Please critique. Do I need a refeed?

[alywbwfc]

Ok so I've been on a losing fat mission for 2 weeks now and have been doing loads of reading but can't decide whether to do a carb refeed tomorrow night.

Background - I'm 6ft 180lb and approx 20% bf.

My w/out shedule:
Mon - 5 x arms exercises (3 sets each)
Tues - various cardio eg HIIT/skipping
Weds - legs and core (5x3)
Thurs - cardio
Fri - upperbody and core (5x3)

Asides from this I live a pretty sedentry lifestyle - sit at a desk all day and watch tv at night

My diet on weight days:
Breakfast - 1 whole egg 5 egg White omelette w/ hot sauce
Snack - almonds
Lunch - 1 can tuna on kale w/ half an avocado, olive oil and hot sauce
Snack - almonds
Dinner - fish and broccoli

I also have a glass of chocolate milk 10 mins after my work out and a protein shake w/ water. Asides from this I only drink water (about 5-6 litres a day)

On cardio days I do a water fast ie from mon/weds dinner to tues/thurs dinner - ie doing my cardio after a 20 hr fast.

From my reading on here the last couple of days the changes I am going to make now are:
Take 10g BCAA before my workouts
Measure everything to ensure I am only taking in 1800 cal (am concerned too many nuts is taking me over). And I am getting 1g protein/1lb lean mass

Is there anything else I should be doing/am doing wrong? Am considering a refeed tomorrow night maybe some wholewheat pasta and some cereal - should I do it? The only carbs in my diet for 2 weeks have been nuts and chocolate milk

[obesebeast]

i'd just listen to my body, when I perpetually diet low in carbs, I can feel the direct relationship between food and energy. If I feel I need a refeed, I go for it. Else, I go as long as I can. I don't believe in the refiring metabolism stuff. The body will create enough glycogen without carbs to operate fine in ketosis. Its really more about the willpower.

as far as when you do refeed. A small carb meal won't really do it. Your body will store over 4000 calories of glycogen in your muscles/liver. If you're truly pissing ketones, you can probably get away with 4000 calories of carbs over a 24 hr periods for a true refeed. I'd probably stick with 1800 calories and just replace all servings of fat with a serving of low GI carbs and keep protein the same.

at a glance, I'd say your diet seems a bit low in fat sources for a CKD. Turn your 2 week fat loss mission into a lifestyle change.

[alywbwfc]

Ok thanks for advice, I reckon I can go another week without a refeed

What are the optimal macros to build lean muscle mass and cut bodyfat? I reckon I'm getting 1900 cal and 43% protein 43% fat 16% carbs

[obesebeast]

i dont think the macros are as important as the calories

the world is a giant energy equation. you can't give yourself less energy in food than you exert in the day and expect to also increase lean tissue. You are by definition starving yourself when you eat at a calorie deficit. The body will not be interested in increasing its metabolic rate if you're not giving it enough to sufficiently support what it has.

i'd recommend recomposing at maintenance if you're looking to increase mass now. Or just cut aggressively until you're at a happy body fat and bulk from there. If you eat say ~3000 cals/day @ ~200-250g protein...fats/carbs can be whatever, just make smart choices. I wouldn't say there are any perfect macros...its such a small factor in the big picture. The laborers(carbs/fats) assemble the bricks(protein) into the building(muscle).

after my transformation, i've found its much harder to gain muscle than lose fat. It may take 1 month to gain 1lb of muscle and then only 2 weeks to lose 1lb of body fat.

[RobOH]

Its different for each person. Like other post stated, listen to you body. If your workouts are struggling due to lack of strength then a refeed would be good. Have you lost any weight after two weeks?

[alywbwfc]

i dont think the macros are as important as the calories

the world is a giant energy equation. you can't give yourself less energy in food than you exert in the day and expect to also increase lean tissue. You are by definition starving yourself when you eat at a calorie deficit. The body will not be interested in increasing its metabolic rate if you're not giving it enough to sufficiently support what it has.

i'd recommend recomposing at maintenance if you're looking to increase mass now. Or just cut aggressively until you're at a happy body fat and bulk from there. If you eat say ~3000 cals/day @ ~200-250g protein...fats/carbs can be whatever, just make smart choices. I wouldn't say there are any perfect macros...its such a small factor in the big picture. The laborers(carbs/fats) assemble the bricks(protein) into the building(muscle).

after my transformation, i've found its much harder to gain muscle than lose fat. It may take 1 month to gain 1lb of muscle and then only 2 weeks to lose 1lb of body fat.

I'm confused, I thought that as long as I do weights 3x a week and consume 180g protein then I will maintain muscle mass, if not increase it, even with a calorie deficit.

Ideally I would like to recompose. If I could stay the same weight but cut my bodyfat in half I would be over the moon

[obesebeast]

people new to weight lifting may experience this phenomenon as the body rapidly adjusts to the new environment of tearing muscle down daily and having to rebuild it. People often refer to these as 'newbie gains" I couldn't tell you the reasoning behind these newbie gains and how they overcome the energy deficit you're consuming

you can always get stronger though, the CNS will adapt and you can easily see strength gains as you diet down. You may also appear larger and more muscular as you lose the body fat covering them up. Most people would be surprised how muscular they are underneath the fat. The best exercise they can do is the fork put-down and table push-back.

[Gusthebus]

Refeeds are needed when u absolutely feel sluggish. I'm really feeling tired and tired as days go by due to my training program. I might refeed in the middle of July if I can't continue but for now I keep fighting