Learning the signs that it’s time to stop cutting calories and transition to maintenance is important for any athlete.
Why?
Well, first of all, as we lower our caloric intake and increase our calories “out,” we have to be mindful that this will eventually lead us to have less available energy. This, of course, means that cutting calories indefinitely can limit your strength and stamina gains.
Additionally, long-term deficits can slow your metabolism and impact recovery and energy levels. That’s why most athletes only stay in a deficit for 8–12 weeks before transitioning to maintenance.
But, like, I get it. When you’re seeing all of this progress, it can be intimidating or even nerve-wracking to transition into maintenance.
However, if you track your biofeedback, it will become clear if it’s time to make the transition – and I promise, it’s not as scary as it may seem.
What’s biofeedback?
Biofeedback is our body’s response to the physical and mental stressors we are putting ourselves under. It is how our body communicates with us through changing demands and environments. It can come in many forms, but typically, we can sense biofeedback in how well we are sleeping, how well we are recovering, our energy levels, our menstrual cycle, our level of overall fatigue, and our moods.
Some examples of biofeedback?
Soreness
Extreme fatigue
Lightheadedness
Headaches
Missing your period
Let’s break down these signs it might be time to stop cutting calories.
Soreness
If you are getting more sore than usual after your workouts, but you haven’t been doing any new activities, that might be a sign that it’s time to stop cutting calories.
Calories are our bodies’ fuel source. When that fuel source is too depleted, or, depleted for too long, it’s hard for our bodies to rebuild our muscles after a workout.
This leads to extended periods of soreness or extreme soreness despite maintaining a typical exercise routine.
So, you have a couple of options here.
First, you can stop cutting calories altogether and enter a season of maintenance (it doesn’t have to be long!)
Next, you can stay in a deficit but increase your caloric intake a bit.
Finally, if you like your deficit but need some extra energy on two show days or tech days, try adding a “re-feed” 1-2 days per week to keep your body well fueled.
Extreme fatigue
Are you waking up tired even after a full night’s sleep?
If you have to do daily talks to rally yourself for your workout.
Are you finding yourself exhausted mid-show?
If you are finding yourself hitting an afternoon slump every day.
These are all signs of extreme fatigue. Ideally, your cut should give you just enough calories to help your body recover between workouts without dealing with extreme fatigue.
Sure, you may feel more tired during a cut, but it shouldn’t be insurmountable and it shouldn’t be constant. This is a sure sign that it’s time to take a break from cutting calories and transition to maintenance.
Lightheadedness/Headaches
Lightheadedness and headaches can also be a sign that you’ve been cutting calories for too long.
Dizziness or lightheadedness happens often when our blood sugar is too low, or when our body doesn’t have adequate fuel to perform whatever task is at hand.
Headaches can be a bit trickier because they can be a result of caffeine withdrawal, tight neck and shoulders, and even eye-sight issues.
But, if none of those are the culprits and you’re having consistent headaches, it may be time to take a break from cutting calories.
I know transitioning from cutting calories to maintenance can be scary, but getting lightheaded while dancing or lifting is dangerous – not just to yourself, but for others. If you’re experiencing this, it’s time to make a shift.
Missing your period
Unless you have a pre-existing condition that causes your periods to be unpredictable, this is a sure sign that something might be off in your training.
Amenorrhea is a serious condition and if you experience this during a cut, please consult your trainer and a healthcare provider to explore what may be going on.
That said, increasing your calories is a good first step to ensuring your body is getting enough fuel to ovulate.
Now, a lot of these symptoms will fluctuate from person to person. But if you’re experiencing any of these regularly and you’ve been cutting calories for a long time, try adjusting. Better yet, if you have a trainer, ask them about it. Don’t have a trainer, feel free to reach out to us at dancerswholift@gmail.com or leave us a comment below.
If you’re worried about how to find your maintenance calories without overdoing it, first, know that that’s normal. And second, check out this post from the DWL blog: Deficit to Maintenance: Learning to Find Maintenance Calories. Our bodies are adaptable – no changes you make have to be permanent. Better to make an adjustment now and honor what your body needs, than push it just a bit too far, right? Right.
In the meantime, if you’d like to talk more about nutrition for dancers give these blogs a read: 10 Vegetarian Protein Sources for Strong Dancers, What Are Electrolytes, Why They Are Important, And How to Get More, Dietary Fiber Intake: A Dancer’s Secret to a Healthy Gut
