Ep 136: How to Maintain a Lean Physique Year-Round (Without Cuts or Bulks)

How do you transition out of a dieting phase to maintain your results? Do you keep cycling between cutting and bulking? Or can you live at maintenance for a while, and if so, how do you do it effectively? In this episode, Philip ( @witsandweights ) shares a proven blueprint to effortlessly transition out of a fat loss phase or an intense cut into a sustainable maintenance phase so you can recover from the deficit as quickly as possible, optimize your performance without going to extremes, and lock in your hard-earned lean physique year-round. Maintenance is a critical but often overlooked fitness phase, especially when transitioning from a fat-loss period. Even though cuts and bulks are often emphasized for those going after body composition changes, sometimes living at maintenance is the best option to sustain an optimal physique and performance level that has already been achieved. Maintenance allows for metabolic recovery from a calorie deficit. Athletes who rely on a particular strength-to-weight ratio should avoid the extreme changes that come with cuts and bulks, and sustaining an ideal physique year-round provides its form of consistency. Today, you’ll learn all about: 3:07 What inspired this episode 7:21 What is maintenance, and why is it important? 10:16 Psychological shift to maintenance 16:06 The physiology of maintenance 20:19 Setting calories and macros for maintenance 24:32 Jumping to your maintenance calories 27:41 Weekly adjustments 31:53 Structuring your nutrition around your workout 35:01 Two advanced strategies 38:44 Five common pitfalls during maintenance 49:34 Outro Episode Resources: Free Rapid Fat Loss Guide MacroFactor app – use code WITSANDWEIGHTS to extend your free trial to two weeks (and support me and this show!) Ep 96: Why Reverse Dieting Doesn't Work Like You Think (and What to Do Instead) Ep 116: 7 Lessons from My Rapid Fat Loss Micro-Cut (Aggressive Dieting is Not for Everyone!) Ep 126: More Carbs, More Muscle (Why Low-Carb and Keto Are Keeping You Skinny Fat) Support the show 📱 Get Fitness Lab - Philip’s science-based AI app for fat loss, muscle building, and strength training for people over 40. It adapts to your nutrition, recovery, and training to improve body composition without guesswork. 🎓 Try Physique University - Evidence-based nutrition coaching and strength training to help you lose fat, build muscle, and master your metabolism with support and accountability (free custom nutrition plan with code FREEPLAN ). 👥 Join our Facebook community - Free fat loss, muscle building, and body recomposition strategies for adults over 40 who want practical, science-backed fitness guidance. 👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram