DIET BREAK | Fat Loss Solution

We have all been stuck during our fat loss diet, lowering food, increasing our caloric deficit and found nothing happened. Perhaps if you are in a place where you feel run down and not seeing the body fat come off it's time for a diet break. What is a diet break?
As the first coach to introduce the Diet Break as a regular tool for those focused on getting shredded I have a unique insight into who this does and does not benefit.
The actual Research of the Diet Break goes back to this study.
pubmed.ncbi.nl...
My first video from 2017 discussing the Diet Break
• Diet Break For Your Be...
Diet Break to lose more body fat, to keep more fat off and to have a better response but is it time for you to take one yet?

[@PaulRevelia]

Have you ever tried taking a break during fat loss, to maintain for a week or more?

[@GBODYFITNESS6]

Actually a week in at maintenance. Trying to decide if I want to add another 100 for a week into a small surplus or cut again for a few weeks. I'm at around 13 percent fat right now. 5 foot 7 at 149 pounds

[@minc3]

I guess the fear of regaining “fat” or body weight (could be water retention) prevents me from taking break. *on deficit for more than a year and lost like more than 50kg for the past 1year* lowest I managed to hit was 70kg / 179cm height Trying to get rid of the last bid of man boobs + love handles. Super exhausted especially when the deficit numbers going lower and lower which is unsustainable. Decided to take a diet break which resulted in diet off or broken 😅. Weight boosted up for 5kg+ for the past 3 months. Now back to deficit and add on more cardio. Decided to go slower and steadier this round.

[@DvnnyG14]

Question: the maintanance calories are calculated for current weight or goal weight (as in the case for deficit ones)? Or just use the +25/-50% example?

[@GBODYFITNESS6]

PAUL, I AM 5 FOOT 7. MY GOAL IS 10 PERCENT BODYFAT. WHAT IS A GOOD GOAL WEIGHT IF I WANT THAT BODYBUILDER LOOK?

[@heatherjackson3890]

I just started a break 3.5wks ago after 6mons of deficit. Mentally it's been good as I had 6wks of chaos and travel and didn't want to also maintain a deficit. I'm now at my lowest weight but will wait another 3wks to resume a deficit.

[@Hello_Ladies]

Just started listening/watching. Thanks for doing what you do. I've started walking 3 miles a day on 4 incline 3 speed treadmill, and it feels good

[@sl5946]

I've been on a diet break for 6 years

[@PaulRevelia]

I believe that's a diet off.

[@sl5946]

@@PaulRevelia semantics 😁

[@hockeymomavalon2499]

Hahaha!!!

[@ParadisegetawaysNet]

😂

[@minc3]

Diet broken 😂

[@BR_SH01]

I took a diet break in February, I started my cut a little too hard in January and lost 10lb in the first 3 weeks. So during February I brought my calories back up to close to my previous maintenance and had a cheat meal. I lost 2 more lbs. on march first I resume and have lost about 8lbs more so far.

[@DanGamano]

You are my favorite in the fitness diet space

[@PaulRevelia]

Thank you Dan

[@believeinjesus8300]

You are very direct and to the point. I appreciate that. 👍🏾

[@PaulRevelia]

Glad it was helpful!

[@lsik231l]

I lost 26 pounds (281-255) between Nov-Dec 2023. Took a diet break when I went traveling for 1.5 months with no weight training or cardio - only gained 3 pounds. Got back into it in mid-Feb this year and have lost 16 pounds since (258-242). So, total loss so far is 39 pounds. The diet break didn't seem like a big setback and was a good opportunity to practice "maintaining" bodyweight. 3 lbs increase in 6 weeks wasn't too bad and only needed one week to recover from it. So, I'll probably take another diet break in a month or so, but only for two weeks. Then, I'll be on the home stretch to cut until my final goal.

[@sipstea26]

I just appreciate Paul for keeping it 100% real. Most people don't train like a body builder and I definitely need a deadline to be able to push myself to get the results I want. All facts in this video.

[@geraldonunez1183]

About to take one for a week. My performance at the gym is suffering plus i feel like shit. i've been losing weight since July 2023 and never took a diet break. i went from 260 pounds to 187 and managed to keep the muscle i built during that time frame. i'm 5'11 29 year old.

[@DNashvegas]

That's awesome! I'm in same boat but since beginning of year. Went from over 200 (205ish I think) to now 177. Just tired and irritable and thinking of diet break

[@Mortalkindofman]

Paul, I didn’t realize the extent of your experience. You going through a fat loss phase for an extended period of time for the sake of research speaks to this. I’ve spent 2 years recovering from some pretty debilitating injuries and a bodyweight of 145. Bulked up to a strong 185 at 5’7”with high strength numbers. Just hit 19% body fat so it’s time to cut and bring out what I’ve been building. Going to use your methods and info almost exclusively. Especially keeping protein at GOAL bodyweight and lifting hard and heavy with the cardio. Thanks!

[@kenthawley5990]

This flexible eating has been working for me as a way to get off those plateaus.

[@PaulRevelia]

Great to hear!

[@JohanFitFoodie]

Flexible dieting, prioritizing protein, but also having carb refeeds and diet breaks, e.g. when traveling, have enabled me to stay on track despite far from ideal conditions 😊💪 Greetings from a 36 yo Swede in Beijing 🌆🏯⛩️

[@PaulRevelia]

Thanks for sharing!

[@joeont]

Took a diet break this weekend, not intentionally, but it happened. Tracking average calories over the week and the month tells me I am still in a deficit and expect to be down about 3lbs this month based on the numbers.

[@PaulRevelia]

That's awesome thanks for sharing!

[@johncantu1974]

Hello Coach Paul, Here are my Re-feed notes from your talk that caught my attention: - Increase CARB calories by 300 - Reduce cardio by 50% - Do this one week at a time - More beneficial to do when less than 12% body fat Is it necessary to also reduce cardio during re-feeds? I'm an endurance athlete who trains hard for 3 weeks and 4th week is a recovery week where cardio is reduced by about 40%. I was thinking about doing the re-feed during the hardest exercise week since I burn the most calories that week. Do you think this re-feed approach where cardio is increased is just as good as doing re-feed when cardio is decreased for an athlete who is around 12% body fat?

[@TheMr0450]

Wow ur channel blew up.. congrats Paul.

[@PaulRevelia]

it's been a fun journey!

[@Fremmy]

Im currently on a 3 week diet break after having been in a calorie deficit for over 9 months. Gone from 115 kg to now sitting at 89 kg and would guesstimate I’m sitting at around 20-22% bodyfat. Most of the fat left is stores at my belly since my arms, shoulders and back are fairly lean. So I’d need to drop to 78-80 kg before I would deem myself 12-14% body fat depending on how good my measurements are. 180cm tall, 25 years old if it matters. I’ve been doing 60 min daily incline treadmill, 10-12k steps a day, FBD workout 3x week and was down to 1900 kcal/day. Scale has been stuck for entirety of october 2024 and a week of september 2024. I deemed the situation hopeless because going lower on calories and/or increasing output by doing more incline treadmill or more steps is just not gonna work in the long run due to fatigue as well as finding time in my day to add this extra output. I’ve upped calories for week 1 from 1900 to 2300 per day. Week 2 from 2300 to 2550 and week 3 will be 2800. Then at week 4 I’ll lower calories again to 2500 as well as increase my output again because I’ve lowered my incline treadmill to 30 minutes 4x week. Currently on day 12 of the diet break. I will update this post with a comment in a month with a progress status and if the diet break worked.

[@lucasbarbosaanana3681]

Hi, Paul! When you said never go below 10x your weight in calories, did you mean our current weight or our goal weight? I’am at 276lb and my goal is 220lb Sorry for my grammar, greetings from Brazil 🇧🇷👏

[@kristinasecret1767]

Thanks for this informations!

[@PaulRevelia]

You bet!

[@jayfinn6698]

Enjoying my journey eight weeks in, Someday may 1st will come.

[@david6920-r6z]

Very good info thanks

[@PaulRevelia]

Glad it was helpful!

[@poosy2]

Some real talk in this episode

[@montyellingsworth4982]

June 29th I have a family get together at a swimming pool. that would be enough time if I was making progress but in the last month I have made 0 progress. I have been stuck between 200 to 208 pounds for months. I need to lose up to 40 pounds but not just lose the weight.. also just be in better health.

[@fitwitry]

What would be a good macro ratio for a lean bulk ? Currently 175lbs, very active throughout the day with a physical job and lifting plus cardio. Ranging anywhere between 18k-24k steps a day, training 5-6x a week intensely

[@richsamuel2922]

Paul you certainly are the handsomer gentleman between us. You're older than me look younger. I hope we can grow old together.

[@noname5905]

You’ve mentioned calories should be 10x/ body weight. I’ve been eating 1350 calories/day for the last 8 weeks. I’m currently 150lbs (5’4”)trying to get to 130lbs by June 2024. I’ve been weight training 3x/week and walking ~8,000 steps a day. I’m losing weight. If my calories are too low right now, what can I do to get them higher, but not gain the weight back? Thanks!

[@sj19478]

When would you coach someone to do a diet break vs refeed in prep?

[@ChrisW1019]

Hi Paul, which cardio session is better for fat loss while doing resistance training for muscle building: 30 minutes HISSS or 60 minutes LISS? Greetings from Canada 🇨🇦

[@PaulRevelia]

i have tried it both ways and HIIT with resistance training was not good for me, the low intensity is much better.

[@robertvocals]

Weird, im in a deficit with carb cycling for 3 months now and this month i ate way over maintenance for 2 days (on 2 single sundays, 2 weeks away from each other). The next 2 days my weight dropped by 1kg. But now my metabolism is so shutdown that i will try to diet break a whole week. Hope this helps with the typical "overtraining" symptoms. Im so tired...🙈

[@TheVitalityMindset]

Where is your tdee calculator located?

[@bhaskarbeardo]

@PaulRevelia what's your age?

[@basicprogrammer6147]

Question: What do you think of the theory that one would drop almost too low, and then add on a little fat/weight? So, say your target weight is 170 lbs from 200. Get down to 180 lbs, and then go back up to 185. Then, get down to 175 and purposely go back up to 180. Then 170, go to 175. Then 165, and then 170 and stay at that weight indefinitely. See what I mean? So, you stair step your way down.

[@PaulRevelia]

Great in theory!

[@basicprogrammer6147]

@@PaulRevelia Yes, try to drop in 5-10 lb increments. You've probably seen my other posts about beans. I gotta say.. I am the MASTER of bean soups these days! Going for a 10 mile walk now... Thanks!

[@mastermemo2187]

What about deloads during a cut? I am fat , but strong asf, because I did lift in the past for years. I do mesocycles of 10weeks , can I just stay at a deficit during my deloadweek, or should I get my calories to maintenance. My stats are +- the same as the guy in the video.

[@fityogafun]

This is what a natty physique looks like. He works hard to maintain this. “I don’t have the genetics to make it to the Olympia”. Translation: I’m not going to take PE’s.

[@PaulRevelia]

yeah i sure don't!

[@214wero]

Hey Paul ive been reverse dieting right now im at 1600 used to eat around 600 cal a day but for some reason my stomach feels jiggly and i feel like ive gained a little bit if weight on my lower abdominal and slightly my love handles, I increase 100 every week is this a sign i should slow it down and let my metabolism catch up? Should i stay at 1600 for another week and see how it goes? I dont really workout jus walk around 5-10k steps every day

[@A.Kuba.47]

Hi Paul, i have been doing literally what you mentioned today in this video for 6 weeks I am between 15-20% body fat currently How long do you think it will take me to reach below 15% ? Im 39 Average 10K steps a day I ball 🏀 twice a week and i lift 4 times a week

[@gameknocks2913]

I am 5’10 62kg should I use 7-11 day diet break for fat loss ❤❤❤

[@nihalyadav16]

I am 5.6 feet 63kg around 11 -13 is my body fat how much weight drop in week in a good for me for minimum muscle to reach 10 to 9 % bodyfat

[@allkicks3076]

I am 5’10 62kg should I use 7-11 day diet break for fat loss

[@dashroundaustralia]

Top 4 squares of the chess board are showing , means my bodyfat gettin down ohh yeah buddy

[@carolbeukes4810]

This is all Greek to me🙈 I have never been overweight. . . I am very active. But now Menopause 😮! I'm around my belly. 😢 I hardly eat. Any ideas?

[@johannaj2009]

Carnivore diet, fasted workouts in the morning 🥩👍🏻

[@dashroundaustralia]

I’ve been on a mini cut for 10 days at 1800 cals It’s tough bro. I eat maitenance 2700 on sundays just for a bit of a Re feed

[@fitwitry]

Have you ever tried to stay at maintenance for a couple days, then have a few lows, then refeed 1x per week?

[@yipperdeyip]

This video doesn't work for regular folks who have a normal job. When diet fatigue sets in I'm in a very low mood and can't think straight. I need to be able to think and concentrate on my office job and normal social life or everything's down the drain. People's lives don't surround working out and doing cardio all day. It's just not sustainable to continue a deficit like that, so a bit of a maintenance here is where it's at.

[@gothops2632]

Paul, when will you revelia your blood work?

[@PaulRevelia]

Maybe this week editing

[@EricTradx]

I have a cheat meal every 2 weeks I lose 6-10 lbs a month

[@PaulRevelia]

hell yes well done!

[@shiftylad9938]

Trying to lose weight but doing it whilst just been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Any areas

[@PaulRevelia]

I would assume weight loss would also help with high blood pressure, certainly tons of walking!

[@paulwilson5490]

This guys question depicts me almost exactly. I don't think just telling him to exercise more is the solution. And I don't think it's fair that you assume he is cheating every week and eating 4-5k calories. At his height, weight, and activity level he should be losing 1-2lbs a week easy. My guess is he has been dieting for a long time and needs to go into a maintenance phase. He needs to increase his calories and keep everything else the same. Then he can diet again from a higher calorie maintenance and he will start to lose weight again.

[@PaulRevelia]

I have an opinion based on my experience

[@NetworkGeek280]

Dang. Ive got alot of muscle to gain... im 6'4", 196lbs and 20% fat😢

[@PaulRevelia]

That's the fun part!

[@stefanocappella9612]

My only issue is my belly. I'm 50.

[@robbybee70]

no stress in highschool? ..... wow

[@PaulRevelia]

compared to stress now, sure i thought i had stress in high school but it's nothing compared to being a fully independent adult. My job was to get up, go to class, do some home work, play some sports.

[@robbybee70]

I appreciate that was your experience but highschool kids have taken care of siblings and grandparents etc as well as delt with drug dealer and stabbings of classmates. too broad a brush.@@PaulRevelia

[@PaulRevelia]

Some people just want to be a victim I guess, if you have dress like that why would you be worried about fitness videos….

[@robbybee70]

you are frankly short sighted and lack basic understanding. 300M+ in the USA alone are you really narrow minded enough to think your limited personal experience covers everyone? @@PaulRevelia

[@daviddarkstonedtv9775]

😅😅😅😅 Honestly that soft attitude, if that's the high-school attitude you had I can see where that stress came from, it comes from being a pu$$y in HS probably making excuses moaning about everything just look at you moaning on here!! 😅😅😅

[@allkicks3076]

I am 5’10 62kg should I use 7-11 day diet break for fat loss