#5 Weight Maintenance

Weight maintenance is probably one of the most difficult but at the same time easy part of the journey. It’s difficult because coming off the back of any dieting phase you will find yourself wanting to consume all the calories you can and eat all the meals you craved throughout the dieting process but also cut out your cardio. This is a massive NO, you should have some structure after your dieting phase or you will lose everything you worked hard for and also most likely rebound to a higher bodyweight after. Don’t cover this uncontrollable process with the stamp of ‘bulking’ because adding body fat does not mean you’re adding muscle. Stay in control. Personally after my photoshoot I’ve kept my weight within 5lbs over 3 months and it has almost been effortless. I’ve managed to keep on top of my habits, enjoy social events and train hard. It has been a perfect blend for me and I have many clients going through the same process. The reason this part of the journey can actually be quite easy is due to the fact that you can be a bit more lenient with your intake and output. For example, if you do decide to eat 200-300 calories more one day you know it’s not going to put you into a huge excess of calories that would lead to adding noticeable amounts of body fat. Also you should have increased your calories slightly and this will lead to you have more energy, this means your ability to make decisions with food should improve and you can train harder in the gym. It’s important to accept the fact that you will gain a bit of body fat after your dieting phase. You need to find a place that your body settles at nicely when consuming around your maintenance calorie intake. Once you’re in this place, then you can decide if you should go into a lean gain phase or even a dieting phase again. I recommend spending a good 12 weeks in this phase, it will allow you to enjoy social events but also force you to maintain those very important habits you created during your diet phase. These are essential for building muscle and/or dropping body fat. Being able to maintain your body weight is a very powerful thing, this can lead to better health, more energy and a less stressed body. If you’re eating too much or not eating enough you will be putting your body under stress, these are also known as ‘cutting’ and ‘bulking’ phases. Working with guys that want a strong, lean and athletic looking physique or the guys that just want to lose 10-15lbs, this understanding of a weight maintenance phase is essential. 4 things that will allow you to maintain your hard work and keep you focused. Many people claim to lose their focus after a dieting phase and motivation drops so using these principles you will continue to keep on top of things and keep progressing. 1. Cap your body weight – This for me has been an absolute game changer and not just with me but with clients also. I got ready for a photoshoot in November and it’s now February. Using this weight cap system, I’ve managed to maintain my body weight better than ever. This has without a doubt been my most successful physique after a dieting phase. Put in a place a weight cap of 4-8lbs (depending on how much weight you’ve lost) and keep up tracking this. Once you go over this desired weight you make sure you put in the work to get it back down and then continue with your maintenance phase. I try to stay 2lbs below this number so when I eat out I stay within this number. Do this for 12 weeks and then decide what your next goal is. 2. Track food, bodyweight & activity – Continue to track these things, you don’t have to do it to perfection like you might have needed to do for a dieting phase but do keep on top of all these important factors that have helped you achieve the physique you have now. This will also set you up when you decide where you want to go next with your goals. 3. Keep up with your preparation – Such an important factor with any phase of your journey. People seem to lose sight of the important habits that make them feel good and keep them focused. Preparation is one of these, you will find yourself sleeping a lot easier and waking a lot easier if you have all your stuff set for the next day. We are creatures of habit and routine is a good thing for us. 4. Enjoy social events – Most important part of this phase, you can still and should enjoy social events. Don’t get caught up trying to work around these things, keep your weight in check, maintain your tracking, keep up with your prep and you will be able to relax and enjoy these events. The very next day you should have everything planned and prepared to go for it. Also another tip, don’t cut all calories leading into this social event because it’ll only cause you to over consume or feel tired after. If you can keep on top of these 4 things you will find yourself being able to have a very successful weight maintenance phase that in my personal opinion is essential before you make the decision on what is next. When you’re low on calories you instantly go for the ‘bulking’ option because you can’t bare the low calorie intake and constant deficit. Well give a maintenance phase a go. This will set you up for a lean gain phase or to continue on with your dieting phase. Any questions please ask away! 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