable and feel like crap. So whenever I get some cravings, I eat cheese or something fatty and voila I feel better.