What Are Diet Breaks?
Diet breaks are a strategic technique used during a calorie deficit, where you temporarily increase your calorie intake to maintenance level or slightly above. Think of it as hitting the reset button without losing focus.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT to understand that this is NOT a break from tracking your food intake. It’s a temporary break from being in a calorie deficit. During a diet break phase, you must continue to track and control all your calories and macros. This approach ensures you stay accountable and prevent any unplanned overeating.
The idea behind diet breaks is to incorporate periods of eating fewer and more calories to enhance fat loss and maintain muscle. They also help minimize the effects of metabolic adaptation, which is the slowing of your metabolic rate that can occur with prolonged weight loss.
Typical Diet Break Time Frame: 7-21 days
*(progress AND adherence pending)
METHODS:
- Raise calories around maintenance (primarily through the increase of Carbs + Fats)
- Pull back on Cardio and Training Intensity
GOAL:
- Hormonal Restoration (Ghrelin + Leptin)
- Restore Metabolism and Mindset
- Central Nervous System Recovery
POTENTIAL OUTCOMES:
- New (and potentially higher) Caloric + Macro Baselines
- New (lower) Cardio Setpoints
- Enhance rate of Fat Loss and Muscle Retention
WHEN TO CONSIDER:
- Weight/Fat Loss has plateaued
- Difficulty sticking to your diet as you cut calories
P.S. This is NOT what we mean when we say "Diet Break"
P.S.S. Learn more about strategic diet breaks with these intriguing studies and findings.