You have faithfully followed your eating plan for the past 12 weeks to get to this wonderful place - so what now? How do you eat in a way that stops fat loss but prevents fat gain? What the hell is a maintenance diet anyway?
Here are a few options you can consider. Try all of them and stick with one or mix them up depending on your mood.
☆ Increase calories by 250 calories a day then check how you look after a week and adjust up or down from there.
Best: if you have been on a linear (same calorie level every day) fat loss diet or if you eat pretty much the same thing every day.
Drawbacks: no flexibility for meals out or times when unplanned food jumps into your mouth by accident.
☆ Cycle your calories from high to low
Best: if you have been carb/calorie cycling for fat loss and you enjoy the odd meal out.
Drawbacks: high days can sometimes turn in to binges. Low days make you hungry and if you have to eat in a deficit to make up for the binge, you are hungrier for longer.
☆ Eat the same calorie level 5 days out of 7 and have 2 free meals on the other 2 days
Best: if you are used to free meals as part of your fat loss plan (Body for Life etc.)
Drawbacks: free meals can turn into binges and then you have to eat in a deficit for the rest of the week.
☆ Instead of a free day once a week, have a very low diet (non training) day to make up for any overindulgence and to remind yourself where you don't want to have to go back to (deficit world)
Best: if you can handle hunger if it is only for one day.
Worst: if being really hungry makes you over eat the next day to compensate or if your only rest days are on the weekend.
My choice
☆ The totally made up complicated H, L, M calorie cycle with training I have named +3/-2 plan.
Best: for anal types like me
Worst: for relaxed types who need spontaneity
Here is the explanation [it's complicated so skip it if you can't be bothered]
The cornerstone of the plan is the BASE calorie range. This should equal your total body weight in pounds multiplied by 14.
Example - 125lbs * 14 = 1750.
This number is the average daily calories for the week and represents your starting maintenance level. This is for training/weight lifting days.
On the days you don't need as much fuel (recovery days) you eat at BASE minus 2. Your total body weight in pounds multiplied by 12 (Base/14 minus 2 = 12).
Example - 125lbs * 12 = 1500.
On the days you need refueling (mid week and week end for convenience and flexibility) you eat BASE plus 3. Your total body weight in pounds multiplied by 17 (Base/14 plus 3 = 17).
Example - 125lbs * 17 = 2125.
There are 4 different calorie days in a week.
| Activity | Calories | Days |
| Training | Base | 2 |
| Recovery | Base-2 | 3 |
| Training | Base+3 | 1 |
| Recovery | Base+3 | 1 |
You can set them up in any order you want, but you need to keep the correct number of days. This is the default template (the example in italics)
| Mon | Training | Base | 1750 |
| Tue | Recovery | Base-2 | 1500 |
| Wed | Training | Base+3 | 2125 |
| Thu | Recovery | Base-2 | 1500 |
| Fri | Training | Base | 1750 |
| Sat | Recovery | Base+3 | 2125 |
| Sun | Recovery | Base-2 | 1500 |
You can adjust the BASE number either up (still getting leaner *15 or 14.5) or down (getting softer *13 or 13.5) depending on your results but you must continue to +3 and -2 in the same ratios in order to average out at your maintenance level.
If you made it this far you get a very special gift - a big fat kiss ♥ and a reminder to love ya skinny bones!
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