Reverse Dieting: Way to keep the weight off?

Reverse dieting is the act of slowly increasing your food intake after a calorie-restricted diet to promote long-term weight maintenance, i.e. it is the act of resuming more of your normal eating habits after a cut, without gaining all the weight back. It is used in the fitness industry as a common approach to maintaining results after a hard cut. 

How to do it?

Step 1 - Figure out how many calories you need a day

You can easily estimate the number of calories you need to maintain based on your new weight and activity level, but the most accurate way to capture this information is through a body composition test.  

Step 2 - Increase your calories in small increments

Once you know how much you can potentially eat and still maintain your weight, you can start increasing your intake over time to match it. For example, if you are currently eating 1500 calories a day but can actually eat 2000 calories a day and maintain your new weight, you can add ~100 calories or so at a time. 

Start by increasing your intake by 5 to 10% and stick to this amount for two to three weeks. Then continue to increase your intake and repeat the process until you reach your maintenance amount.

Step 3 - Track your daily intake

Using a food tracking app to estimate how many calories you consume each day from food and beverages. This will help you get a handle on how well you are sticking to your new daily calorie needs. And since reverse dieting typically involves small incremental increases in intake, 100 to 200 calories at a time, it is crucial that you are as accurate as possible in your tracking. Use a food scale or measuring cups and be as precise as you can. 

Step 4 - Stick to your maintenance calorie needs

The final step is weight maintenance. In order to keep your results, you have to commit to keeping some or all of the healthy habits you built over the course of your diet. Continue to choose healthier food options, exercise regularly, and pay attention to how much you consume on a consistent basis.

There are some possible disadvantages of reverse dieting:

If you are using reverse dieting to try and increase your calories without knowing your maintenance calorie needs, it is entirely possible to scale your calories too high and gain weight. 

There are also changes in body water weight to consider that can be hard to distinguish for the average person. For example, if you cut a majority of carbohydrates during your diet, and then add them back in later, you are likely going to start storing some additional water weight. This is not the same as fat gain and can be unsettling for those that do not know the difference.

While calorie control is the end-all-be-all for maintaining weight, it is not the only thing to consider when living a long, healthy life. It is also important to learn how proper nutrition and “treat” foods fit into a long-term approach. A balanced approach that includes nutritious foods with the occasional splurge is a true maintenance diet. 

Moreover, just counting calories does not allow you to be in tune with your body and what it needs. Learning to eat more mindfully, fuel your body for daily performance and get to know what makes you feel good from the inside out is the key to long-term adherence on any diet.