Reverse dieting question

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FitnessFreak1821
FitnessFreak1821 Posts: 242 Member
edited July 2022 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, so I am about 10 pounds from my goal(Gw: 136 pounds or tad less not much more. I want to stay in 130s) . I have never reached a plateau that I couldn't seem to get out of but here I am. I don't know if it's because i had a 2nd kid. Im measuring and weighing food. Counting every thing that i eat or drink. Since February im bouncing between 146-148pounds. The whole month of june though I'm literally staying 146-146.8 and i was eating 1600-1700 cals. Burning anywhere between 200-400 cals in excercise. Making myself run on 1500 cals and less. Soo the last week or so I read that I most likely need to restart again. My body got use to the deficiency so I have to eat more then cut again eventually to start losing. Well this week im eating 1800-2000 cals(very little deficiency to maintenance). Im exercising still and with that burn I'm anywhere between 1500-1800 cals in the end instead of 1500 and below.

Am I doing this reverse diet right? I know some sites say just eat maintenance and quit working out for abit. I just don't want to do that. I crave working out. I like how it makes me feel.
I need help on getting out of this plateau and lose the 10 pounds I want. I know it will be slow...I am aware it could take months or another year to lose the last bit of weight. I'm just tired of feeling like I'm truly pushing myself with little to no result to show. You know?🤔

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited July 2022
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    Give your new eating level a trial for a month to see what impact the change has - don't flit around quickly from one level to another or you won't have a clear idea of what is / isn't working.

    As for the working out issue it's not a binary choice between full on training or nothing.
    If you think it's been too much of a stressor a reduction in volume, intensity or change of type of exercise can all be beneficial. Many people periodise their training to manage their recovery and freshness.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,004 Member
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    Well, I'm not sure what you describe is actually "Reverse dieting" but here's a great thread about Refeeds and Diet Breaks,

    The first page gives you all you really need but it's a long discussion thread
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1
  • FitnessFreak1821
    FitnessFreak1821 Posts: 242 Member
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    Well, I'm not sure what you describe is actually "Reverse dieting" but here's a great thread about Refeeds and Diet Breaks,

    The first page gives you all you really need but it's a long discussion thread
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

    Thank you I'll take a look at this thread:)
  • FitnessFreak1821
    FitnessFreak1821 Posts: 242 Member
    edited July 2022
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    Countandsubtract wrote: »
    Your ideas sound good. I wonder if the recommendation not to workout rather than increase intake is because some people jump at the chance to skip a workout?

    From a sustainability perspective, it seems like it's harder to get back to working out after time away (especially with cardio). And weight isn't the only reason to workout. Eating more like you're doing seems like it's less likely to cause a headache in the long run. (But I'm also not an expert on reverse dieting.)

    Also depending on how long it's been since your pregnancy/breastfeeding (if applicable), your hormones may still be resettling.

    If you're on any medications for recovery from your pregnancy or in general, you might be suprised how much medications can interfere with your weight and metabolism despite what you eat.

    Just wanted to mention those in case they help.

    Hope you get some good info more tailored to that aspect of your situation as well.

    Good luck with everything.

    Thank you! Yeah maybe thats why some recommend no working out with reverse dieting. I definitely don't want to just stop working out completely. It has been 14 months since I gave birth...so maybe it is partially hormonal with my plateau. I never thought of that. 🤔
  • FitnessFreak1821
    FitnessFreak1821 Posts: 242 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Give your new eating level a trial for a month to see what impact the change has - don't flit around quickly from one level to another or you won't have a clear idea of what is / isn't working.

    As for the working out issue it's not a binary choice between full on training or nothing.
    If you think it's been too much of a stressor a reduction in volume, intensity or change of type of exercise can all be beneficial. Many people periodise their training to manage their recovery and freshness.

    Thank you good idea, I was thinking that, just eat higher cals for a month and see if that helps Kickstart things again when i drop calories again. I definitely can not give up. I will continue to crush all my goals💪 🙂
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited July 2022
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    The main reason for workouts to be reduced during a diet break or reverse dieting is to eliminate exercise related weight retention - predominantly muscle inflammation and stress/cortisol related water weight.

    e.g. As a cyclist I have the somewhat conflicting issues or wanting to be at peak fitness and lightest weight for big events. In the lead up to an event I can comfortably lose weight at 1lb a week for a few weeks but as training intensity and volume ramp up weight loss will stall - fat loss is still happening but masked by water weight. That missing weight loss might well happen when I taper off and eat at maintenance in the week before the event.

    No idea what your "workouts" actually are but it's worth paying attention to recovery. A prolonged deficit means your recovery will be sub-optimal so it needs more care.
    Signs might be: plateau in exercise performance, lethargy outside of exercise, tiredness, elevated resting heart rate....

    The lethargy, tiredness part can be quite subtle but enough to significantly reduce your calories out.

  • FitnessFreak1821
    FitnessFreak1821 Posts: 242 Member
    edited July 2022
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    sijomial wrote: »
    The main reason for workouts to be reduced during a diet break or reverse dieting is to eliminate exercise related weight retention - predominantly muscle inflammation and stress/cortisol related water weight.

    e.g. As a cyclist I have the somewhat conflicting issues or wanting to be at peak fitness and lightest weight for big events. In the lead up to an event I can comfortably lose weight at 1lb a week for a few weeks but as training intensity and volume ramp up weight loss will stall - fat loss is still happening but masked by water weight. That missing weight loss might well happen when I taper off and eat at maintenance in the week before the event.

    No idea what your "workouts" actually are but it's worth paying attention to recovery. A prolonged deficit means your recovery will be sub-optimal so it needs more care.
    Signs might be: plateau in exercise performance, lethargy outside of exercise, tiredness, elevated resting heart rate....

    The lethargy, tiredness part can be quite subtle but enough to significantly reduce your calories out.

    Thank you for this info! I just increased my calories and it seemed to help. I'm finally slowly going down. Strength training and eating more surprisingly kicked my weightloss into gear. I just needed more patience. 😄
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,531 Member
    edited July 2022
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    I had this happen to me and readjusted my macros consuming and quit the IIFYM and stuck mainly to green/yellow veggies/berries/5oz dairy for carbs. That alone kicked it into gear. I also made sure my fat was right on the money (vs under,,,,usually I would be under.) I like to workout too. Love it. Never stopped. Good luck on your goals :)

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