Are carb refeeds important when cutting?

Hi Daniel

I've always recommended doing a cheat meal twice per week or a cheat day once per week when dieting. Generally, most cheat days are very high-carb but also high fat (which is ok too). This is because virtually all bodbuilders and fitness models these days use a high-protein, low-carb diet to get lean, so they end up craving carbs like crazy.

My experience with clients, fitness models and bodybuilders when they have a cheat meal is the there is a modest weight gain, followed by an increased metabolic rate (most people experience excess body heat and some guys break out in a sweat for a few hours after the cheat) and then within two to three days, they're below the bodyweight at which they started the cheat. So it does definitely seem to elevate the metabolism and it does so at a time when the metabolism is inclined to slow down and preserve calories due to the lack of calorie intake.

However, you have to be exercising consistently and intensely, or the cheats have to be smaller and less elaborate. Also, you have to stick to your diet virtually 100% outside of the cheats or you're likely to foil your results.