Find out all about reverse dieting, the latest weight loss technique trending on TikTok
Recently, a Tick tock user EricaMarie.fit used the short form video hosting platform to share about reverse Diet, a dieting method that trains the mind to eat more and still not gain weight. According to Erica, who claimed to have undergone one weight loss program, it is possible to “train the mind, not gain weight” over a period of time.
What is this diet method all about?
Eating more does not mean eating in large quantities, stressed Sohini Banerjee, Consultant Dietitian, Fortis Hospital and Kidney Institute, Kolkata, saying: “The goal of a reverse diet is not to gain any mass back after the diet. But it also doesn’t mean stuffing your face with anything and everything that has calories.”
She explained to indianexpress.com that a reverse diet is essentially more of a “slow and slow diet.” controlled approach to bring your body back to baseline performance over time.”
dr Shrey Srivastav, MD (Internal Medicine), Sharda Hospital added that the idea of reverse dieting revolves around adaptive thermogenesis (metabolic adjustment), which is a protective process that alters the body’s metabolism to increase energy intake and increase energy consumption Reducing energy output in an attempt to “slow down weight loss”.
The experts share that it is a post diet eating strategy that is slowly increasing calorie intake (over weeks or months) to prevent weight gain how to return to their previous calorie levels. “It’s popular in the bodybuilding community to prevent rapid weight gain after a competition. Long-term, restrictive dieting has been linked to changes in certain hormones, including leptin, ghrelin, and insulin, which can lead to changes in our metabolism and ultimately weight fluctuations and difficulty losing or maintaining weight weight loss‘ Banerjee said indianexpress.com.
How does it work?
dr Srivastav noted that an increase is usually recommended calorie consumption around 50-100 calories each week of what you’re eating at the time to maintain weight. “The reverse diet period cannot last forever; You need to practice it for 4-10 weeks until you reach your goal weight,” shared Dr. Srivastav with.
dr Srivastav went on to list the changes that occur in the body when following the diet pattern
*The body releases or suppresses various hormones (e.g. ghrelin, insulin, leptin, peptide YY) to increase hunger and make you eat more.
*Decrease in Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
*Decrease in physical activity thermogenesis (EAT)
*Decrease in non-exercise activity (NEAT) thermogenesis. NEAT includes any energy used for daily tasks such as walking, fidgeting, and general exercise.
*Slow Digestion: During periods of calorie restriction, the body may slow digestion to absorb as many nutrients and calories as possible. In addition, the thermic effect of food decreases as less food is consumed.
Benefits of a reverse diet
Get more food: Adding calories back means eating more food. But as long as those calories are slowly reintroduced, it will be able to keep fat gain to a minimum while maximizing quality of life and overall mood.
Mental well-being: Suppressed calorie intake over a long period of time can be psychologically draining. It can make you feel sluggish, tired, and irritable at times. Reverse dieting allows one to break out of the calorie deficit safely, which should bring some psychological relief, especially if you’ve been dieting for months.
Steady weight gain: A common mistake at the end of a diet is to jump right back into your old eating habits and increase the amount significantly calories. This usually leads to rapid weight gain, which is not right.
How does it help?
According to Banerjee, such a diet plays an essential role in cardiovascular conditioning, heart health, gut efficiency, recovery, mental well-being and body composition. “It helps maintain the baseline cardiovascular training so you can avoid unwanted body fat accumulation during your reverse dieting phase,” Banerjee said.
Who needs to change their diet?
– Those who have restricted calories to less than 80 percent of their current TDEE (based on your new weight).
In such cases, Dr. Srivastav suggests that it helps build muscle mass and exercise regularly, and that it’s seen as a “structured approach to healthy eating.”
Reverse dieting will look different for everyone, but it typically involves adding 50-150 daily calories per week for about 4-10 weeks until you reach your pre-diet calorie intake or other target amount.
What is to be considered?
One should continue to do cardio exercise throughout this diet pattern, Banerjee urged. “It’s common to feel hungrier during the reverse diet period, which is actually a sign your metabolism is speeding up again! Your body’s hunger signals are imbalanced, causing your body to urge you to overeat. You can always choose to poke food/calories get up faster, but the hunger is temporary,” said Banerjee.
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