You’ve been in a fat loss phase, showing up, logging your food, and making progress — amazing. But now you might be wondering:
“When should I stop dieting and start maintenance?”
“How long should I stay there?”
“Am I going to gain weight if I eat more?”
Let’s clear it up so you can move into maintenance with confidence — and set yourself up for long-term success.
First — What Is a Maintenance Phase?
A maintenance phase means eating just enough to match what your body burns — not gaining, not losing.
You're fuelling your body to recover, perform, and hold onto the progress you've made. It’s not a break from training. You can (and should) continue working out exactly as you have been — no “deload” needed unless you’re following a body building routine outside of Studio Era.
⚠️ A maintenance phase is not weight gain. It’s refuelling your body after a fat loss sprint so you can go again, stronger.
When Should You Move Into Maintenance?
The magic number 👉 After 12 weeks of consistent fat loss.
Key word: consistent.
If you’ve been in a true deficit (meaning you’ve stayed within your calorie range for an extended period), then your body has likely adapted and needs a break.
But if your tracking has been loose, or you’ve had lots of “off” weekends or breaks — you likely haven’t had a full 12-week deficit, and you can probably keep going if you still feel good.
How Long Should You Stay in Maintenance?
Use this guide:
4 weeks → If your fat loss phase felt easy, and you still feel strong
6 weeks → If you’re noticing fatigue, hunger, or mild plateau
8+ weeks → If you feel burnt out, exhausted, or have lost a large amount of weight
💡 The more intense or aggressive your deficit was, the longer your body needs in maintenance.
What If Eating More Makes You Nervous?
You’re not alone — most women feel weird about increasing calories, especially after seeing progress.
Here’s how to ease in if you'd like:
👉 Increase your calories by 100–200 per week until you reach your full maintenance target.
This helps your mind catch up with the process while giving your body what it needs.
You can track the same way you’ve been tracking — just with a slightly higher target.
Why Maintenance Is So Important
Let’s bust the big myth:
“Won’t I gain all the weight back?”
Nope. Not if you’re truly eating at maintenance. Maintenance just mean eating the same amoutn of calories you burn.
In fact, taking a proper maintenance phase:
✔ Prevents metabolic slowdown
✔ Improves energy, mood, and performance
✔ Makes future fat loss easier
✔ Keeps your results locked in
If you’ve been super strict, trust me — this is how you avoid burnout and plateaus. This is what makes your fat loss results stick.
How to Switch to Maintenance in the App
Go to your Profile
Tap your current Goal
Change it to “Maintenance”
Your targets will update automatically
👉 If your training changes (e.g. fewer workouts), update your Activity Level too.
🔁 How to Return to Fat Loss Later
After your maintenance phase:
Head back to your Profile
Set your goal to “Lose Body Fat”
We’ll update your targets to match your new starting point
No starting over — just picking back up with a stronger, more fuelled body.
Final Thoughts
✔ Every 12 weeks of fat loss = take a 4–8 week maintenance phase
✔ You won’t gain fat — you’re fuelling your body, not overeating
✔ The more aggressive your deficit, the longer your recovery
✔ Maintenance is the glue that keeps your results together
By giving your body the break it needs, you’re setting yourself up for better fat loss next time — and results that actually last.
- Maddie xxx