If the scale keeps creeping up after every diet, reverse dieting may be the reset your metabolism needs. Maybe you’re that person that has tried all the diets? Keto, Carnivore, Vegan, Mediterranean, interment fasting… maybe they worked for you early on, but you realized that this food restricting diet was not sustainable for you and the scale was only going up. The feeling of disappointment lead you back to your old habits of eating, to only find yourself drowning in disappointment and insecurity even more. Now you’re in this place called: “yo-yo dieting” or “weight cycle” something affecting thousands of Americans wanting to lose weight and you lose weight, but then regain it all back and some! I know you are probably tired and exhausted from this journey. It almost seems hopeless for you. You want to give up because you can’t quite seem to figure out why this fat doesn’t come off your body. You feel stuck. And you are about to quit. But what if I told you there is hope for you…
What is Reverse Dieting?
It’s what we call Reverse Dieting. You might be asking what is Reverse Dieting? It is a slow increase of daily calorie intake bi-weekly or every a few weeks, usually about 100-250 calories from your maintenance until you reach a place where eating food feels like a chore (more on this later), supported by a solid “strength” training program. Now imagine eating more than you ever have and weighing less? Or still being able to have that dessert after dinner because you still have a few calories left? Or going out with friends and being able to enjoy some good food with good company because you aren’t consumed with the thought of “I am going to go over my calories.” How nice to be able to eat 3000 calories daily rather than 1500 calories without putting
on body fat. So much more wiggle room in your eating. See, this is what Reverse Dieting does: it allows you to eat many more calories without being worried about putting on body fat. To me that sounds more enjoyable.
How Do I Start a Reverse Diet?
Great question! What you will need to do first is to track for about a week or two to see what your maintenance is, also known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), essentially, how many calories does your body need in order to maintain your current physique. And you will track everything you put in your mouth. You can use My Fitness Pal or Fat Secret to track your food or go the old school way and just write it down on paper. Once you have that average calorie number you will go into a surplus (which is a certain increase number from your maintenance) whether that is 100 calories or 300 calories. Typically you don’t want to go into too high of a surplus unless your maintenance is very low, so a 100-250 calories is usually safe for most people. Most of the calorie bump should come from carbohydrates or healthy fats. After that, you keep that surplus number for about 2-3 weeks and evaluate your strength, sleep, gut health, hormones, body fat, and muscle mass to see if you are going in the right direction. You keep doing that over and over again until it almost seems like a chore to eat, all body signals are good, and you are in a good place to cut from. This will make the fat burning so much easier for you and it will almost feel effortless. You will be putting on muscle while simultaneously enjoying the foods you love without putting on body fat. Within months you will be feeling better than you ever have!
Benefits of a Reverse Diet?
● Better metabolic adaptation
● A faster metabolism
● Muscle weight gain
● A better fat burn with more calories
● Improved appetite and craving control
● Hormonal balance
3 Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Panicking over Water Weight: An increase in carbs means more glycogen in your muscles, which holds water. This is not fat.
2. Skipping the Tracking: You don’t need to be perfect, but “guessing” during a reverse diet often leads to overshooting your needs.
3. Stopping Strength Training: Lifting weights tells your body to use those extra calories for muscle repair rather than fat storage.
3 Things to Focus on during a Reverse Diet
1. Eating Whole foods: Just because you go into a surplus doesn’t mean you all of a sudden whatever you want. Focus on Whole Foods because they are nutrient dense and lower calorie.
2. Hit your protein goal daily: This is one of the hardest things for most people and living in a society where there are carbs everywhere doesn’t help. But you want to make sure
you hit your goal daily. This will help with satiety, speeding up your metabolism, and sending an anabolic signal to the body.
3. Drink ½-1 gallon of water a day: Many people hardly drink water and drink most of their calories. Drinking ½-1 gallon of water a day will improve satiety, craving control, and keep you hydrated. Adding some salt to your water is a great idea due to the lack of sodium in Whole Foods.
Ready to Begin?
If you’ve felt stuck or tired or unsure where to start when it comes to nutrition —this is a great place to start.
Let’s build a plan that fits your life and helps you feel stronger from the inside out. Something that works with your life and not against it.
Reach out to a coach at Motivate Fitness and take the first step.
You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to begin.
Is reverse dieting right for you?
Reverse dieting works best with patience and a plan. Pair it with hitting your protein target and consistent training. Understanding how your metabolism adapts is the first step — then reach out to a coach at Motivate Fitness to build a plan that fits your life.
