How the "Weekend Diet" Accelerates Fat Loss and Preserves More Muscle (Strategic Refeeds) | Ep 324

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What if shifting WHEN you eat could accelerate your fat loss results?

Most of us tackle dieting by reducing calories evenly each day, but research suggests there may be a more effective approach (and it's easy and even fun to implement).

Learn about a fascinating study that tested weekend refeeds against traditional daily restriction... with surprising results for muscle preservation and how your metabolism slows down during weight loss.

You'll discover how restructuring your weekly calories could significantly impact body composition outcomes, despite creating the same total weekly calorie deficit.

Maybe it is about calorie timing after all!

Main Takeaways:

• Traditional daily calorie restriction works, but research suggests strategic timing may offer muscle-preservation advantages
• The "Weekend Diet" approach maintains the same weekly deficit while distributing calories differently
• Targeted carbohydrate increases on specific days could help minimize metabolic adaptation
• Practical implementation requires careful calculation of weekly weight loss targets

Episode Resources:

• Download my FREE Precision Fat Loss Guide
• Try MacroFactor for free with code WITSANDWEIGHTS
• Link to 2020 study by Campbell et al.
• Previous episode: The #1 Reason to Eat More Carbs

Timestamps:

0:00 - Traditional dieting vs. the "weekend diet" (carb refeeds)
7:39 - Findings on fat-free mass preservation
9:23 - Metabolic impacts beyond muscle preservation
10:22 - Carbs, insulin, and muscle protein synthesis
12:02 - Anabolic signaling pathways
13:03 - Glycogen replenishment (training hard on Monday!)
15:44 - Psychological factors
16:38 - How to implement the Weekend Diet
21:32 - Leptin, refeeds, and hormones 

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