Let’s talk about maintenance phases. You know, where you’re not really losing or gaining—just staying the same.
First, nothing wrong with that. Lots of y’all got it twisted and think “if I’m not losing fat or gaining muscle, I’m not doing anything.” Nah, that’s just how you’re choosing to look at it.
Maintenance is a skill and takes work to develop. Hell, if more folks were good at it, yo-yo dieting wouldn’t be a thing. You’ve gotta check that A.D.D. dieting mentality at the door. The goal should be: let’s be healthy and fit for life and not just for the few weeks after you finish dieting. Maintenance plays a key role in that.
But if the thought still bothers you, there’s lots to do while you’re just “hanging out”. Here are some things I suggest:
1. Experiment with your nutrition
If you’ve always counted macros, switch it up and try a more intuitive approach and vice versa. Fiddle with different strategies like intermittent fasting or using your hands to portion food instead of using the food scale for example. If they don’t work, at least you know and that’s just as useful.
2. Try new foods
During diets we often get tunneled into only eating certain foods. Add some variety to your diet. Try some veggies, proteins, carbs, fats you’ve never had or rarely had before. Again you’ll at least know what you do and don’t like.
3. Adjust your training
If you’ve been mostly a cardio bunny or gorilla meathead lifting all the weights, switch it up or scale back your training to give your body a rest—especially if you increased the amount you were exercising while you were dieting.
4. Most important: create new habits or improve current ones
The fittest, healthiest people aren’t constantly dieting. They are fit and healthy because they have great habits. ID some areas in your lifestyle you could improve with a better habit. Work on one thing at a time and solidify it before moving on. Not to mention, your future efforts will likely be more successful because of the habits you’ve built.
Now your maintenance will be productive & you’ll be much better at this nutrition thing overall.
So are you guys cutting, bulking or just maintaining? If you’ve been cutting/bulking for a while, what’s your plan for maintaining? Tip: you definitely want a plan. Ask any questions below.
Cheers,
Alex
Interested in working with me?
I'm offering a free consult call for those want change their lives with better nutrition. To see how I can help you, click the button below to schedule your free 1-on-1 call.