How to know if you’re ready to start a deficit

The typical rule of thumb you’ll hear most coaches recommend is to stay in maintenance for at least the amount of time you spend in your deficit. So, if you diet for 12 weeks, but still have further fat loss goals, you should wait at least 12 weeks to go back into a deficit to further work towards those goals. 

I do mostly agree with this. However, I think there are some other variables we should consider too:

Timing 

What time of the year is it? How many trips do you have planned? Are you starting a new job? Are you extra stressed right now? There’s never a perfect time and you’re always going to be busy, but it’s helpful to plan for deficits during times when compliance will just naturally be easier. For example, if you tend to do a lot of celebrating over the holidays, maybe don’t do a deficit during November and December. If you have 3 long vacations planned, maybe don’t plan for a deficit during that time, because it’ll only prolong it. If you tend to have less overall motivation during certain seasons of the year, plan to master maintenance during that time, instead. Set yourself up for success, so you can do it right when you do it and not be playing the never-ending game of “feeling like you’re in a deficit but not getting the results.” 

Where you’re currently at versus long term goal

Aside from the obvious fact that maintenance should be where we spend the majority of our life, maintenance can also be looked at as a pit stop while working on bigger goals. Depending on where you currently are and where you want to be will help determine the length at which you should stay in maintenance. No matter your goals, remember that maintenance is a great pit stop to recoup mentally and physically after dieting and actually help us reach our goals faster. If you have someone with more than 20-30 lbs to lose, there’s a good chance that this person might handle shorter periods of maintenance. They don’t even necessarily have to follow the rule of maintenance from above. Maybe 8 weeks is enough to recoup in some scenarios. On the other hand, if you have someone with 10 lbs or less to lose and their main goal is to just “tone up” and they have very minimal muscle on their frame, only spending 3 months in maintenance could lead them to forever spinning their wheels. This person would benefit with 6-12+ months spent at maintenance to build muscle before going back into a deficit. 

Is the juice worth the squeeze?

Unless your weight is causing health issues/could potentially cause health issues, you really never have to diet. Remember that women have healthy maintenance weight ranges, and we don’t always have to fall on the low side of that range. If you’re able to live your life with a little more food flexibility and less rigidity being 2-5 lbs higher, sometimes it’s just worth it!