Reverse Dieting

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JKew
JKew Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm currently 'reverse dieting'. For those unfamiliar with the process it means slowly adding calories to 'rebuild' your metabolism after a prolonged period of fat loss. The aim is to minimise fat regain while getting calories as high a possible.

So far it's gone really well! My calories before my show got as low as 1550 (that was grim couple of weeks), I'm now eating 2450 a day, and have actually lost a pound!

I realise that for somebody who is new to the concept this sounds completely ridiculous, how on earth can you add in almost a thousand calories a day and not gain any weight? Well I'm sure that if I'd jumped my calories up by 900 overnight then I would have gained a lot of fat, but by doing slowly I've given my metabolism time to adapt to the increased intake.

I'd be really interested to hear about the experiences of anybody who has/is reverse dieting, or for people to ask questions about what so far has been a really positive experience for me.

Replies

  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
    edited December 2014
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    Well, I agree that adding in calories slowly is the best way to re-adjust your intake; once you've gotten used to eating lower for so long, it can be difficult to suddenly up them to where they need to be. So this definitely sounds like a good way for someone to slowly up their intake if the idea of upping it all at once is overwhelming.

    I find the concept that suddenly eating more leading to fat gain debatable, and I'm definitely open to any studies or information that shows this is true. I'm not sure about it from a bodybuilding perspective, but from what I'm doing, calories are calories. If you are in a surplus and not doing anything to burn off/maintain the extra, you will gain fat; four days in a calorie surplus of 900 per day leads to 3,600 surplus calories, which will eventually lead to a pound of fat gain unless that surplus is burned off. If you are eating to fit your needs (maintaining/bulking), IMHO, it doesn't matter whether you're eating 100 extra or 900 extra the following day. You just have to make sure that your activity level is able to handle it, and that your maintenance calorie calculation is correct (which is factoring in to the surplus you've added in).
  • JKew
    JKew Posts: 6 Member
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    I agree with all of what you've said. The only thing that I would add is that it is important to realise than maintenance calories is a moving target. So while my maintenance was 1550 back at the beginning of November as I was not losing weight at this intake, my maintenance is now 2450, and my weight is holding constant.

    One factor certainly worth mentioning is that I lift weights 4/5 times a week, so reverse dieting may not work as well in an inactive population, although I still think its likely to be a lot better than the alternative restriction/binge cycle.

    You are right, there certainly seems to be a lack of research in this area. One paper that I can point to is this one by Maclean which explains how the body starts to fight you as lose weight, making it harder and harder to do so (essentially to prevent you from starving). http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/ajpregu/301/3/R581.full.pdf

    What is clear to me is that if you have been dieting for a prolonged period you are in a perfect situation to regain fat. Hunger hormones are high. Satiety hormones are low. Fat storage hormones are up regulated, whilst fat burning hormones are down regulated.

    There is a study in rats which appears to support the idea of 'body fat overshooting'. http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/ajpregu/290/6/local/ed-board.pdf
    Essentially the idea being that if you overeat after an extended period of restriction you will gain more fat than if you had never dieted in the first place. Granted this is not a human study, but it still makes for interesting reading.
  • Aesthetic_B
    Aesthetic_B Posts: 7 Member
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    I reversed dieted for 8 months of trying to make lean gains and was up to 2600 and wasn't gaining weight still! It was almost difficult to fill those calories even with calorie dense food/carbs of "dirty foods" if you will of Poptarts and ice cream. I was increasing my carbs about 25g every week or so.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
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    {just here to read}
  • Sadi_Kalen
    Sadi_Kalen Posts: 33 Member
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    thank you all for the great advice! :D i have started to do this as i reached a few pounds above my goal weight and my weight seems to have stabilized to a normal BMI. i don't feel the need to strive for those last 5 lbs if my body really wants to keep them and i am terrified of gaining it all back!

    i've continued to count but i'm taking this advice and slowly upping my calories to reach my goal maintenance of 1800 daily (i'm only 5'1" so i can't go to 2000 or over even with my activity!). i love exercise too but i'm learning to take it easy with calorie counting as my BMR has dropped really low and i don't want to be stuck on 1480 cals + 1 hour's exercise daily forever. i feel this is the safest way to do so without getting stuck with a crap load more pounds to lose when i'm already close enough to goal to be happy with the results.

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