Also, I have a question. So I’ve heard that the ‘boost’ in lepton levels refeeds give is from the filling up of fat cells. For recent refeeds I’ve been taking Evomuse’ Defuse, which is a nutrient partitioner that’s meant to reduce the amount of fat gain from chest meals and refeeds. Would taking Defuse be detrimental to the effectiveness of the refeed? What about for GDAs like Performax Slinmax, bitter melon etc?
Ahhh...taking this to the next level. I believe you are the one who was talking about Defuse increasing insulin resistance with long-term use, correct? Which is why Matt recommends not using it for prolonged periods. And this is what I've been discussing a lot with Matt - Evomuse has very different angles and tools for fat loss and I don't think they are easy enough to grasp. How you use each tool for which situation can be quite complicated.
The way I envision Defuse is - when we diet, no one is perfect and we often fall off the wagon. Holidays, birthdays, whatever - things come up and we have meals that are not planned. Yes, these meals can have a positive impact on metabolic processes - but they can also have a bigger impact on immediate weight loss.
This is kind of the difference between a structured refeed and a "cheat meal". With a refeed you will create a small surplus but the impact on your weight loss will be minimal. You may gain some water weight, but it's not like a full-on cheat.
dsade may disagree on this, but this is not the optimal use IMO for Defuse. It will inhibit some of the fat storage and reduce the metabolic response. It may not abolish it, especially at the 45 day protocol, but it will inhibit the positive response. I think in this situation, if a GDA doesn't increase insulin sensitivity in a fat cell as well as muscle cells - it would also inhibit this leptin response because muscles will suck up the glucose and leave little for fat storage (in theory).
With a cheat meal, the potential for the negatives to outweigh that positive response become more likely. If you go out to a restaurant and get an appetizer and a bacon cheeseburger with fries and a slice of cake - that's not a refeed. That's probably 2000-2500 calories right there or more (in one meal) and it can have a bigger impact on your goals than the metabolic response you will get. This is the perfect situation for defuse. It's about the balance of the positives/negatives of the refeeds.
And of course, I think most people think that insulin sensitivity in a fat cell isn't ideal, but I disagree. The more I research, the more I think that trying to shut-off insulin sensitivity in fat is counter-productive; but the industry has gone in the opposite direction for so long and on the surface making fat cells less able to store fat makes sense. And Evomuse has probably made the most progress in accomplishing this, but it's a tool and not the entire story.
Also, if you are using the 45 day 2X2 protocol, you will inhibit fat storage but not shut it down. At the end of the day, the thing to keep in mind is you can easily take 3 steps back by gaining a bunch of fat, but the metabolic benefits of a refeed will only give you 2 steps forward at best. The metabolic changes, basically, are more subtle/minimal than people often expect as far as the overall weight loss is concerned.
This is a good example of how to combine the tools though - if you are using Epitome, which normalizes the leptin response - not only will you not need as many refeeds or cheats, but if you use defuse, the impact to the positives will be lesser because Epitome is going to normalize the leptin function anyway.
In my eyes, maybe I would say Epitome is kind of a longer-term metabolic health product that supports your dieting efforts over time. Defuse is a short term "band-aid" for real life situations that will set you back. I know using the term "band-aid" is normally negative, but it is what it is here. The "solution" is not to cheat at all - but the reality is we take our bumps and it is best to "Defuse" the damage and move on. (sorry...couldn't resist)