Leptin Refeed Confusion

Diet and Nutrition
1

Recently I stumbled upon Par Deus’s articles on Leptin and its benefits, but I am really confused about how to apply the knowledge to my specific fat loss needs. Please help if you can!

Here are some things you should definately know before I ask any individual questions regarding leptin…

I am 15 yrs old
5ft 9in
140 lbs
~10-11% bf

So far I have been training and dieting for nearly two weeks and I want to continue to get significantly leaner.

I am a complete and utter training novice so the first week I attempted to do a consecutive 5-day split of arms, shoulders, chest, back, and legs in addition to HIIT cardio, plyometrics, or an abdominal workout on those days. Saturday and Sunday I just did low-intensity cardio.

I lost a significant amount of fat for that first week, and even gained some muscle (which I attribute largely to the my current nutrition plan and the fact that I am a total beginner).

BUT… I felt EXTREMELY burnt out from this and coupled with my poor sleeping quality/quantity I decided to just lift every other day and do some form of cardio, plyo, or abs on the non-weight training days.

My current diet is as follows…
1st Meal: 1 Scoop of 100% Whey Protein
1 Scoop of 100% Casein Protein
1/3 Cup of 100% Whole-Grain Oatmeal
1 Generous Amount of Ground Cinnamon
1 Fish Oil Capsule
1 Multivitamin
1 Yerba Mate Tea

2nd Meal: 1oz of Beef Jerky
1 Serving of Almonds
1 Serving of Cashews

3rd Meal: 1 Grilled Chicken Breast
1 Tbsp of Natural Peanut Butter
3 Fish Oil Capsules
1 Serving of Vegetables

4th Meal: 3 Egg Whites & 2 Whole Eggs
1/2 Cup of Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
1 Generous Amount of Ground Cinnamon
1 Serving of Vegetables
1 Yerba Mate Tea

PWO Meal: 1.5 Scoops of 100% Whey Protein
1 Cup of Skim Milk

6th Meal: 2 Tbsp of Milled Flax Seeds
1 Stick of String Cheese
1/4 Cup of Fat-Free Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup of Canned Chicken Breast (in water)
1 Fish Oil Capsule

Approx. Macro Breakdowns
2000-2100 kcal
Protein: ~210-220g
Carbs: ~85g
Fats: ~90g

Okay, now that all that is out of the way, here are my questions for anyone who’s done a refeed or studied leptin or has any practical advice whatsoever…

  1. It’s been recommended that a leptin refeed should be done every week for those on a hypocaloric diet. At the rate that I’m going, do I need one at the two week mark to continue losing a significant amount of fat or should I stick to what I’m doing until I plateau?

  2. For those that have done a refeed in the past, did you actually get leaner after, or did you just FEEL leaner because of all the carbohydrates filling up your muscle glycogen?

  3. Does anyone have any experience with a glucose supplement of some sort that would help me take the guesswork out of refeeding with actual foods?

  4. The length of a refeed is generally based on the severity of the dieter’s caloric/carb intake. At my current caloric/carb intake do you guys have any guesstimates of whether my refeed should be short (5-24 hours) or long (2-3 days)?

Thank you, any input is appreciated :slight_smile:

-Billy

2

Dude, was that “140#” a typo? If you’re 140# at 5’9", you shouldn’t be concerned with any sophisticated dietary strategies at all!

3

Good point Bricknyce. Considering my age and the fact that I’m a total newbie, this could just be beyond total mental masturbation, or it could really help me out…

Either way I guess the only way I’ll know is if I try it out and experiment for myself.

Any guidance from experienced refeeders would be nice though

4

I’m an experienced refeeder.

Dude, you’re fucking underweight by clinical standards! Ideal bodyweight (IBW) doesn’t apply to weight-trained men; but in your case, it does, considering that you’re not experienced and have little muscle mass.

The refeeding approach is for people who want to control (maintain) or lose weight. What are you trying to maintain? 140#? Why are you trying to lose?

Folks, this is where we have to practice what I called “heard-headed altruism”. You know, tough love; and save a newbie from racking his brain with this sort of stuff! That is, to not give ANY advice regarding weight loss, carb cycling, or refeeds.

I’ve used planned cheat meals and refeeds with success; but I ain’t giving no newbie weighing a buck-forty advice or feedback on using them or pointing him in the right direction for pertinent information.

Experiment with the UD2 and Bodyopus diets if you want to rack your brain even more.

:slight_smile:

5

at 5’9" 140 and 15 , you should be refeeding every meal. I wish I could go back and lift more when my body was on natural steroids. Even if you have the worlds smallest frame, you’re still tiny. Grow some muscle, get strong, you’ll be glad you did

6

Thanks guys, I guess I just got carried away with the whole ‘ripped abs mentality’ most kids at my age are stuck on.

What good are totally visible abs if you just look like a skinny kid.

I was terribly fat when I was not much younger. I would scarf down mounds of food at my family’s encouragement and for fear of becoming a ‘skinny skeleton.’

Now I guess the reverse has happened, and I’m afraid of gaining even the slightest bit of fat.

Hahaha now I am even MORE confused about what the hell to do! Hopefully I can at least do this training part right.

7

Dude, you’re 15 fucking years old! Think about that!

You’re clearly highly intelligent; most grown-ass adults can’t calculate the nutrient composition of their diets, write down a detailed diet, nor do they have the patience to even do these things.

So, being that you have the competence to this sort of stuff, if you want to map and count it all out and want to use your time like that, do it.

But I think a 15-year old’s fitness lifestyle should be pretty darn simple. I’m not telling you that you have to live your life the way I say to or to follow my advice; but this is how I think a 140# 15-year old’s diet and training should look like.

Meal 1
3 or 4 eggs, maybe with some cheese
Bowl of oatmeal or healthy high-fiber cereal
Fruit
Skim milk

Meal 2
Something sensible at lunch; perhaps a sandwich with low-fat turkey, roast beef, and/or ham
Salad or vegetables
Fruit

Meal 3
What your mom makes!

Snacks (2 or 3 a day)
Choose from protein shakes, meal replacements, low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, dried and fresh fruit, veggie sticks with hummus and/or tahini, nuts, seeds, beef jerky, whole-grain bread and crackers.

Training
Full-body sessions two to three times per week. You’re a buck-forty and you’re on a 5-way split with plyos. I believe you’re too weak to benefit from such a routine. Someone in your situation would do far better with a total-body-training routine. Learn how to “use” your muscles first (develop coordination) before that sort of routine.

Besides, with your lack of strength and muscle mass, you can’t even make enough of an inroad of damage in a muscle group that would warrant 5 to 7 days of recovery of that muscle group.

Even Dorian Yates started out on a two-way split and kept with it for three years before moving to a three-way split, and then a four way split.

School should be top-notch priority over all else!

How does that sound?

8

When I was 15 I was only concerned about getting good grades, filling my belly, lifting heavy, and chasing girls.

Keep life simple and fun. You’re 15, you’ll be able to stress over other things when you get older.

9

Haha, you’ve been reading too much my friend (NTTAWWT). Go out with your mates and play football or basketball or something. Lift hard, get a good dietary habit and take full advantage of your young age. Follow Brick’s advice up there and oh yeah, keep on reading. You’ll soon find out that these stuffs aren’t actually as complicated as people make it out to be.

10

Eat lots of clean food and stay active (sports, weights, whatever) and let your natural age do the rest. Don’t eat junk and play video games all day and you’ll be fine.

Seriously, I’m 5’10 and if I lost every lb of fat on my body and cut off both of my arms, I’d still barely be under 140.