Reverse Dieting: Discuss, please

kk_inprogress
kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
The disclaimer here is that I have not done a significant amount of research on this and don't have a formed opinion, and I'm not planning on changing my intake because I'm not fixing what isn't broken.

I have seen "reverse dieting" across three conversations lately as advice for continuing weight loss after a stall, and I'm just looking for thoughts and opinions from people who know more about it than I do.

I reiterate- you don't have to talk me into or out of anything...I'm not changing my lifestyle. I'm just curious!

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Replies

  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    I'm curious as well.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    In a way i am reversing lol

    Its simple what i am doing...
    They took my lab tests.
    Calculated my daily calorie burn
    Put me on a 1200 calories a day ( + a percentage of my exercise)
    And upped me when i lose more weight...this towards my maintenance level.

    So i get fitter and fitter lost a lot of weight and eat more now than 9 months ago when i started.
    my levels were, 1250, 1300, 1350 and now 1400.
    When i dug under the 160 pounds which i am now ( lost 101.6 pounds) my level goes to 1450.
    So now i am leveling ( as they call it) for half a pound a week with about 20 pounds to go for desired/healthy weight range.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    In a way i am reversing lol

    Its simple what i am doing...
    They took my lab tests.
    Calculated my daily calorie burn
    Put me on a 1200 calories a day ( + a percentage of my exercise)
    And upped me when i lose more weight...this towards my maintenance level.

    So i get fitter and fitter lost a lot of weight and eat more now than 9 months ago when i started.
    my levels were, 1250, 1300, 1350 and now 1400.
    When i dug under the 160 pounds which i am now ( lost 101.6 pounds) my level goes to 1450.
    So now i am leveling ( as they call it) for half a pound a week with about 20 pounds to go for desired/healthy weight range.

    But you are losing less each time you up your calories, just like anyone else would...right? Sorry I know it's a stupid question but I guess that's what I don't get about the reverse dieting talk.

    I mean, when I was going into maintenance I upped my calories 100 calories per week. Is that reverse dieting? I didn't think so. I thought it was when you did that, but then started to EXCEED maintenance, slowly, somehow magically increasing your TDEE.

    Shows how much I know about it as well.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    yes indeed you lose less But that is the meaning of it..
    So you start losing with 2 pounds a week...than 1.5 or 1.75 ..than 1 pound etc etc
    Till you are close to your healthy weight and "only" are on the half a pound a week...From there you transition to maintenance when you are on the desired weight.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited August 2015
    And to be honest i dont know if it is called reversed dieting its a Dutch program)lol

    it was done this way and chosen this way because i was pretty ill and needed to make a huge step back. Slowly we upping it and see if everything stays balanced :) ( my BP for example)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    yes indeed you lose less But that is the meaning of it..
    So you start losing with 2 pounds a week...than 1.5 or 1.75 ..than 1 pound etc etc
    Till you are close to your healthy weight and "only" are on the half a pound a week...From there you transition to maintenance when you are on the desired weight.

    But that's just what most of us do anyway, right? I thought reverse dieting was something special.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    Maybe "reverse dieting" is a misnomer?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Not to say that you aren't special lol
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    indeed
    In a way it is the same
    Only a lot take big steps into maintenance

    mine goes really slow

    But correct me if i am wrong, like i said i have no idea if it is a reversed diet or not.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    Not to say that you aren't special lol

    lol nope i am not for sure..just normal

  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I'm confused. Why is this "reverse" dieting?
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited August 2015
    oh and what is harder...i have to try to keep my training calories the same so 300 a day

    This means when i started at 260 it was easyyyyyyyyyyyy
    now at 160 its harder...but i get them everyday :0
    The lighter i weigh the harder it is
    And the name for that is weight coaching ( dutch literal translation i dont think there is an English word for it)
    So the less i way the more i have to do to get my 300 burned calories a day
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    To me, "reverse dieting" would mean gaining weight.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    I'm confused. Why is this "reverse" dieting?


    I have no idea i think this is what she means. Like i said i am not sure.


  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    To me, "reverse dieting" would mean gaining weight.

    No, it's just a way to describe adding calories back into your diet. But we seem to be confused on the outcome. I thought it was a way to increase your TDEE.
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/reverse-dieting-4-reasons-your-best-diet-might-be-reverse-diet.html

    So, here is a link that I've seen posted regarding the reverse diet - again, I'm not promoting it by sharing or saying its a good source. I read it and while I feel like it has some interesting points, I'm not sure about its claims to "bring your metabolism back up to speed," because this implies that a calorie restriction has significantly changed your metabolism which I don't agree with.

    Continue discussion.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    Or maybe she means going from a higher calorie intake to a low intake??????
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    Or maybe she means going from a higher calorie intake to a low intake??????

    Nope, you were right :smile: I meant low to high.
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    To me, "reverse dieting" would mean gaining weight.

    No, it's just a way to describe adding calories back into your diet. But we seem to be confused on the outcome. I thought it was a way to increase your TDEE.

    Aha! So if you add too many calories into your diet, then you will gain weight!
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    well funny is that you say about increasing your TDEE
    Mine seems to be higher than it was when i started 9 months ago.

    I was pretty low and everything now indicates it is higher...but we will see when they run the tests again.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited August 2015
    sorry not TDEE but my maintenance level without exercise (bmr)
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Okay. Yeah. I do this...most of us on here do this. For some reason I thought it was about adding calories beyond maintenance.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    atypicalsmith wrote: »
    To me, "reverse dieting" would mean gaining weight.

    No, it's just a way to describe adding calories back into your diet. But we seem to be confused on the outcome. I thought it was a way to increase your TDEE.

    Aha! So if you add too many calories into your diet, then you will gain weight!

    Umm...yeah.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    sorry not TDEE but my maintenance level without exercise (bmr)

    Hm. That didn't happen for me. Wish it did.
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    Okay. Yeah. I do this...most of us on here do this. For some reason I thought it was about adding calories beyond maintenance.

    I slowly added calories back into my diet as well as I got close to maintenance....but I'm not sure I believe what I'm hearing about metabolism changes. I can't believe they were that significant while I was eating at a deficit vs. When I increased slowly. Am I wrong?
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    kkenseth wrote: »
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/reverse-dieting-4-reasons-your-best-diet-might-be-reverse-diet.html

    So, here is a link that I've seen posted regarding the reverse diet - again, I'm not promoting it by sharing or saying its a good source. I read it and while I feel like it has some interesting points, I'm not sure about its claims to "bring your metabolism back up to speed," because this implies that a calorie restriction has significantly changed your metabolism which I don't agree with.

    Continue discussion.

    Seems to me i am doing this lol
    With indeed the result of a higher daily calorie burn than 9 months ago

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited August 2015
    kkenseth wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Okay. Yeah. I do this...most of us on here do this. For some reason I thought it was about adding calories beyond maintenance.

    I slowly added calories back into my diet as well as I got close to maintenance....but I'm not sure I believe what I'm hearing about metabolism changes. I can't believe they were that significant while I was eating at a deficit vs. When I increased slowly. Am I wrong?


    I agree with you about the metabolism changes. For us at least. I wonder about these women and men who are training like crazy in a deficit for a year or more at a time without taking a diet break though.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    Well mine is not just a couple calories its closer to a couple hundred it seems
    But i wait and see, soon my turn to get tested :)

    It was 1772 i thought have to look it up. And now around the 2000
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    kkenseth wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    Okay. Yeah. I do this...most of us on here do this. For some reason I thought it was about adding calories beyond maintenance.

    I slowly added calories back into my diet as well as I got close to maintenance....but I'm not sure I believe what I'm hearing about metabolism changes. I can't believe they were that significant while I was eating at a deficit vs. When I increased slowly. Am I wrong?


    I agree with you about the metabolism changes. For us at least. I wonder about these women who are training like crazy in a deficit for a year or more at a time without taking a diet break though.

    Good point.... That makes sense
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    Well mine is not just a couple calories its closer to a couple hundred it seems
    But i wait and see, soon my turn to get tested :)

    It was 1772 i thought have to look it up. And now around the 2000

    Reeeally? Thats good. Makes me want to keep adding a bit more calories.
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