Refeed
Redirected from "Refeed day"
Also known as: Refeed day
A refeed is a planned, short increase in calorie intake during a fat-loss phase, usually for one or two days and commonly achieved by raising carbohydrates. Many versions bring intake close to maintenance while keeping protein similar and limiting the increase in fat. There is no single standardized refeed protocol.
A refeed is shorter than a diet break and more controlled than a cheat day. It also differs from simply eating back exercise calories: the day is scheduled within a broader calorie deficit, and its energy and macronutrient targets are defined in advance.
More carbohydrate can replenish some muscle glycogen, especially when prior intake or training has depleted it. Because glycogen is stored with water, body weight often rises after a refeed without that increase representing the same amount of body fat. Whether training performance improves depends on prior carbohydrate availability, the session, and the size and timing of the refeed.
Claims that one high-carbohydrate day permanently "resets" leptin or prevents metabolic adaptation go beyond the evidence. One small randomized trial in resistance-trained adults reported better retention of fat-free mass with two consecutive weekly carbohydrate-refeed days than with continuous restriction, but the sample was small and the interpretation of its body-composition findings has been disputed. Across broader intermittent-dieting trials, average fat loss is similar to continuous restriction.
A practical refeed uses ordinary meals that meet the planned total; it does not require labeling foods as clean or forbidden. If the higher day repeatedly becomes uncontrolled eating followed by guilt or compensatory restriction, the strategy is not serving its purpose. In fitness language, "refeed" should also not be confused with clinical refeeding after prolonged starvation or severe malnutrition, which can require medical supervision because of dangerous electrolyte shifts.