Reverse Dieting: What, Why, Who, When, How?

Oh, the misery! The misery of eating very little food. The misery of exercising till you puke, faint or die. The misery of doing all the shit above and not seeing the progress you deserve!

So, do you either:

1. Look at a candy bar funny and bulge out of your pants instantly?
2. Follow a restrictive caloric intake without dropping weight?
   
3. Eat healthy "clean" foods and still can't shed some fat?
4. Train yourself till past exhaustion but still see no progress?

Then maybe you need to look at reverse dieting for success...

WHAT is reverse dieting

It's a very slow increase in your daily caloric intake over a period of time, without any or with minimum weight & fat gain. Thus, building up the total amount of food/calories you can safely consume per day with little-no weight or fat gain at all. Reverse dieting is not the same as a typical bulking phase. The goal is not weight gain, the goal is:

• building up a metabolic capacity which allows you to eat more food in the long run
• improving your metabolism for more effective fat burning
• building muscle by feeding your body
• achieving the "fitness look" without starving yourself or doing tonnes of cardio
• Increasing your physical and mental health
  

WHY implement reverse dieting

• To increase your metabolism which then leads to increased fat burning
  
• To be able to eat shit tonnes of food with no weight gain
• To increase your performance in the weight room or on the field
• To regain your physical health after depriving your body from valuable nutrients
• To make your leaning out phase easier the next time around
• To keep you happy and sane in the long run
  

WHO can benefit from reverse dieting

Reverse dieting is receiving a lot of attention within the fitness industry, but it's not a practice solely reserved for fitness junkies. The average Joe and Jane can benefit in the same way that the gym rats do. In my opinion, anyone and everyone can benefit from having a higher caloric bank than they currently do. I love bullet-points, so:

• Fitness junkies like body-builders and competitors
• Sport athletes in general
  
• Average Joe's and Jane's
  
• People with a history or current pattern of eating disorders
• Yo-yo dieters looking for every new weight loss fad
• People who've reached a plateau with muscle gain or weight loss
• Fitness competitors immediately post show
  

HOW do you reverse diet

There are many differing opinions on the method to reverse diet, but they all have one thing in common: The tortoise always wins the race... It is not the same for everyone, you have to make changes according to what works for you. The pointers below serve as a basis for reverse dieting in broader terms, not specific to a particular individual:

1. Figure out your current macro nutrient intake 
2. Keep your training (weights & cardio) very much the same during this time
3. Make small adjustments on a weekly basis
4. Increase your carbs and fats mainly, unless you're under-consuming protein currently
   
5. Up your weekly carbohydrate intake by 5 grams - 25 grams
   
6. Add in 1 gram - 5 grams of fats per week
7. Monitor your progress by means of weekly weigh ins and progress photos

If you would like to know more about reverse dieting, feel free to contact me VIA my contact page or email me I'd be more than happy to share my thoughts!

Check out the helpful websites below for a more detailed explanation of reverse dieting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3gTGLulLnI
http://corinanielsen.com/livefit/?p=1802
http://www.healthylivingheavylifting.com/reverse-dieting-the-mental-mindfck/
http://www.allnaturalmuscle.com/2012/11/reverse-dieting.html
http://nickcheadlefitness.com/metabolic-damage-reverse-dieting-discussion/
http://averagefitnessfreak.com/reverse-dieting-eat-more-and-maintain-weight/
http://www.coachcalorie.com/reverse-dieting/
http://scientifically-shredded.tumblr.com/post/37631367348/reasons-to-reverse-diet
http://diaryofarookiefigurechamp.wordpress.com/2013/11/02/post-comp-part-3-reverse-diet/

Click here to see my current reverse diet progress- I'm eating more food whilst feeling happier & looking much better!