Lose Weight On MORE Calories?

What if i told you studies have shown that you can actually EAT MORE and reach the same weight loss as those who continually restrict during a dieting strategy.

Fascinating research from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia showed promising results within a 2017 study.

The study focused on 47 participants of which were split into 2 two groups. Both of the groups were focusing on a caloric deficit of ⅓ of their maintenance calories, although one group was allowed to alternate between two weeks of restriction and 2 weeks of maintenance calories for a period of 30 weeks (16 weeks dieting in total).

The other group was told to consistently restrict their calories for a total of 16 weeks. The results showed that the weight loss between both groups was significant and the gorup who incorporated two-week diet breaks within their journey were able to keep more weight off long-term (8kg more weight lost within 6 months) (University of Tasmania, 2017).

So why did this diet break group achieve a higher success with their weight loss journey?

The lead of the study, Professor Nuala Byrne said that “Dieting altered a series of biological processes in the body, which led to slower weight loss, and possibly weight gain.

"When we reduce our energy (food) intake during dieting, resting metabolism decreases to a greater extent than expected; a phenomenon termed 'adaptive thermogenesis' -- making weight loss harder to achieve," Professor Byrne said (Byrne et al., 2017)

To put this simply, our bodies can adapt to managing on a lower calorie consumption which can result in more fat storage when we return to original calories after a dieting period.

In addition to this “the famine reaction” is said to be humans survival mechanism which aids in survival when food was scarce. Our bodies would store extra fat in times where food may be inconsistent such as winter. These days we do not struggle to find food, but our the way our bodies react during extreme dieting is similar to this.

By including these two week dieting periods we can host an array of benefits, not only to our weightloss, but also to our relationship with food. By creating a safe environment where we do not restrict for too long we may also avoid disordered eating habits that can accompany prolonged restriction. In addition to this we will prevent our bodies from getting too comfortable with fewer calories and can prevent adaptive thermogenesis.

Other benefits to diet breaks

Interestingly another study looked at 38 resistance trained women who took part in either diet intervals for 8 weeks or consistent dieting for 6 weeks, they found that there were no changes over time in body composition but highlighted that taking breaks during a dieting period may be implemented “for those who desire a short term break from an energy restricted diet without fear of fat gain”.

So although fat gain was not presented to be more within the diet break group, there were actually no differences between both groups so it would come at a benefit to give yourself a break.

The study also highlighted that this way of dieting may reduce the impact of prolonged energy restriction (Siedler et al., 2023). They concluded that the dietbreak group had a lower disinhibition score, this means they responded to tempting foods in a more restrained way. This was likely because they were not restricting themselves as much, as those who were continuously dieting had a higher disinhibition score. This study was only 6 weeks compared to the 2017 study which was 32 weeks.

Campbell et al. reported that there was a greater retention of lean mass and resting metabolic rate with those who took part in 5 days of caloric restriction, and 2 days of refeeds back to maintenance claories, compared to those who continually restricted their calories (Campbell et al., 2020).

So looking at the research it seems that although there is conflicting evidence, the general consensus is showing us that it will not hurt your fat loss to take part in diet breaks and there may potentially be many benefits.

As always, approach your fat loss and aesthetic goals as part of a healthy lifestyle.. Not a quick fix. This is why diet breaks may be a positive addition to your weightloss journey!

Byrne, N.M., Sainsbury, A., King, N.A., Hills, A.P. and Wood, R.E. (2017). Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men: the MATADOR study. International Journal of Obesity, 42(2), pp.129–138. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.206.

Siedler, M., Lewis, M., Trexler, E., Lamadrid, P., Waddell, B., Bishop, S., SanFilippo, G., Callahan, K., Mathas, D., Mastrofini, G., Menno Henselmans, Fredrik Vårvik and Campbell, B. (2023b). The Effects of Intermittent Diet Breaks during 25% Energy Restriction on Body Composition and Resting Metabolic Rate in Resistance-Trained Females: A Randomized Controlled Trial. National Library of Medicine, [online] 86(1), pp.117–132. doi:https://doi.org/10.5114/jhk/159960.

Campbell, B.I., Aguilar, D., Colenso-Semple, L.M., Hartke, K., Fleming, A.R., Fox, C.D., Longstrom, J.M., Rogers, G.E., Mathas, D.B., Wong, V., Ford, S. and Gorman, J. (2020). Intermittent Energy Restriction Attenuates the Loss of Fat Free Mass in Resistance Trained Individuals. A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 5(1), p.19. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk5010019.