The Ultimate Guide to Reverse Dieting

Dieting to lose weight and improve health is a rewarding journey, but it often comes with challenges like a slowed metabolism, hormonal imbalance, and the risk of jo-jo effect. Sometimes is harder to maintain the newly lost weight, so here is where reverse dieting comes in! This is the ultimate guide and everything you need to know to start reverse dieting!

What Exactly Is Reverse Dieting?

Reverse dieting is a structured and mindful approach to gradually increasing calorie intake after a period of caloric restriction or dieting. Individuals, particularly athletes and bodybuilders, often use this strategy. After they complete a caloric restriction phase, such as during weight loss or competition prep, a mindful diet is still needed to ensure they are on top of their performance.

The main goal is to avoid rapid weight gain and the negative effects of metabolic slowdown, that are super common after prolonged dieting. This strategy will also make sure you restore metabolic function and establish sustainable eating habits while still achieving your fitness goals.

Key Benefits

Prevents Rapid Weight Gain: You will be able to avoid the common “rebound” weight gain that often happens after a diet, as your body reacts to the sudden increase of calories and relaxed way of eating.

Restores Metabolic Rate: Caloric restriction lowers metabolic rate because your organism functions to save energy rather than burning it. Reverse dieting aims to gradually bring it back to normal levels.

Supports Mental Health: Loosening up on your diet reduces the mental strain of strict dieting and creates a more balanced and nonchalant relationship with food.

Hormone Balance: This is one of the key benefits of reverse dieting, so it requires a more in-depth approach. Here is everything you need to know! 

The first hormone is leptin. Its role is regulating hunger and energy balance by signaling the brain to cut down appetite and increase energy expenditure. Caloric restriction lowers leptin levels, boosting hunger and reducing energy spending. Moreover, a gradual calorie increase restores leptin levels, decreasing hunger and normalizing energy spending.

Ghrelin, known as the “hunger hormone,” sparks appetite, increases food intake, and promotes fat storage. Ghrelin levels actually boost during caloric restriction, resulting in intensified hunger and potential overeating. So, slowly increasing calories stabilizes ghrelin levels and cuts down excessive hunger signals.

Insulin is probably the most important hormone in the body, as it modulates blood sugar levels by accelerating the uptake of glucose into cells. Prolonged caloric restriction, in fact, improves insulin sensitivity but can also lead to decreased energy levels and muscle loss. So, increasing carbohydrates step by step is the only way to maintain stable blood sugar levels and improve energy availability. 

Cortisol is a stress hormone that is a co-player in various bodily processes, including metabolism and immune response. Caloric restriction skyrockets cortisol levels, leading to increased stress, muscle breakdown, and fat storage, especially in the abdominal area. However, restoring caloric intake reduces cortisol levels, soothing stress and its negative effects on the body.

Thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) are super important, as their main role is regulating metabolism and energy production. Being in a long caloric deficit diminishes the production of thyroid hormones, slowing metabolism. So, when you increase caloric intake, the thyroid hormone levels normalize, enhancing metabolic rate.

How to Prepare for Reverse Dieting?

This eating strategy has three clear goals:

Maintenance: By eating according to reverse dieting, you’re aiming to maintain your current weight while increasing calories. Thus, it is a superb option when you want to transfer from restrictive dieting to enjoying all foods again, but without the jo-jo effect.

Muscle Gain: This diet goes hand in hand with regular workouts, so you will inevitably experience gaining muscle with minimal fat gain.

Metabolic Repair: Restrictive diets slow down the metabolism, so reverse dieting will restore and improve your metabolic rate.

Understanding the Baseline

Before starting with reverse dieting, you need to figure out your current caloie intake. The simplest, yet the most effective way is tracking. Track your current calorie and macronutrient intake over at least a week to understand your starting point well.

Also, there are several online TDEE calculators and fitness trackers to estimate all the data you need. You can estimate your calories based on your activity level in a minute. But remember, if you’ve been dieting, your actual maintenance will probably be lower.

Tracking the intake

Use a reliable method – a food diary or an app to track all of your food and drink intake. Don’t forget to include portion sizes and macronutrient breakdown, as that is the most important thing! It is crucial to note there is a thin line between tracking your every bite and obsessing over it, so make sure you’re in the right headspace when starting reverse dieting.

Creating the Plan

Step 1: Calculate Your Maintenance Calories

First, determine your TDEE using online calculators that factor in your age, sex, weight, height, and activity level. Of course, you can’t rely solely on numbers, but consider your habits, as well. If you have been on a low-calorie diet right before, your actual maintenance might be lower. You will most likely need to adjust your TDEE estimate downward by 5-10%.

Step 2: Plan Your Calorie Increases

Starting small is the key! So, begin with a modest increase, typically 50-100 caloies per week. Make sure your macronutrients are in a perfect balance, by distributing the additional calories among protein, carbohydrates, and fats. A balanced approach is different for everyone, depending on your individual preferences and goals.

Example Increment:

Week 1: 1500 calories

Week 2: 1600 calories (extra 25g carbs or 6g fat and 12g protein)

Week 3: 1700 calories

Step 3: Monitor Your Progress

Only regular monitoring will keep you on track. Weigh yourself weekly and take body measurements to monitor any changes. If your weight gain is faster than you desire, slow down the rate of caloric boost. If there’s no weight gain or even weight loss, consider slightly larger increases. 

Step 4: Maintain Physical Activity

Reverse dieting makes the most sense with consistent exercise. Keep up with your regular exercise routine, but focus on both cardio and strength training. Accentuate resistance training to build and maintain muscle. 

Patience and Consistency

Always remember one thing: reverse dieting is not a quick fix but a long-term process. It asks for time and consistency to see any significant changes. You will probably have a huge temptation to increase calories right away but avoid them, as too quick a boost will have a negative effect.

Reverse Diet Plan  Example

Week 1:

• Current intake: 1500 calories
• Increase to 1600 calories
• Macronutrient split: protein 30% (120g), carbs 40 % (160g), fat 30% (53g)

Week 2:

• Increase to 1700 calories.
• Macronutrient split: adjust based on preference and feedback (e.g., protein 30% (128g), carbs 40% (170g), fat 30% (57g)

Week 3:

• Increase to 1800 calories
• Monitor weight and adjust accordingly 

Common Issues

Like with every other diet, reverse dieting strategy calls for a test and trial period. The good thing is, when you track everything you do, you will be able to alter all your mistakes. Here are the most common issues you could face when just starting this new way of eating.

Unexpected Weight Gain

If your weight gain is faster than 1-2 pounds per month, consider slowing down the rate of increase. Food diay comes in handy here, as you can double-check calorie tracking accuracy and physical activity levels. You will probably need cut down the calories or boost your exercise.

Feeling Hungry

The good trick is to incorporate more high-volume, low-calorie foods, like vegetables, to help with satiety, especially leafy greens and those with high water content. Also, ensure you’re having an adequate water intake, as you can sometimes mistake thirst for hunger.

Lack of Energy

The timing is the key here – adjust carbohydrate intake around workouts to optimize energy levels. What’s more, sleep is an important factor, as getting enough sleep and managing stress go hand in hand. They both affect energy and hunger, making you eat more when you’re sleep-deprived.

Long-Term Maintenance

Balanced nutrition is a base of every long-term diet. So, incorporate a wide range of foods to ensure you get all necessary nutrients. Aim for balanced distribution of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, but tailor them to your needs and preferences. 

Of course, this doesn’t mean you need to be rigorous with your diet. Allow yourself an occasional indulgence to prevent feelings of deprivation and keep a healthy relationship with food. The 80/20 rule is a fantastic strategy, as you follow a steady diet 80% of the time and treat yourself for the remaining 20%.

Consistent physical activity is as important as eating habits. Continue with resistance training to maintain muscle mass and boost your metabolic health. Of course, gradually increase the intensity and volume of your workouts to pursue challenging your muscles.

Don’t forget to include aerobic activities like walking, running, cycling, or swimming to skyrocket cardiovascular health. The best is to aim for a mix of moderate and high-intensity cardio sessions throughout the week.

What’s more, don’t be scared of the adjustment. Tailor your calorie intake based on your activity level, goals, and progress. For instance, increase intake slightly or reduce if gaining unwanted weight. Also, fine-tune your macronutrient distribution, as you may need more protein or carbs.