Help! I’m really struggling with controlling my diet break!

cara_kg

Hi everyone, so I had been eating at a deficit for a while and had plateaued so I made the decision to take a diet break. I am three days in but I have gone over my maintenance calories every day so far - I am really struggling to control it. Does anyone have any tips? Do I finish the break early? How much is this likely to damage my progress?

Unicorn_Bacon

When I had a plateau I just kept going in a deficit til it passed..

But if you cant maintain now, how are you going to maintain later? You cant stay in a deficit forever

If you keep going over maintenance, it could potentially damage all your progress if you do it consistently.

Maybe you should analyze why maintaining is a struggle for you and find a solution before the time comes when you will need to maintain permanently

sardelsa

How has your eating changed in maintenance vs. a deficit? Are you adding in foods you don't eat in a deficit? Typically you really only need to increase your portions or add an extra snack to hit maintenance. You can also try adding calories slowly every few days until you hit maintenance.

cara_kg

Thank that’s really helpful!

gallicinvasion

What is stopping you from hitting your calorie target? Is it any of the following?

1. Are you eating out at restaurants more than you were in weight loss, and having a hard time controlling calorie counts? If this is the case, can you try one of these habit changes?
a. pre-plan before you go to the restaurant (or before you call the restaurant for your take-out), log an estimate of the food you plan to eat. It's okay to change it later, but it will help you plan better and stay more mindful.
b. Make a list of green-light restaurants where you know you can eat out but still control and log the calories (for example, Subway, Wendy's, and a few local places are my go-to restaurants because I can get a meal that's a similar size to what I would normally have made myself at home

2. Are you dealing with an all-or-nothing mentality, and feel like you want to eat all the foods you aren't allowing yourself to eat during weight loss?
a. Try pre-portioning your snacks into ziplock bags as SOON as you get them home from the store, and put them in opaque containers away in the cabinet.
b. Pre-plan all your snacks in your food diary so that you stay mindful and know what can fit into your calorie target for the day.
c. When you go back to weight-loss, continue making room for these treat foods, just in smaller portions. This way, you will train yourself to understand that the foods are always available, you can have them anytime, just in controlled portions.

cara_kg

Thank you number 2 is the one for me and very helpful!

NovusDies

It has not damaged your progress. If this is your first break allow yourself to screw up a little. Sometimes it is hard to get accustomed to the notion that calorie management never ends so when you open the floodgates it feels like a holiday for food.

Also, if you ate a bunch of fun foods you have not been eating for some time ask yourself if you should be treating more often while at a deficit. What you want is normal both while in a deficit and while at maintenance. Normal for me includes treats in both situations.