Reverse Dieting

The hardest thing about weight loss isn’t losing the weight. It is keeping it off. One of the reasons people start to gain weight almost immediately after losing it is that they switch back from “diet eating” to “regular eating”.

This is where reverse dieting comes in. The concept isn’t new. It’s been used for years by bodybuilders and competitive weightlifters. Reverse dieting is the period of time after a person reaches their goal weight and gradually increases calorie intake to weight maintenance levels.

The benefit of reverse dieting is that it provides a framework for eating that is somewhere on the spectrum between diet and not diet. It keeps a person accountable, yet has more room for flexibility in what to eat.

However, the main problem with reverse dieting, is the dieting part that precedes it. As we have written before, going on a diet is something that doesn’t work because our brains and bodies aren’t wired to accommodate long term calorie restriction. Instead of a diet, you should opt for a sustainable lifestyle change, one in which you eat healthier food, sleep well, and exercise. True, it will take longer to lose weight, but it will stay off too. Think long term, and you’ll be better off for it.