Phase 3 • July – September
Phase 3: The Lock-In
Reverse diet back to maintenance, lock in your new body composition, and enjoy summer at your leanest. This is where the cut becomes permanent.
Reverse diet back to maintenance, lock in your new body composition, and enjoy summer at your leanest. This is where the cut becomes permanent.
This is the most underrated phase in any nutrition plan — and the one most people skip. After 12 weeks in a deficit, your metabolism has adapted. Hunger hormones are elevated, your metabolic rate has decreased, and your body is primed to regain weight rapidly if you suddenly flood it with calories.
Phase 3 exists to reverse diet you back to maintenance. You're slowly bringing calories back up, letting your metabolism recover, and "setting" your new body composition.
Think of it like curing concrete — the cut shaped you, this phase locks it in. Skip it, and the shape falls apart. Nail it, and you carry your results into the building phase and beyond.
Rerun the Black Iron Macro Calculator with your current weight. Set the goal to "Maintain."
Your maintenance TDEE at your new, lower weight. Important: Don't jump to full maintenance on July 1. Spend the first 2–3 weeks gradually increasing.
Add 100–150 calories per week until you reach your new maintenance target. This prevents the rapid water weight gain that makes people panic and go back to cutting.
Still high. Hit this number every day. As calories increase, you'll add back carbs and fats while protein stays steady as your foundation.
Enter your current stats below. Your goal is pre-set to “Maintain” for this phase.
Don't slam back to maintenance overnight. A gradual increase over 2–3 weeks protects your results and prevents the rebound most people experience after a cut.
Add calories primarily through carbs and fats. Protein stays consistent throughout.
Post-cut maintenance feels different from Phase 1. Here's what each stage looks like.
You're slowly adding calories back. The scale may go up 2–4 lbs as glycogen stores refill and water retention normalizes. This is NOT fat gain. This is your body rehydrating and refueling. Expect it and don't react to it.
You should be at full maintenance calories. Weight stabilizes. Energy returns. Performance in the gym improves noticeably. You'll feel like yourself again after the grind of the cut.
Your body has adapted to its new maintenance level. You're leaner than when you started the year, your metabolism is healthy, and you're ready to build. This is the payoff.
This phase runs through peak summer. Here's how to think about it.
Vacations, cookouts, social events — they're all happening. Maintenance gives you the flexibility to enjoy these without guilt or anxiety. You're not in a deficit. You're eating at your body's needs. A single weekend cookout doesn't derail maintenance the way it can derail a cut.
The goal is to enjoy your summer at your leanest, most confident body composition while letting your metabolism recover.
You spent three months in a deficit to get here. Phase 3 is about living in the results while your body catches up. Don't rush to the next phase. Don't second-guess the process. You earned this.
Before moving to Phase 4 (Build) on October 1, confirm the following.
Your weight has been stable (±2–3 lbs) for at least 3–4 weeks. Stability means your metabolism has recovered and your body has accepted its new composition.
Your energy and gym performance are back to baseline or better. If you're still feeling depleted, extend maintenance — don't rush into a surplus.
You've recalculated your macros with your current weight, goal set to "Build Muscle."
You understand that weight WILL go up during the build — and that's the point. The muscle you add is what next year's cut will reveal.