Refeed

A refeed is a planned, structured increase in caloric intake during a longer calorie deficit. Typical refeed: one to two days of eating at maintenance or slightly above, with the extra calories coming predominantly from carbohydrates. This is the disciplined sibling of the "cheat meal" — same calories, different intent and structure.

The physiological rationale

• Leptin restoration. Extended caloric deficit suppresses leptin; a high-carb refeed day partially restores it. The effect is temporary (leptin returns to suppressed levels within a few days of resuming deficit) but real.
• Muscle glycogen repletion. A well-trained lifter in sustained deficit is often running on 70–80% of full muscle glycogen. A carb-heavy refeed day can top this up, improving next-session training performance.
• Thyroid-pathway support. T3 levels are partially responsive to recent carbohydrate intake; refeeds may transiently support thyroid function during longer cuts.
• Adherence and psychological relief. A planned refeed day gives the tracker something to look forward to and reduces the appeal of unplanned eating.

Structuring a refeed

• Calories: maintenance or slightly above (+100–200 kcal). Some protocols go to +300–500.
• Protein: keep at normal deficit-phase target (1.8–2.2 g/kg). Not reduced.
• Fat: lower than usual (30–50 g total). This is where the calorie room for carbs comes from.
• Carbohydrate: elevated — commonly 4–7 g/kg for the refeed day.
• Duration: 1 day for weekly refeed structures; 2 days for bi-weekly.
• Frequency: weekly for lean, trained individuals on aggressive cuts; every 2–3 weeks for moderate cuts; not required at all for short (< 6 week) cuts.

Refeed vs diet break vs cheat meal

• Refeed: 1–2 days at maintenance or slightly above, macro-structured.
• Diet break: 1–2 weeks at full maintenance, unstructured or loosely structured. Stronger leptin restoration.
• Cheat meal: unplanned single meal of arbitrary content, often counterproductive because it tends to exceed intended surplus and does not produce meaningful physiological reset.

What the evidence actually says

Evidence for refeeds accelerating fat loss is mixed. Peterson et al. (2020) and the MATADOR trial (Byrne et al. 2018) provide some support for intermittent vs continuous deficit approaches; refeeds are a related but narrower intervention. The clearer signal: refeeds support training performance and dietary adherence during longer cuts, both of which indirectly improve outcomes.

The scale-weight trap

A refeed day will typically produce a 2–4 lb scale gain the following morning, almost entirely glycogen and water. This is not a setback. It flushes out over the next few days as the deficit resumes. Inexperienced trackers routinely panic at this rebound; experienced ones expect it and ignore it in the rolling 7-day average.