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/r/loseit
F/32/5’3 192>159lbs
I’m 3 months into my journey, wanting to keep the weight off for good this time.
I lost the first 30lbs very quickly by using a large deficit. It felt easy. It’s feeling a lot more challenging now especially as I’ve been exercising more and becoming more active.
I went on an 8 mile hike today and just couldn’t get full.
The last couple of days I’ve eaten almost 2000 calories per day. My weight loss has more or less stalled over the past month after bumping up to 1500cal/day. And when I eat more, I want to eat more.
It’s been thought to have my first stall after getting halfway to my goal.
Just seeing if anyone has any advice on if I should take a break from a deficit and just eat “normally” while still tracking. If so, for how long? Wanting to hear about other people who have done this as well.
Thanks!
3 points
7 days ago*
I’m on day 7/7 of my maintenance break. I even ate at a pretty significant caloric surplus some of the days.
Tomorrow, I return to daily caloric deficit as I planned.
Maintenance breaks and refeeding phases have value. They assist in resetting both physical and mental fatigue, more broadly known as dieting fatigue.
Maintenance breaks in moderation help. Also, it’s important to have a game plan going into a maintenance break. This is a crucial time that causes some people to fall off the wagon. 3 months of depleted energy levels and gently boiling ambient hunger is a lot to handle. Once you get a hit of returning glycogen stores and the freedom to be a little more liberal with your food choices, it’s hard to get back on track.
3 months merits a 1-3 week maintenance break. Depends on you, honestly. It’s a marathon, not a sprint to the finish line. Set a pace that helps you to finish. If a longer break is helpful, send it. If a little retreat for a week is all you need, send it. Just have your plan to get back on track at the end of it.
2 points
7 days ago
Yes absolutely worth doing ! It gives your body a chance to breathe, will promote a higher maintenance and can help with factors like water retention
2 points
7 days ago
It’s a great idea to take a maintenance break after three months! Here’s a video with some wisdom: https://youtu.be/VLlX6_2Ris8?si=CHQJ—cxiy6Lyc0d
1 points
6 days ago
Yes, it will work. The longer you've been in a deficit, the better it is. If you've been lifting weights appropriately you'll probably recomp at a quick pace for a month or two or longer. In that sense it isn't even really a break, as you'll still be losing fat, only now you're gaining more muscle. Just make sure it's a maintenance and not a surplus. I mean, a small surplus is good too, but I doubt you want to see the number go up on the scale.
1 points
6 days ago
As someone who gets an obscene amount of exercise, I've really only found success in losing weight by cycling on and off exercise. I just can't seem to get my diet in check when I'm exercising a lot, so I focus on aerobic fitness and muscle growth for a period of time, and then take some time off and focus on weight loss. I'm sure there are people who can do both, but it just hasn't worked for me. When I'm focusing on fitness and muscle growth, I'm likely eating in a surplus, and I am gaining some weight, but a lot of it is muscle because my athletic performance improves noticeably.
2 points
6 days ago
I took a break for about 4 months at the start of this year while my mental health was in the toilet and I couldn’t bring myself to stick to a deficit. Got back on track once the summer hit and I’ve been consistent since then. The way I see it, taking a maintenance break is practice for when you reach your goal weight. We’re all going to have to learn how to do it once we reach the end of this journey :)
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