I crush my workouts after refeed days?

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sarah_willis110
sarah_willis110 Posts: 40 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I know some do a refeed day when eating in deficit, but I eat at maintenance or a couple hundred cals above. And every so often I eat 500+ calories and while my stomach feels incredibly uncomfortable and I feel like a fat pos, I end up crushing my workouts the days following and feel less burnt out.

Anyone else have this?

Tonight I might've gone a wee bit overboard, but I while I feel guilty, I also feel satisfied and trying to focus on using this towards gains.😆
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  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,612 Member
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    Yes. When you're in a deficit your body will struggle more to get through workouts, and your workouts will suffer for it. Generally, when that happens, it's a sign that you are in a bit too much of a calorie deficit for your workout goals. It's kind of like trying to have your cake and eat it too.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,623 Member
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    sarah_willis110 wrote: »
    I know some do a refeed day when eating in deficit, but I eat at maintenance or a couple hundred cals above. And every so often I eat 500+ calories and while my stomach feels incredibly uncomfortable and I feel like a fat pos, I end up crushing my workouts the days following and feel less burnt out.

    Anyone else have this?

    Tonight I might've gone a wee bit overboard, but I while I feel guilty, I also feel satisfied and trying to focus on using this towards gains.😆
    It sounds like your deficit may be too big. If so you won’t be making gains.

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,154 Member
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    How fast have you been losing weight? If you're just starting so no track record, what's your average daily calorie intake (at what height/weight/activity level)?

    Calories are necessary for athletic performance, and calories enable better nutrition, besides.

    I'm concerned when you say "I feel like a fat pos . . . I feel guilty . . . .". Honestly, that suggests a problematic relationship with food/eating to me, not a focus on health, proper fueling/nutrition, and performance.

    I've experienced a high-intake day as giving me a little bit of a boost, but even when losing at a sensible rate, didn't feel like performance tanked. IOW, there wasn't a dramatic difference . . . even though I'm pretty old and therefore arguably less resilient. That's what's got me worried that you're trying to lose faster than may be sensible.

    Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong.
  • sarah_willis110
    sarah_willis110 Posts: 40 Member
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    I'm actually not trying to not lose weight at all. I've gained 7 lbs the past year and usually eat 100-200 calories above maintenance. So about 1,700-1,800.

    I guess I felt guilty because I normally don't indulge/binge like that.

    When you do have those days, do you just eat like normal after or do you lower calories a bit?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,154 Member
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    sarah_willis110 wrote: »
    I'm actually not trying to not lose weight at all. I've gained 7 lbs the past year and usually eat 100-200 calories above maintenance. So about 1,700-1,800.

    I guess I felt guilty because I normally don't indulge/binge like that.

    When you do have those days, do you just eat like normal after or do you lower calories a bit?

    The best routine for any specific person will be individual, personalized, I think.

    I've been calorie counting a long time: Just under a year of loss, obese to healthy weight; then 7+ years of maintenance since.

    What works best for me is calorie banking: Eating a tiny bit under maintenance most days, just maybe 100-150 calories under typically; then indulging sometimes. After an indulgence, I go back to my regular routine, no "making up for".

    I watch the scale, and if I start creeping up in weight, I creep it back down again, mostly by reducing frequency of indulgences.

    I care about being healthy, strong, and energetic. I care about my athletic performance . . . even though I won't be entering the next Olympics :D . I don't care very much about the number on the scale, or my appearance per se. (Context: Currently 5'5", 133 pounds this morning, I figure somewhere in the vicinity of 25% body fat, age 67, eating 1850+exercise on typical days. Your goals may differ.)

    For me, this isn't particularly emotion-laden. It's more like a fun, productive science fair experiment for grown-ups.

    I can't tell you what to do specifically, because we're all different. I do worry when I see others feeling guilt or negative self-image around food. I don't think that's healthful, psychologically.

    Wishing you health and thriving!

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