With each passing year, science demonstrates more conclusively that the traditional strategy to dieting just does not work. In one year, one-third of the weight lost using a typical diet plan is returned. And, in most cases, all of the weight lost (plus a bit extra) is recovered within 3-5 years.
While it may be easy to argue that traditional dieting—restricting your caloric intake for an extended period of time—doesn’t work because individuals “just don’t stick with it,” it’s not that simple. Many people cannot lose weight despite living in a calorie deficit, especially if it is severe. Just as our bodies adapt to a repeated stimulus in the weight room, we also adapt to a recurrent stimulus in the kitchen—that is, dieting or bulking. Consider the following: If performing 10 repetitions on the bench press at 200 pounds for about 20 weeks isn’t ideal, why could dieting on the same amount of calories be?
Your body is intended to “survive and adapt,” so when you begin to cut caloric intake, it will try everything it can to slow down the weight loss process. Calorie cycling, or alternating between a deficit and maintenance level, is a growing area of research that has the potential to enable year-round fat loss.
The Effects of Diet Adaptation
If you wish to battle the issues that come with traditional dieting, you must first understand what is causing them. Several detrimental changes occur within your body when you diet for an extended length of time, according to research.
Several detrimental changes occur within your body when you diet for an extended length of time, according to research.
These are some examples:
Reduced sympathetic nervous system activity (i.e., lower daily calorie expenditure)
Reduced levels of the hunger-controlling hormone leptin (hello, hunger!)
Reduced thyroid hormone (slower metabolism)
These changes result in “adaptive thermogenesis” (AT) after many weeks of dieting. I discussed the hormonal side of this disease in my post “Are Hunger Hormones Sabotaging Your Fat Loss?” but here’s the short version: When you give your body less calories, it reacts by reducing your metabolism to ensure optimal functioning while simultaneously battling to stay near its natural “set point.” To put it another way, the fewer calories you consume, the fewer calories you will eventually burn.
Calorie Cycling vs. Traditional Dieting
Although the research is young, there is evidence that “cycling” between caloric levels may assist maintain satiety, hunger hormone levels, resting metabolic rate, and muscle-building hormones like testosterone. Calorie cycling may potentially result in higher fat loss than traditional diets.
A recent study contrasted a technique that used an 11-day deficit, followed by a 3-day deficit, followed by 3 days with a standard linear calorie deficit.[4] This four-week study was followed by a two-week period in which patients ate maintenance calories so that researchers could see how people “rebounded” after the dieting period.
While both dieting groups lost weight, the calorie-cycling group shed an additional 3 pounds on average. They also gained nearly 2 pounds less during the calorie-maintenance period. While these variations may not appear to be significant, keep in mind that they occurred in only four weeks. In principle, extrapolating these data to a normal dieting or contest-prep phase of 12-20 weeks may result in a 13-pound weight loss and 6.6-pound weight gain differential.
One possible explanation for the difference in weight loss is differences in patients’ resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is a significant element in long-term weight maintenance.[6] The typical dieting group showed a higher decrease in RMR, which meant they burnt around 40 fewer calories per day throughout the four weeks.
If the diet was extended for three or four months, it’s not difficult to envisage a difference of more than 100 calories between the two groups. Over time, a calorie surplus can contribute to obesity.[7]
Deficit vs. Maintenance: How Long?
Calorie cycling may be a fantastic method for anyone who competes or goes through months-long “cutting” and “bulking” periods. According to research, some of the unfavorable adaptations to traditional dieting take years to recover from, and may even be essentially permanent.This means that your 12-week prep could result in years of battling with a slowed metabolism and hunger.
Based on the available data, it appears that a 2-4 week calorie shortage is sufficient to begin a chain of events that leads to AT. As a result, if you want to cycle calories and restrict the adaptations from a shortfall, keep the time period during which you cut calories to four weeks or less.
It also appears that the amount of time you spend in a deficit best determines the amount of time you should spend at or near maintenance during your calorie cycling.The larger your deficit, the longer your maintenance phase should be, and vice versa.
I can’t give you a one-size-fits-all number or schedule here. What works for you may not work for me or your pals. Age, body fat percentage, metabolic health, and the severity of the shortfall may all have an effect on adherence and outcome.
Four Ways to Burn Calories by Cycling
Here are some examples of cycles that have worked for me. Keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for another, so I encourage you explore and customize your strategy based on your personal preferences.
Keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for another, so I encourage you explore and customize your strategy based on your personal preferences.
The Weekend Cycle consists of a 5-day calorie deficit of roughly 500 calories, followed by two days of maintenance.
Davoodi’s Cycle: 11-day calorie deficit of roughly 500 calories, followed by 3 days of maintenance
3 On, 1 Off: 3 weeks in a 300-500 calorie deficit, 1 week at maintenance
Monthly Cycle: 4-5 weeks in a 300-500 calorie deficit, 10-14 days at maintenance
Calorie Cycling Tips
Here are a few pointers to keep in mind as you decide how to incorporate calorie cycling into your fat-loss strategy.
This is not a way to live for years; rather, it is a healthy way to lose weight for a few weeks or months, either to reach a goal or for contest preparation. If you go beyond that, you’re asking for trouble.
When you’re not in a caloric deficit, stick to maintenance calories; this isn’t an excuse to spend your weekend indulging in endless buffets or eating contests.
The severity of the deficit phase should not be too severe; somewhere between 300 and 700 calories below maintenance is adequate. You may be able to shave an extra 100-200 calories owing to the shorter length of the deficit, but don’t push it.
Schedule training for your weak muscle parts on a higher-calorie day to supply the fuel you need to see progress in strength and size.
There’s no need to switch up your dietary sources on your better days. Stick to foods that work for you, but increase the amount size. You’re only eating 300-700 more calories, so sticking to a moderate macro intake based on high-protein and nutrient-dense meals is the ideal way, rather than using this method as an excuse to eat pizza all day. This isn’t to suggest you can’t use this time and the extra calories to indulge in a few meals you enjoy; just keep it within reason.