What is Reverse Dieting
The term “reverse dieting” probably sounds very odd if you aren’t part of the bodybuilding world! This phrase means exactly like you might guess it means – the opposite of dieting! When you think of going on a “diet”, you tend to think of eating less or restricting your calories or food in some way. The term reverse dieting is often used to refer to the process of INCREASING your calories.
If you’ve read any of my other articles about nutrition, you know I am a firm believer that not eating enough can be just as detrimental to your physique goals as overeating can be. Not only does under-eating for an extended period of time cause your metabolism to negatively adapt, it can also lead to frustration when you inevitably don’t achieve the results you think you should. After all, you are “working so hard” at your diet, that the results should automatically follow. Sadly, our bodies are too smart and diets often do not work – especially if you have been dieting off and on (or just continually restricting calories) for months or years.
If you fall into this category (dieting off and on or chronically under-eating), a reverse diet just might be for you. The basic concept will have you taking what you are currently eating and gradually increasing your calories while closely monitoring weight. While most people will gain a small amount of weight (probably less than you would think, however), some will maintain their weight and some will even lose weight. However, the real benefit is seen over the long-term. After a sustained period of reverse dieting, you should see an increased metabolism and a much easier time losing weight the next time you decrease calories.
My Reverse Dieting Progress – July 2020
Me currently – a couple months into a reverse diet, but still staying lean. Pictured with my beautiful friend who is also a bodybuilder!
If you read any of my dieting posts, you know that I spent some time in the spring half-heartedly trying to lose a few pounds for summer. While I did lose a couple, I honestly just didn’t diet hard enough. So at the end of May, I decided to just reverse diet until my next cut (unsure of when that will be!). I have reverse dieted MANY times over the last 10 years. I typically try to cut a bit of body fat in the spring (so I can go into summer looking lean) and then start my reverse in the mid to late summer. Unless I have a fall/winter vacation, I usually spend all fall/winter/early spring getting and keeping my calories as high as I can.
I take the reverse dieting process fairly slow to allow my body to gradually adapt to the extra calories and not gain a bunch of unwanted fat. I dieted for several weeks this spring on 1700 calories because I was just never motivated to go any lower. What can I say…I like food! Plus the fact that I wasn’t seeing anyone during the coronavirus lockdown made it even more challenging to stay motivated. I only ended up losing a pound or two.
So I started my reverse by adding 100 calories to that. During most of June, I ate around 1800 calories. I started out by adding a few more carbs and fats (aka, the yummy stuff!) to my diet. I tend to keep my protein steady year-round (between 120 and 140g/day). When I cut or reverse diet, I will use my carbs and proteins to increase or decrease calories.
During this time, I also re-committed to really pushing myself with the weights. Lifting heavy and really pushing to near-failure 3-5 days per week have allowed me to stay relatively lean while increasing calories in the past, and it is definitely working again! Near the end of June I increased my calories up to 1900 and I haven’t gained any weight yet. My plan is to keep calories around 1900 through summer and then (assuming my gym doesn’t close again), get them up to 2000+ this fall/winter. I’m guessing I won’t be going anywhere tropical this fall or winter, so I will likely have MONTHS to reverse and keep my calories (and metabolism) high. This will bode very well for me when I eventually try to cut again next spring.
Lifting heavy will help keep me lean as I increase calories.
If my gym does close down again temporarily, I will probably be less aggressive with increasing food since I am not able to lift as heavy at home. But hopefully any gym closures will be temporary.
Reverse Dieting Success Stories
I’m not the only one who has had great success reverse dieting. While it can be difficult to be patient enough to reverse diet when your ultimate goal is to lose weight, I’ve had clients with enough foresight and the power to stick with the plan to also have successful reverse diets.
One of my male clients was getting frustrated with how much he was working out and cutting carbs…but not seeing the results he wanted. We worked together for a total of 24 weeks. During those first 12 weeks, our main goal was just to get calories up. He started out eating under 2000 calories per day with very few of those coming from carbs. We got his carbs up from less than 100g/day up to 250g/day. During this time, he gained almost no weight! You can see his before and after pictures here.
Starting a Reverse Diet
If you think you might benefit from eating more calories, I would highly recommend reverse dieting in a slow and controlled manner. Take what you are eating now and add 10g of carbs in each week. You might be surprised at how little weight you actually gain. If you would like some guidance, I have worked with several clients who, instead of eating less, needed to eat more. I can help guide you with the process if you don’t want to attempt it alone.
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