This great video by Dr. Mike Israetel (a bodybuilder with a PhD in Sport Physiology) talks about maintenance phases between ~12 week (3 month) phases of weight loss. These maintenance phases, he says, should be as long or even longer than the preceding weight loss phase. He says this is necessary to prevent regaining the weight.
My first reaction seeing this was “but then losing weight would take so much longer!” but he has some really good points. Losing weight and then regaining it doesn’t just lose you time, you also had to suffer through a hypocaloric state for all the time.
I see a lot of people on calorie counting subreddits talk about eating in a deficit for months and months. Does anyone have experience with maintenance phases in between weight loss phases, or does anyone have the opposite experience? If you’ve eaten in a deficit for 6 months+ have you had success or regained the weight?
by taksus