How to Know if Reverse Dieting is a Good Fit For You Plus How to Start A Reverse Diet Plan

You may not have competed in a bodybuilding show or you may not have stepped foot in a gym in a year. That doesn’t mean you aren’t a good candidate for reverse dieting!

Below I highlight some obvious signs I have found in the last few years from working with dozens of men and women who all were in need of reverse dieting due to their own individual circumstances.

1. You have come off of an extreme weight loss diet and never changed anything after the initial weight loss, AKA: you never slowly started to eat more

2. You have a history of yo-yo dieting

3. You have hit a plateau and nothing you do seems to work or make a change in your body

4. You don’t eat a lot (1200 calories or less a day) and oddly enough, most of the time you’re not even hungry

5. Ladies, you have lost your period or it’s spotty month to month

6. You don’t really have regular bowel movements

7. You work out a TON - everyday or close to everyday

8. You do cardio five times a week or more

9. You are often tired, sore, achy and overall and just feeling blah

10. You worry about your next meals or often feel guilty for eating certain foods

11. You don’t feel good about your body, despite how much you diet and how much you workout

If you have answered yes to eight out of eleven of these questions, you should consider reverse dieting.

I know the idea of eating more food is terrifying. Seriously. I know because I was there. You have to know that you are not alone and that there is hope. Ask yourself what you are going to do going forward. Do you want to continue living your life as a slave to the gym and/or constantly putting up rules and restrictions around food? How many days a week would you workout in an ideal world if you felt like you didn’t “need” to?

Now imagine you were doing that and getting the results you desired. Well, guess what? It is possible! Reverse dieting is a long term investment in your body and in your overall LIFE. Not only can it change your physical appearance but it will have a positive impact on your entire life on a much larger scale.

So HOW and WHERE should you start to Reverse Diet?

The process of reverse dieting will look different for each and every individual, as each body will respond differently. Before you begin this process, it is important to note that your success directly correlates with your ability to be consistent, track your food and stay within your program.

1. Be consistent!

Consistency is hugely important in achieving results both in the Reverse Dieting and Body Fat Loss phases of your fitness journey. Do not expect to experience results and increase your caloric-intake with minimal weight gain if you only plan to be consistent 6 days a week. Your body will keep an accurate record of your discipline and consistency. Remember this is a lifestyle change, not a fad diet. I embrace and teach balance, no foods are off limits, but this does not mean that you can be inconsistent and still achieve your goals. There are several apps available to help you track what you eat. My favorite is MyFitnessPal.

2. Counting macros vs. counting calories

The most effective way to approach nutrition and achieve fitness goals is through tracking the amount of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats (known as macronutrients or ‘macros’ for short,) that your body needs on a daily basis.

Your macronutrients determine your daily caloric intake. To track your macros keep in mind that:

• 1g of protein = 4 cals

• 1g of carbohydrates = 4 cals

• 1g of fat = 9 cals

Your protein intake will stay the same throughout the duration of your program, as your body does not need more than 1.0 – 1.4g of protein per pound of body weight. However, your carbs and fats will be adjusted.

 After a full 7 days tracking and hitting your target macros, we will begin to slowly increase you. This weekly increase should continue as long as you do not begin to gain weight rapidly.

 You will increase your carbs and fats by 2-5% every week as long as your weight stays the same or decreases.

 If you gain 1-2 pounds or more in a week, hold off increasing food volume that week. Keep your macros the same for the next week to give your body more time to adjust to your current intake.

If you gain less than 1 pound in a week, increase carbs and fats by 2% that week. If you maintain your weight, increase carbs and fats by 4% that week. If you lose weight, increase carbs and fats by 5% that week.

Don’t worry about tracking your total daily calories. It is more important that you track your macros daily. When you track macros you are inadvertently tracking calories as well. The overall goal then becomes simply hitting your macro numbers for the day.

3. Adhere to your program

Strive for progress, not perfection. If you hit your macros within 5 grams consistently each day, you adhered fully. If you adhere fully and continue to gain weight, you have most likely reached your metabolic capacity. Before claiming you have reached your metabolic capacity, it is critical to evaluate your level of consistency!

4. Tapering off cardio

Your metabolism is affected by both your nutritional approach AND your approach to training. This can’t be overlooked. Your body and specifically your metabolism adapts to whatever it is subjected to. For example, if you are restricting your calories and doing cardio twice per day 5 days a week, your body will adapt and your metabolism will become more efficient (which, as stated earlier, is NOT a good thing!). This is why many individuals get stuck in a plateau. The body is fighting back and trying to protect itself against you, your diet, and your training approach.

I recommend a balanced approach to training, with the most effective method being weight training. I typically give my clients a weight-training program that involves 3-4 days of weight lifting intermixed with 1-4 days of High Intensity interval training (known as HIIT). Cardio sessions are high intensity but typically no longer than 30 minutes in duration and the maximum amount of time my clients ever spend in the gym is 2 hours, and this is on the high end.

5. Food volume

I want to point out one important note when it comes to “nutrient dense” foods like sweet potatoes and veggies versus less nutrient dense food like Pop Tarts and ice cream. Because nutrient dense foods have less chemicals and artificial ingredients, you will usually have to eat a lot more of them to hit your total macros versus meeting your macros using less nutrient dense foods, that tend to be much higher in carbs and fats.

For example a large plate of veggies, and a pile of sweet potatoes is going to have about the same amount of carbs as one little Pop Tart. Feeling satiated and full will happen much easier with nutrient dense foods. Again, you will just need to experiment with what works best for you. Remember this has to be an enjoyable lifestyle if you truly want to be able to maintain them long-term.

6. Meal planning

Once you have calculated your macronutrients you must then be able to create meals that fit within your specific amount of proteins, carbs, and fats. It will likely be an overwhelming task at first. Using a macronutrient tracking application like are MyFitnessPal, My Macros+ and Lose It! will simplify this process for you.

You are given three numbers and then have to create meals based on a certain number of proteins, carbs, and fats. Once you get the hang of meal planning, it will become easier. This is why people hire coaches for this process. It is difficult and overwhelming, but the longer you do it, the easier it becomes. Be persistent and patient, as you are not going to get it perfect at first and that’s OK! Just aim to do your best. The easiest way to begin creating your meals is dividing your daily total of macronutrients by the number of meals you wish to consume throughout the day.

Overwhelmed? I’m here to help!

I recommend following an approach of meeting macros primarily with nutrient dense foods while also allowing flexibility and balance in my client's diet to avoid feeling like they’re sacrificing or restricting.

I find that allowing my clients to enjoy foods they love, as long as they count them into their daily macros, actually helps them make this a lifestyle that they can maintain for the long-term, rather than a “diet,” that lasts temporarily with no long term sustainable results.

Remember, reverse dieting is a long term investment in your health and you do not have to do this alone. I’m here to help and I’m currently taking on new reverse dieting clients!

If you think you might be a good fit for reverse dieting, or want to learn more about reverse dieting, fill out this form below and we can get started.