The Key to Your Least Painful AND Most Effective Diet EVER
For anyone who is new to my blog or doesn't follow my Instagram... a) Get on that girl! I post some fire macro friendly meals on IG story and some pretty sweet workouts. Click here and lets be friends. b) I've been on my 3rd bikini competition prep for roughly 13 weeks now and it's been SO. MUCH. EASIER. Easiest and most effective diet I've ever had largely due to the power of... drumroll please...
REFEEDS. To be honest, I was quite new to the concept of refeeds before this prep and I will say that it’s one of the top reasons this has been the least painful and most effective prep I’ve had. Refeeds, diet breaks, and treat meals will honestly change the way you diet. You will have more energy, be in a better place to manage cravings, and will adhere to your diet much more easily, leading to FASTER results.
I wanted to breakdown the differences between refeeds, diet breaks, and treat meals - what they are, what the benefits are, etc. They’re not just for people who compete. They’re extremely useful tools for anyone undergoing a dieting phase to keep your metabolism poppin’ and keep control over cravings.
First, refeeds.
This is the most structured way, in my opinion, to give yourself a break from lower calories. On a refeed day, you get higher carbs than usual. In general your protein stays the same and your fats can be reduced. The higher carbs replenish your glycogen stores - i.e. your muscles look LIT after carbs. This also helps to bring your leptin levels back up, which is a hormone that makes you feel full and satisfied. The trick here is that you’re getting more food but you’re still tracking just as you would any other day. The obvious downside is that you can’t go nuts and eat whatever you want. The obvious benefit is you can’t go nuts and eat whatever you want. Lol
Treat meals/days.
These can be super helpful. I’ll never knock ‘em because, frankly, I’ve enjoyed having them myself when I needed them. But they can be misused and abused and cause you to seriously fall off the wagon if you aren’t careful. A treat meal or day is more focused on the mental break than anything. It’s not just a break from controlled intake but a break from tracking food altogether. With a refeed, I’m not eating a whole pizza by myself (sometimes, I wish) because that won’t do anything for my leptin or my glycogen stores. With a cheat meal or day I can eat whatever the heck I want. Of course, people take advantage of this. (See 10k calorie challenges on YouTube… or maybe don’t if you’re dieting because tbh I’ve cried watching them eat a whole box of donuts when I’m on prep lol)
Diet breaks.
I would think of this has an extended refeed. You’re increasing your calories for a week or more and, preferably again, raising your carbs. Refeeds are super useful when you haven’t been dieting for a long period of time. But after an extended dieting period, it’s probably going to take more than 24 hours to bring your leptin back up enough to be comfortable. This is when it’s time for a diet break.
Sometimes, it can be hard to see an increase in calories, and even potentially in weight, as a step forward. You have to remember that you have to be playing the long game here. Quick weight loss almost never lasts. If you’re constantly hungry and low energy, it’s probably time for a little breather.
Is YOUR Current Diet Painful?
I hope this was super helpful for you! Your diet does NOT have to be painful. In fact, I encourage you to find one you actually like. If you're constantly drained, cranky, and miserable on your diet because you aren't able to eat the foods you like, something NEEDS to change.
If you're looking for guidance towards living a healthier lifestyle and you're sick of putting yourself through miserable diets to see the scale drop, let's figure out a happier, healthier plan of action for you HERE.
