31: Reverse Dieting: Is It Right for You?

Master Your Health Podcast

If you have stubborn body fat that won't budge, have recently lost a lot of weight and hit a plateau, or are in the bodybuilding community, reverse dieting may be an effective means to help you accomplish your goals. In this blitz episode we discuss all things reverse dieting including what exactly it is and why it can work for certain people. We also break down multiple health benefits of effective reverse dieting, including restored metabolic health and increased energy levels/metabolism.

In this episode you'll learn:

• What reverse dieting is and how it works
• 3 types of people reverse dieting can be effective for
• About metabolic adaptation
• How reverse dieting can help with finding maintenance levels
• About the effects of dieting on the body
• What non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is
• About the leptin hormone and how it affects your appetite
• Why restrictive eating can potentially lead to binge eating
• Alternative ways to track progress other than the scale
• How to increase calories for reverse dieting
• That your baseline caloric level will change
• Why everyone's experience with reverse dieting is different
• Where your calorie additions should ideally be coming from
• Why tracking is so important for reverse dieting
• About some benefits of reverse dieting

Studies:

• This is from a study in 2014: “Energy restriction is accompanied by changes in circulating hormones, mitochondrial efficiency, and energy expenditure that serve to minimize the energy deficit, attenuate weight loss, and promote weight regain…”
• “Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete” 2014 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3943438/

• Additional studies:
• • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4989512/
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19198647
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6058072/
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25645138
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21460597
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3167663/