When most people think of dieting, their minds jump to calorie deficits, meal prep, and the drive to lose weight. But what happens after a diet? For many, ending a pursuit of 'weight loss' can lead to confusion, frustration, and usually rebound weight gain. This is often where reverse dieting steps in.
But what is reverse dieting? Okay, before we start, I'm going to throw in a disclaimer here. Reverse dieting is popular amongst bodybuilding communities and the benefits or "need" for its existence are still hotly debated. The evidence base is... thin. For this reason, this isn't something I often recommend, but let's delve a little deeper.
At its core, advocates for reverse dieting will argue that it helps in promoting sustainable, long-term health over quick fixes or drastic body fluctuations. Let’s look into what reverse dieting is, why it’s important, and how it could potentially support a person's fitness goals.
What is Reverse Dieting?
Reverse dieting is the gradual process of increasing calorie intake after a dieting or weight loss phase. Unlike jumping back to pre-diet eating habits, this method helps your body adjust to higher calorie levels without triggering rapid weight gain. Popular figures within the fitness industry, such as Layne Norton, have been strong advocates for this approach in the past.
The belief is that by slowly increasing your calorie consumption, rather than climbing things up more dramatically, will give your metabolism chance to adapt. The one problem here: the research is yet to show that this is entirely necessary.
It is true that prolonged calorie deficits can slow your metabolic rate, impact hormone levels, and deplete energy stores. However, whether a more steadily paced return to maintenance calories can better improve these points of interest is yet to be shown.
So if you are asking 'what is reverse dieting?' then the short answer is: a theory with little evidence that could provide some benefit.
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What is reverse dieting and could it be a helpful tool?
Preventing rebound weight gain: Anecdotally, a controlled increase in calories can be a handy tool in allowing you to adjust mentally and physically to an increase in food quantities.
Could reverse dieting be a gentler tool to help maintain bodyweight?
Longevity Over Quick Fixes
I strongly believe calorie counting is wildly overused (and inappropriately applied), but it is wide spread and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. If we can help those that opt for a number's driven approach to manage things more sensibly, then this can only be a good thing!
In a culture that glorifies instant results, reverse dieting (at least) sounds refreshingly different. It’s not about seeing rapid changes but creating a foundation for lasting health and fitness.
My approach to fitness is rooted in sustainability, focusing on building habits that support long-term success rather than short-lived wins. If calorie counting is your preferred choice of habit change, then reverse dieting sits in the more 'sustainable' area of the macro-driven approaches. By gradually increasing calorie intake, you allow your body to adjust and you give yourself more breathing room to alter your daily habits - something crash diets or extreme transformations can never achieve.
Reverse dieting could be a tool to promote patience and consistency.
Potential downsides of reverse dieting:
Lack of research
Once again, the lack of research showing the benefits or the 'need' for reverse dieting shouldn't be forgotten. Although there might be a lot of anecdotal evidence around reverse dieting, coaches should always be wary of recommending practices that don't have proven benefit.
An emphasis and reliance on calorie counting
Calories are always going to be the driver for weight loss or weight gain, but an unhealthy obsession with calories and macronutrients can take away from the fullness of a healthy diet. A healthy diet is so much more than the numbers and calorie counting can sometimes make us forget that.
Logistical challenges
Although this might be a point for discussion, the logistics and 'ease' of calorie counting make it challenging for some to stick to. Calorie counting isn't always as accurate as we would like it to be. From measurement errors, incorrect macronutrient readings and general human forgetfulness, a food diary isn't entirely accurate.
There is a lot of research out there which highlights the inaccuracy of monitoring food intake. The general recommendations for reverse dieting are to climb your calories up around 100 calories each week. Some research papers (like this one here) have shown that we often underreport food intake by hundreds of calories. When reverse dieting, when we are aiming to climb calories up by 100 calories a week, how accurate is this going to be?
What is reverse dieting? - Our final thoughts:
Although there are a lot of anecdotal reports that reverse dieting can help us to manage metabolism, hunger levels and potential weight regain, there is a lack of peer-reviewed research showing its benefit.
If you are someone who enjoys tracking their food and you would like a steadier/kinder return to maintenance calories then reverse dieting could be a handy tool.
Personally, we would be reluctant to recommend a practice that doesn't have an evidence base to support it. There are so many ways that we can monitor and promote a health balanced diet, so we would recommend opting for a different approach.
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