Hey Matt I have a few questions regarding your weekly cheat/refeed meal that you usually post on IG.
1. I see that this meal is usually sushi. Why sushi in particular? Is it because it’s low in fat? You just really like sushi? Also, for someone who’s never tried sushi (like me) and is hesitant to try it, how would you go about choosing WHAT to eat for this cheat/refeed meal?
Hey Caidin – Honestly buddy in my current environment there is no purpose to this meal for me other than calories. What I mean here is that my daily intake is so high there is not an additional purpose to the meal IE I am not not trying to get a greater increase in calories rather its just an easier way for me on a specific day to get the calories in. Now in a true refeed setting I do like using something like sushi because its easy to control what goes into the meal IE fish and rice and you can remove the other things like fried rolls / mayo based sauces ect if you are really trying to be in control of the meal. Its also a dining experience that we cannot replicate in a normal home setting so I find people enjoy it for this reason as well as its both physically and mentally satisfying. Sushi is the one thing I enjoy that I am not getting through my base diet so that is why if and when I eat it its just to get a bit of a different taste.
In terms of it being lower in fat it can be but again just be educated about the different cuts of fish, avoid things like salmon or eel, avoid avocado ect. When I do implement a refeed I am not opposed to an increase in fat though I am just mentioning things that can increase fats within the meal.
2. What leads you to make the decision to eat a cheat/refeed meal? Do you eat them on days prior to an intense session like legs? Do you eat them on days you feel particularly flat? On days you wake up and your weight has dropped a few pounds out of nowhere? Looking for a little more insight on WHEN to throw a meal like this in.
Not sure if you saw the video I did on this but I base things more so off of where my body is in that current state and less around what I am training. I am not one to add in a refeed on a leg day because you are basically going to negate the calorie increase on that day due to the excess energy expenditure. Now if due to how your weight and look is responding it just so happens to fall on a leg day then that is a different story. I would base things mainly off of your pictures knowing the areas that you tend to show more flatness in and how those areas are responding. Also if you are truly needing a refeed for a reason like a large drop in weight or significant flatness I would argue it is a great reason to increase calories and also rest from training rather than continuing to increase the deficit through training on that day. Just something to consider as a prep is not always more more more.
