Stuck in the endless cycle of dieting, only to watch the weight creep back on? You’re not alone—many people face the same frustrating reality. Why does constant dieting make you gain weight? It’s a question many struggle with. What if the secret to sustainable fat loss isn’t about dieting harder but smarter? Enter periodisation—a strategic approach to weight loss that might just be the cheat code you’ve been missing. This method could help you break free from the yo-yo dieting trap and finally achieve long-term success.
How Constant Dieting Slows Your Metabolism and Causes Weight Gain
A lot of people think that losing fat is as straightforward as just eating less and moving more. Sounds simple, right? And sure, if you only have a few pounds to lose, that might work. But it’s a different game if you’re looking at a bigger weight loss goal. Constant dieting—staying in a perpetual caloric deficit—can actually cause your body to hold onto fat, slowing your metabolism and increasing the risk of regaining weight. This is why constant dieting often makes you gain weight in the long run.
The Role of Calorie Deficits in Why Dieting Makes You Gain Weight
When you restrict calories for an extended period, your body enters survival mode. This process, known as metabolic adaptation, slows down your metabolism to conserve energy. Your body may start to break down muscle for fuel, leading to muscle loss and a drop in performance. As a result, you feel fatigued, and your energy levels plummet. And here’s the kicker—once you stop dieting, your slowed metabolism struggles to keep up with your regular caloric intake, causing you to regain the weight, sometimes even more than before. This phenomenon explains why constant dieting can paradoxically make you gain weight.
Periodisation: The Secret to Sustainable Fat Loss
So, what’s the alternative? Periodisation is a strategy that involves rotating between periods of fat loss and maintenance. Instead of constantly being in a caloric deficit, you alternate with maintenance phases where you focus on sustaining your current weight. This approach helps prevent metabolic slowdown and reduces the risk of muscle loss, making your weight loss efforts more sustainable. With periodisation, you’re not just losing fat; you’re setting the stage for long-term weight loss success.
Why Does Periodisation Prevent Weight Gain and Promote Fat Loss?
If you try to lose fat without taking breaks, your body will start to push back. Constant dieting can lead to a host of problems, including muscle breakdown, fatigue, and a slower metabolism. When you eventually stop dieting, your body, desperate to replenish its energy stores, quickly gains back the lost weight, often with a little extra. This is why constant dieting makes you gain weight over time. Think of it like trying to sprint a marathon—you’ll burn out before you reach the finish line. The same goes for fat loss; without strategic breaks, your body will resist, making it harder to shed pounds and easier to regain them.
Why Maintenance Phases Are Key to Sustainable Fat Loss
This is where maintenance phases come into play. These are planned periods where you’re not focused on losing weight but instead on maintaining it. Maintenance phases give your body a much-needed break from the stress of dieting, helping to reset your metabolism and reduce diet fatigue. Just as you wouldn’t work without weekends or vacations, your body needs breaks from the strain of constant dieting. These breaks help stabilize your hormones, including cortisol—the stress hormone that can promote fat storage—allowing you to continue your fat-loss journey more effectively.
How Periodisation Works in Sustainable Fat Loss
The core idea behind periodisation is simple: alternate between periods of fat loss and maintenance to achieve sustainable results. For example, you might spend three months in a calorie deficit, followed by three months at maintenance. This not only prevents metabolic slowdown but also helps retain muscle mass and keep your energy levels up. By taking these breaks, you’re giving your body the chance to recover and adapt, making your weight loss more effective in the long run. Periodisation isn’t just about losing weight; it’s about doing it in a way that ensures you don’t gain it all back.
Real-Life Examples of Why Constant Dieting Makes You Gain Weight
Let’s look at a real-world example. Suppose someone wants to go from 14 stone 4 pounds to 11 stone 6 pounds. Rather than diving into a long, grueling diet, a phased approach might look like this:
- June to August: Diet down from 14 stone 4 pounds to 12 stone 12 pounds.
- September to December: Maintain weight at 12 stone 12 pounds to 13 stone 3 pounds.
- January to March: Diet from 13 stone 3 pounds to 12 stone 2 pounds.
- April to July: Maintain at 12 stone 2 pounds to 12 stone 7 pounds.
- August to October: Diet from 12 stone 7 pounds to 11 stone 11 pounds.
- November to December: Maintain around 11 stone 11 pounds.
By breaking the process into smaller, more manageable phases, periodisation helps prevent burnout and reduces the risk of weight rebound. This approach not only makes it easier to lose weight but also to keep it off, steering clear of the yo-yo dieting cycle that many people fall into.
Breaking the Yo-Yo Dieting Cycle: How Periodisation Helps
The ultimate goal isn’t just to lose weight but to keep it off and cultivate a healthier lifestyle. Periodisation helps you build lasting habits, reduces diet fatigue, and stabilizes your metabolism. Someone who loses weight slowly and steadily over two years with a phased approach is more likely to maintain that weight loss than someone who crashes through a rapid diet only to regain the weight later. Periodisation fosters a sustainable approach to weight management, helping you achieve and maintain your goals while building a healthier relationship with food and your body.
Achieving Long-Term Success: Why Sustainable Fat Loss Requires Periodisation
To sum it up, constant dieting without breaks can set you up for failure by slowing your metabolism and making it easier to regain weight. Periodisation offers a smarter, more sustainable alternative by alternating between fat loss and maintenance phases. This approach not only helps you reach your weight loss goals but also ensures you maintain them, avoiding the dreaded yo-yo dieting cycle. Remember, the key to sustainable fat loss isn’t just about reaching your target weight; it’s about staying there and thriving in a healthier, more balanced way.
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.
