REVERSE DIETING EXPLAINED

Reverse dieting is talked about a lot recently, by myself and by many others in the industry. If this is a new concept to you or you might think this is something you would benefit from, keep reading.

Most of us have seen transformations circling social media where the individual increases caloric intake and suddenly look better. Some of you are probably left confused, because you’ve had the idea of a caloric deficit drilled into your head. Eat less, exercise more and you’ll lose fat...well this is the case if you’ve earned the right to enter a fat loss phase.

Reality is, majority of us are not in a place to immediately start losing fat the moment we decide we want to be shredded for our big beach trip in 3 months.

WHAT IS A REVERSE DIET (IN THE MOST BASIC SENSE)

The main focus of reverse dieting is not on changing physical appearance. It will help with this in the long run, if executed properly, but its immediate purpose is to restore hormonal balance, the nervous system, and improve performance.

When you cut calories, or go into a deficit, your metabolism adapts and begins to down-regulate. You are giving your body less energy (food) therefore it makes its best attempt to conserve the energy it has (fat and glycogen).

If you do not incorporate diet breaks and/or refeeds, your body adapts to a new low maintenance level. At this point, different hormone levels (cortisol, testosterone, leptin, ghrelin) are off balance and your metabolism is not longer in an optimal state to burn fat. This is when you experience a plateau.

Reverse dieting allows you to restore metabolic function and provides you a higher caloric base to cut from.

HOW IT WORKS

Generally you can add anywhere from 5-20% of your current caloric intake each week, or every 2 weeks. Where do these calories come from specifically: carbs, fats, protein? It depends. It’s all based on where you are starting from. Majority of people are deficient in their protein intake, so you will most likely be adding some there.

A portion of individuals who reverse will hardly see the scale move. Some may even lose weight, many will maintain, and some will gain. However, when does strategically, this weight gain will usually be from water weight and glycogen stores, rather than excess fat. Going into the reverse, you need to be open to any of those possibilities. Everyone’s body responds differently and much of it depends on your dieting history. If you do gain anywhere from 5-10 pounds, you have to remember that it’s a necessary step in this bigger picture process and it will eventually come off.

Weight should be recorded regularly, but it’s crucial to remember that it is not the main focus here. Instead, biofeedback should be closely monitored. This includes: performance, sleep, energy, mood, cravings, sex drive. These should be tracked daily, or often, and measured on some sort of scale (i.e. 1-5).

HOW LONG DOES A REVERSE LAST

Once again, it depends. Some individuals only need 2 months, some need closer to 4, and some could even need up to 6-12 months. The more damage that’s occurred to your hormonal and nervous systems will be the determining factor of this.

WHO NEEDS TO REVERSE DIET

Here are two examples of individuals who would benefit from a reverse diet.

Situation A: You have been dieting for awhile. At first your weight loss was consistent. Eventually, it slowed down and you plateaued. So naturally you cut more calories and/or added in more cardio. That sparked some more weight loss...until you plateaued once again. At this point, you can’t imagine subtracting any more calories because you’re already hungry as is. You also can’t stand to do any more cardio because you’re exhausted and your training progress has stalled. You want to lose the last few pounds but are stuck.

Situation B: You are new to working out. You are eager to lose anywhere between 10-20 pounds and begin tracking calories. You come to find you are only eating 1,200-1,400 calories per day. Your life is sedentary and you’re now starting to exercise 2-4 times per week.

In both of these cases, your caloric base (or maintenance level) is too low to subtract from. Most likely your performance is not optimal, your energy levels and hunger levels are probably out of whack. I get so many clients who do not even realize the potential of how good their body is supposed to feel!

A LONG, METICULOUS PROCESS

Reverse dieting is a process that I believe so many individuals can benefit from and should be strategically implemented into each fat loss journey. Along with restoring metabolic function and priming your body for a successful fat loss phase, it can start the process of improving one’s relationship with food. I experience so many women who fear food. One of my biggest client wins, besides helping them reach their goal body and feel confident in their skin, is helping them learn how to treat (and fuel) their body properly and change their mindset around food.

IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF A REVERSE….

If you are in a position where you believe you need to implement a reverse diet, my number one recommendation is to hire a coach who you trust and who is familiar with this process. This can be an emotional and mentally challenging process so having someone give you professional guidance and reassure you along the way is a necessity for long-term success. This is not a process that you can “try out” for 2 weeks and then go back to your old eating habits. This is something you must properly implement for as long as your body needs, no matter what the scale reading says. It WILL pay off in the long run. My clients who have trusted me with this can assure you that it is one of the best things they’ve done for themselves! I will have client case studies on this coming soon!

AN ADDITIONAL FACTOR: AMENORRHEA

I feel obligated to add this in here since I’ve found many women are unaware of restrictive dieting on our reproduction hormones. Amenorrhea is the absence of three or more missed menstrual periods in a row.

If you have lost your cycle and it is not due to contraceptives or other medical conditions, I encourage you to consider if you are under eating and/or over exercising.

When the female body is in a famine-like-state (underfed and/or over trained), menstruation stops due to inadequate fuel to support this (non-essential life) process.