Contrary to popular belief, achieving your fitness goals requires more than just losing weight. There is, in fact, so much more to it than simply cut calories → lose weight → live happily ever after.
Have you been:
- spinning your wheels wondering why your current efforts do not reflect the body you want?
- unable to reach your goal weight/physique?
- struggling with increasing muscle?
- eating low calories for a long period of time?
You aren’t alone! Many people struggle to realize that the best approach to reaching their fitness goals actually lies in 3-4 nutrition phases that you might cycle through multiple times over the course of months or years.
I will break down the roadmap that can guide you through your fitness journey. This approach is backed by evidence as the most safe and effective way to change and maintain your body!
Finding Your Starting Point
If your goal is to lose body fat, build muscle and change your overall body composition, then likely the first question you might ask is, “where do I start?”
You may have heard that it’s best to focus on one task at hand; either lose body fat or build muscle. But trying to do both at once is difficult to do. So the first step in any fitness journey is to find your starting point. Ask yourself this,
“Am I comfortable with where my body is currently at to start building muscle or do I have some weight I would like to lose first?
The answer to this will dictate whether you start your roadmap at a fat loss phase or at maintenance/surplus. Regardless of your starting point, make sure you do each phase in the correct order to maximize and maintain your results long term.
The Fat Loss Phase
This phase aims to bring your body fat to your comfortable level. This is not about losing weight quickly, but about sustainable fat loss. It’s about understanding your body’s needs and giving it the right amount of nutrients, while reducing your caloric intake. This phase might be challenging, but doing it at a realistic rate of change will allow you more food, better adherence and sustainable results.
The Reverse Diet Phase
After the Fat Loss Phase, next phase is the Reverse Diet Phase. This phase aims to bring your caloric intake back to your maintenance level. This might seem counterintuitive, but remember, our body is not meant to survive on deficit calories forever. After a period in a caloric deficit, it’s important to slowly increase your caloric intake to give your body [and mind] a break and improve your metabolic health. This phase can be tricky because every individual responds differently. You might have temporary weight fluctuations, a slight amount of increase in body fat or perhaps continued positive changes in your body composition! The rate at which you reverse depends on your metabolic health, goals and timeline.
Maintenance Phase
After the Reverse Diet Phase, you enter the Maintenance Phase. This phase can last for 2-6 months or even longer. And one day for life! The goal here is to maintain your hard-earned physique and continue to give your body a break from dieting. You’ve worked hard to get here, so now it’s time to enjoy the extra calories and be ok with the stillness. Many find this phase difficult because we are used to chasing goals and seeing progressive changes to our physique. But, you might actually find you still build a decent amount of muscle here. So this is the time to focus on your efforts at the gym and put the extra energy to good use! What this phase does not mean is you can go back to old eating habits or stop exercising. It is about increasing the quantity of food and not changing the quality of food that got you to this point.
The Build Phase – optional
The next phase is the Build Phase, which is entirely optional. You might be building enough muscle mass in your Maintenance Phase or perhaps you don’t care to build any more muscle at all. But if you want to add muscle mass, this phase is optimal by eating ideally in a caloric surplus. This is the time to focus on strength training and consuming a balanced diet. It’s important to note that building muscle mass can be a slow process, so don’t rush in and out of this phase. Be comfortable staying here for 6 months+ and be comfortable with extra weight as some body fat is usually inevitable. It is part of the process of building major muscle.
This entire cycle continues until you achieve your fitness goals. Don’t forget, it’s about enjoying the process and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Fitness is not a destination, but a journey. So use the roadmap I gave you and enjoy every step of the way!
Final Thoughts
I hope you found this roadmap helpful. Remember, achieving fitness goals is not about drastic changes, but consistent efforts. So, stay consistent, stay patient, and most importantly, enjoy the process. Stay tuned for more fitness tips and tricks. Here’s to a healthier you!
About Michelle Kilduff
As a dedicated nutrition coach, I am committed to helping people achieve their health and fitness goals. Follow me on Instagram for more nutrition education and tips.
