{"id":150302312611,"date":"2022-10-28T10:50:36","date_gmt":"2022-10-28T14:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bioptimizers.com\/blog\/?p=150302312611"},"modified":"2024-08-19T05:34:06","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T09:34:06","slug":"what-is-reverse-dieting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bioptimizers.com\/blog\/what-is-reverse-dieting\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Reverse Dieting and How Does It Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

However, to maintain your results, you\u2019ll also have to eat less as your metabolism drops and hunger<\/a> goes up after weight loss. Wouldn\u2019t it be nice to maintain your results without starving every day?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are not here to suggest a magic pill that burns calories while you do nothing. Instead, we will take a more scientific approach: a diet that reverses some of the physiological changes after you\u2019ve hit your fat loss goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Reverse Dieting?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Reverse dieting refers to an eating plan that focuses on gradually increasing the calories you consume. This plan takes place over a few weeks to months in order to show results. The goal of reverse dieting is to boost your metabolism while allowing you to eat more food.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If done correctly, you\u2019ll maintain the weight you lose and be able to eat more on a maintenance diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept of this diet stems from bodybuilders. To get that incredible and unearthly physique we see in these athletes, bodybuilders follow strict diets to lose nearly all the fat they have on their bodies. These diets, however, are unsustainable and can actually be damaging to their overall health and well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the competition is over, bodybuilders return to a more balanced diet. Typically, that means eating more calories to help the recovery process. If they immediately go back to the same number of calories they consumed prior to competition, they will gain a lot of fat. This happens because losing a lot of body fat can lower calorie expenditure due to metabolic adaptation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, physique competition prep usually involves very aggressive calorie-cutting protocols that puts their body into extremely low body fat towards the competition. According to the setpoint theory, your body wants to return to its set point weight. So, if you are leaner than your setpoint weight, it will reduce your metabolism, and make you more sluggish and hungrier until you return to your setpoint weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example – if a physique athlete used to consume 4,000 calories per day to maintain weight and cut down to 2,000 calories for the competition, going right back to 4,000 calories can cause rapid fat gain. This is why many bodybuilders gain weight after competitions, as do most dieters after they hit their weight loss goals.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that your metabolism acts like a slingshot. Eating more calories makes your body adjust to burning slightly more calories through basal metabolic rate and micro movements (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). But this adjustment is rather small\u2013 around 50 – 300 calories depending on your age, gender, and size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reverse dieting involves taking advantage of this metabolic slingshot. It\u2019s helped bodybuilders and non-bodybuilders transition from a very low caloric intake to being able to maintain their physique at a higher calories. The transition between the two states gradually boosts metabolic rates, while minimizing fat gain.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We believe reverse dieting is a great tool to maintain fat loss results and prevent rebound fat gain. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reverse Dieting To Fix Metabolism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reverse dieting originates from a physiological concept called adaptive thermogenesis<\/em>. Restricting caloric intake and losing fat activates the starvation mode in the brain, which tells your other organs to limit energy use. It also increases appetite in an attempt to boost caloric intake. On the other hand, eating a few more calories, up to ~200 calories, can allow your metabolism to adapt to burning more calories without storing them as fat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why People Tend To Regain Weight After Losing Weight Through Caloric Restrictions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Increasing Hunger Hormones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pushing yourself to consume more calories is your brain\u2019s best bet to get more energy, which it often craves during times of caloric restriction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why the hypothalamus stimulates the release of ghrelin and suppresses leptin. Ghrelin stimulates hunger, whereas leptin tells the brain you are full, or satiated. These changes in hormone levels will cause you to eat more and eventually gain weight.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slowing Down Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To rationalize the use of energy, your brain prioritizes vital functions that keep you alive. Therefore, other mechanisms that normally burn calories are slowed down.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the fat loss or caloric restriction are sufficiently aggressive, many people find that their thyroid and sex hormone functions go down overall. These declines may be subclinical, not enough to diagnose any disease but you may feel less energized, colder, and lower libido. Some premenopausal women may develop longer or less regular menstrual cycles once their body fat goes too far below their setpoint.<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the long run, living with very low caloric intake is unhealthy because it means you\u2019ll provide your body with less resources for regenerative processes, hormone balance, immune functions, and more. This means you\u2019ll generally feel miserable and feel worse than if your body had more calories to allocate to these processes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling worse doesn\u2019t include cases where the excess fat or obesity cause some health issues that then improve with fat loss. Obesity, especially with fat between organs, is comorbid with numerous health issues such as diabetes, osteoarthritis, heart disease, and hypertension.<\/span> In cases of overweight and obesity, fat loss will improve health and hormone balance, and often make you feel better. However, reverse dieting and having the right maintenance plans are crucial for maintaining the results long-term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We cover this topic of basal metabolic rate in greater detail here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decreasing Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From the perspective of your primitive brain, caloric restriction and fat loss mean you are starving. Therefore, it limits the energy use of your muscles, even while you work out.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decreasing Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

NEAT accounts for daily tasks that use energy, but are not active exercise.<\/span> This can be walking around the house, vacuuming, doing dishes, etc. NEAT also includes any fidgeting and micro-movements that you may make throughout the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your body reduces NEAT as well when it feels as if it is starving.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delaying Digestion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of this step is to absorb as much energy as possible from the limited food you\u2019re consuming. In addition, food\u2019s thermic effect decreases.<\/span> Thermic effect is the energy needed to break down and absorb nutrients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the above physiological adaptations that take place during calorie restriction should give you an idea about the importance of reverse dieting.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gradually increasing caloric intake will increase your metabolic rate and optimize the release of hunger hormones. Eventually, this can mitigate weight regain after weight loss.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits Of Reverse Dieting <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Promotes Weight Loss<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, the most desired benefit of reverse dieting is weight loss, or at the very least, preventing weight regain. Reverse dieting is a key step in keeping the weight off.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It just makes sense<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restricting your calories decreases NEAT and the release of leptin. Ergo, increasing your calories should do the exact opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One interesting aspect of reverse dieting is its ability to prevent binge eating<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a common issue among those trying to lose weight who engage in a severely restrictive diet. By restoring your hunger hormones to normal, reverse dieting stops you from overloading yourself with food.<\/span> Eating more calories in general will provide you with more nutrients, so you\u2019ll also be healthier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allows You To Eat More<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Eating more food while on a reverse diet regimen is one of the reasons behind this diet\u2019s popularity. Who knew that you can eat more, AND lose weight?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restricting your intake of calories for weeks or months is a torturing experience. In the long run, you want to enjoy your food without worrying about weight gain. Reverse dieting might just be the answer you\u2019ve been looking for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boosts Your Energy Levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We mentioned that the body mitigates the use of energy when it senses low caloric intake. This means feeling tired all the time and undergoing mood swings.<\/span> <\/strong>Exactly what you don\u2019t want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The causes of energy depletion may be a genuine deficiency of calories or a lack of essential nutrients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the long run, staying at a higher maintenance calorie level will give you more energy and better nutrient status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suppresses Hunger<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We have repeatedly emphasized the effects of caloric restriction diets on hunger and appetite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent study, researchers recruited 14 bodybuilders who followed severe calorie restrictions for 10 weeks. When their blood test results came back, researchers found that their leptin levels had dropped by 27.7%. At the same time, ghrelin had increased by 26.4%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The combination of low leptin and high ghrelin induces extreme feelings of hunger and lethargy.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those of you who are still a bit unfamiliar with these hormones, here is a brief breakdown<\/span>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n