Having a maintenance phase during a diet

[ThreeRolls]

There's a popular theory that pausing a weight loss plan to have a maintenance phase is beneficial long-term to weight loss. A quick Google didn't show me any actual studies on this, but I am not quite sure what terminology to use for this pausing-diet-to-maintain is, so my search may have been ineffective. Perhaps it is just a crazy internet theory?

Basically the idea is that during a period of eating in a deficit, your metabolism adjusts down slightly, and a maintenances phase could boost it again, making weight loss easier and preventing long term changes to metabolism.
Obviously there can be benefits psychologically too, depending on how your mind works. Some people get weary of the restriction and a break can help scratch an itch and give them new enthusiasm. Others might fall off the wagon!

It sounds sensible in theory.

If it is a real thing, I'm unsure how to actually implement it.
How long do you do it for? Internet says a whole variety of things, from 3 days maintenance right up to maintaining for as long as you were in deficit!
How often do you do it? Is it only for people who need to lose a lot and will be dieting for a long time, or could it benefit shorter diets too (eg half a stone or something)? That's me - need to lose about 8lb. Will it still be helpful?

So some users of WLI or other diets get to their target or close enough and come off cold turkey and hunger comes back crazy and they regain. Tapering down doses (if you got to a high dose) and staying on a maintenance dose and/orcalories has been shown to give better long term weight loss results. For example, I've tapered from 15mg currently to 7.5mg, I do want to get to 9st, I'm 9st 4lbs bmi 23.4, I've literally started exercising yesterday but my plan is to stay on an effective dose which gives me enough suppression to maintain my goal weight, so not lose or gain big amounts, ideally 3lbs each way (or whatever figure you are comfortable with) until maybe spring and then think about coming off later.
For calories, use tdeecalculator.net to find your cutting/deficit and maintenance calories. When you come off a diet, reverse dieting works well, so slowly increasing your calories daily/weekly to allow your body to get used to the change rather than the jump from low to high calories.

@Mysticmaiden I think maybe you posted on the wrong thread, or I haven't explained very well what I meant.

I'm talking about eg someone weighing 11st who wants to weigh 9st. She loses 1 stone over three months but then has massive restriction fatigue, and also her weight loss starts to plateau slightly as her metabolism adjusts to a lower intake. If she takes two weeks "off" her diet, and eats enough calories to be at her maintenance level, then goes back on her weight loss diet after the two weeks, will she be on a better position than if she hadn't taken a break? Will her metabolism have recovered? Will she be mentally glad of the break and able to go at her diet with new enthusiasm?
When she finishes her weight loss, will she be able to maintain more easily if her metabolism has been given a chance to recover between phases?

I’ve had a nearly four month maintenance phase because of surgery. I’m about to get going again. I’ll let you know if it’s helpful!

@BaronessofBirmingham yes please, that would be amazing!

I’ve done it a couple of times this year, when I hit a plateau or when I just needed a break. The first couple of times only for around a couple of weeks, this time for close to four weeks (though not all intentional - illness and travel for work got into the way, and I’m down to a healthy BMI now, so while another 5kg would be nice, it’s not strictly necessary).

However, I have lost a bit over 30kg, or around 4.8st so much, much more. I’m not sure how useful it is for short diets as it mainly seems to help overcome plateaus. But then, I’m not an expert by any means!

There is, as you say, also always the risk of falling off the wagon (one day more won’t make a difference… oh, I’ll start again tomorrow….).

Anecdotally when I’ve had a bit of a break and eaten maintenance for a week, I’ve had a small gain followed by a decent loss.

Having a maintenance phase break I think is a good idea as it teaches you how to be at deficit and allows something of a reset.

as you lose weight you will plateau if you don’t drop your calories or increase your exercise. A smaller body needs less calories and so your deficit will become your calories.

I've taken maintenance breaks, I took one for 2 weeks in September at 9st 8lbs, I had lost 3 stones at that point. I don't know if you're in a better position, some say it tricks your body into a false security like carb cycling and then it's easier to lose after.

That's all really interesting. So although there may not be any studies on it (or maybe there are?!) anecdotally people have found that breaks do rev up weight loss, or help break through a plateau. If my weight loss slows down on this diet I am definitely going to try it.