Last week I wrote about starting a diet break with the goal of long-term fat loss. This is my experience after about 2 weeks of eating at maintenance calories.
I noticed I was more active around the house, making extra trips up and down the stairs and finally finishing the chores I had been putting off.
My willpower hadn’t changed — it was the diet break. By boosting my energy levels, it had reduced my couch potato tendencies. My weight training sessions saw great improvement as well. I could finish more reps with ease, allowing me to increase the intensity of my workouts. Recovery time for my muscles had shortened too.
Mentally, I wasn’t as “food-focused.” I spent less time thinking about and planning my next meals. This may have been caused by stabilized hunger hormones. I was certainly less hangry. And I had fewer mood swings.
All in all, the diet break rejuvenated me. I’m glad I tried it out. Initially I had my doubts. I thought that taking 2 weeks off from my cut could seriously backfire — what if I spiraled out of control and destroyed all the progress I had made? Also, wouldn’t a diet break force me to take longer to reach my goals?
Now I see things differently. Before the diet break, my calorie deficit had stopped working because of adaptation, plain and simple. For survival purposes, our bodies adjust to a lower calorie intake. Getting toned is just not a top priority. Currently, I am ready to jump back into a cut, but moving forward I will implement diet breaks every once in a while to overcome plateaus in weight.
