Should I refeed? IIFYM

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BeastModeGost
BeastModeGost Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I been doing IIFYM since May but I just now read on refeed so I'm trying to find out if it's recommended for me to do this. I'm at 21-22 BF% and workout 5 days a week.

Thanks in advance

Replies

  • mcdbnoyan
    mcdbnoyan Posts: 1
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    Refeed is normally recommended for those people that have been doing carbs depletion diets. I would suggest that unless it was your case when you were doing IIFYM, do not reefed as this would only slow your fat burning abilities. However, if you have been doing a low carb IIFYM, the refeed will be beneficial as it would sort of reset your metabolism so that it is prone to burn off calories more effectively again. Anyway, this is just my point of view.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,953 Member
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    CICO :)
  • BeastModeGost
    BeastModeGost Posts: 8 Member
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    bump would like another opinion
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    Have you been low-carbing it?

    If so, have a refeed. You're leptin gets out of whack after a while and you'll start to want to binge which can undo a lot of the hard work you've put in. Have a gander at the following series by LM:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-hormones-of-bodyweight-regulation-leptin-part-1.html

    If you haven't been low-carbing it, then no, a carb refeed would be mostly pointless.

    IIFYM can mean almost anything, so you really need to specify the macro-nutrient composition of your diet if you want specific help.

    If you're suffering, but haven't been low-carbing it, then you may find your fats are too low. A week of eating at maintenance with foods that have a decent fat content can help to get your pep back.

    In the end, a week or two at maintenance every so often is good for the soul, recharges your batteries and leaves you fresh for another assault on the old bf%.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    A refeed day once a week - where you eat at maintenance rather than at deficit - is a good idea for two reasons... 1. it helps with compliance as you get more calories for one day, so you can do stuff like have a restaurant meal or something else that's harder to fit in with the rest of your week. 2. there are some hormonal reasons why a refeed may lead to burning a little more fat in the days following it. I don't know the biochemistry of it, something to do with leptin (although this reason may only apply if you've been in a deficit for a while). But plenty of people doing IIFYM and similar plans use refeed days. Even if it's just a psychological boost, it does not undo your progress on other days.

    Lots of people do this kind of thing - or cheat meals or some other way they eat more calories on one day every now and then (it's a good way to enjoy special occasions) - and are still very successful at fat loss.

    ETA: also to echo the person above, a refeed week after several weeks in a deficit is also a good idea, although if you're switching between cutting and bulking phases, then the bulking phase acts as a refeed.
  • BeastModeGost
    BeastModeGost Posts: 8 Member
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    I started IIFYM in may and after 4 weeks even though I lost about 10 pounds the following 2 weeks I plateau didn't gain but didn't lose and all my measurements were about the same. This is the main reason I am looking into refeed basically is it necessary or does it help to not plateau?

    I have not been low carbing even though this week i am keeping it consistent with all my macros (160p, 262c and 63f.) I took last week off not counting macros and just started fresh this week with these macros and so far im looking to lose basically the weight I gain last week but I am concerned that I will get stuck again at the same weight this upcoming week.

    So if i was to do a refeed I would eat at maintenance keeping carbs and fats same and just raise carbs?
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    It's like you totally didn't read my post.

    2 weeks is not a plateau. You are getting 2255 cals/day according to my calculations based on your macros. I don't know how you've factored your TDEE, what your activity is, height, weight, age, etc. Because no helpful info was forthcoming in your OP.

    If you accurately weigh and log all your food and 2255 is TDEE-X%, then you'll lose weight. It might not happen in a straight line (weight fluctuates due to water retention due to varying sodium levels in diet, natural variations in stool and fluid retention during the day, response to varying training stimulus), but if you're right on your figures for your food and your TDEE, then you'll lose weight on average according to the calculations. It may be gain a lb, lose 2lbs, stay the same, drop a 1lb, but it'll average out if you've got your figures right.

    TL;DR. You've been at this a couple of months. Get your mind right. Double check your intake/figures. Stick with it. No loss in two more weeks adjust cals downward. Going to maintenance/refeeding is not really what you need at this point.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    I have not been low carbing even though this week i am keeping it consistent with all my macros (160p, 262c and 63f.) I took last week off not counting macros and just started fresh this week with these macros and so far im looking to lose basically the weight I gain last week but I am concerned that I will get stuck again at the same weight this upcoming week.

    You want to run but can't even walk. Start eating and meeting macros consistantly.
    Once you have been tracking and have a full understanding how your body reacts to certain macros in certain quantities then you can start considering when to refeed... if needed at all.
  • BeastModeGost
    BeastModeGost Posts: 8 Member
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    It's like you totally didn't read my post.

    2 weeks is not a plateau. You are getting 2255 cals/day according to my calculations based on your macros. I don't know how you've factored your TDEE, what your activity is, height, weight, age, etc. Because no helpful info was forthcoming in your OP.

    If you accurately weigh and log all your food and 2255 is TDEE-X%, then you'll lose weight. It might not happen in a straight line (weight fluctuates due to water retention due to varying sodium levels in diet, natural variations in stool and fluid retention during the day, response to varying training stimulus), but if you're right on your figures for your food and your TDEE, then you'll lose weight on average according to the calculations. It may be gain a lb, lose 2lbs, stay the same, drop a 1lb, but it'll average out if you've got your figures right.

    TL;DR. You've been at this a couple of months. Get your mind right. Double check your intake/figures. Stick with it. No loss in two more weeks adjust cals downward. Going to maintenance/refeeding is not really what you need at this point.


    I did read your post but I really want to know is if I need to refeed or decrease my calories in order for me not to go 2 weeks with no changes at all.

    Based on what you said I don't need to refeed which is fine but 2 weeks no change at all does concern me especially when I went from working out 4 days a week to 6 days at the same amount of calories/macros. My question then is at what point do lower my calories and approximately what amount? Correct me if I'm wrong but sounds like you said wait another 2 weeks so 4 weeks no change THEN lower cals??
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    It's like you totally didn't read my post.

    2 weeks is not a plateau. You are getting 2255 cals/day according to my calculations based on your macros. I don't know how you've factored your TDEE, what your activity is, height, weight, age, etc. Because no helpful info was forthcoming in your OP.

    If you accurately weigh and log all your food and 2255 is TDEE-X%, then you'll lose weight. It might not happen in a straight line (weight fluctuates due to water retention due to varying sodium levels in diet, natural variations in stool and fluid retention during the day, response to varying training stimulus), but if you're right on your figures for your food and your TDEE, then you'll lose weight on average according to the calculations. It may be gain a lb, lose 2lbs, stay the same, drop a 1lb, but it'll average out if you've got your figures right.

    TL;DR. You've been at this a couple of months. Get your mind right. Double check your intake/figures. Stick with it. No loss in two more weeks adjust cals downward. Going to maintenance/refeeding is not really what you need at this point.


    I did read your post but I really want to know is if I need to refeed or decrease my calories in order for me not to go 2 weeks with no changes at all.

    Based on what you said I don't need to refeed which is fine but 2 weeks no change at all does concern me especially when I went from working out 4 days a week to 6 days at the same amount of calories/macros. My question then is at what point do lower my calories and approximately what amount? Correct me if I'm wrong but sounds like you said wait another 2 weeks so 4 weeks no change THEN lower cals??

    2 weeks with no change is not long enough to say whether you're eating too much, too little or its just a fluctuation... be patient, keep doing what you're doing. and as jimmmer says, if after another 2 weeks you're still not losing you need to look at your numbers.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    It's like you totally didn't read my post.

    2 weeks is not a plateau. You are getting 2255 cals/day according to my calculations based on your macros. I don't know how you've factored your TDEE, what your activity is, height, weight, age, etc. Because no helpful info was forthcoming in your OP.

    If you accurately weigh and log all your food and 2255 is TDEE-X%, then you'll lose weight. It might not happen in a straight line (weight fluctuates due to water retention due to varying sodium levels in diet, natural variations in stool and fluid retention during the day, response to varying training stimulus), but if you're right on your figures for your food and your TDEE, then you'll lose weight on average according to the calculations. It may be gain a lb, lose 2lbs, stay the same, drop a 1lb, but it'll average out if you've got your figures right.

    TL;DR. You've been at this a couple of months. Get your mind right. Double check your intake/figures. Stick with it. No loss in two more weeks adjust cals downward. Going to maintenance/refeeding is not really what you need at this point.


    I did read your post but I really want to know is if I need to refeed or decrease my calories in order for me not to go 2 weeks with no changes at all.

    Based on what you said I don't need to refeed which is fine but 2 weeks no change at all does concern me especially when I went from working out 4 days a week to 6 days at the same amount of calories/macros. My question then is at what point do lower my calories and approximately what amount? Correct me if I'm wrong but sounds like you said wait another 2 weeks so 4 weeks no change THEN lower cals??

    I think the question is have you changed your exercise routine/switched things up? If so, you're most like retaining water.

    However: why don't you cut off 250 cals from your TDEE from today and run with it for two weeks. I would still make sure every morsel you eat is weighed/measured and accurately logged for the next two weeks for any data gathered to be meaningful. Keep your exercise routine consistent and avoid wild swings in sodium consumption - keep yourself well hydrated. You can then adjust upwards/downwards based on your new findings.

    Before I started my last cut, I spent 3-4 weeks sorting out my maintenance. Made for a trouble free cut where I lost what I expected based on what I ate. I'm not a weight-class athlete or a bodybuilder prepping for a show, so I figure what's the rush - might as well get it right and retain maximum LBM and strength gains...

    TL;DR: you're either retaining water (which can be due to a whole host of reasons) or your incorrectly estimating one side of the energy balance (ie underestimating food consumption or overestimating TDEE). Reduce 250/day from today and check back in 2 weeks.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
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    OP - how tall are you and how much do you weigh? How much weight have you lost since May? How many years have you trained? How have you measured your bf%, and what was your bf% before your deficit? Do you feel lethargic and irritable? Decline in sex drive (serious)? All factor into why you may experience weight loss stalls and whether a refeed is necessary at this time.

    For training, if you are fairly new to weight lifting, although you may not have lost weight in the last two weeks, it doesn't mean you haven't lost fat. As someone mentioned above, changes to training (4 days to 6 days), how new you are to training etc. can have an effect on water retention. Fat loss vs muscle gain as well should be considered if you are a newbie to lifting (newbie gains). At 22% bf (which is most likely higher, due to the fact that many individuals underestimate bf%) inches lost is sometimes a better measurement than scale weight.

    As far as refeeds are concerned, the higher your bf%, the less you will need to refeed early in your deficit. Yes, while a caloric deficit and high amounts of fat loss will cause changes to leptin, grhelin, testosterone and insulin levels, as well as a host of other hormones, at above 20%bf your levels are still high. Weight loss isn't linear, and a stall for a week or two doesn't necessarily mean your body has adapted to your deficit. Sub 20% bf you may physically benefit from a refeed once every week or every other week. For individuals 10% and below, sometimes twice weekly refeeds are needed, depending on their activity levles. But above 20% it is more of a psychological benefit, which seems to be the case, considering you took a week off from tracking. However, because of that fact, I would say you do not require a refeed at this point.

    As other posters have mentioned, stay the course and track consistently. If you mentally need a break, schedule one day into your plan (once every two weeks?) But a refeed because you have stalled for a week or two isn't necessary considering your current bf% and the fact that you already took a break last week.
  • BeastModeGost
    BeastModeGost Posts: 8 Member
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    5'7 and weigh 198.2 as of this morning. I've lost about 15lbs since may and been training since late 2012. I use calipers to measure BF% but I just started measuring it about 3 weeks ago so cant tell u where I was before deficit. I don't feel weak or anything like that for most of the time.

    I just wasn't aware that increasing your training significantly especially when I'm adding HIIT and cardio could result in a 2 week stall based on what you said so that could explain my situation.

    So since this week I got back on training and tracking lost about 5lbs I'm not going to worry about a refeed because since most you guys say I don't need it and I'm not in need of a mental break but I might look into it later when I actually get past 20%. I'll be more patient and see what happens in the upcoming weeks thanks all.

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