Carb re-feeds - how do we feel about that?

[MushroomTree]

DP was talking to me the other day about carb re-feeds to help you get over stalling weight loss.

The idea being that the sudden intake of carbs kick starts your metabolism again so you have a whoosh.

What are our thoughts on this?

I'm not sure I'm brave enough to try it in case carbs take over my life again...

I tried a carb day once a week. It did nothing to break the stall and just set me off craving sugar again even though I went for more complex carbs.

I did them and they worked. I started with jacket potato, peas and grilled chicken. Progressed to a lamb biryani and now I know I can trust myself I've had whole days completely off plan.

Worked really well to get the last few lbs off.

This is really interesting. On Tuesday evening I ate some cake at my aunts, she had made it specially for me, I am quite near target and just went with it. This morning, I had dropped 2ibs. Do you think that's what happened? Seems a risky strategy!!

How much do you have to eat before you get kicked out of ketosis?

Carb refeeds are tricky to get right. Basically they will usually only work if were getting ready for a whoosh anyway. Having a couple of alcoholic drinks one night can have the same effect. Let me just go get breakfast and I'll be back later to post about leptin.

Interesting. I think I want to get to the end of BC and then think about carb refeeds

Leptin is the hormone released by your body's fat stores that tells your brain how much fat you have in your body. Perpetually high insulin levels produced by a high carb diet can interfere with the brain's ability to sense leptin resulting in leptin resistance. This can mean that your brain sends out the message to eat more and store fat. When you lose weight and your fat stores reduce then the leptin signal gets smaller. There is a theory that in some people the leptin resistance is still present so weight loss could stall because your brain is still unable to detect the leptin signal so continues to increase hunger and store fat. By eating one carby meal you trigger a temporary leptin boost. The idea is that the brain will get the message that you have ample fat stores and this will allow you to keep losing weight. Be aware that there isn't really solid science and research to back this up, there is only anecdotal evidence. My personal feeling is that the best way to do a carb refeed is to add a couple of safe carbs into your day's eating. For example a normal low carb breakfast, a baked potato with bacon and cheese for lunch, a portion of white rice with your usual low carb curry for dinner. Go with whatever carbs you have been missing and really enjoy them. I tend towards potatoes for carb refeeds as they give you a big carb boost. Going on a doughnut bender would only leave you feeling sick and give you horrible carb cravings. If you're still trying to lose weight then use a carb refeed occasionally if you're trying to break a stall and you're pretty sure you're due for a whoosh. If you're at or near your target weight then carb refeeds every week may actually help you to lose those last few pounds. Everyone responds differently though so you have to experiment to see what works best for you. Especially keep an eye on your carb cravings, I always find they hit two days after a cheat meal so I know to have extra snacks ready for those days or the crisps will seduce me with their siren song.

Thanks StuntNun. I'm 9lbs away from target so weightloss is painfully slow. Perhaps I'll give it a try at the end of BC.

As well as carb refeeds I did a bit of 5:2 so low carb 7 days but fasting for 2. Which for me meant skipping breakfast & lunch with normal dinner. Sometimes that would be a carb dinner, sometimes I'd have a carb dinner then fast for 24h until dinner the next day.

I had to mix things up a bit to shake the last half stone.

Me too Fourarms I found upping my fat intake and intermittent fasting 14:10 (fasting for fourteen hours) at least three times a weeks got another six pounds off after an extended stall.

By the way, if we are carb refeeding, are we talking full on pizza and pasta or more like beans and sweet potato?

Safe carbs only Mushroom, if you eat a bunch of doughnuts then you will feel sick and then have to fight off carb cravings.

Rice or a baked potato for me at first :)

Thanks. I thought so and was actually hoping card refeeds wouldn't involve stuffing my face with crap