We’ve been discussing plateaus — as our bodies get smaller and adjust to lower calories, suddenly losing slows or stops. Apparently most dieters grab the potato chips in frustration. We’ve been there, done that. So today I argue for taking a maintenance break at such a moment — or at any frustrated point during your losing cycle.

Tomorrow I’ll argue the cons, but if they come up in comments, that’s great too. Always keep in mind, I’m not a doc. There’s not a study bolstering any of these points. They’re just ideas for discussion, based on my experience.

Five Arguments for Temporary Maintenance

1. Learning to maintain a new weight gives your body a rest and your metabolism a chance to rev back up.

2. Taking maintenance breaks reaffirms your commitment to maintaining your weight in the long term. You are in no rush, it’s a marathon not a sprint, and all that good stuff.

3. Maintenance gives you important information: How hard will this new weight be to maintain? Will it allow you to eat and operate at a happy level?

4. You get a chance to adjust to your new body — to become your new body. Imagine that instead of aging normally, you went straight from 20 to 70. You’d be shocked, horrified, and you might even hurt yourself by trying to swing that breakdancing maneuver that worked just great at 20. Now transfer that way of thinking to weight loss: Get to your goal too fast, and your body will be out of step with your mind. Presto!: body dysmorphia, or perhaps regression as you eat to re-align your body and your self-image.

5. Maintenance allows a shift in focus. Do you really want dieting to take over your life, forever? There’s a world of hobbies, good causes, and concerns outside of your tiny little body. (Yes, in the cosmos, you are tiny at every size! Nice, huh?) Not only is it healthy to focus outside yourself, it’s absolutely essential that you learn to do that and still maintain. Learning this balance gradually, at lower and lower weights, is a heck of a lot easier than suddenly being skinny. As life changes, you’ll experience periods where your diet can’t be your focus, or will be entirely out of your control. If you haven’t learned to maintain your weight without scrupulously counting everything that goes into your mouth, you’re likely to regain more, faster.

Discuss.