Having an extended plateau = Planned diet break?
 

I have been reading some about having a "planned diet break", which pretty much is a planned period of about two weeks when you eat at maintenance level or slightly over to level out your hormone levels and sort of refresh the body after an extended period of time spent eating at a deficit. It is also suppose to ease the body which may previously have been on edge possibly wondering if we are "in famine" or the food supply is short and that that may be the cause of us suddenly eating so many less calories than we did in the past.

To be clear, it is not intended that you eat like a glutton for two weeks and GAIN weight, but to instead just maintain and continue to eat healthy, nutritious foods, just at your own specific maintenance level, which is probably around 2,000 calories /per day for the average female. I think most of what I read suggested that this be done for two weeks per every twelve weeks spent purposefully eating at a deficit. So 12 weeks "dieting" and then 2 week break, repeat.

It makes sense to me, I mean don't we all experience the most success in the beginning of a weight loss plan, which begins to slow or plateau after an extended time of being "on plan"? I understand that some of that is because in the beginning, obviously you weigh more and it takes more effort to move and exercise.

I sort of feel like I have experienced this before actually---a few years ago I lost 40lbs, going from 211 to around 171, and I lost the weight FAST in about four months and I was pleased. But then it stalled out around 170 and no matter what I did, there wasn't much of a change. I had hit a plateau. At that point, I sort of stopped worrying about it and maintained for two or three months. Then, when I was ready, I started working at it again and the weight came off just as easily as it had seemed in the beginning. I lost another 15 lbs very quickly putting me at 154.

I guess it sort of seems like "re-charging" to prepare for more weight loss, but this time with a much lower starting weight.

I have been stuck at 164 now for *awhile*. I'm considering trying this for two weeks before starting back on plan and wanted to know others opinions on the idea.

These are the links I had originally read:

"The Full Diet Break"
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat...iet-break.html

"Diet Break Plan"
http://www.leighpeele.com/diet-break-plan

Thanks!

I am a big fan of both Lyle and Leigh and wholehearted believe in diet breaks.

However, be prepared to see the scale move up as you ingest more food. Most of it will be water in the form of increased muscle glycogen stores but if you've never taken one seeing the scale move up can be unnerving.