Reverse Dieting 101 PART 1:
*photo is NOT CURRENT, from my first reverse diet in 2017-2018 I am about 7-10lbs heavier now from a few slight surplus seasons and adding muscle*
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🧐What is a reverse diet?
When you diet down to lose weight, you are eating less than you are taking in. This leads some women into the 1400 or 1500 level which is NOT maintainable long term.
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💪🏻After reaching their “goal” OR if they’ve been dieting for too long, there is a physiological NEED to increase calories up to maintenance calories for a few months in order to
-replenish hormone levels,
-allow the body adequate recovery,
-allow for proper sleep & digestion levels,
-all which take a hit when dieting to lose weight.
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😬If you try just going back to eating how you were before the calorie deficit without giving your body time to adjust, there is a higher propensity of storing excess fat.
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Most women have never heard of a reverse diet & come to me & say
“I’ve been eating low calorie for so long and have stopped losing weight”.
😱Is this you!?
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Your body adapts to the lowered calories to keep you alive so your deficit calories are no longer a “deficit”.
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💃🏼You cannot just continue eating less bc you will become malnourished so we HAVE to add calories back in,
in order to successfully set you up for fat loss in the future.
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🧭In order to ensure minimal fat gain, we add in calories slowly over a few months:
50-100 calories every week or every other week to allow the body to adapt to the increased calories and be able to utilize them for fuel instead of storing them.
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For example:
Ending deficit calories at 1500
Week 1 of reverse add 50-100 calories via fats/carbs
Week 2 of reverse: Either hold steady for 1 week or add another 50-100 calories
week 3: continue this until reaching maintenance calories.
This will NOT work if you aren’t diligent & focused, but it’s hella worth it.
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2️⃣ PART TWO tomorrow will discuss issues with reverse dieting, length of it & what to do after!
Leave any questions below too!