Why Constant Dieting Backfires: How Periodisation Can Boost Fat Loss and Improve Results.

Why Constant Dieting Backfires: How Periodisation Can Boost Fat Loss and Improve Results.

If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, only to find that the pounds sneak back on, you’re not alone. The frustrating cycle of dieting and regaining weight is a common experience for many. But what if the key to long-term fat loss isn’t about dieting harder, but smarter?

In this guide, we’ll explore why constant dieting can make you gain weight, and how a method known as periodisation can help you achieve sustainable fat loss. Get ready for a deep dive into how strategic breaks might be the game-changer you’ve been missing.

The Myth of Endless Calorie Deficits:

Most people believe that losing fat is as simple as eating less and moving more. It’s a familiar equation, but unfortunately, it doesn’t always work for everyone—especially if your goal is significant weight loss.

In the short term, a calorie deficit (where you consume fewer calories than your body needs) can lead to fat loss. But if you stay in this deficit for too long, you risk losing muscle, experiencing fatigue, and even regaining the weight you lost. This is because prolonged calorie restriction stresses the body, leading to several negative effects.

Your body, sensing a lack of fuel, begins to adapt by slowing your metabolism and using muscle for energy. This process makes you feel tired, reduces performance, and ultimately leads to weight regain once normal eating patterns resume. The longer you stay in a deficit, the more your body fights back, slowing fat loss and encouraging fat storage to avoid what it perceives as a threat of starvation.

What is Periodisation?

Periodisation is the process of alternating between fat-loss phases and maintenance phases. Instead of staying in a constant calorie deficit, you give your body regular breaks to recover and adjust to the new weight. This approach is effective because it helps to avoid the common pitfalls of extended dieting.

In a fat-loss phase, you aim to lose weight by maintaining a calorie deficit. But after a few months of this, you switch to a maintenance phase, where you eat just enough to maintain your current weight. This gives your metabolism a chance to recover and helps prevent diet fatigue, burnout, and the rebound weight gain many dieters experience.

The Science Behind Why Constant Dieting Fails:

When you diet for too long, your body doesn’t just burn fat—it starts to burn muscle as well. This muscle loss can slow down your metabolism, making it even harder to lose weight. Over time, the body’s energy stores, like glycogen, are depleted, leaving you feeling sluggish and weak.

When you eventually stop dieting, your body is primed to regain the lost weight. This is partly because your metabolism has slowed, but also because your hunger hormones (like ghrelin) ramp up, making it easier to overeat once you return to your regular diet.

Imagine trying to run a marathon at full sprint. You’ll likely crash and burn before you’ve gone very far. Constant dieting works the same way—it wears your body down, leading to a crash that often ends in overeating and weight regain.

Why You Need Maintenance Phases:

This is where maintenance phases come in. These phases act as planned breaks in your diet, where the goal isn’t to lose weight, but to maintain it. This break allows your body to recover from the stress of calorie restriction, reducing cortisol (the stress hormone) and stabilizing your metabolism.

A maintenance phase can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months. During this time, you focus on eating enough calories to maintain your current weight, allowing your body to balance out and making the dieting process more manageable in the long run.

Think of a maintenance phase as a holiday from dieting. Just as you wouldn’t work seven days a week without taking time off, your body needs a break from constant dieting. This “holiday” gives your metabolism a chance to reset, which helps you avoid the dreaded weight regain.

How to Use Periodisation for Fat Loss

Using periodisation for fat loss is a strategic process. Here’s a simple example of how you might break up your weight loss journey:

1. June to August: Diet down from 90 kg to 85 kg.
2. September to December: Maintain weight at 85 kg.
3. January to March: Diet down to 80 kg.
4. April to July: Maintain weight at 79-80 kg.
5. August to October: Drop down to your goal weight of 75-77 kg.
6. November to December: Maintain your new weight.

Breaking the process into smaller phases allows your body and mind to recover between bouts of dieting. This reduces burnout, helps preserve muscle, and minimizes the risk of rebounding back to a higher weight.

The Long-Term Benefits of Periodisation:

The ultimate goal of periodisation is not just to help you hit your target weight, but to help you maintain it for the long haul. People who use a phased approach to dieting are far more likely to keep the weight off compared to those who follow crash diets.

By alternating between dieting and maintenance phases, you protect your metabolism, build lasting habits, and develop a healthier relationship with food. You also reduce the psychological toll of dieting, making it easier to stick to your plan and avoid the dreaded yo-yo effect.

Smarter Dieting for Sustainable Results:

The key to sustainable fat loss isn’t constantly slashing calories. Instead, it’s about finding a balance between fat loss and maintenance. Periodisation gives you the structure to lose weight at a manageable pace, protect your metabolism, and build habits that lead to long-term success.

So, the next time you find yourself stuck in the cycle of constant dieting, consider taking a step back and incorporating maintenance phases into your plan. It might just be the secret you need to finally break free from the yo-yo dieting trap and achieve lasting fat loss.

References and Further Reading

Dorling JL, van Vliet S, Huffman KM, Kraus WE, Bhapkar M, Pieper CF, Stewart T, Das SK, Racette SB, Roberts SB, Ravussin E, Redman LM, Martin CK; CALERIE Study Group. Effects of caloric restriction on human physiological, psychological, and behavioral outcomes: highlights from CALERIE phase 2. Nutr Rev. 2021 Jan 1;79(1):98-113. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa085. PMID: 32940695; PMCID: PMC7727025.

Redman LM, Ravussin E. Caloric restriction in humans: impact on physiological, psychological, and behavioral outcomes. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2011 Jan 15;14(2):275-87. doi: 10.1089/ars.2010.3253. Epub 2010 Aug 28. PMID: 20518700; PMCID: PMC3014770.

Bellicha A, van Baak MA, Battista F, Beaulieu K, Blundell JE, Busetto L, Carraça EV, Dicker D, Encantado J, Ermolao A, Farpour-Lambert N, Pramono A, Woodward E, Oppert JM. Effect of exercise training on weight loss, body composition changes, and weight maintenance in adults with overweight or obesity: An overview of 12 systematic reviews and 149 studies. Obes Rev. 2021 Jul;22 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):e13256. doi: 10.1111/obr.13256. Epub 2021 May 6. PMID: 33955140; PMCID: PMC8365736.

Farhana A, Rehman A. Metabolic Consequences of Weight Reduction. [Updated 2023 Jul 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572145/

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition - Long-term weight loss maintenance – https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(23)29536-2/fulltext

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition - Metabolic adaptation: is it really an illusion? - https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(22)00943-1/fulltext

Martínez-Gómez MG, Roberts BM. Metabolic Adaptations to Weight Loss: A Brief Review. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Oct 1;36(10):2970-2981. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003991. Epub 2021 Mar 3. PMID: 33677461.

Lorenz D, Morrison S. CURRENT CONCEPTS IN PERIODIZATION OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING FOR THE SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPIST. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2015 Nov;10(6):734-47. PMID: 26618056; PMCID: PMC4637911.