Reverse Dieting

Reverse Dieting

Ok, you've been cutting your calories for months and losing weight.  But now you just can't seem to shed another pound.  Or even worse, your caloric intake has been consistently low for a while and your weight just refuses to change.  Or maybe you were dropping your calories to lose fat, but now you've reached your goal and you want to start eating like normal but without substantial fat gain.  What can you do?  Meet reverse dieting.

Reverse dieting is almost exactly what it sounds like: increasing your calories (instead of decreasing them).  It is commonly used by bodybuilders after a show to transition from a cutting phase into a bulking phase.  But it is also used by many other people (including myself) to build up their metabolisms without the unwanted fat gain.

If you have been on a calorie restricted diet for a long period of time then your metabolism will undoubtedly be slower than it's near-maximum potential.  This is because calorie intake, and in particular carbohydrate intake, is a big part of what fuels your metabolism.  When you restrict calories and carbohydrates, your body adapts by becoming more efficient and requiring less energy to perform the same work.  In this state, metabolic hormones like T3 and leptin are also suppressed, further reducing your metabolism.  This is part of the reason why people tend to gain fat so quickly once they start eating "normally" after a period of dieting [1].

Reverse dieting allows you to burn more so that you can eat more.  Here's now it works.

Reverse dieting usually starts with figuring out what you are consuming right now.  How many calories do you eat a day?  Figure this out and then re-balance your macros.  You can probably estimate around 1g to 1.2g of protein per lb of body weight.  Make fats consist of around 25% of your daily caloric intake.  And the rest of your calories can be carbohydrates.  Your total caloric intake should be the same when you start reverse dieting.  Everybody is a little different, but that should give you a good idea where you can start.

During your reverse diet, lift weights (resistance training) and do cardio, but always hit your macro numbers.  Take regular checkpoints (i.e. every 1-2 weeks).  If you lose weight or if your weight does not change then increase your carbohydrate intake and re-balance your fat intake.  Don't make major adjustments; an  additional 60 to 120 calories per day every one to two weeks is all you should need.  Over time, it will add up.  Before you know it, you'll be putting on some muscle, maxing out your metabolism and eating more calories without the excessive unwanted fat gain.

Also see Taking Your Reverse Diet to The Next Level

**Update 11-06-2013: I am currently going through the process of reverse dieting after a 25 week fat cutting phase. You can get tips and follow my progress here: https://www.facebook.com/AllNaturalMuscle

References

[1] Trexler, E., A. Smith-Ryan, and L. Norton. "Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete." J Int Soc Sport Nutr 11 (2014): 7.

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Posted by Clayton Long