Reversing the diet?

Nov 28, 2014
If you have ever been on a calorie restricted diet for a long period of time in an effort to just lose weight or perhaps to enter a bodybuilding or fitness competition this may have had a negative effect on your metabolic rate.
This can create what is known as metabolic damage. Fat loss and energy levels could be low and you are getting nowhere.
Eating large amounts of food to recover after a low calorie regimen could cause you to bounce back in to a worse position than where you were when you started the diet. With excess calories now being taken in whilst having a slow metabolic rate this may cause excess fat storage.
A very thorough case study examined a natural bodybuilder for 12 months, 6 months leading up to a contest and 6 months after a contest.[1]

In the six months leading up to the contest;
The bodybuilder dieted from 14.8% body fat down to 4.5% and lost 14kg~ in weight.
Heart rate decreased from 53 to 27 beats per minute.
Blood pressure dropped from 132/69 to 104/56.
He suffered a 29kg decrease on his squat, 13.6kg decrease on his bench press and 18.1kg decrease on his deadlift.
Testosterone, insulin, leptin and blood glucose all decreased from healthy range to below the minimum healthy standard.
He experienced significantly increased levels of fatigue, confusion and mood disturbance.
A technique called reverse dieting can have the effect of returning metabolic levels to what they should be normally or above and also hopefully restoring your sanity!
Reverse dieting is the process of gradually introducing more calories to reinstate an efficient metabolic rate without excess bodyfat storage.
A reverse diet could be beneficial for someone who.
Has been dieting (or crash dieting) on very low calories for a very long time, and no amount of calorie-cutting and exercising is promoting a response from your body.
Is depressed, no longer motivated, starting to hate workouts and having no energy.
By gradually increasing calories perhaps by 100 or so each week energy levels will rise, hunger may be there for a while as the metabolism is boosted but eventually there will be a new lease of life, you will be motivated and full of energy in the gym and in all areas of your life.
It is most likely that an increase in calorie intake along with carbohydrates will cause added water retention and likely weight gain however the gradual nature of the increases prevents significant fat gain.
There may even occur a better balance to life with more glycogen available thus creating an even clearer mind.
It may be hard to even let go of the low calorie mindset. Recently when dieting for a competitio
I had to increase calories and reduce activity to promote further fat loss, I thought this wouldn't work but it did.
If you are recovering from a long period of dieting with poor results, why not try gradually increasing calories to see if it restores your damaged metabolic rate - I know it worked for me!
Reference
1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23412685

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