Ep. #1057: Menno Henselmans on Reasons to Stop Taking Diet Breaks

Diet breaks have become more popular in the evidence-based community over the past few years. The strategy is purported not just to improve your results during a cut, but actually make dieting easier. But is the science so clear-cut? In this interview, Menno Henselmans and I discuss the scientific literature on diet breaks, including a new study in which he was involved.  Menno has been on my podcast many times, but in case you’re not familiar with him, he’s a former business consultant turned international public speaker, educator, writer, published scientist, and physique coach who’s passionate about helping serious athletes attain their ideal physiques. In this interview, Menno and I chat about . . . - Why diet breaks have become so popular in the evidence-based space in recent years - How his new diet break study was designed and conducted and its results - The reasons why adding maintenance periods to a cut probably won’t “trick” your body and mitigate the negative side effects of a calorie deficit - Why diet breaks are probably a waste of time, just make your diets take longer, and what you should do instead - Protein-sparing modified fasts and when they’re useful and who might benefit from them - How to add in extremely low-calorie days to a cut (the opposite of refeeds) and why you might want to - Why very short bulks don’t work (but mini-cuts do) - And more . . . So if you want to learn diet breaks and what the latest science says about their utility, give this podcast a listen! Timestamps: (0:00) - Please leave a review of the show wherever you listen to podcasts and make sure to subscribe! (15:01) - Is it okay to cut for 8 months straight? and should I incorporate breaks? (24:24) - Why is it important to let off the breaks in exercise? (32:39) - Save up to 50% during our Spring Sale! www.buylegion.com (34:20) - Is it okay to have little maintenance periods? (39:43) - Is it true that when you go from a cut or maintenance into a calorie surplus you don’t notice all the benefits right away? (47:10) -  Is there a general rule of thumb for the number of exposures to unhealthy foods? (48:48) - Are there simple techniques to introduce healthy foods into your diet? (53:50) - Where can people find you and your work? Mentioned on the Show: Save up to 50% during our Spring Sale! Go to buylegion.com and use coupon code MUSCLE to save 20% on any non-sale items or get double reward points! Menno’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmO2dykYM3nlb5BtsXxp9ZQ Menno’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mennohenselmans Menno’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menno.henselmans/