CARB REFEED DAY
The reason behind Carb Refeed days is to replenish depleted glycogen levels. One day per week is most effective for an active lifestyle or low body fat percentage. Those with more body fat do not need to do a carb day as often and I have worked with clients where they indulged in carbs only once per month. Mentioned in Phase II, glycogen, found in the muscles and in the liver, is the body's way of storing carbohydrates (glucose). Phase II induces ketosis, using predominantly fat for fuel and ultimately burning body fat. Reaching ketosis requires nutritional manipulation with the lowering of carbohydrates. By shocking the body with carbs once a week it will cause a hormonal surge and supercharge your metabolism.
My Carb Refeed Day is Thursday because this is my longest and most demanding day of the week with the instruction of 6-8 fitness classes and 2 rigorous training sessions between functional fitness and a Jujitsu class at night. Phase II Part One included my average macronutrient breakdown for the six Non-Carb Refeed days in percentage form: 10-15% Carbohydrates, 30-40% Protein and 45-65% Fat. The once a week Carb Refeed Days looks more like this: 60-80% Carbohydrate, 10-30% Protein, and 0-10% fat. Glycogen stores have been completely depleted leading into Carb Refeed Days. Limiting fat intake is advised on this day because on Carb Refeed Days, so many simple carbohydrates are ingested that the blood sugar gets highly elevated. In response, the body releases high amounts of insulin to bring blood sugar levels down to safe levels. Think of insulin’s relationship to a cell as a key to a door. Insulin unlocks the cell wall and allows macronutrients to enter the cell. The more insulin, the quicker it takes cell to absorb macronutrients. Because Carb Refeed Days involve so many simple carbohydrates, insulin is present in high amounts, making cells more vulnerable. The body is trying to bring down the high blood sugar levels in any way possible. Long story short, with the cells being so welcoming to macronutrients, the goal is to prevent the uptake of fat by keeping fat ingestion low.
Phase II has the objective of limiting inflammation. One of the most infamous types of foods to cause inflammation are grains, many nutrition theorists believe humans are not built to fully digest most grains. Wheat is something to avoid at all costs (unless it is a rare occasion of a cheat day then it might end up a little bit). Yes, gluten is bad and gets all the attention, but wheat contains something far worse, lectins! Think of them as little thorns. When passing through the small intestine, lectins poke onto the walls of the small intestine known as the villi. The villi are finger-like protrusions who serve to aid in absorption by increasing the surface area of the small intestine. Lectins poke the villi and cause micro inflammation that closes the gaps between villi, hindering over all absorption of nutrients. Over time and with enough exposure to lectins, the lectins will actually burst the cell wall of the small intestine and enter the bloodstream. Once inside the bloodstream, lectins flood the entire body poking any cell, causing micro inflammation, and deterring the function of the infected cell. Many foods contain lectins like grains, dairy, and beans. White rice is the best grain, with the least amount of inflammation causing effects. Ironically, enough the brown part of brown rice contains most of the anti-nutrients like lectins. Do your best to eat white over brown when it comes to rice. When it comes to rice preparation, always rinse and then soak the rice with water for a few hours before actually cooking it. Oatmeal also partakes in specific preparation to get rid of most anti-nutrients. Always ferment the oats overnight before eating them the next morning for best reduction of the anti-nutrients.
Now to discuss the "cheating" part. Cheat days have become a rare occasion for myself, only on special events such as my birthday will I have an actual cheat day. The new form of "cheating" I have adopted is a single cheat meal. I enjoy sweets, but I still do my best to stay within the guidelines of no wheat, no dairy, and nothing too high in bad fats. I find myself enjoying shave ice for my cheat meal or rice crispy treats or organic rice cereal with almond milk.
The amounts of food in weight I eat on Carb Refeed Days are rather high. I also drink a bit less water on this day to about a gallon to prevent bloating. It is believed that along with 1g of carbohydrate, the body also stores roughly 3-4g of water. o joke, every single Carb Refeed Day I go up to 4-5 pounds and in some extreme cases, I've seen a 12 pound increase on a fully cheat day blow out. I do not stress at all because it is predominantly water being stored. After a few solid trips to the restroom and my first workout the following day, I am back to my starting weight. The visual size increase of the muscles after Carb Refeed meals are quite nice. Drinking water with the meals you can literally watch the muscles and veins increase in size.
