diff --git a/demo/deploy-backpressure-spec.sh b/demo/deploy-backpressure-spec.sh
index d2dae28d75..5c265cc3d4 100755
--- a/demo/deploy-backpressure-spec.sh
+++ b/demo/deploy-backpressure-spec.sh
@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ metadata:
     app: bookstore
 
 spec:
-  maxConnections: 5
-  maxRequests: 6
-  maxPendingRequests: 7
-  maxRetries: 8
-  maxConnectionPools: 9
-
+  maxConnections: 10
+  maxRequests: 11
+  maxPendingRequests: 12
+  maxRetries: 13
+  maxConnectionPools: 14
+  
 EOF
diff --git a/experimental/pkg/apis/policy/v1alpha1/types.go b/experimental/pkg/apis/policy/v1alpha1/types.go
index 15a1ec3219..3bde5237ba 100644
--- a/experimental/pkg/apis/policy/v1alpha1/types.go
+++ b/experimental/pkg/apis/policy/v1alpha1/types.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package v1alpha1
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
+
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 )
 
@@ -20,11 +22,24 @@ type BackpressureSpec struct {
 	metav1.ObjectMeta `json:"metadata,omitempty"`
 
 	// MaxConnections is the max number of connections a proxy will make to the remote service.
-	MaxConnections     uint32 `json:"maxConnections,omitempty"`
-	MaxRequests        uint32 `json:"maxRequests,omitempty"`
-	MaxPendingRequests uint32 `json:"maxPendingRequests,omitempty"`
-	MaxRetries         uint32 `json:"maxRetries,omitempty"`
-	MaxConnectionPools uint32 `json:"maxConnectionPools,omitempty"`
+	MaxConnections     int `json:"maxConnections,omitempty"`
+	MaxRequests        int `json:"maxRequests,omitempty"`
+	MaxPendingRequests int `json:"maxPendingRequests,omitempty"`
+	MaxRetries         int `json:"maxRetries,omitempty"`
+	MaxConnectionPools int `json:"maxConnectionPools,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// UnmarshalJSON is ...
+func (spec *BackpressureSpec) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
+	spec.MaxConnections = -1     // set default value before unmarshaling
+	spec.MaxRequests = -1        // set default value before unmarshaling
+	spec.MaxPendingRequests = -1 // set default value before unmarshaling
+	spec.MaxRetries = -1         // set default value before unmarshaling
+	spec.MaxConnectionPools = -1 // set default value before unmarshaling
+	type Alias BackpressureSpec  // create alias to prevent endless loop
+	tmp := (*Alias)(spec)
+
+	return json.Unmarshal(data, tmp)
 }
 
 // BackpressureList is ...
diff --git a/pkg/envoy/cds/thresholds.go b/pkg/envoy/cds/thresholds.go
index cfd6cb56e9..d9655d78e6 100644
--- a/pkg/envoy/cds/thresholds.go
+++ b/pkg/envoy/cds/thresholds.go
@@ -10,32 +10,44 @@ func makeThresholds(spec backpressure.BackpressureSpec) []*xds_cluster.CircuitBr
 
 	threshold := &xds_cluster.CircuitBreakers_Thresholds{}
 
-	if spec.MaxConnections != 0 {
+	if spec.MaxConnections != -1 {
 		threshold.MaxConnections = &wrappers.UInt32Value{
-			Value: spec.MaxConnections,
+			Value: uint32(spec.MaxConnections),
 		}
+	} else {
+		log.Trace().Msgf("Backpressure: got default value for maxcon")
 	}
-	if spec.MaxRequests != 0 {
+	if spec.MaxRequests != -1 {
 		threshold.MaxRequests = &wrappers.UInt32Value{
-			Value: spec.MaxRequests,
+			Value: uint32(spec.MaxRequests),
 		}
+	} else {
+		log.Trace().Msgf("Backpressure: got default value for maxreq")
 	}
-	if spec.MaxPendingRequests != 0 {
+	if spec.MaxPendingRequests != -1 {
 		threshold.MaxPendingRequests = &wrappers.UInt32Value{
-			Value: spec.MaxPendingRequests,
+			Value: uint32(spec.MaxPendingRequests),
 		}
+	} else {
+		log.Trace().Msgf("Backpressure: got default value for maxpending")
 	}
-	if spec.MaxRetries != 0 {
+	if spec.MaxRetries != -1 {
 		threshold.MaxRetries = &wrappers.UInt32Value{
-			Value: spec.MaxRetries,
+			Value: uint32(spec.MaxRetries),
 		}
+	} else {
+		log.Trace().Msgf("Backpressure: got default value for maxretries")
 	}
-	if spec.MaxConnectionPools != 0 {
+	if spec.MaxConnectionPools != -1 {
 		threshold.MaxConnectionPools = &wrappers.UInt32Value{
-			Value: spec.MaxConnectionPools,
+			Value: uint32(spec.MaxConnectionPools),
 		}
+	} else {
+		log.Trace().Msgf("Backpressure: got default value for maxconpools")
 	}
 
+	log.Trace().Msgf("Backpressure: CircuitBreaker threshold contains %+v", threshold)
+
 	return []*xds_cluster.CircuitBreakers_Thresholds{
 		threshold,
 	}