What Is a Maintenance Phase and How Long Should It Last?

Nikkiey: Maintenance is where the magic happens, but it's also where the magic of sustainability happens. When you're in maintenance, it gives you the mental freedom to be like, ah, I can enjoy life. I don't need to be 100%. You can focus on other areas without feeling like you're constantly chasing some type of goal.

What's going on, you guys? Hey, everyone. Welcome to The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott, co-founder of WarriorBabe. On this podcast, we talk about mindset, methodologies, and tactics that will help you lose body fat, build muscle, be strong, and feel insanely confident.

I am your host, Nikkiey Stott, and welcome to today's episode, episode number 232. Today, I'm really excited to dive into the topic that I have on deck. But before I dive into the topic, I just want to give a huge thank you to every single one of you guys who listens to this podcast, who shares this podcast, who reviews this podcast. If you haven't yet reviewed it, please do, because it literally helps these episodes and this whole podcast series go so much further than I, one person, can do.

You guys help in so many ways, to the point that we're almost at 800,000 downloads since its birth back in January of 2023. Wow. So we're coming up on a million downloads, 200,000 more to go. And that's because of you guys, your dedication and your consistency in tuning into the episodes or sharing the episodes. So I just wanted to give a huge thank you. Thank you so much for helping spread these episodes and this podcast.

Today, we're going to dive into understanding your maintenance phase, because that is the key to long-term fitness and the key to long-term success. I know some of you guys might be thinking, maintenance? Isn't that just staying where you are? Isn't it just a waste of time? Couldn't I be losing weight and cutting, or couldn't I be focusing on doing a build and adding more calories? And trust me, if you have ever thought that, you are not alone. I hear it all the time.

Why do I need to be in maintenance? In maintenance, I'm just staying where I'm at. I'm just holding my weight. Nothing is happening. The scale isn't going down. I'm not seeing much in terms of progress photos. I've heard it. Our coaches in WarriorBabe have heard it. But here's the truth. And you guys know that I always speak the truth, even if it's not sexy, even if you don't want to hear it. Direct, no-bullshit approach, real, raw, honest, because that's reality. I'm not going to fantasize and dream about how you transform your body.

That goes for all of the episodes, and especially this one today. Maintenance is just as important, if not more so, than your fat loss phase and your cutting phase or your muscle building phase. So today in this episode, what I want to break down with you guys is what exactly maintenance is. Maybe you've heard me talk about it on episodes prior to this. I've definitely done an episode dedicated to when to go into maintenance, when to be in fat loss, and what all the different phases are. But I'm going to bring this one back because I think it's really important as we lead into the other components of the episode today.

So we're going to talk about what the maintenance phase actually is and why it's so critical and crucial for your results and your overall health. We're going to talk about how to approach it intentionally. And then how to know when it's time to do a maintenance break, and for how long. Before I even dive into these components, I just want you to know that everybody is individually different. Some people can be in a maintenance phase. Some people should be in a fat loss phase. Some people should be in a building phase. Today is for you if you've ever been stuck in a cycle of cutting and bulking and up and down.

And you're afraid that maintaining means that you're going nowhere and you're losing progress. But maybe there are aspects of your metabolism that need a break. Or if you've been in a calorie deficit for way too long, maybe you're getting some signals that it's time and you're not aware of them. Maybe the signals I'm going to talk about today will help you become more aware of it, and you may be like, oh, I need to be in maintenance. All in all, this episode is for you guys, and more so for you to understand, learn and be educated on it, so you know what to look for, how to approach it and navigate it, or just have a better understanding and awareness of this concept.

So let's dive in. First, I want to talk about the basics. What is a maintenance phase? It is exactly what it sounds like. It is a period where you eat enough to maintain your current body weight and composition. I know I'm going to talk broadly, but there's a little aspect to this. Some of you guys could be in maintenance, especially if you're retraining your metabolism, which I've talked about on previous episodes, where you could lose weight as you're eating more food, because your body is like, oh, thank you, I've needed this for years.

But overall, broadly speaking, it is a period of time where you eat enough to maintain your current body weight and composition. You're no longer in a calorie deficit where you're cutting, and you're no longer in a calorie surplus where you're building. Instead, you're just fueling your body at the level it needs to sustain where you're currently at. And here's the kicker. Maintenance isn't about you stagnating.

It's not a plateau. It's an intentional phase where you give your body and your mind a break from the intensity of constantly being in a calorie deficit or constantly chasing some type of goal. You need a break from that. If not, you're going to experience burnout, you're going to experience frustration, and you're going to feel defeated. This is intentional. I know there's a lot of worry. If you're listening to this episode right now and you're in maintenance and you're like, this is boring, I'm not doing anything, I'm not moving, I'm in a plateau, I'm stagnating, I'm not seeing any progress.

If you're working with a WarriorBabe coach, then just know that from their point of view, this is an intentional phase where you are giving your body a break from maybe years and years of calorie deficits, or you're in between a fat loss phase and going to build more muscle, and you need a break because you were constantly chasing some type of goal.

So think about it from that perspective, and think about it as the foundation that literally supports everything else that you want to do. What I mean by that is that without it, your progress, whether it's fat loss or muscle growth, will not stick. Maintenance is where the magic happens, but it's also where the magic of sustainability happens. So I want you guys to bring that awareness and have that perspective that it is literally the foundation that will hold your entire house together.

It is the foundation for everything that you want to do moving forward, whether it be going back into fat loss or going into a building phase, and it's going to help your progress stick. Now that you know what maintenance is, I'm going to dive into why it is so important. One of the biggest reasons why people struggle with long-term success is because they're constantly jumping from one goal to the next.

They're constantly losing weight and then constantly gaining it back, and then constantly losing it again, gaining it back and losing it. Maybe that's unintentional and you're going from diet to diet to diet, losing it and gaining it and losing it. Or maybe you do understand these phases and you're going from one goal to the next, constantly cutting and bulking and cutting again, over and over, without ever taking time to let your body recalibrate. Here's the thing. For so many years I have said that your body is a machine, in the sense that it needs food in order to function.

But in this respect, your body isn't a machine. It needs periods of balance. It needs periods of recovery. It needs these periods to function at its best. When you're in a calorie deficit for an extended period of time, your metabolism will naturally slow down. That's your body's way of adapting to what it perceives as less energy coming in. And the maintenance phase helps reverse some of that metabolic adaptation by giving your body the fuel it needs to be optimally working for you again instead of against you.

A lot of people are in a constant calorie deficit. They're constantly not eating enough. They're constantly having their body adapt to less energy. And again, these things are intangible. You can't see them. But this is what's happening internally in your body while you're wondering why you're not getting anywhere. This is why: your body has adapted to a low caloric intake. Your metabolism has slowed down because it perceives that there's just less energy coming in.

People want to call it starvation mode, or whatever you want to call it, but this is what's happening. And when you're able to give your body what you can think of as a reset button for your metabolism, you're teaching your body that it's safe, that it doesn't need to hold on to fat for survival, and that it can trust you to provide consistent fuel. Another thing for women especially: long periods of dieting or extreme calorie deficits can wreak havoc on your hormones, like estrogen, progesterone and cortisol.

These hormones play a huge role in everything from energy levels to mood to your ability to build and maintain lean muscle as you continue to age and go through life. When you're in maintenance, your body has a chance to finally rebalance those hormones, which not only helps you feel better, but also supports better results and better performance when you're working out, and in the long run.

And let's be real here. Cutting and bulking, focusing on one goal like a calorie deficit and feeling tired and hungry and irritable, and then on the flip side, being in a bulk and feeling stuffed, like, oh God, I've got to eat another meal, and feeling a little fluffy, can be mentally and emotionally draining.

Maintenance gives you the mental freedom to take a step back and enjoy life. This is what I've told clients I've worked with: you don't need to be as intentionally focused in maintenance as you are in a cut or a build. You have goals in those two arenas. In building, you have the goal to build more muscle, which needs your consistent effort. And in a cut, you want to decrease body fat and look more toned, which needs your consistent effort.

And you need to show up consistently in both of those regards.

Hey, while you're listening, if you're getting value from this episode, take a moment to tap that review button or share this podcast with a friend. It's a small gesture that goes a long way in helping more women find their way to feeling stronger and more confident in their skin. I appreciate you so much for taking the time to support this show.

When you're in maintenance, it gives you the mental freedom to be like, ah, I can enjoy life. I don't need to be 100%. You can focus on other areas of your health without feeling like you're constantly chasing some type of goal. Maintenance isn't a pause button. As a key takeaway, think of it more as a tool for long-term success. It helps you take a break, it's intentional to your progress moving forward, it resets, it gives your body the chance to rebalance and it allows your mind to refocus. And when you're still eating a decent amount of calories, which should be upwards of, and it's different for everyone, 1,800, 2,000, 2,200 or even more, and eating that consistently, maybe not as consistently as in a fat loss phase or a cut, but still consistently, it sets the foundation to support the things you're going to do in the future.

So how would you approach a maintenance phase? The key here is to be intentional with it, first and foremost. You could do this with a calculator, but I wouldn't recommend it, because there are so many things that calculators don't take into account, like your lifestyle, your biofeedback, anything you may be dealing with in your metabolism, how long you've been in a calorie deficit, and so on. It just takes the basics: your height, your age, your weight, and whether you're sedentary or active.

Ladies, are you feeling frustrated with the body changes you're experiencing during menopause? It's time to take control. If you're between 45 and 65 years old and tired of struggling with body fat and muscle loss, WarriorBabe is here for you. At WarriorBabe, we've helped over 18,000 women just like you lose body fat, build toned muscle and understand their bodies better with personalized plans based on hormone and thyroid testing, and more. Imagine knowing exactly what your body needs to see real results, and results that last. Don't wait anymore. Take charge of your health and join our community of strong, empowered women. Visit warriorbabe.com/apply today to start your transformation. That's warriorbabe.com/apply. All right, let's get back to the show.

A calculator doesn't know if you're going through menopause. It doesn't know how much muscle mass you have on your body. This is why I recommend working with a coach to figure this out, because at least in WarriorBabe, they're supposed to look at your body. They're supposed to have an onboarding call and gather all of the biofeedback about your body, what you've been through and your lifestyle, take a look at how much muscle mass you have via pictures, all of this kind of stuff, and get to know where you're at in your journey. A calculator isn't going to be able to do that. But to be intentional with it, you do need to determine your maintenance calorie level.

Again, that is the calorie number your body needs to sustain your current weight. I would recommend working with a coach to figure this out, but remember, even if you do try to do this on your own, it is just a starting point, and 1000% you're going to need to adjust those calories and macros based on how your body responds. So yes, you could figure it out and maybe start at 2,000 calories. But let's say you start to gain more weight after that. Well, then that isn't necessarily your maintenance level.

Or if you're losing weight, that's not necessarily your maintenance level, right? Because maintenance is what your body needs to sustain your current weight. That's why, to take the guesswork out of it, work with a coach. And if you want to check out WarriorBabe, I highly recommend that you do. We just got a new website. It looks so freaking good. I'm so proud of the team and everyone's efforts in making it look as beautiful as it does. And if you go to the Meet the Coaches page, it's honestly my favorite page. It's so pretty. All of our coaches look so incredible.

So go check it out at warriorbabe.com. Also, when you calculate your maintenance numbers and you're doing this intentionally, just because you're in maintenance doesn't mean it's a free-for-all. As I just mentioned, you don't need to be as consistent, but it's not a free-for-all. It's not like you're going to go two days tracking or paying attention to what you're eating and then go five days not paying attention. This is still your chance to focus on nutrient-dense foods that are going to fuel your body. You should still always prioritize protein, healthy fats and complex carbs to keep your energy levels and your performance high.

Another thing I would say to be more intentional with it is to track your performance, not just your weight. During maintenance, shift your focus from the scale to your performance inside the gym and your well-being on a day-to-day basis. Ask yourself questions. Are you feeling stronger in your workouts? Is your energy better? Are you sleeping better? These are wins to celebrate that will go further than focusing on anything tied to the number on the scale.

And know this, and I need to say this for those with perfectionist mindsets: you may not maintain the same exact weight number when you're in maintenance. You will fluctuate given the daily things that you eat and consume, your hydration, and your workouts. You may fluctuate from two to five pounds up or down in maintenance. So just keep that in mind if you're going to try to do this yourself. But again, like I keep saying, a coach just takes the guesswork out of it.

Am I doing this right? Is this enough food? Maybe you need to be held accountable to staying in maintenance because you've never done it yourself and you just want to be in a cut or a build, right? All of this would be handled by your coach if you were to work with one. Now let's talk about timing, because I think this is also really important. How do you know when it's time to enter a maintenance phase? There's actually a really good podcast episode on this. I believe it's in the 100s. If you go to themacrohour.com, on your desktop, or maybe you can do this on your phone, it's easier to scroll through because the titles are a little bit bigger than on Apple or Spotify.

If you're on your desktop, you can just hit Control-F and type in maintenance, and all of the episodes of me talking about maintenance will come up and the titles will be highlighted. There's a really good episode on maintenance and entering fat loss, and doing the reverse, going from maintenance to fat loss. But anyway, in short, you'd enter maintenance if you've been in a calorie deficit for a significant period of time and your body needs a break. So that would be after a fat loss phase or after a bulking phase.

Maintenance helps you solidify the muscle that you've built without adding more fat. So you go from fat loss to maintenance, or from building back down to maintenance, and then from maintenance you can go into a fat loss phase. That was very broadly speaking. There's also what we do at WarriorBabe with retraining. If you've been in a calorie deficit when you come into WarriorBabe, which is probably at least 80% of women, where they've been eating less and less and less and their body has adapted to the low caloric intake.

Well, we can't have them eat less, because their metabolism is not going to help us. Even when people are 200 pounds and eating less, sometimes we tell them that they need to eat more. I know it doesn't make sense to the brain of someone who's 200 pounds, but sometimes we literally can't put someone in a caloric deficit, and it's different for everyone, because their body is going to be like, yo, I'm tired of eating less, I'm going to keep gaining more weight. And that's what happens when people are 200 pounds and they're eating less and less and less, and why they keep gaining weight.

It's because their body has adapted to 500 calories or 800 calories, because that's all they're giving it on a daily basis. And then they eat 1,200 or 1,400 calories in a day, and then again the next day and the next week, and that's more calories than the 700. So you see what I'm saying? That's how you gain fat, even though you're 200 pounds. You need to give your body a consistent, steady influx of calories on a daily basis for it to recognize what you want it to do. In that regard, it is a machine, because it needs consistent fuel.

And then your body will recognize, okay, now I can do the work this human wants me to do in order to lose weight. I'm actually getting the food I need not just to survive, but also to perform and do so much more. So that's the retraining process, and what we do for women when they come into WarriorBabe, which is essentially working their way up to maintenance, because we want to give their body the break it needs after being in a calorie deficit for so freaking long. Another time to enter maintenance is if you're feeling burned out, if you're mentally or physically exhausted. Maintenance is a really good place to give your body the reset it needs.

Then, how long should you stay in maintenance? There's no one-size-fits-all answer here. Everyone's completely different, but a good rule of thumb is to spend at least as much time in maintenance as you did in your previous phase. Some of you may not like me saying that, because you've probably been in a calorie deficit for the last five or 10 years, not eating enough. And you're like, that means I need to be in a maintenance phase for five or 10 years?

That's not the case, especially if you're working with a coach, because we're going to be able to speed up the process a little bit more. We know what we're doing. But just to put it in perspective, if you have been in a deficit for that long, or not feeding your body what it needs, then you may need to spend a little bit more time resetting your metabolism, retraining it and getting it to work with you instead of against you, so you may spend a little bit more time in maintenance. And it goes back to what I said earlier: you're laying the foundation for you to have successful, sustainable fat loss after that.

Another example would be if you're on a 12-week cut plan, spend at least 12 weeks in maintenance. But again, there's no one-size-fits-all answer there, and it's very different for everyone. But bottom line, maintenance isn't a wasted phase. It's one of the most important tools in your fitness journey, and it's where sustainability happens. I like to say, and our coaches like to say this too, maintenance is where the magic happens.

By giving your body and your mind the chance to recalibrate, you are literally setting yourself up for better results in the long run. And it does not feel like it in the moment. As I said earlier, if you're somebody who is saying, maintenance feels like I'm not making any progress, I'm bored, I want to see results, just try to take a 30,000-foot view of yourself and recognize if you are somebody who's been in a calorie deficit for way too long, or someone who's been in a cut and a build and a cut and a build, intentionally or unintentionally. Your body needs a break.

So try to bring more newfound awareness to the situation you're in. If you are in maintenance and you're recognizing from this episode why you're in it, and understanding it from the perspectives I'm sharing with you, know that you are literally protecting your metabolism here. You're supporting your hormones and you're creating a foundation that's going to carry you through every phase to come. So whether you're coming out of a bulk or coming out of a cut and you feel like you need a break, I encourage you to embrace a maintenance phase. It's not about being in a plateau or feeling stagnant. It's about setting yourself up to thrive in the future.

Okay. All right, my friends. This was actually probably one of my favorite episodes that I've recorded so far. So if this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who might need to hear the message. I really appreciate you guys spreading the podcast, because I'm one person and we post it and we share it. But five of you, 10 of you guys could share this episode, and if you each share it with two people, you're doubling that and it gets to 20 people. So I just ask that you guys do that.

Leave a review if you haven't already. Take 30 seconds after this episode and do that on Apple or Spotify. I appreciate it so much. It helps these episodes get pushed out, and it also helps the podcast be recognized more on the platform so that it can be put in front of other women who need to hear this. And if you want some more help with your fitness journey and want that personalized support, check out WarriorBabe.

We're so happy to help you every step of the way moving forward. That's warriorbabe.com. And even if you don't want to work with us, just check out the website, because it's so freaking good. But anyway, until next time, I appreciate you guys. Stay strong, stay consistent, and I'll see you in the next episode. Peace out.

Real quick: if this episode resonated with you or gave you the push you needed, I'd love for you to pay it forward. Drop a quick rating and review, share the podcast with someone who might need it, and help me keep spreading the word. Your feedback not only helps the show grow, but it might just be the nudge someone else needs to kickstart their transformation. Thank you so, so, so much for your support.