The Importance of the Maintenance Phase 20/84

Today's post is about one of the absolute most important pieces of weight loss and weight gain that almost no one is  talking about. This is the piece that can finally break you through plateaus and continue you in whatever direction you're trying to go. It is also the least sexy part of the process and most people hate when I tell them that it's necessary to do this.

I'm talking about taking a maintenance phase in your journey. This is a point in time when you are purposely trying to keep your body weight exactly where it is. No, I'm not talking about when you hit your goals and you want to stay there. I'm talking about losing a ton of weight and getting great results, then me telling you that you have to stop trying to lose any more. Like I said, not everyone's favorite, but it's really, really important. 

Here's the basic science behind a maintenance phase. Your body has a set weight that it likes to be at, we call this the "set point". Most likely, your "set point" is probably about where your weight is right now, assuming you haven't lost or gained a ton of weight recently. Your body is really comfortable in this place and it doesn't really want to change, even if you do. So, that means when you decide you want to lose weight, you start working hard against your own body. And the more weight you lose (I'm using weight loss as the example, but this applies for weight gain too), the harder your body is going to try to get you back to where it was. This happens until the point where it's basically impossible to lose more weight. Your body is trying so hard to get back to it's happy place that it will do everything it can to prevent you from getting any smaller, basically because it thinks you're dying. 

This is why it can be pretty easy to lose that first 10 pounds, but then you can't seem to get that last 10 off. This is also a big reason why people can lose 100 pounds then gain it all back just as quick. 

Simply taking a period of time to keep your weight the same allows your body to set your new weight as it's set point. Then from there, you can continue to lose more. 

So here's the basics of how to run a maintenance phase, I'll continue using weight loss as a goal. This phase is usually necessary after about 3 months of good weight loss or after about 10% of body weight lost. This is normally about the point were people will start to struggle a bit more. When this happens, stop trying to lose weight, and slowly start to add in more food. Just start off small like 50-100 calories a day. Make sure to watch your weight closely during this time (I usually recommend weighing yourself 2-3 times a week). As long as your weight is not increasing, keep slowly adding food back in until you are no longer feeling quite so hungry and tired (normal things to feel deep into a cut). For anyone that is using a template like the ones I use, just start working your way but up the Cut tabs. This phase should usually last somewhere around 6-12 weeks and often should be about the same length as your cut. Yes, I know that seems like a long time, and I know you'd rather be making progress in that time. But the goal here is not super-fast, unsustainable weight loss, it's building good habits that will eventually take you to your long term goal and beyond. 

At this time, I personally take my clients new weight and plug that into one of my templates, and the cut begins again. We spend another 12 weeks slowly eliminating calories to a point where you're losing weight again. What you'll find, if the maintenance phase was done right, is that those next 10 pounds that were so hard to lose before become just as easy as the first 10. It's a really mind blowing thing and it makes the frustration of having to wait so worth it. 

If you're someone who's stuck in a weight loss or gain plateau, then give this a try. It could be the thing that finally lets you get the body you've always wanted. Also, if you want to receive a free copy of my Top Muscle Building Tips and Top Fat Loss Tips then make sure you subscribe via the pop-up window. Right now you'll also get a free copy of the Nutrition Template that I use for myself and my clients. Subscribing will also let you join the private Facebook group that I just opened, This group will allow for much more engagement with each other than my Facebook page so I can make sure you guys are getting all of the info you need.

See you tomorrow!

Facebook: Greg Herceg - Personal Trainer
Instagram: @Greg.the.Trainer
Email: gsherceg@gmail.com