How long have you been eating at a deficit?

Francl27 · February 2015

I hit the 2 year mark a month ago and I'm starting to think that maybe that's why it's been so hard in the last few months. I'm definitely not starving myself (when I keep a deficit, it's a 250-300 one), I don't deprive myself and have things I enjoy in moderation, but it just seems that it's never enough and sometimes I just need a 'cheat day' (cheat meals just don't cut it for me). Except those cheat days wipe out my deficit and I've been maintaining for 7 months instead of losing my last 2 pounds.

For people who have been at this for a while, did you take diet breaks? How did it work for you? I just can't seem to get out of the 'losing weight' mode and keep feeling like a failure when I end up with no deficit for the week (or less than 1000, really). I'm also worried that if I start eating at maintenance every day, I'll still end up binging and will just end up gaining instead of maintaining because of it... so what I'm doing sorta works, it's just mentally and emotionally exhausting for me because most of the time, I don't feel satisfied with the amount of food I can eat (I unfortunately have a very sweet tooth, so I make room for sweets, but obviously it gives less room for more filling foods).

Just putting this here before people mention it though - I lift 'heavy', that is, as heavy as I can with what I have at home (45 pounds adjustable dumbbells), although I'm taking a break from it right now and doing Les Mills Combat instead, as I haven't been able to increase my weights for weeks anyway. I don't enjoy lifting and I have so much loose skin on my stomach that it's just a lost cause anyway to force myself to do something I hate (all I got from it in the last few months is squishier loose skin, woohoo).

Cheyenne_K_ · February 2015

If your skin has gotten looser it might mean that you've lost some of the fat that use to be underneath it. The scale isn't the best measurement of weight loss. I've been at the same weight for a couple of months but have visually improved my body composition. And maybe research reverse dieting and take a break. Eat at maintenance for a bit and then try going on another deficit after a couple of months.

ana3067 · February 2015

7 months. I've taken plenty of breaks.

Cheyenne_K_ wrote: »

If your skin has gotten looser it might mean that you've lost some of the fat that use to be underneath it. The scale isn't the best measurement of weight loss. I've been at the same weight for a couple of months but have visually improved my body composition. And maybe research reverse dieting and take a break. Eat at maintenance for a bit and then try going on another deficit after a couple of months.

agree wtih this.

Also maybe your deficit is just too large for your actual maintenance needs, hence desire to "cheat".

jemhh · February 2015

I started eating in a deficit in January 2014. Took a week off in July and September. Then I took off from about mid November until January of this year. Right now I am doing a 6 week cutting cycle and planning to follow with 2 weeks of maintenance. I'll do that until I hit 140, which is about 9 pounds away.

caracrawford1 · February 2015

9 months, just about. I'm now 6 lbs from goal. The end is in sight. I am starting to think about my maintenance plan. Weight loss the 2nd time around has made me wiser.

TheVirgoddess · February 2015

9.5 months - I've only gone over my calorie goal once, on my birthday. I didn't log for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I still calculated in my brain and was under target. I've never really had a break.

I still have 16ish pounds to go and I'm finding myself weary.

970Mikaela1 · February 2015

I'm almost at 3 years of logging. Probably the first year or so was full time deficit. But after that from October to January tho I bulk for the holidays maybe gaining 10 pounds each time then cut from January to March or so back to my regular weight . then back to maintenance till the holidays again.

jemhh · February 2015

I highly recommend maintenance breaks for people who are on long term deficits. They really help, psychologically and physiologically. I post these a lot but here are two good articles on diet breaks:

The Full Diet Break

When To Take A Diet Break

When I take a break, I log my food and eat at my full maintenance calories. I do the same exercise as normal. The only time I haven't logged/exercised during a break was when we vacationed in December. I came back a couple pounds heavier but it was all carb weight (I pretty much ate my bodyweight in cornbread that week.) We got back on Saturday and the weight was gone by Tuesday.

JossFit · February 2015

In my opinion you should take a maintenance break after no more than 12 weeks CONSISTENTLY being in a deficit. Ideally you should incorporate periodic refeeds and/or carb/calorie cycle to keep yourself progressing.

Those of you who state you have been in a defict 9 months, 2 years, etc. that would mean that you NEVER ate a surplus of calories even during holidays and vacations, etc.

IF that is the case, you are doing yourself a serious disservice and should take a week or more to eat at maintenance, using primarily carbohydrates to add calories, as they are the only macronutrient with a significant impact on leptin levels.

segacs · February 2015

4 months, though I've had a few days here and there where I've eaten at maintenance, and I took two weeks off for vacation (though I still lost weight).

DeterminedFee201426 · February 2015

3 months and 10 days

Liftng4Lis · February 2015

9 months, with one two week diet break back in October (fantastic).

TheVirgoddess · February 2015

JossFit wrote: »

In my opinion you should take a maintenance break after no more than 12 weeks CONSISTENTLY being in a deficit. Ideally you should incorporate periodic refeeds and/or carb/calorie cycle to keep yourself progressing.

Those of you who state you have been in a defict 9 months, 2 years, etc. that would mean that you NEVER ate a surplus of calories even during holidays and vacations, etc.

IF that is the case, you are doing yourself a serious disservice and should take a week or more to eat at maintenance, using primarily carbohydrates to add calories, as they are the only macronutrient with a significant impact on leptin levels.

What are the benefits of this?

Like I said, in 9.5 months of logging, I've had one day that I went over my goal (and it was only 200 calories or so, so still under maintenance).

rickloving · February 2015

15 weeks ago....started 1st 2 weeks at 1000 cal a day deficit, then a few weeks at 750, a good span of 500 cals a day under maintenance.. 2 weeks at near or maintenance over the Holidays, then the past weeks at a 250 cal a day deficit.

I lift 3 days a week and run 5 days a week ( 2 hard workouts and 3 easy), I eat back all my exercise calories trying to minimize lean tissue loss and maintain energy levels.

I still find myself sometimes "starving" and unable to feel full, especially after long run days. I'll eat a large volume of lean protein and still be hungry, more often than not, I am just really thirsty and once I hydrate well, I find I am not quite as ravenous. "My" brain likes to tell me I am hungry...when I am really thirsty...

I have lost 14 lbs to date, shooting for a few more to be at my race weight for an upcoming Marathon. Additionally I have lost 13" of body fat measurement from around my chest, belly, and waist. My BF% has dropped significantly as well.

beemerphile1 · February 2015

Seven months
46 pounds lost
probably about 4 or 5 days when I went over goal but still stayed at deficit for the week.

SergeantSausage · February 2015

Off and on - couple of months here, couple of months there for 3-and-a-half years now. Down about 55 pounds give or take.

I can't properly run/train while in deficit. No energy. When in training for Spring and Fall marathon seasons, I usually abandon the deficit and pick it up again later. It works, but it's slow. 50 pounds in 3 years is not that spectacular as far as results.

About to abandon again at the end of the month and will be back early summer. First scheduled race is in 6 weeks and I'm having to carb load/refeed over and above the normal deficit calories on Long Run days already to keep from bonking.

Breaks are good. When they are actually needed.

TLB86 · February 2015

Bump

lemurcat12 · February 2015

I've been at a deficit for just over a year, although I probably wasn't at one on average during the last couple weeks of December. I was still mostly eating at deficit with some days over, though.

It's a timely question for me, since I've been feeling like I need a break (I'm about 5 lbs from my initial goal, but generally happy with how I look if I just keep improving fitness, although I'd still like to lose a bit more fat). I decided that I was overdoing it in January and that I would raise my calories some and either stabilize at a .5 lb/week loss rate (with slightly more exercise) or find where maintenance is and stay there for a little while. It's already improving my mood (although I also think just increasing my carbs a bit is helping there--they weren't super low, but probably too low for me at my current activity level and weight).

What I realized and one reason I wanted to do this is that I was getting a bit too paranoid about gaining weight any time I go over or miss a workout even though I know my overall week is not in a surplus. And trying to keep a tight deficit is causing me to have more trouble not going overboard when I do indulge (not badly, but not what I'd like). So I think for my head right now (and maybe my body--I'll see how it affects activity level and workouts), I want to try getting some practice at or close to maintenance and just being consistent. This means not worrying about being in deficit (although if I am in a small one after the increase, great).

leggup · February 2015

I eat at a deficit Mon-Fri. I have an epic burn at least 1 time a week, so I get to eat more on weekends. Sometimes I go overboard on the weekends (boooooze), so I just cut back a little more the following week.

I probably net a little higher on weekends and a little lower on weekdays. Maybe try saving up your treats for the weekends, or only on cardio days. That way you can get more filling foods most days of the week.

Texalese · February 2015

15 days and counting and down almost 4 lbs. Very interesting thread!

How long have you been eating at a deficit?

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