"Spike Day" Nonsense

Matt_Wild

Now I will listen to this. First thing I look at when I listen to someone is their physique.

So you say 1 meal is sufficient? What I took from the read is the one day SPIKE is all around good
No?

One meal in place of their normal evening meal.

I don't like the piece as well as it assumes that everything in the metabolism is controlled solely by leptin and it is on rats as I say. We are not rats, there are LOTS of hormonal difference between humans and rats.

Also science and its lingo is often misunderstood as significant changes in science is/are often measure in single digits e.g. a statin drug (forget its name) claimed it help 34% people live longer. In reality it helped 1 extra in 100 (2 in 100 died as opposed to 3 in 100).

Lyle also regularly changes his mind LOL :laugh:

Ambrogio1

Now I will listen to this. First thing I look at when I listen to someone is their physique.

So you say 1 meal is sufficient? What I took from the read is the one day SPIKE is all around good
No?

One meal in place of their normal evening meal.

I don't like the piece as well as it assumes that everything in the metabolism is controlled solely by leptin and it is on rats as I say. We are not rats, there are LOTS of hormonal difference between humans and rats.

Also science and its lingo is often misunderstood as significant changes in science is/are often measure in single digits e.g. a statin drug (forget its name) claimed it help 34% people live longer. In reality it helped 1 extra in 100 (2 in 100 died as opposed to 3 in 100).

Lyle also regularly changes his mind LOL :laugh:

I been in the game for a bit. Started at 14 I am 34. I lift hard and heavy.
@180 I can push some weight. I am knocking on the door of single digits. I started back in 2010 at close to 28%

I can't say this enough. The 1 day refeed/Spike/Cheat Day/Whatever you want to call it
SATIFIES ME TO NO END!! I do my longest workout of the day that day and the day after I am strong through the roof.

So I am unsure of the posters intentions nor do I care as I really like to go with what works and what people have done.
I will advise ppl to have the day. Why not? Its fun and its also rewarding. Plus Football Sundays are now THAT MUCH BETTER

I do believe that 1 meal works too. As I have done that for yrs as well

theoneandonlybrookie

Thank you for posting this! I did NOT know this, or, I should say, I didn't know that we should eat at maintenance for a couple of weeks as opposed to a day or two. It does make sense, though.

Great info! And as a librarian, I especially appreciate how well you cited your sources.

jj3120

Bump: Interesting read!

Phrak

Matt, would it be safe to assume the clients you work with would not be over eating 1000's of calories during their once a week cheat meal?

I would not lump a cheat meal in with a spike day. To me most cheat meals would add 500-700 calories. You are supposed to double your food intake on a spike day, which would effectivly wipe out "my" weekly calorie deficit.

SparkleShine

Thanks for posting!

bionicrooster

I don't do cheat days or spike days ever. But every couple weeks or so I take a few days and go up to my maintenance number, sounds like without knowing it I was on the right track. The articles listed here will help me adjust that, thank you for posting.

Azdak

So.. What I get from this is I am the exception
I like that.

I tend to not over thinkg things Or maybe I'm just a big ole dummy jock!

Anyway I had great sucess with spiking and it also mentally helped me understand that if I did binge and I did fall off it was ok.
Personally, I been in this game a long time. I am 34. I built a great phyqiue over the yrs. I built it, ruined it and built it again.

Its a great tool to have in the aresnal. You should try it and give first person feedback

I doubt you're the exception to anything. To the extent that the Spike Day diet works, it's because it results in a net negative calorie balance.

One-person anecdotes often represent the classic "coincidence, not cause" situation.

RunHardBeStrong

Thanks for the info. It never occurred to go into maintenance for a week to keep metabolism burning. How often would one do this?

I do 1-2 weeks at maintenance every 3 months. It really helps keep my sanity intact, not to mention it lets my body adjust. I'm down 103 lbs and working on the last 40....I strongly suggest incorporating this especially for some one who has 50+ lbs to lose.

Matt_Wild

Matt, would it be safe to assume the clients you work with would not be over eating 1000's of calories during their once a week cheat meal?

I would not lump a cheat meal in with a spike day. To me most cheat meals would add 500-700 calories. You are supposed to double your food intake on a spike day, which would effectivly wipe out "my" weekly calorie deficit.

It is not set TBH. I often find people will lose less weight by not having a cheat meal than having a cheat meal. For instance this chap here below last week put away about 5000 calories in single cheat meal and lost 2lb the following week at 170lb....

8 weeks fat loss


If FAT loss does start to halter I'll control their cheat meals however. Rarely have to do this.

I often find that the nerds and meat heads sometimes to battle it out showing they know the best. The reality is both are needed because both put in the work that the other often cannot...

Phrak

Thats solid some solid progress. Well done there. I did free-for all weekend and gained 20lbs. 270.1 thursday morning. 291.8 this morning. I fail.

Matt_Wild

That's not be btw - that is a chap I'm coaching in for a NABBA UK comp in April. The same method worked with this chap here...

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/body-transformation-bobby-changed-attitude-won-sponsorship.html

Matt_Wild

One of the big issues is with studies like well is the non-comparative of dieting styles utilized and so insulin resistance etc react to increase levels of carbs/fats etc etc etc.

It also ignore the body types.

almc170

Great info in this thread!!

Ambrogio1

Matt, would it be safe to assume the clients you work with would not be over eating 1000's of calories during their once a week cheat meal?

I would not lump a cheat meal in with a spike day. To me most cheat meals would add 500-700 calories. You are supposed to double your food intake on a spike day, which would effectivly wipe out "my" weekly calorie deficit.

It is not set TBH. I often find people will lose less weight by not having a cheat meal than having a cheat meal. For instance this chap here below last week put away about 5000 calories in single cheat meal and lost 2lb the following week at 170lb....


If FAT loss does start to halter I'll control their cheat meals however. Rarely have to do this.

I often find that the nerds and meat heads sometimes to battle it out showing they know the best. The reality is both are needed because both put in the work that the other often cannot...

Nice Work MATT!!! NICE!

What protocols was that "chap" following. Chap. Love it

Ambrogio1

Thats solid some solid progress. Well done there. I did free-for all weekend and gained 20lbs. 270.1 thursday morning. 291.8 this morning. I fail.

PHRAK!!! NO WAY YOU GAINED 20 lbs!! OMG. Your my ideal!!!

Matt_Wild

He uses moderate carbs, moderate fats and high protein. Ratio is 50p:25f:25c.

Ambrogio1

He uses moderate carbs, moderate fats and high protein. Ratio is 50p:25f:25c.

And eating at a deficit?

clrobin

I'm just starting diet mode again after a 3 week at low calories and 2 weeks at normal calories. I gained 5 pounds during this break, after losing 35 pounds since October. I hope the maintenance phase truely is resetting my metabolism, cause the increase is frustrating.

Matt_Wild

He uses moderate carbs, moderate fats and high protein. Ratio is 50p:25f:25c.

And eating at a deficit?

Correct, 300-400 cals.

joe7880

Finally, like a Baptist Preacher, I’m going to conclude for a third time. There is something to the notion of taking break from your diet to regulate metabolism, etc. This is best accomplished by a week (or two) long “diet break” where calories are raised to maintenance level.

I also read somewhere (I think it was from Tom Venuto "burn the fat, feed the muscle" but I could be wrong) that going from maintenance level calories for x days to a significant deficit for x days and then back maintenance is much more effective than simply keeping a caloric deficit. Its almost like interval nutrition and I'm definately giving that a try. Thanks for reminding me and supplying some great info!

Aperture_Science

bump

UponThisRock

Hmmm I don't know actually. I use a cheat meal on my guys ONE meal a week. They have anything they like. When I drop this ONE calorie heavy meal per week the following week they can, when getting sub 10% get exhausted without the calorie bounce.

Whilst I fully understand the concept of leptin and t3 (having kept preaching the fact that starvation mode doesn't exist) I do know mental and physical tiredness is greatly increased.

Whether its simply the excess calories and glycogen refill for extra energy or not, I would not remove them from a diet from my guys and my guys always get ripped.

I'd also like to see how different people react - these tests are done on RATS. Therefore it is NOT the same as a TRAINED athlete who is carrying above normal levels of lean mass who's muscular is depleted of the glycogen they usually carry.

Just my 5c.

Again, I'm not saying that a high calorie day once per week is going to prevent you from getting ripped. As I talked about in the OP, there are benefits to raising calories periodically. But rising leptin isn't one of them.

PunkRockDad

Great read. Thanks for posting and all the others for contributing to it.

crawpapa

my head hurts....

UponThisRock

I also read somewhere (I think it was from Tom Venuto "burn the fat, feed the muscle" but I could be wrong) that going from maintenance level calories for x days to a significant deficit for x days and then back maintenance is much more effective than simply keeping a caloric deficit. Its almost like interval nutrition and I'm definately giving that a try. Thanks for reminding me and supplying some great info!

Interesting theory, but hasn't been proven

kag1526

I don't "spike" with any idea that it helps me lose more weight. I do it because there is no way I could tell my husband that I won't go out to eat to places like chilis or the cheesecake factory anymore without ruining my marriage. Eating out as a social activity is too important to him. There are things that we always ordered and shared and he still wants them (all of them) so they will be on the table. So I have made some small changes to make my eating on those days better but I'm still over my calories on those days. I will only do it once a week but I will still some of the foods I really enjoy. I am always way over on sodium those days too.

Maybe someday my husband will get on board and we will do these places even less often. Personally I would like every 2 weeks but he feels a bit deprived even cutting it to only once a week. If not I will deal with having my goals and results at a less then ideal level for the sake of my marriage.

NaturalinCO

I love it when someone can convey a message in a way ALL of us can understand! Thanks for this info.

slimmergalpal

bump

Lance_K

bump for later