Diet phases
A note on this content: The information provided here is meant for a specific audience and is not intended for everyone. The beauty in bodily autonomy is that there is room for folks to decide what is best for them. You are the boss of your body, you get to choose what you do with it. If conversations regarding changing body composition do not align with your goals, please skip this article.
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What if I told you there was a way to achieve your body composition goals without having to go through unsustainable (and miserable) restriction cycles?
You can.
With diet phases, you can keep your sanity (and metabolism) in check and work toward your goals in a healthy way with steps that promote long-term sustainability.
What are diet phases?
There are 4 distinct periods of time in which specific calorie ranges are designated based on an individual’s Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE: how much energy your body needs to support vital functions, activity, and exercise):
Maintenance: Taking in roughly the same amount of energy your body uses to keep you alive and fuel your movement and exercise. Essentially, ensuring you regularly meet but don’t routinely exceed your TDEE when in pursuit of specific goals (this is different than how you’d eat without goals). The vast majority of your time should be spent here.
The nutritional approach for those not looking to focus on body composition would be very different than a traditional maintenance phase.
Bulk: For those looking to gain mass or put on muscle, a bulking phase focuses on intentionally eating above maintenance.
When aiming for muscle gain, bulking phases are typically planned around strength training sessions with a focus on meal/nutrient timing to maximize results. However, strength training is not a requirement for bulking. Those who want to gain mass for health or other reasons can "bulk" without strength training at all.
Reverse: A critical period of time immediately following a cut or, in some cases, before a cut, where you slowly and intentionally increase your caloric intake back up to or above your maintenance TDEE. All cut phases should be followed by a reverse in order to allow your metabolism to recover from the last few weeks of insufficient energy.
Reverses should be slow and controlled to give your body the best chance at eating more while minimizing effects on body composition. Keep a close eye on progress markers and biofeedback to determine the cadence of your reverse.
Deficit: Taking in fewer calories than your body needs to support itself in its current state. The phase with the most information and, typically, the most interest. First and foremost, if you’re looking to diet, you need to earn it. I know that sounds harsh but hear me out:
If you’ve been dieting for a long time, sleeping poorly, or otherwise treating your body like trash, a caloric deficit isn’t going to have the impact you want or intend. You’ll need to spend time eating optimal calories and protein, focusing on getting stronger, and giving your metabolism a little TLC in order to undo the damage caused by chronic dieting.
While the choice to eat at a deficit is yours, it is important to take time to explore if your goals are influenced by external sources (like family, media, coworkers, etc.). If externally influenced, dig deeper to understand your "why" and assess if this is truly something you want to do for YOU.
Deficits should typically be capped at 12-16 weeks. While it is super tempting to stretch beyond 16 weeks, taking a break from restriction can help ease the mental and physical burden and help keep your energy needs up so that you can continue to see progress on as many calories as possible. Diet breaks also aid in consistency and adherence.
Diet Phasing Considerations:
Chronic dieters will need to either sit at maintenance or even reverse for quite a while before approaching another deficit. Your body needs time to heal and, again, you have to earn the right to diet.
While meticulous tracking lends to the most accurate means of identifying your intake, it is completely optional during any phase depending on your goals, history, personal preference, and relationship to tracking. There are tools to help you achieve your goals without making you miserable.
If you find yourself struggling or stuck, send me an email for help, consultation, guidance, and/or coaching!