How to make sure this diet isn’t shortlived like last time?
Losing fat like a pro isn't just about cutting calories and hitting the gym—it's about playing it smart with your body's natural rhythms. Let's break down the typical pitfalls of the classic "numpty" diet and show you a smarter way to manage your fat loss journey.
The Typical Dieting Flop
Here’s the usual scene: someone jumps into an extreme diet—maybe it’s keto, low carb, or intermittent fasting. Whatever the flavor, it’s a drastic shift from their norm, cutting way more calories than necessary.
This sets them up for the inevitable: a massive binge that throws all their hard work out the window, leading them right back to their old eating habits. And the kicker?
They end up heavier than when they started.
Andy Morgan, from ripped body, gives a fantastic visual representation as to how various dieting cycles play out and their corresponding weight loss and regain.
The images have been very much inspired by graphics from his post here
The pattern above has a weight loss/regain journey that looks like the following:
Why Diet Breaks?
Enter diet breaks and refeeds, our secret weapons to keep you on track without losing your mind. Here’s why they’re crucial:
Psychological Breaks: Dieting is can be tough on the brain. By inserting planned breaks, we cut through the monotony and keep you from feeling overwhelmed. This helps prevent the dreaded binge and quit cycle.
Physiological Boosts: When you're dieting, your metabolism can slow down, and your muscles might not store as much glycogen. Through strategic refeeds or diet breaks, we boost your carb intake temporarily to re-up your energy levels and keep your metabolism firing.
Practical Guide to Diet Break Strategies
1. Free Meals
Think of free meals as a scheduled part of your diet, not an impromptu cheat meal. This is about integrating flexibility and enjoyment to keep you motivated.
Step 1: Schedule It: Choose a day when you might be socializing or simply need a break from your strict diet. The weekend is a typical choice.
Step 2: Select Your Meal: Pick something you really enjoy, that doesn’t typically fit into your macros. It could be a burger, pizza, or even dessert. The idea is to enjoy something off-plan without overthinking.
Step 3: Enjoy Without Guilt: Have your meal, savor every bite, and don’t stress about the calories. This is your time to enjoy.
Step 4: Get Back on Track: Resume your regular diet the next meal/day. One free meal won’t derail your progress as long as you jump back into your routine.
2. High Days
High days are not cheat days; they are strategically placed to help replenish glycogen stores and boost energy levels, all within the structure of your diet plan.
Step 1: Identify the Day: Typically done once a week or every other week, depending on your needs and how deep into a calorie deficit you are. Ideally, it should be on a training day so that you can positively impact your training too.
Step 2: Increase Calories to Maintenance: Calculate your maintenance calories (the total number of calories where you neither gain nor lose weight). Use a calorie tracking app or website to help you if unsure.
Step 3: Focus on Carbs: Increase your carbohydrate intake for this day. This means adding more grains, fruits, and perhaps treats that are higher in carbs.
Step 4: Monitor How You Feel: Take note of your energy levels and how your body responds. This feedback can help adjust future high days.
3. Diet Break
Diet breaks are timed periods where you temporarily ease up on your calorie deficit to reset mentally and physiologically, promoting sustainability in your long-term fat loss goals.
Step 1: Plan the Timing: Aim for a diet break during a natural break in your routine, like a vacation or holiday season, when following a strict diet can be more challenging.
Step 2: Set the Duration: A diet break typically lasts from 3 to 7 days. During this period, elevate your daily caloric intake to maintenance level or slightly above.
Step 3: Eat Varied Foods: Include a wider variety of foods than your diet may typically allow. This helps cover any nutritional gaps that might have formed during the deficit phase.
Step 4: Keep Training: Continue your exercise regimen during the break. The increased calorie intake might even boost your performance, allowing you to train harder or recover faster.
Step 5: Enjoy the Mental Break: Use this time to relax mentally from the diet. Engage in social activities, eat out, and enjoy food-related events without the stress of strict dieting.
Step 6: Reset and Evaluate: After the break, assess your progress. Many find they return to dieting with renewed vigor and often with a more responsive metabolism.
*Step 7: Optional Control: Raise calories by 500–700 kcal each day and prioritise minimally processed foods, just in increased quantity. This can help stave off bingeing episodes.
WEIGHT GAIN EXPECTATIONS
Considering the basal metabolic rate (BMR)—the amount of energy you’d burn if you were in a coma—is about 1,800 calories for many adults, you’d have to eat at least 9,500 calories in a very short period to gain that kilo of fat.
This likely will not happen during a diet break.
The increase in weight you experience, which could be 1-2% of your body weight will likely be food, water, and glycogen stored in your liver and muscles.
To explain this a little more:
Increased Gut Content: Eating more food means there's simply more content in your digestive tract. This added bulk adds weight, which is noticeable when you step on the scale but doesn't reflect changes in body fat.
Higher Salt Intake: Relaxing your diet often leads to consuming more sodium, especially if you're indulging in processed or restaurant foods. Sodium has a knack for retaining water, so a spike in salt intake can temporarily increase your body's water balance, leading to weight fluctuations.
Carbohydrate Consumption and Water Retention: Carbs play a significant role in how your body manages water weight. When you consume carbohydrates, they are broken down into glucose and stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen. For each gram of carbohydrate stored, your body typically retains about 3 to 4 grams of water. This process helps to ensure that energy is readily available during physical activity, but it also means any significant increase in carb intake can lead to noticeable water retention.
Understanding these dynamics can help you navigate weight changes more effectively, especially when you're seeing fluctuations during diet breaks or after changing your eating patterns.
The Pro Approach to Fat Loss
The goal here isn’t just to lose weight—it’s to do it in a way that’s sustainable and sensible:
We’re talking about losing fat like a pro, where you use diet breaks to keep both your body and mind engaged and refreshed. It’s about long-term success, not just a quick fix that fizzles out.
By integrating diet breaks into your regimen, you align your fat loss with natural body cycles, making the whole process more effective and enjoyable.
So, next time you’re planning your diet phase, remember: strategic breaks are your best friend in this journey.
