Most diets are all about restriction, but reverse dieting is the opposite. Reverse dieting is when you start increasing your caloric intake over a period of time. This process is supposed to increase metabolism while keeping your fat gain to a minimum.

What is reverse dieting?

Reverse dieting is sometimes referred to as the “diet after the diet” because it is a process where you start increasing your caloric intake after a period of restriction. The conventional wisdom is that you should eat fewer calories and burn more than you take in, but this process does not account for the long-term effects of restriction, such as a drop in your basal metabolic rate. The truth is, when you are in a long-term calorie deficit, your body stops burning fat.

Eventually, and despite a caloric deficit, your body will stop dropping weight. It’s tempting to cut more calories and add more exercise when this happens, but doing this may trigger starvation mode, where your body may actually start gaining weight. The reverse diet is more like a recovery diet because it is supposed to reverse the effects of calorie restriction.

The average period of reverse dieting is between 4 to 10 weeks or until you reach your pre-diet food intake. The process usually involves increasing your caloric intake by about 100 calories per week. While your food increases, your protein needs typically stay the same because they’re calculated based on body weight.

If you are seeing a plateau in your weight loss journey, you may be interested in reverse dieting. Reverse dieting is a method of increasing your caloric intake to jumpstart your metabolism while keeping the fat gain to a minimum. It may be tempting to insert unhealthy stacks into your diet when you start adding calories, but the best way to stay healthy is to invest in high-quality snacks such as Jawbox Jerky. Jawbox Jerky is quality beef and chicken jerky made from whole muscle cuts with no preservatives, and it is a perfect snack to keep you on target to reach your weight loss goals.