The length of time you should stay on a weight loss goal depends on how much weight you need to lose and whether you begin experiencing fatigue and frequent urges to binge.
Many people successfully diet for upwards of 8-9 months without experiencing issues, while others may experience weight stalls and extreme hunger after just a few weeks. If you regularly fall off the wagon and can’t stick to your macros because you’re starving, you’re getting all of the downsides of dieting (discomfort and hunger) with none of the benefits (actual weight loss).
That being said, although there is no standard length of time a person should diet, you can figure out when to stop dieting by asking yourself:
Am I satisfied with the amount of weight I’ve lost?
Have I hit a weight loss plateau despite hitting my macros for several weeks?
Am I constantly hungry and battling the urge to binge?
Am I cycling between over-restricting and then binging?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, it’s probably time to stop dieting.
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