So what do you do when that big event that you’ve been training for has come and passed? How do you go back to eating “normally” after months and months of strict dieting? When do you decide to implement your exit strategy?
The Rebound Effect
Most of us know of at least one person in our lives who has gone on an extreme diet for months on end, lost tons of weight, and then put all that weight back on again within a few short weeks after they came off their diet. In the fitness industry this is what we call the rebound effect. In the bodybuilding industry, we call this the post show rebound. Call it what you want, but if you fall victim to this nasty rebound, you’re definitely not alone. The physical effects from extreme exercising can lead to permanent damage on both the thyroid and the adrenal glands. The psychological effects from extreme dieting can lead to depression and anxiety if not treated correctly. Hence to say the overall damage on a person’s mind and body can become overwhelming in the long term, if dieting and exercising are taken to extreme measures.
Time to Relax? NO!
Whenever I have a client that is close to reaching his or her target weight loss goal, or is nearing the end of their contest preparation, or is entering an offseason from their respected sport, I always ask them what they’re next goal is. If they’re response is to take some time off from exercise, eat whatever they want and relax, I instantly become worried. Now ofcourse I want my clients to be able to have some downtime, especially once they achieve their goal(s). However I never want them to become content with their achievements and take their foot off the gas pedal for too long. In my opinion this can only lead to disastrous results in the end.
If you’ve been putting in hours and hours of hard work at the gym and staying on track and disciplined with your diet in the kitchen for months on end, then your body has become very accustomed to this way of life. Therefore if all of a sudden you do a 180 and stop going to the gym while eating pizza and cookies all day, your body is going to go into a complete state of shock. Remember, your metabolism is most likely going to be a bit slower then normal after following a calorie restricted diet for a prolonged period of time. Sitting on your butt and indulging on calorically dense foods is only going to lead to a quick and unpleasant weight gain. Therefore even though you might not have a clear and precise goal in mind at that moment, you need to go immediately into maintenance mode after your goal has been achieved or the event that you have been training for has ended.
Going Into Maintenance Mode
First I want to start by saying – I HATE maintenance mode. I personally train harder and diet stricter when I’m training for a specific event or contest. With that said though I understand that maintenance mode is important for both my physical state and my mental state and I always come out stronger and more refreshed once this period of my training regime comes to an end.
But what exactly is maintenance mode?
Well the way I view it and describe it to my clients as is that instead of driving my car at 180 mph 24/7, I’ve cut it in half and have taken the speed down to about 80 mph for the time being. Not only is this better for my engine, but I’ll get more longevity out of my car/body in the long run. In the case of dieting and exercising while in maintenance mode I’ll still do both, but not to the extent that I was doing them when I was driving my car at 180 mph. For example, instead of going to the gym 7x/week, I’ll usually cut my frequency down to roughly 3-4x/week the first few weeks after a competition. And when it comes to my diet, for the most part it will stay the same however I’ll allow myself to indulge in 3-4 cheat meals a week just to get a sense or normalcy back into my routine again.
Have Other Hobbies
Finally I cannot stress how important it is to have other hobbies outside of working out and eating clean. All too often I see people who become consumed in this fitness lifestyle and the reality really is, is that too much of anything is not healthy, even when it comes to diet and exercise. Therefore it’s important to have other hobbies that are completely unrelated to the gym.
If you follow me on Instagram or on Facebook, then all you will really find are posts related to health, nutrition and exercise. However you have to remember that I use our social media platforms strictly for business and my business is fitness. To someone who doesn’t know me personally, they might just view me as another one dimensional muscle meathead who’s obsessed with developing his physique. However the reality is that I live a completely different life outside of my career as Personal Trainer/Online Fitness Coach. I don’t discuss training and dieting with my friends and family members and I don’t want anything that reminds me of the gym from a mat to a dumbbell to even a foam roller taking up space in my house. As for hobbies, I take great interest in investing in real estate, stocks and bonds and therefore my two most visited websites are the MLS and my online portfolio, which I manage myself on a regular basis. I’m not much of one for TV, however I have been known to binge on Netflix occasionally and I do have a weird obsession and joy with cleaning (which any of my clients who train with me on the floor in our gym will attest to).
My point is that it’s important to have hobbies and interests outside of the gym because if you don’t then it’s a sure fire way to burn out quickly both mentally and physically and begin to loathe something that you once loved.
The Dangerous C’s
If you don’t want to rebound with your body and lose all of the hard work you put into transforming your physique, then make sure you stay away from the three C’s:
Don’t Ever Be COMPLACENT
Don’t Allow Yourself To Become CONTENT
And Don’t Let Yourself Get COMFORTABLE.
Yours in Good Health,
Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance