I crush my workouts after refeed days?

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.

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 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 . 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!