Research
Hormonal
Periodic refeeding (brief overfeeding, primarily carbohydrates) can acutely increase circulating leptin levels, but its effect on increasing Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is modest and may not significantly improve long-term weight loss success.
If you are dieting for a long time, a planned refeed day (high carb, slightly above maintenance) might help your leptin levels. However, don't expect it to massively boost your metabolism. It’s a small tool, not a magic bullet.
ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
While interventions have shown acute increases in leptin from short-term carbohydrate overfeeding, the reported effect on metabolic rate has been modest [71]. Dirlewanger et al. reported a 7% increase in TDEE; this increase amounts to approximately 138 kilocalories of additional energy expenditure...
Why this rating
Based on limited human studies cited (Dirlewanger et al.), with the paper noting more research is needed.
Source
Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete
Eric T. Trexler et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2014
DOI 10.1186/1550-2783-11-7
narrative_reviewCited 162×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Resistance training and high protein intake (≥25% of calories) are recommended to preserve lean body mass and increase satiety/thermogenesis during energy restriction, respectively.Good
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