Have you heard of the reverse diet? It has become quite a hit in the health and fitness circles on social media – with many people claiming that it finally helped them lose weight or increase their metabolism. But what is it and what can it actually do for you? I explain the thinking behind this approach and how best you can rely on it to achieve your health and fitness goals.
If you are unfamiliar with calorie deficits and surpluses, I advice that you start by reviewing the articles below as this information will give you more context into how a reverse diet works. That said, let’s get into it!
What Is A Reverse Diet? The Truth About This Trend
If you look at the messaging on social media about going on a reverse diet, you would be forgiven for thinking that this entails foregoing dieting completely. After all, it looks like a HAES approach to eating per some of the messaging. But this is not the case.
A reverse diet aims at helping you come off your calorie deficit and work your way to maintenance without regaining the weight you have lost.
For example, if you have been eating 1,300 calories as your baseline, you would increase your calorie intake by 100 calories the first few days, then another 100 calories, and keep doing this until your weight was stable.
As such, you would need to take note of your starting weight and calories and monitor these statistics with time so you could figure out where your weight stabilized. That means that there is a cap to the amount of calories you eat and you cannot keep going up forever as some social media messaging may imply.
Scientific Benefits Of a Reverse Diet – The Truth
I use reverse dieting when doing my cuts and advise my clients to follow a similar route in many cases. But what are the perks of such a transition from a calorie deficit? Well, these are the top reasons to choose a reverse diet.
It is a Great Way to Boost Your Metabolism.
It is a known fact that low calorie diets followed in the long term can have devastating effects on metabolism. That’s why some people can follow 1,000-calorie diets and still gain weight.
The easiest way to get your metabolism back on track is to feed your body with the calories it needs to maintain its functions, aka your maintenance calories as explained in this article. But you should not do this abruptly. Instead, you should follow a gradual approach that allows you to increase your calorie intake and thus your metabolism over time as this is more sustainable.
If you have been having trouble losing weight, this approach can help you shed those excess pounds your body has been holding on to because it does not have enough energy sources.
It Prevents Weight Gain After a Cut.
If you are like most people, you have experienced the weight gain that comes after a calorie deficit. So, why does this happen? I will give you two causes that a reverse diet addresses.
The first is the unmonitored food intake where you consume just about everything you had limited during your cut. You go from eating 1,400 calories to eating 2,300 calories in a week without paying much attention to the nutrient density – weight gain is inevitable if you go over your maintenance calories.
The second is not knowing your new maintenance calories. When you go on a cut and lose weight, your maintenance calories change and may not reflect what the average calorie calculator will show you. So, while someone with your factors may have maintenance calories of 2,000, your actual maintenance might be 1,900. If you eat at 2,000, you would end up gaining weight.
By going on a reverse diet, you keep an eye on what you are eating and are able to figure out your actual maintenance calories to avoid regaining the weight you lost.
It Helps Boost Your Energy.
Everyone who has been on a calorie cut can attest to the low energy levels that accompany such periods. You are not only tired physically but also mentally. Eventually, this can take a toll on your performance in different areas, from your role as a family member to your ability to interact with your friends to how you perform at work.
That’s why it is often best to break your calorie cuts with maintenance periods to give your body a break. Going on a reverse diet helps you increase your food consumption which translates to more energy, allowing you to avoid mental and physical fatigue. You will even get more out of your workouts.
It Helps You Beat Cravings.
Pizzas, cookies, cakes, ice cream, and all other sources of empty calories look and taste much better when you are on a calorie deficit. After all, they are the forbidden fruit. Going on a reverse diet gives you room to incorporate all the foods you have been limiting, which takes away those excess cravings.
When you know that you can order a burger whenever you want, the allure somehow fades, enabling you to take back control of your diet plan. Plus, you can stick to much healthier options as you will not feel limited.
It boosts muscle growth. If you want to maintain or grow muscle, you must eat enough to fuel this physiological change. But that can be hard to do with a calorie deficit – many people end up losing some muscle even if they keep up with their protein intakes and strength training.
Going on a reverse diet helps you get ahead of this likely problem as it allows you to eat more, giving you a chance to incorporate more carbs and protein sources to fuel your muscle growth and recovery. So, if you are aiming for hypertrophy, this is the way to go.
It Makes You Less Anxious About Mealtimes.
When it’s time for a meal and you have a strict plan to follow, you can feel quite discouraged. You may even feel anxious about going out to eat with friends as you may not find options that suit your current plan. A reverse diet gives you more room, enabling you to eat more options which takes away most of the anxiety and stress that comes with a calorie deficit.
A reverse diet is the gift that keeps on giving. As long as you know what it entails and are willing to stick to the plan, you will reap these and more benefits.
Potential Risks Of a Reverse Diet – What You Need To Know
At this point, it sounds like a reverse diet is the answer to all your weight loss and weight gain problems. But is it really as smooth as it sounds? Well, not quite – there are challenges to using this approach, as follows:
You Could Gain Weight.
The idea behind a reverse diet is to monitor your calorie intake and your overall weight after your cut. The minute you start gaining weight, your maintain your calories at that point or take them down just a notch. It’s not a perfect science, but neither are calories.
So, if you get this balance, you end up maintaining your post-deficit weight.
But some people increase their calorie intakes so fast that they end up gaining weight. The only way to ensure that you do not end up with more weight is to keep an eye on what you are consuming and to take it slow. Ideally, you should increase your intake by 100 calories every three to five days and note the changes.
You Could Experience Gastrointestinal Issues.
Again, this problem arises when people take the reverse dieting too fast. Look at it this way. Assuming you stick to the same types of foods but increase their quantity, that is a lot of volume for your stomach – which is more than what it handled when you were at a deficit.
But people don’t just change the quantity. They also alter the quality – now is when people start eating more burgers and downing more sodas.
Such fast changes can result in gastrointestinal discomfort. You can bloat or experience constipation or other related symptoms. It’s easy to avoid such issues by taking the process slow and giving your body time to adjust.
You Might Suffer from Malnutrition or Hormonal Issues.
Say you have been eating an 800-calorie diet for months. It is likely that you are already deficient in some key nutrients. Even if you achieve your new normal in maintenance calories, it will be a while before your body has all the nutrients it needs.
The same holds for your hormones. Very low calorie diets can alter your metabolism hormones. That’s why some people can eat 1,000 calories a day without feeling hungry. Unfortunately, reversing these changes with a reverse diet is not always possible.
If you have nutritional deficiencies or hormonal imbalances that persist after you have resumed eating at maintenance, you may need to up your calories even more and consult a doctor on the best route to follow. They may be related to your previous diet or may be a result of an undiagnosed condition. It’s best not to take chances – be proactive by seeking help early.
You May Feel Anxious About Weighing and Tracking.
The best way to reverse diet without gaining weight is to keep an eye on the numbers. Of course, this means tracking your calories and checking your weight regularly.
For many people, this is easily doable. But for people who have concerns about weighing themselves or tracking calories, this can pose a problem. A good example is someone who dreads weighing themself because they have a bad relationship with the weighing machine.
If you feel anxious weighing yourself or tracking your foods, you do not have to be this meticulous. There are other ways to achieve your goal.
Reverse Diet Versus Diets Break – What Is Better?
Most diet coaches and dieticians include a diet break when crafting a plan for their clients. But what is this and how does it compare to a reverse diet?
Let’s start by defining a diet break – this is a temporary return to your maintenance calories when you are in the middle of a calorie deficit. For example, if you are eating 1,600 calories and your maintenance is 2,000, you would go back to eating at 2,000 for a while before going back down to 1,600. The idea is to give you a break from the diet to help you work through mental and physical fatigue, especially if you have been on a deficit for more than a month.
Weighing the Options
So, how do the two compare?
- The process. With a diet break, you immediately go up to your maintenance calories before going back down to the cut. But with a reverse diet, you follow a gradual approach such that you increase your intake by a small amount at a time. In doing so, you can adjust your metabolism to your new normal and avoid weight gain.
- The time taken. A diet break often lasts anything from a few days to weeks. The period depends on the reason for the break and how long you have been at a deficit. But a reverse diet is not temporary. In most cases, people follow this plan for months before thinking of a bulk or a cut.
- The goal. The aim of a diet break is to give you mental and physical reprieve from the demands of a calorie deficit. But with a reverse diet, the goal is to boost your metabolism while helping you transition into your new normal without gaining weight.
As such, it is not about which method is better than the other. Instead, it is about what is right for you based on your goals, which is what I always think about when guiding my clients. If you would like to follow any of these strategies under the guidance of a certified diet coach, leave your details in the form below and I will get back to you.