Stuck in the endless cycle of dieting, only to watch the weight creep back on?
It's not just you—many people face the same frustrating reality. What if the secret to effective, long-term fat loss isn't about dieting harder but smarter?
Get ready to learn why taking strategic breaks could be the cheat code you've been missing.
Alright, let's break this down.
A lot of people think that losing fat is as straightforward as just eating less and moving more. Sounds simple, right? And sure, if you only have a few pounds to lose, that might work. But it's a different game if you're looking at a bigger weight loss goal.
Staying in a constant state of caloric deficit can lead to muscle loss, fatigue, a drop in performance, and a higher risk of stacking all the weight back on. That's where "periodization" helps—get ready to take notes.
Periodization is all about rotating between periods of fat loss and maintenance. It allows you to crush your goals more effectively and keep the weight off for the long haul. Moving from a calorie deficit to a maintenance phase is key to achieving and sustaining a healthy weight.
Want to structure your fat-loss journey for the best results? Keep reading.
Why You Can't Keep Losing Fat Indefinitely
Here's the thing, if you try to lose fat without taking breaks, it's just not going to work out in the long run. Calorie restriction over a long time can cause your body to look elsewhere for energy.
When you're not eating enough, your body has to make up for that energy deficit, and often, it uses muscle. This muscle loss and low energy can make you feel tired and sluggish.
Your performance can take a hit because your body's quick-access energy stores, or glycogen, get drained.
And what happens when you finally stop dieting? Yup, the weight piles back on—and often heaps more than you lost. This is because extended dieting can slow your metabolism and mess with your hunger hormones, making it easy to overeat once you're back to your regular eating habits.
Look, imagine trying to sprint a marathon as fast as you can. You'd end up shattered, wobbly legs, coughing your guts up, and out of the marathon after 100 yards. Know what I mean?
Running the fat-loss race is no different. Without breaks and a steady pace, you're putting it under too much stress, and it starts pushing back—slowing down your metabolism, breaking down muscle, and holding onto fat to avoid what it perceives as starvation. Over time, this makes losing weight even harder and can lead to a crash where sticking to your diet feels impossible.
The Need for Maintenance Phases
This is where maintenance phases come in. These are planned breaks where you're not focused on losing weight but instead maintaining it.
These phases can last for a few weeks to several months to give your body a chance to recover from the stress of dieting. When you're constantly in a calorie deficit, your body is under stress, which can lead to elevated cortisol levels—the stress hormone—promoting fat storage.
A maintenance phase allows your body to balance things out, reducing diet fatigue and making the whole process more manageable in the long run.
Think of these maintenance phases as weekends or vacations. You wouldn't work seven days a week without taking a break, and you wouldn't go a whole year without a vacation from your boss. Your body is the same. It needs a break from the constant strain of dieting.
The "vacation" for your body helps reset your metabolism, allowing it to recover from any slowdowns and adapt to a new normal. It's also a mental break, reducing the psychological toll of dieting and helping reset your mindset, making it easier to stick to your plan and prepare for the next fat-loss phase.
How Periodization Works in Fat Loss
Periodization is essentially alternating between fat loss and maintenance phases to optimize results. For example, you might spend three months focused on dieting, dropping from 200 pounds to 180 pounds. Then, instead of continuing to push for more weight loss, you spend the next three months maintaining that new weight. This gives your body time to adjust and sets you up for more sustainable fat loss in the future.
Just like you wouldn't push yourself to work without any breaks, adding maintenance phases into your diet plan helps protect your metabolism, retain muscle, and lower the risk of weight regain. It's a smarter way to manage both the physical and mental demands of dieting.
A Real-World Example of Phasic Dieting
Let's look at a real-world example. Say someone wants to go from 200 pounds to 160 pounds. That's a big goal, and it requires a strategic approach. Instead of one long, grueling diet, a phased plan might look like this:
June to August: Diet down from 200 to 180 pounds.
September to December: Maintain weight at 180-185 pounds.
January to March: Diet from 185 to 170 pounds.
April to July: Maintain at 170-175 pounds.
August to October: Diet from 175 to 165 pounds.
November to December: Maintain around 165 pounds.
Breaking the process into smaller phases allows your body and mind to recover between bouts of dieting. This helps reduce burnout and minimizes the risk of rebounding back to a higher weight. Over time, this method helps you achieve your goals and, more importantly, maintain them, avoiding the all-too-common yo-yo effect.
The Long-Term Benefits of a Periodized Approach
The goal here isn't just to hit your target weight but to maintain it and cultivate a healthy lifestyle. Periodization helps you build lasting habits, reduce diet fatigue, and stabilize your metabolism. Someone who loses 40 pounds over two years with a phased approach is more likely to keep that weight off than someone who crashes through a rapid weight loss and then gains it all back.
Ultimately, it's not just about losing weight—it's about creating a healthier lifestyle. Combining diet phases, maintenance periods, and lifestyle adjustments can help break the yo-yo weight cycle. This approach also builds a healthier relationship with food and your body.
The Takeaway
Transitioning from a calorie deficit to maintenance using a phased approach is essential for long-term fat loss success. You can reach and maintain your weight loss goals by taking planned breaks, following a structured approach, and making gradual changes. Remember, it's not just about reaching your target weight—it's about staying there and thriving in a healthier, more sustainable way.
All content of this blog is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this blog.
Kelly Sherman, MS, NC, CGP, CPT, is a licensed nutritionist specializing in empowering women to reclaim their health by cutting through misinformation and ditching the diet culture. She has a master’s degree in nutrition and is degreed in exercise science as well as a certified personal trainer. With over 20 years of experience in the field, she combines the best of both nutrition and exercise sciences to best help her clients reach their potential. To nourish is to flourish!
References and Further Reading
Dorling JL, van Vliet S, Huffman KM, Kraus WE, Bhapkar M, Pieper CF, Stewart T, Das SK, Racette SB, Roberts SB, Ravussin E, Redman LM, Martin CK; CALERIE Study Group. Effects of caloric restriction on human physiological, psychological, and behavioral outcomes: highlights from CALERIE phase 2. Nutr Rev. 2021 Jan 1;79(1):98-113. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa085. PMID: 32940695; PMCID: PMC7727025.
Redman LM, Ravussin E. Caloric restriction in humans: impact on physiological, psychological, and behavioral outcomes. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2011 Jan 15;14(2):275-87. doi: 10.1089/ars.2010.3253. Epub 2010 Aug 28. PMID: 20518700; PMCID: PMC3014770.
Bellicha A, van Baak MA, Battista F, Beaulieu K, Blundell JE, Busetto L, Carraça EV, Dicker D, Encantado J, Ermolao A, Farpour-Lambert N, Pramono A, Woodward E, Oppert JM. Effect of exercise training on weight loss, body composition changes, and weight maintenance in adults with overweight or obesity: An overview of 12 systematic reviews and 149 studies. Obes Rev. 2021 Jul;22 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):e13256. doi: 10.1111/obr.13256. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID: 33955140; PMCID: PMC8365736.
Farhana A, Rehman A. Metabolic Consequences of Weight Reduction. [Updated 2023 Jul 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572145/
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition - Long-term weight loss maintenance – https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(23)29536-2/fulltext
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition - Metabolic adaptation: is it really an illusion? - https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(22)00943-1/fulltext
Martínez-Gómez MG, Roberts BM. Metabolic Adaptations to Weight Loss: A Brief Review. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Oct 1;36(10):2970-2981. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003991. Epub 2021 Mar 3. PMID: 33677461.
Lorenz D, Morrison S. CURRENT CONCEPTS IN PERIODIZATION OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING FOR THE SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPIST. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2015 Nov;10(6):734-47. PMID: 26618056; PMCID: PMC4637911.
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