
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know how it goes. You start strong, cut calories, and stick to your plan, but after a while, things start to feel off. Your progress slows, you feel constantly hungry, and suddenly, that burger you've been avoiding becomes all you can think about.
It’s not just in your head—your body is actually working against you. When you lose weight, your metabolism slows down more than expected, and your hunger hormones start pushing you to eat more. This frustrating phenomenon is known as metabolic adaptation, and it’s a common roadblock on the path to weight loss.
But what if there was a way to outsmart your body’s natural resistance? Recent research suggests that taking planned diet breaks could help you achieve your weight loss goals while minimising some of these challenges. Let's explore how this strategy works and why it might be the key to making your diet more effective and sustainable.
What Are Diet Breaks?
If you’ve ever followed a traditional weight-loss plan, you know the drill: cut calories every day for as long as you can. With diet breaks, the approach is different. You still restrict calories to lose weight, but you do it in cycles.
After several weeks of calorie restriction, you take a break—one or more weeks where you eat just enough to maintain your new weight, not gain it back. This approach aims to give your metabolism a chance to recover and your hunger hormones to stabilise, making it easier to return to a calorie deficit later on.
Another method, called “refeeds,” works similarly but on a shorter cycle. Instead of dieting for weeks, you might restrict calories for a few days, followed by one or two days of eating at maintenance level.
Both diet breaks and refeeds are types of intermittent dieting, which is different from intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting focuses on when you eat (like eating only during an eight-hour window), while intermittent dieting is about how much you eat. Even during the breaks, you still monitor your caloric intake.
Think of it like a de-loading week in a workout programme: you give your body a chance to recover, so you come back stronger and more resilient.
How the Study Was Conducted
The research review looked at 12 different studies with a combined total of 881 participants. Eight studies focused on diet breaks, while the remaining four explored refeeds. These studies varied widely, ranging from just four weeks to a year in duration.
Participants were diverse: some were in their early twenties, while others were in their sixties. The studies included both men and women, and the participants' fitness levels ranged from mostly sedentary individuals to resistance-trained athletes. Some studies focused on those who were overweight or had obesity, while others included individuals with a BMI below 25.
What the Research Found
Despite the variety of participants and study designs, the findings were surprisingly consistent.
Weight Loss: Participants lost about the same amount of weight whether they followed a constant calorie restriction or an intermittent dieting approach with breaks.
Fat Loss and Muscle Mass: Both groups lost similar amounts of fat and retained most of their lean muscle mass, indicating similar improvements in body composition.
Metabolic Rate: This is where the difference became clear. Those on a constant calorie-restricted diet experienced a significant drop in their resting metabolic rate (RMR), averaging a decline of 92 calories per day. In contrast, those who took diet breaks or used refeeds only saw their RMR drop by about 39 calories per day.
The impact was even more noticeable among participants classified as overweight or having obesity. For these individuals, constant dieting led to an RMR decrease of 106 calories per day, compared to just 39 calories per day for those using intermittent dieting.
Important Details
It’s worth noting that this review didn’t examine other aspects of metabolic adaptation, such as total daily energy expenditure or non-exercise physical activity. Both factors can contribute to how your metabolism adapts to a calorie-restricted diet. The efficiency of your muscles, which can affect how many calories you burn during activities, also wasn't assessed.
What This Means for You
Dieting Is Tough, No Matter the Approach: Whether you’re restricting calories constantly or intermittently, cutting back on food isn’t easy. The review found that around 23% of participants dropped out of both types of studies, even with professional guidance. This underscores the importance of finding a dieting approach that feels sustainable and matches your lifestyle and preferences.
Eating Less Has Real Consequences: If you've ever felt more sluggish in your workouts during a diet, that's because eating less reduces your energy levels. Interestingly, some studies suggest that diet breaks can boost your performance. Participants in one study had better muscle endurance in their legs after a diet break, along with less hunger and irritability. Using diet breaks strategically can help you maintain the energy needed for intense workouts, making the dieting periods more tolerable.
Moving Forward
If you’re considering a weight-loss plan, incorporating diet breaks might make the journey more manageable. Think of it as building in time to recharge, helping your metabolism stay active and your hunger in check. By listening to your body and allowing yourself these breaks, you may find it easier to stick with your weight-loss goals and enjoy a healthier relationship with food. Remember, the ultimate goal is not just to lose weight but to maintain a balanced, sustainable lifestyle.
Need personalised guidance or the right supplements for your diet? Book a free consultation with a health coach today to get expert advice tailored to your needs.
References:
Do diet breaks offer a metabolic advantage?. Precision Nutrition.
Rosenbaum, M., and R. L. Leibel. 2010. Adaptive Thermogenesis in Humans. International Journal of Obesity 34 Suppl 1 (0 1): S47–55.
Poon, Eric Tsz-Chun, Jaclyn Hei Tsang, Fenghua Sun, Chen Zheng, and Stephen Heung-Sang Wong. 2024. Effects of Intermittent Dieting with Break Periods on Body Composition and Metabolic Adaptation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrition Reviews, January.
Ash, S., M. M. Reeves, S. Yeo, G. Morrison, D. Carey, and S. Capra. 2003. Effect of Intensive Dietetic Interventions on Weight and Glycaemic Control in Overweight Men with Type II Diabetes: A Randomised Trial. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders: Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 27 (7): 797–802.
Headland, Michelle Louise, Peter Marshall Clifton, and Jennifer Beatrice Keogh. 2019. Effect of Intermittent Compared to Continuous Energy Restriction on Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance after 12 Months in Healthy Overweight or Obese Adults. International Journal of Obesity 43 (10): 2028–36.
Peos, Jackson J., Eric R. Helms, Paul A. Fournier, James Krieger, and Amanda Sainsbury. 2021. A 1-Week Diet Break Improves Muscle Endurance during an Intermittent Dieting Regime in Adult Athletes: A Pre-Specified Secondary Analysis of the ICECAP Trial. PloS One 16 (2): e0247292.
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