Applying Diet Breaks, Refeeds & Macro Adjustments
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- My Instagram: / aesthetic_strength
Physical Culture Threads: www.physicalcul...
Discount Code for Physical Culture Threads: "Aesthetic_Strength"
Email for Business/Coaching Inquiries: AestheticStrength@gmail.com
You're ridiculously well-spoken, bro
Such a great video, and something people are always asking about. On pointttt
I can't wait until you move!
This video is so helpful! I took a diet break a week ago and felt so guilty! Now that I know that this can actually be a helpful tool I can incorporate them within my diet. So excited that my coming several months of dieting wont mentally destroy me anymore
Thank you for this video! You explain all these concepts well.
I've noticed while cutting, my weight will quickly adjust to any changes I make. There has been times while in a caloric deficit I plateaued for months on end. I knew something was up, but every personal trainer I talked to said I need to eat less. I feel better knowing that what was happening to me wasn't strange. Answer: I'm a female with a "well-adapted metabolism". Diet breaks and refeeds have helped me keep progressing without losing my mind.
Perfect timing - I'm just about to diet break after my 14 week fat-shed phase 1 ✨
Great video, you explain everything so well.
Finally new video from you! Super informative as always, keep up the work))
Your back! Yas
Thank you for this!! Makes a lot of sense to me now!
Thanks. This was one of the most informative and high quality videos I have seen. Can't wait for next part.
Thank You!! Truly appreciate ways the high quality content of youe channel
I have been dieting on the weekdays, and on saturdays I go hard on my refeed, and sunday still go semi hard. It might be slowing down my weightloss, but I've lost 12#s since january and I'm still losing weight. It helps me stay consistent. By sunday night I'm looking forward to being on a deficit again.
ShadowlessBeing so it helped you kick start your weight loss again ? How far did you go back down to your deficit ?
This is so informative. Thank you, I learned a lot!
Just found your channel and love it! So much information and you explain everything so well and in such a nice, down-to-earth-way!
Your content is excellent. Looking forward to the next video!!
Hey Brendan. love the channel and these info sessions your presenting! I'm into my first cut right now and these tips will be great to implement. Keep up the great work man!
Awesome and informative. Always look forward to your uploads!
Yes, Thank you! I found your video through Amanda Bucci. I'm Subscriber 😀
Really great info, thanks so much.
Excellent, excellent video!!
Awesome video! New subscriber but definitely a huge fan now
my boy missed your videos !! always great info
Excellent vid of well explained information!
This video was super helpful so really thank you for taking the time to make this!! I do have a few more questions about refeeds though. First, when doing a refeed, how do you increase your calories? As in how much and what macros should they come from (P C F)? Should it all just be increased proportionally? Secondly, I know you said it should be done on "weak" days, but if you don't have a specific day like that when should it be done (rest day/ leg day/ ect)?Anywho, thanks so much! I am new to Amanda's channel and new to yours and both of you guys have already helped me out so much in a matter of a few days so thank you for all that you guys do! Life changing stuff you both have going on :)
Thank you! So refeeds should always be aimed to be set at your caloric maintenance or a slight surplus. If you're in a caloric deficit of about 500kcals a day, then a 500kcal increase should occur on a refeed day. Err on the side of too many calories, 3500 kcals in a lb of fat which means 100 calories over really won't do anything in the long run and sets you up for better refeeds. Refeed calories should be added to carbs and fat usually be speaking. Depending on how the person responds I'll adjust. I often times even drop protein as protein needs to be slightly higher in a caloric deficit and since this day isn't a day where you're in a caloric deficit it can be lowered. Usually the more bloated a person gets after a refeed I'll have them do higher fats and less carbs. You can do a refeed any day of the week, usually if you don't care about adding the calories to a day you're focused on performing and recovering well then doing so according to lifestyle is best! Won't make a diff.
Thank you so much!! I appreciate you!!
Great information! :)
Great video man! Thanks for sharing :)
Very informative, thank you. I call the sudden drop after that initial stall in beginning clients "the woosh".
Yeah I've actually heard people name it similar things! I remember Lyle McDonald saying something along those lines in an interview. It's strange really and I'm not sure what causes it exactly but it happens often! I think it has to do with water retention from early cortisol spikes and a couple other things.
Could you explain more on carb cycling and if it really works?
Carb cycling is rather simple. It's just been touted to be some super "sciency" confusing thing that's a secret weapon for ultimate fat loss lol. In reality carb cycling just means to increase or decrease your carbohydrate intake. This is usually done on the basis of selecting higher carb days on days you will expend more energy and lower carb days on days you'll expend less energy. It can also be used in other ways like I have to deplete or replete glycogen storages for multiple purposes. At the end of the day it has some benefits for fat loss and some benefits for performance. It's a useful tool but nothing earth shattering, it can make a minor impact on a well laid out nutritional plan however it will have no effect of some basic tenants of a well planned nutritional protocol aren't in place. Refeeds, diet breaks and the things I mentioned here is actually carb cycling! Hope that explains it. I'll try to make an in depth video on it soon
Thank you so much for your video... very informative I suffer from extreme carpal tunnel right hand and mild on left.I wear wrist wraps and try to lift light on chest and arm daysIs it possible for you to do a video on how to train for someone who deals w this issue???
Very informational! Thank you! :)
I am planing to go from bulking to cutting in a week , planning to go to maintain cals first then slowly cut cals down. How much cals would u recommend to add on for refeed day? Thanks for your video super helpful
So are refeeds essentially back to maintenance?
Yes as close as possible to maintenance usually speaking, sometimes even a slight surplus.
Also, do you typically increase carbs and fats on refeed days, or only carbs? My fats are already so low!
Great video! Very informative!
Dude you're awesome! 👍🏼
What is the most efficient way to calculate refeed macros/calories?
Always aim to set refeed calories at your maintenance caloric intake. If you planned out your nutrition correctly you will probably know an estimated maintenance caloric intake. If not calculate out your rate of fat/weight loss weekly. Weigh yourself daily in the morning and average out the weigh ins, compare one week to the next. There's 3500 kcals in a lb of fat, that means if you're losing .5lbs of fat a week then you're in a 250kcal daily deficit. Now be aware, if the scale is going down .5 lbs a week or so on average, that's probably not all fat, a lot of water and glycogen depletion is causing that. So take that into account. Try to eyeball it as best you can from there. Eventually from tracking your intake you'll learn your maintenance. As for the macro distribution, usually speaking carbs should increase the most and fat the least. Protein should stay the same or some times even go down. Do it based on preference and how you feel. If you get tired, bloated and lethargic during refeeds/right after them, remove some carbs and add those calories to your fat intake. If you feel shaky, hungry or depleted on refeeds it's either not enough carbs or not enough calories in total. Hope this helps!
Wow this was sooo helpful! Thank you!
What do you think about carb cycling?
Do you have a video on how to calculate your macros for a refeed? Are you increasing carbs and keeping protein and fats the same? Are your calories bumped up to maintenance?
Yeah that's correct
You want to bump them to maintenance or as close to it as possible. To receive the full benefits of the refeed err on the side of too many calories, won't hurt you in the long run yet it ensures you receiver the benefits of the refeed. Usually speaking carbs get the greatest increase however it can be just as effective with fat and carbs increases. I usually choose what macros to increase based on the subjectivity of the clients preferences of food choices. At the end of the day the body receives extra calories which helps to combat the metabolic adaptation, whether that's from fats or carbs doesn't affect the metabolic adaptation part. It can however effect performance, usually speaking carbs will help with performance more.
Bro you're amazing.
Just came across this vid now and subscribed to your channel. As for adjusting macros, about how much should you increase/decrease? 10-20 grams?
Hey Brendan! Please help me with this! I heard some people say to use my Lean Body Mass when getting my BMR instead of using my actual body weight! Is this something i shoulr consider doing to start my cut? Thanks
Honestly I've always kept it simple when explaining this to people who aren't coaches or very knowledgeable in physiology/nutrition/exercise science. If you don't have a very in depth understanding of these topics I'd recommend total body weight, here's why. 1. You'll end up needing to adjust at some point soon anyway so why be perfect? Fat loss is ever evolving, the metabolism is never static during this time so why be so perfect if you'll have to adjust soon anyway? Secondly there's a lot of crazy calculations both for macros and for figuring out your lean mass, a lot can go wrong and again it's just not that needed. I honestly tell a lot of people to just track their daily intake as normal with no diet changes and see where they're at. Usually this is a slight surplus for most people or for under eaters a slight deficit. From there I just have them adjust calories down or up by 250 once they see their average of a week or so. Keep tracking and adjusting as needed to hasten or steady the pace as needed. If you wish to use a formula starting out, then use total Bodyweight and make it simple. Obviously lean body mass is more accurate but what does it matter if you end up adjusting so soon anyway? For my clients who pay me I actually use total Bodyweight almost always and a lot of coaches would cry over that, yet my clients get more than amazing results ;) it's worth noting though that if you're very high in body fat or very low than lean body mass is probably the way to go. This is for women in the 28% or higher body fat range usually and 25% or higher for men.
Super informative thanks!
When it comes to trying to gain muscle, should you eat the same macros everyday, or eat less on rest days to prevent fat gain?
I've been watching and researching a lot on macros, and about the only thing I find is information geared towards macros during a cut. Are macros during a bulk similar, how do they differ? If this is something that is too complex to answer, can you point me in the right direction to a good resource that explains this. Thanks
Because the metabolism doesn't adapt much when bulking usually once you set your macros to put you in a slight caloric surplus there's no need to adjust them unless activity level starts to change a good amount daily. As for setting them, keeping the same recommendations as most recommend for cutting is best. .3-.7g of fat per lb, .8-1.2g of protein per lb and the rest of the calories to carbs. Adjust based on preference as long as you stay in those ranges. It's all about being in a slight caloric surplus really and nothing else
Okay, Thank You! I appreciate your channel very much.
Do you incorporate refeeds from the beginning? Or only when you're a couple weeks in
Hey Brendan. Based on what you said about refeeds on weak point days, do you think carb cycling is beneficial for cutting and even bulking? Or is it rather a matter of energy over the long term?
Really good question! For cutting I think under most circumstances carb cycling is most optimal for cutting when adherence, personal enjoyment and the mental aspect of the diet isn't in question. Obviously if someone hates the idea of fluxing their intake day to day they're not going to do well and I have many clients with this mind set. But overall yes I carb cycle most clients in some way when cutting. Now for bulking, honestly I think that's a hard question to answer definitively. Part of me does agree with the thought process that carb cycling/increasing nutrient intake on weak point days can help slightly in the long run. Especially if training volume is higher on those days as you'll undoubtedly see some minor partitioning and performance boosting effects. Now with that said, idk if you could make the argument that it's substantial enough to fret over. It would need to be researched. Reason being is training is a stress that your body recovers from on a week to week or even monthly scale. We have times in training where we purposely overreach for weeks at time sometimes and to think a few extra days of calories sporadically will improve that sounds a bit reaching. As of right now I'd argue it's worth trying if you don't mind changing your intake from day to day. Especially if you do it on weak point days and have higher volume sessions! Now as for staying lean during a bulk I often times do this with clients. Maybe different calories for upper or lower days, or harder/easier training days, or on days they tend to feel more run down for energy purposes, etc depends on the situation/details. In this case carb cycling can help greatly with minimizing fat gain. Also it's worth noting that I've heard of some people periodizing out their nutrition with training blocks to increase calories during harder training weeks/blocks. That's probably better for gains then a day to day approach!
Wow. Thank you for the well thought out reply.
Should you expect to gain some weight after a refeed day? If so, how long does it usually take for the weight to go back down? I've been making consistent progress on my cut so far so would I still need a refeed day? Or should i implement 7-10day refeeds when I don't see weight loss?
I genuinely believe everyone can benefit from a refeed of some kind every 7-10 days. Like I said it doesn't do much for the metabolism at that pace of a refeed system however even for people who think they don't need it, often times they do! The mental benefits are HUGE both for performance and adherence/long term progress. I also think they help out with performance from a physiological stand point if planned right. There's 3500 calories in a lb of fat, a refeed where you probably won't even be in a surplus isn't going to set you back.
And yes you should expect some weight gain. Some people get it worse than others or it comes strangely but it usually happens. When I say strange I mean as in the weight gain will come 2 days later or something strange like that. I have no explanation for this but no matter what day I plan my refeed on, I'm always heavier and the best looking 2 days after the refeed lol
Brendan Tietz Ah gotcha. Thanks B!
Can you do a DUP upper lower split?
There's already a ton out there but I can try to do one here in the next week or so! DUP is a very simple idea that's been misconstrued into something complicated. Essentially you're just changing intensity ranges to target separate goals from workout to workout. Really any routine that uses heavy days and light days is technically DUP. Now with that said I think you're probably looking to see a well thought out routine with undulating percentages and or rep targets each week and all that?
+Brendan Tietz yes I am, also if you do the big 3 three days a week how to structure some accessories in between days or directly after. If you can link me to an article that you have found I would appreciate
Thank you for the info!!:)
15 Seconds In And Subscribed
Hi Brendan! Greetings from Mexico! I feel I loose more fat (and feel better in all ways) when cutting almost all fat from my macros, than cutting carbs, Is that absolutely insane? Also, what impact does eating 1000 cal/day less from your mainteinance total, has on loosing weight? does it make it slower? A lot of people dieting here do that, they almost starve themselves and some how I'm against that but I see they do loose a lot of weight. So I'm very confused now. Im 5'6" and weight 200lbs My manteinance cal are 2,800 and I eat 1,600 cal/day and train heavy, with low intensity cardio 6 days a week. Normaly my macros are 50% Prot 40% carbs and 10% fat. I want to do the right thing so that the muscle I've built for almost a year now, does'nt go away. I still have a lot of Fat! I may not have been doing things right but I've been training so hard with weights I dont want to consider it a loss of time =( You know so much! I Hope you can give me a clue! Besos!!
when you do a refeed day, do you adjust the rest of your calories lower so you your weekly calories are still in a defict?
Hey!! Awesome video Brendan :) thank you! I am a beginner, I have been lifting properly for 2 months, so that means I can build lean muscle and burn fat at the same time?! Sounds great haha but I have a question... How should I set my calories and macros if I don't need to focus only on cutting/bulking? I have been dieting for these two months and now I am at 1350 calories with a 40C/35P/25F split and I want to transform my body composition. I am 5'2" 111lbs and 25% body fat, so my main goal is to lower my bf% and build a nice and defined lean physic :) BUT I have been having issues with craving and I have found myself binging once or twice a week... So I don't know what to do now. Should I take a diet break? Or up my calories a little bit and lose and build at the same time because I am a beginner? oh.. and I lost my period for the i¡first time and I am 100% sure I am not pregnant :/... I hope you can help me somehow... And again, great content! :) Thank you!!
at 25% bf and 111lbs, you didn't lose your period to training!!!
Hey sorry it's hard for me to keep up with old comments but because you mentioned the period I wanted to direct you somewhere. Go to sigma nutrition and listen to Cassandra Forsythe's podcast with them. It's about 10 podcasts down. She explains why most people lose their periods, it's due to stress. That can be physiological or psychological, they're both just as taxing. Now as for you, I'd recommend being in a slight caloric deficit where you'll continuously lose fat but the plus side is you'll gain muscle the whole time too. In fact most people gain muscle while dieting it's just slower. In your case it won't be that much slower though than if you were in a caloric surplus. Find your maintenance calories and set your deficit at 250kcals daily below that.
Thank you so much for answering Brendan :) I'll go to sigma nutrition and listen to Cassandra's podcast! I also went to the doctor and he said that a possible reason for the temporal loss of my period was that I was eating way too little for my activity level which is VERY high, and he also mentioned stress!
And thanks! I'll try what you said with the slight calorie deficit!
Do you offer online coaching?!
I do, however at this time I'm really limited. I offer a variety of packages however due to the way I coach I can only maintain 25 clients at a time and right now I only have spots available for 3 in depth clients. If you email me I'll provide you with the information to see my in depth packages. My other basic packages im full on as of right now and I also can't take on anymore competitive powerlifters or bikini/bodybuilding competitions. I can take offseason ones though as that's under the in depth package!
Good info
so Refeed is kinda like a cheat day?
On average, by how much would you say women should drop their calories/adjust their macros every few weeks? 50 calories, 100 calories?
Really depends on the situation. Early on 5%-7% calorie drop, sometimes more. Later on it can get as low as 2-3%, really depends on the situation though. Also cardio can be added in its place
Thanks :D
Liked before I even watched the video
Das luv
Was sent from Maxanda Chewchi
His neck look awkward.