The MATADOR Intermittent Diet Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Diet & Fat LossEating The MATADOR Intermittent Diet A Science-Approved Plan for Sustainable Fat Loss by Eric Bach August 24, 2018March 24, 2022 Tags Diet Plan, Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements Intermittent Energy Restriction Most dieters fail after a few short weeks. That's because they try to do too much, too soon. A better approach is an intermittent energy restriction diet. In 2017, the groundbreaking MATADOR (Minimizing Adaptive Thermogenesis And Deactivating Obesity Rebound) study found greater long-term fat loss with intermittent energy restriction than with a consistent energy deficit. In geek-speak, "energy" means calories in this case. The intermittent dieters used periods of a 30-35% deficit, followed by periods at maintenance calories. The protocol prevented the down-regulation of the hormones that control hunger, appetite, satiety, and caloric expenditure. You'll use two-week periods of aggressive dieting with a 30% deficit, followed by two weeks eating at maintenance calories. You'll continue this two-on, two-off approach until you're as lean as you want to be. Weeks 1-2: Below-maintenance diet with 30% calorie deficit Weeks 3-4: Maintenance calories Repeat as needed. You first need to find out your calorie maintenance level, and the best way to do that is to get tested by a qualified professional. Every other number is an estimate, especially if you've been yo-yo dieting for a long time, which means your maintenance calories may be much lower. However, finding a qualified pro is probably daunting. So let's use bodyweight (pounds) x 15 as a baseline. It won't be perfect, but it'll be close enough to the more complicated equations to provide a solid starting point. Let's say you weigh 200 pounds: 200 pounds x 15 = 3000 maintenance calories per day We want your caloric deficit to be 30%, so now we'll multiply your 3000 maintenance calories by .7: 3000 x .7 = 2100 calories Two-Week Diet Phase: 2100 calories per day Two-Week Maintenance Phase: 3000 calories per day After the month, recalculate your maintenance calories based on your new bodyweight and do it again if you need to. Using our 2100 calorie example, we want it to consist of: Protein – 35% 2100 calories x .35 = 735 calories/4 calories/gram = 184 grams of protein per day Carbs – 35% 2100 calories x .35 = 735 calories/4 calories/gram = 184 grams of carbs per day Fats – 30% 2100 calories x .30 = 630 calories/9 calories/gram = 70 grams of fats per day Note: It's more important to nail your calories and protein intake than to be perfect on your carbs and fats. If you prefer higher or lower carb intake, you can adjust accordingly. That adds up to: 2100 calories per day 184 grams of protein per day 184 grams of carbs per day 70 grams of fat per day After two weeks, you'd switch to the maintenance phase. Using the 3000 calorie example during the maintenance phase, it should look like this: Protein – 30% 3000 calories x .3 = 900 calories/4 calories/gram = 225 grams of protein Carbs – 40% 3000 calories x .4 = 1200 calories/4 calories/gram = 300 grams of carbs Fats – 30% 3000 calories x .30 = 900 calories/9 calories/gram = 100 grams of fats That adds up to: 3000 calories per day 225 grams of protein per day 300 grams of carbs per day 100 grams of fat per day After four weeks, recalculate your calories based on your new bodyweight and repeat until you're the lean, mean machine of your dreams. By using a cyclical approach to fat loss, you're able to push your body to burn bodyfat over the course of two weeks. But your body naturally begins to fight back, slowing down your metabolism and thyroid function as a protective mechanism. As such, the hormones that control hunger, appetite, and satiety (leptin, cholecystokinin, and peptide YY) decrease. But instead of battling further and continuing to eat like a bird, the MATADOR approach has you increase calories back to maintenance level. This boosts your hormone profile and metabolism back to full speed. This may lead to slower short-term fat loss, but it protects your metabolism from down-regulation. This increases the odds that you'll achieve long-term, sustainable fat loss. This approach works well with gym rats, too. Anyone who's followed an aggressive long-term fat loss diet can tell you that gym performance will eventually suffer. It's nearly inevitable that you'll lose some strength and muscle if you diet long and hard enough. However, cycling calories back up, as prescribed by intermittent dieting, should prevent losses in strength and muscle. Everything! The bland food bores you to tears. Hunger pangs become an unwelcome houseguest who refuses to leave. Worst of all, your workout performance falls off a cliff. And when you extend the diet? Your metabolism fights back and you burn fewer calories at rest, thus bringing fat loss to a screeching halt. Once the initial surge of motivation wears off, willpower drains away. You slip back into old habits and never truly get lean. You keep beating your fat head against the wall, often for years. Isn't it time to try the science-driven method of intermittent dieting? Batterham RL et al. The Gut Hormone Peptide YY Regulates Appetite. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2003 Jun;994:162-8. PubMed. Byrne NM et al. Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men: The MATADOR study. Int J Obes (Lond). 2018 Feb;42(2):129-138. PubMed. Liddle RA. Cholecystokinin cells. Annual Review of Physiology. 1997 Jan;59:221-242. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Diet & Fat Loss Tip Carb Cycling and the Right Amount of Cardio Reach the next level of physique development without driving yourself nuts. Here's the simple plan. Carb Control, Carbohydrate Control, Diet Strategy, Fat Loss Training, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Chris Colucci October 19 Diet & Fat Loss Tip Will Low-Carb Diets Kill You The big Harvard study suggested all you low-carb people may die before your time. Are they right? Carbohydrate Control, Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips TC Luoma September 8 Diet & Fat Loss 5 High-Calorie Breakfasts for More Muscle Roussell says getting big begins at breakfast. Give these bulking breakfasts a try and start filling out your shirtsleeves. Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements Mike Roussell, PhD August 23 Diet & Fat Loss Tip Protein Cake for Dieters If cake were the new superfood, this would be the recipe. Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Protein, Recipes, Tips Chelsie Lysenchuk January 16