11 Signs You Need to Start a Reverse Diet
Often more than not, I receive dozens of inquiries for coaching from men and women who seem to be chronically under-eating. Yet, they inquire about my fat loss program. These are the individuals who typically have tried every diet under the sun and come to me frustrated because they are no longer seeing progress with anything.
What gives!?
In these cases, I recommend these people to actually stop dieting and begin to reverse diet to see weight loss results. I explain to them that they have a better chance of being patient, holding off on weight loss and putting their goal of fat loss on the back burner in order to enjoy long term success and freedom from counting calories down the line.
It’s important to understand that when you’re in a reverse diet, your primary goal cannot be to lose weight or drop body fat. Your goal should be to maintain close to your current weight while increasing the amount of food your metabolism can handle. A reverse diet is intended to strengthen the metabolism over time for a variety of reasons. The most common reason is to prepare the body to respond more favorably the next time you enter a diet. This is why the process of achieving your goals may take a bit longer following this approach, however, the pay-off is MUCH greater.
Here’s the thing: If you push your body to extremes, follow a low carb/low-calorie diet, and do copious amounts of cardio, yes your body will respond...in the beginning. Reverse dieting is a slower weight loss process, but with lasting results.
Results may come fast and I mean, who doesn’t want that? However, you have to remember that your metabolism is incredibly adaptive and if you push it to extremes too fast and too often, it will become more efficient (and remember, efficiency is a bad thing in regards to your metabolism). This is when your body hits a plateau.
Let’s talk about some signs you might be in need of a reverse diet. You should consider a reverse diet if you:
You have come off of an extreme weight loss diet and never changed anything after the initial weight loss. (AKA never started to eat more)
You have a history of yo-yo dieting
You have hit a plateau and nothing you do seems to work or make a change in your body
You don’t eat a lot (1200 calories or less a day) and you are often not even hungry
Ladies, you’ve lost your period or it’s spotty month to month
You don’t really have regular BM’s
You work out a TON (every day or close to every day)
You do cardio 5x a week or more
You are often tired, sore, achy and overall just blah
You worry about your next meals or often feel guilty for eating certain foods
You don’t feel good about your body despite how much you diet and how much you workout
I know the idea of eating more food is terrifying. Seriously. I know because I’ve been there. It took years for me to overcome my unhealthy eating habits and disordered eating. It took a toll on my body too.
If you too are living in fear, ask yourself if you want to continue living your life as a slave to the gym and 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 greater scale you can imagine.