Regularly exercising for long periods on a strict diet may lead to some problems in your body. You might find yourself fatigued, unable to follow your diet, or other problems.
These are all indicators that you need a carb refeed.
A carb refeed is like a reset day when you feed your body with enough carbs so it can get back to normal functioning. Think of these kind of like rest days or ‘recover days’.
If you do not have a carb refeed chances are that you will end up hurting yourself in one way or the other.
Did you know when you are losing weight- a carb refeed can significantly decrease the amount of muscle loss you experience?
Carbs are an important source of energy in the body and without them the body begins to slow down and you’ll feel very sluggish and low energy.
With all of that out of the way- let’s cover the 10 signs you need a carb refeed.
10 Signs You Need a Carb Refeed
There are many different signs that indicate you need a carb refeed, let’s look at them.
#1 – You’re falling sick
This is probably the most urgent indicator that you need a carb refeed. Symptoms such as vomiting or stomach ache can be top indicators that you need a carb refeed.
Carbohydrates perform energy functions in the body and thus are responsible for the body’s need to respire and use energy with the help of oxygen.
Without proper energy resources, it is easy for one to fall sick. If you’re falling sick you should immediately take a day off for carb refeed. With carb refeed, your body will get the much-needed energy that it is needing to function properly.
#2 – You Think You Need One
This one’s a bit tricky but also simple at the same time. You need a carb refeed if you think you need one.
Like, honestly- if you’re looking up if you need a carb refeed, chances are you’re needing one.
A carb refeed is not a bad thing and taking one when you feel like won’t cause you much harm. It might set your progress a bit late but that is all. On the plus side, taking a carb refeed when you feel like will increase your adherence to your diet, making you healthier and also helps the metabolism.
Furthermore, while it may set your progress late in regards to cutting fat- it helps retain muscle. So at the end of a cut, you will have more muscle than someone who never did refeed days.
#3 – You’re Experiencing Muscle Fatigue
Muscle fatigue is one of the biggest hindrances to progress. If you’re experiencing muscle fatigue chances are it is because of carb scarcity in the body.
It, therefore, makes sense to stop and get a carb refeed.
The refeed will provide the much-needed energy to the muscles and their fatigue will then be gone. We must understand that our muscles run on energy and carbs offers the much-needed energy.
A refeed will help the muscles contract and relax again thus ending their fatigue.
#4 – You’re Having Sleeping Problems
Believe it or not but sleeping problems are very much related to eating problems.
Sleeping problems may occur in two flavors, there may be problems with sleep quality which means poor quality of sleep or there may be problems with sleep quantity.
In both cases, a carb refeed can be helpful. It energizes the body which leads to proper sleeping patterns. With proper sleeping patterns, the sleeping problems will also disappear.
Plus, sometimes your body just needs that boost of energy to sleep. I assume it has something to do with our body getting enough food and energy to fully activate our ‘rest and digest’ system (our parasympathetic nervous system). With little carbs, it has a hard time working.
#5 – You Have Decreased Motivation
Decreased motivation to work out is one of the main indicators that you need a carb refeed. We feel motivated when we have energy in our body.
No carbs in the body means no energy which in turn would mean no motivation. We can see how motivation and carbohydrates are directly connected.
A carb refeed energizes the body and makes it ready for workouts again. Thus you feel motivated to workout again. Therefore, if you think you are experiencing low levels of motivation, consider a carb refeed.
This really ties into that whole ‘sugar rush’ thing you may have experienced before. When you eat a ton of candy or sugar, you just feel so energetic and feel like you can’t sleep or stop. It’s the same concept here.
With little sugar, your body just doesn’t have that motivation to work. But with that quick carb refeed ‘pick me up’- you’ll be wanting to do everything BUT sleep.
#6 – You Have Low Energy
Carbs function as the body’s main energy source. Carbs are digested and converted into glucose which is then burnt with oxygen to release energy.
A lack of carbs would therefore ultimately mean a lack of energy in the body. If you are feeling low energy in the body chances are that you are running out of carbs.
That is what is giving you trouble. In such a situation it wouldn’t hurt to get a carb refeed. The refeed will shoot up the amount of carbs in the body and will lead to instant energy. You will feel more energetic and a lot better.
#7 – You’re Unable To Stick To Your Diet
If you are unable to stick to your diet, for example, you end up eating a little extra -that means your body is starving for carbs.
A carb refeed can immediately fix the situation since the carbs provide quick energy to the body. You will be able to stick to your diet and easily follow your workout routine. This is the importance of carb refeeds.
#8 – You’re Seeing Decreased Progress
If you have been working out all there is but you are still seeing decreased progress, chances are that you are low on carbs. Being low on carbs means your muscles don’t get enough energy to lift weights. This means that there is an immediate need to include carbs in your diet. A carb refeed does exactly that. It increases the amount of carbs in the body rapidly so that body organs start functioning again and muscles get energy to do work.
#9 – You Don’t Feel Like Hitting The Gym
Many people when they are low on carbs do not feel like going to the gym. The reason here is simple. They do not have enough energy to hit the gym hence they don’t feel like going there. The solution is simple. A carb refeed.
It will add energy to the body and they would want to join the gym again.
#10 – You’re Always Lethargic
A lack of carbs doesn’t just affect your gym life. It also affects your personal life.
If you are feeling lethargic all the time and are not even able to do household work, it means you have a scarcity of carbs.
A carb refeed can easily fix that.
Conclusion
Carb refeed is sort of like a reset day. It is highly beneficial in cases such as the ones we have discussed above. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms consider taking a carb refeed.
