Refeed Day Calculator

See how calories, carbs, and per-meal portions shift between a standard deficit day and a higher-carb refeed day — and what your weekly average looks like at your chosen refeed frequency.

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Refeed day

Compare your deficit days with a higher-carb refeed day

Enter your body weight, activity level, and current daily calorie target. The calculator shows how calories, carbs, and per-meal portions shift on a refeed day, and what your weekly average looks like.

Body weight

Your refeed plan

1 refeed per 7 days: deficit days at 1800 kcal, refeed day at maintenance at 2475 kcal (+675 kcal, +169 g carbs). Weekly average: 1896 kcal/day.

Estimated TDEE

2,475 kcal

Daily maintenance

Weekly average

1,896 kcal

1 refeed per 7 days

Day comparison

NutrientDeficit dayRefeed dayDifference
Calories1,800 kcal2,475 kcal+675
Carbohydrate146 g315 g+169 g
Protein135 g135 g0 g
Fat75 g75 g0 g

Deficit day — per meal

600 kcal

49 g carbs / meal

Refeed day — per meal

825 kcal

105 g carbs / meal

Practical tips

  • On your refeed day, prioritise higher-quality carb sources — rice, oats, potatoes, fruit, and bread — rather than processed sugary foods. Glycogen stores respond to carb quantity, not carb type, but food quality affects satiety.
  • Keep protein constant at 135 g on both deficit and refeed days. The extra calories should come almost entirely from carbohydrates, not protein or fat.
  • A common approach is to schedule the refeed day on your most active training day of the week so the extra carbohydrates can be put to immediate use.
  • Avoid increasing fat significantly on your refeed day. Fat does not replenish glycogen and will push total calories higher without the hormonal benefits that come from the carbohydrate increase.

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Refeed day

Refeed days, carb cycling, and how a higher-calorie day fits a deficit week

A refeed day is a planned higher-calorie day inside a calorie-deficit week. The core idea is straightforward: on most days you eat below your maintenance level; on a refeed day you eat at or close to maintenance, with the extra calories coming almost entirely from carbohydrates. This calculator shows you the numbers behind that shift — how calories, carbohydrates, and per-meal portions change between your routine days and your refeed day, and what your weekly average looks like when you factor in how often you refeed.

What a refeed day actually is

A refeed day is not a cheat day. A cheat day typically means eating whatever you want with no structure, which can erase a significant amount of the weekly deficit in a single sitting. A refeed day has a specific calorie and macronutrient target. The goal is to eat more carbohydrates to replenish muscle glycogen, temporarily raise leptin levels, and give the body a brief break from prolonged caloric restriction — while still landing the week inside a meaningful deficit.

Protein stays the same on a refeed day. Fat stays roughly the same. The additional calories come from carbohydrates because carbohydrates are the primary driver of glycogen replenishment and the main dietary signal that influences leptin. Eating a high-fat surplus on a refeed day does not produce the same physiological response and adds calories without the glycogen benefit.

How the calculator works

The calculator estimates your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) from body weight and activity level using a simple per-kilogram multiplier. It then uses your deficit-day calorie target to determine how large your current cut is. The refeed target is set either at maintenance (exactly at TDEE) or at a slight surplus of 10 percent above TDEE, depending on your preference.

Protein is fixed at 1.8 g per kilogram of body weight on both days. Fat is fixed at 1.0 g per kilogram. The remaining calories on each day are allocated to carbohydrates. This means the carbohydrate difference between your deficit day and your refeed day is the direct expression of the calorie gap between the two targets.

Refeed calories (maintenance) = estimated TDEE

At maintenance, the refeed day brings intake up to the estimated energy expenditure — no surplus, but no deficit either.

Weekly average = ((cycle days − 1) × deficit calories + refeed calories) ÷ cycle days

The average daily intake across the full cycle accounts for the one higher-calorie day and the remaining deficit days, giving a realistic weekly picture.

Choosing a refeed frequency

How often to refeed depends on how aggressive your deficit is and how much training volume you carry. A deeper cut or higher training frequency depletes glycogen more quickly, which makes weekly refeeds more useful. Lighter deficits at lower training volumes can sustain two-week or monthly refeed intervals without significant glycogen depletion between sessions.

For most people doing moderate resistance training on a 300–500 kcal daily deficit, one refeed per week or per ten days is a practical starting point. More frequent refeeds reduce the weekly average deficit, so if fat loss is the primary goal, less frequent refeeds preserve more of the cumulative deficit.

  • Weekly (1 per 7 days): suits deep cuts or high training frequency.
  • Every 10 days: a middle ground for moderate deficits with regular training.
  • Every 14 days: appropriate for lighter deficits or lower training loads.
  • Monthly (1 per 28 days): minimal disruption to the weekly deficit.

Scheduling and structuring the refeed day

The most practical time to schedule a refeed day is on or just before a high-intensity or high-volume training day. Replenishing glycogen before a demanding session makes the extra carbohydrates immediately useful rather than sitting in surplus. Many people who train several times per week place the refeed on leg day or their main compound-lift session.

On the refeed day itself, distribute the extra carbohydrates across all meals rather than front-loading them into one large meal. The per-meal carb figure in this calculator gives you a direct target for each eating occasion. Higher-quality carb sources — rice, oats, potatoes, fruit, bread — work as well as anything else for glycogen replenishment, but they tend to be more satiating and support consistent energy across the day.

What the scale will do after a refeed

Expect the scale to go up the morning after a high-carb refeed day. Every gram of glycogen stored in muscle requires roughly 3–4 grams of water alongside it. A refeed adding 150–200 grams of extra carbohydrates can temporarily increase body weight by 0.5–1.5 kg of water. This is not fat gain — it is glycogen and the water that accompanies it — and it will dissipate within one to two days as normal deficit eating resumes.

This temporary scale increase is one of the most common reasons people abandon refeeds unnecessarily. Understanding that the weight spike is water and glycogen, not tissue change, is essential to using the strategy correctly.

Frequently asked questions

How is a refeed day different from a cheat day?

A refeed day has a specific calorie and macronutrient target — typically at or slightly above maintenance, with extra calories from carbohydrates and protein and fat held constant. A cheat day has no defined target and often involves large amounts of fat and sugar simultaneously. Refeed days are structured tools; cheat days are not.

 Why do extra refeed calories come from carbs and not fat?

Carbohydrates are the direct substrate for glycogen replenishment, and dietary carbohydrate is the main signal for leptin production. Fat does not replenish glycogen and does not influence leptin in the same way. A high-fat surplus day adds calories without the performance or hormonal benefits that make refeeds useful.

 Will a refeed day slow my fat loss?

A refeed day reduces the weekly calorie deficit by the difference between the refeed day calories and a normal deficit day. The weekly average calories shown by this calculator already accounts for that. If the weekly average still sits meaningfully below your TDEE, fat loss continues — it is simply slightly slower in the week of the refeed than it would have been without one.

 Why does the scale go up after a refeed?

Each gram of glycogen stored in muscle is accompanied by roughly 3–4 grams of water. A refeed day that significantly increases carbohydrate intake will replenish glycogen stores and temporarily raise body weight as water is retained alongside that glycogen. This is not fat and reverses within one to two days of returning to normal deficit eating.

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