Recently at a 500 Calorie deficit while practicing 2-3x a week, lifting 4-5x a week. I’ve recently become very depleted and even looks like I’m not as lean as I was a couple weeks ago. I feel drained. Would it be a good or bad idea to do a 3 day carb up / diet break or would it just hurt me in the long run? I also have 1 cheat day a week (Saturday)
THANK YOU
It sounds like you are asking about a refeed. Here are some general rules for a refeed.
1. The longer you are in a deficit, the more likely one is needed.
2. The leaner you are, you may need more than one per week.
3. Eat at or slightly above maintenance for that day.
4. Protein should be set at 1g/lb of body weight and even a little lower.
5. Fats, as little as possible.
6. Carbs, eat them all.
Even though you are depleted, that does not mean you need a refeed. Being depleted is part of dieting depending on how long you have been and your carb intake while cutting.
What do you macros look like and how long have you been dieting?
Here are some good articles on refeeding. Also, if you have a whole cheat day as opposed to a single meal, you may not need to refeed.
https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/the-smart-dieters-guide-to-cheat-meals
Go to number 3
https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/5-reasons-for-failed-body-transformations
https://www.muscleforlife.com/refeed/
