Understanding Reverse Dieting: A Beginner's Guide

Extreme calorie restriction in an effort to reduce weight is a tried-and-true trend in dieting, but it is not healthy for our bodies. In fact, studies suggest that they will actively oppose it.

Reverse dieting, in which you intentionally increase your calorie intake over time to preserve your weight reduction results while consuming more food, is one of the more recent concepts sweeping the business. Although its alleged advantages seem alluring, what do medical professionals think?

Here, we'll discuss the idea of reverse dieting and consider its possible hazards and advantages based on evidence-based research and from the viewpoint of healthcare experts.

What Is Reverse Dieting?

Reverse dieting is a post-diet eating technique in which you gradually increase your calorie intake (over a period of weeks or months) in order to avoid gaining weight when you resume your prior calorie levels. It has gained popularity in the bodybuilding scene as a means of avoiding a sudden increase in weight following a competition.

Bodybuilders adhere to rigid, unsustainable diets in order to achieve their ideal physiques. But switching back to a higher-calorie diet after competition can lead to weight gain since the body's metabolism slows during periods of restriction. Reverse dieting is here.

During times of limitation, your body's metabolism is altered by adaptive thermogenesis, a defensive mechanism that lowers your energy expenditure in an effort to halt weight loss. On the other side, reverse dieting tries to increase calorie intake following calorie restriction in order to increase metabolic rates and reduce fat accumulation.

While this makes logical sense, it's vital to highlight that some reverse dieting practices worry medical specialists.

How Should Reverse Dieting Work?

There is no "one size fits all" reversal diet since every person's body is different. Reverse dieting proponents advise dieters to increase their weekly calorie intake by 2% to 3%, with a focus on carbs and fat. Theoretically, until you hit your pre-diet calorie count or another calorie target, you would gradually increase your calorie intake each week. Your current calorie consumption, preferred strategy, and target calorie range will all be considered when designing your reverse diet.

Are There Any Risks in Reverse Dieting?

Reverse dieting has several drawbacks and possible risks, so not everyone should try it. Anyone interested in trying a kind of reverse diet should first speak with their doctor or a qualified dietitian. Once you increase your calorie intake, there is always a chance that you may gain weight. The American Psychological Association claims that the science driving weight swings, which involves both physiological and psychological components, is more intricate than just consuming more calories. A person who consumes fewer calories would undergo hormonal, metabolic, and cognitive changes that might make maintaining weight loss difficult.

Additionally, long-term, restricted dieting has been linked to changes in a number of hormones, including leptin, ghrelin, and insulin, which may alter your metabolic rate and, eventually, cause swings in weight and make it more difficult to lose weight or keep it off.

The registered dietitian behind Jen Marie Nutrition in New York, Jennie Waegelein, M.S., concurs that following extremely low-calorie diets has an influence on hormones. "The body is intelligent; its sole objective is to survive." Our hormones are affected when we try to mislead the body by dieting or eating less than it requires, and this alters things like how we react to stress, how hungry we are, and how well we sleep, she explains, adding that these changes can eventually lead to further weight gain.

The possibility of exact calorie tracking potentially activating someone with an eating problem history is perhaps the risk that is most worrying. For some people, the advantages of reverse dieting may not exceed the hazards since it involves precise calorie counting with little to no tolerance for mistake.

What Are the Potential Benefits of Reverse Dieting?

The benefits of reverse dieting are at best anecdotal in the absence of substantial long-term scientific evidence. Its main advantage is the freedom it gives dieters to go from a brief, calorie-restrictive diet to a more sustained eating routine. However, its proponents assert that it also has other ostensible advantages, such as:

1. Increased muscle mass: Due to the quick loss of lean body mass that can result from very low calorie diets, giving your body more energy (in the form of more calories), especially when combined with strength exercise, offers your body the resources it needs to increase its muscle mass and strength.

2. Balanced appetite: Your body's survival mechanisms increase your hunger when you're in a calorie shortage. Increasing the number of calories in your diet can help you control your appetite and normalize your hunger.

3. Energy boost: Consuming more nutrient-dense foods results in a higher intake of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), which can give you more mental and physical energy.

4. Enhanced metabolism Similar to how fewer calories can decrease your metabolism, more calories following a calorie restriction may promote non-exercise thermogenesis (NEAT). In essence, it increases the amount of calories you burn while performing daily tasks like playing with your children, cleaning, walking the dog, etc.

What Does a Reverse Diet Plan Look Like?

A conservative strategy for reverse dieting would be to gradually increase your weekly calorie intake by 2% to 3% until you reach your target number. If you wish to proceed with the procedure a little more firmly, you may boost your weekly calorie intake by a greater proportion during the first week and then by 2% to 3% each subsequent week until you accomplish your objective.

But it's vital to keep in mind that the assertions made in favor of reverse dieting are not well supported by science. The quantitative suggestions that are accessible to dieters are constrained by the dearth of scientific data. It is advisable to examine the ramifications of reverse dieting with your doctor or a qualified dietitian before beginning.