Sometimes the best thing you can ever do to breakthrough a fat loss plateau is to stop trying to lose fat. Sounds paradoxical but let me explain. I often see a scenario where someone will be determined to get to a low body fat percentage. They make great progress up to a certain point and then they’re stuck. They keep trying to keep their calories low but the fat just won’t come off. Furthermore, they’re likely finding it harder than ever to stick to a lower calorie intake. They can’t help but overshoot their calorie intake and because of this they try to compensate by going really low in calories the next day while doing lots of exercise.
This is an absolute nightmare for your hormones, specifically testosterone and leptin. The longer that you try to hold that low calorie level, unsuccessfully I may add, the harder you’re making it on yourself. You’re beating up your body both physiologically and psychologically.
In this of the Road to Ripped Podcast:
Chris and I discuss exactly why many of you should stop dieting. Why going to maintenance for a couple of weeks will reset your body and make subsequent dieting efforts much more effective. We also discuss the best ways to go about doing this and how conventional cutting may not be the answer for you. Why alternating short periods of cutting for 2-3 weeks with short periods of maintenance for 1-2 weeks may be the most effective and enjoyable strategy for you. Allowing you to lean down while building muscle, maintaining higher testosterone levels and slowly adjusting your body to a lower body fat.
Listen to the Episode on itunes.com
Ps. Contrary to popular belief, eating at maintenance is not a no holds barred, all you can eat freak fest. Most people that try to eat at maintenance end up being way to relaxed and overeat. Chris and I discuss the best ways to go about eating at maintenance without gaining fat.
