In this blog, I talk a lot about reverse dieting and equip you with as much knowledge as possible so you can be prepared to make the most of your health journey. A lot of a reverse diet is in the name, a diet of some sort. But, it is not solely what you fuel yourself with nutritionally but strongly inclusive of training and recovery.
I like to think of a reverse diet as a trinity of critical components that will drive your success in your body. Here I talk about 15 reverse diet fundamentals that build upon the concept of the reverse diet trinity. However, these three components should be solid in order to get the results you are looking for.
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Reverse Diet Component: Nutrition
This one is obvious, obviously! But hey, it’s important and probably one of the most complicated components that go into a reverse diet. There are so many variables that affect our body from a nutritional standpoint, but also what affect our nutritional decisions. This is meant to be a high-level post, but I have more and will have more posts on nutrition specifics.
I will be adding a detailed post soon on how to do a reverse diet. But I do go into the basics of this in my reverse dieting post. The key elements of a good nutritional plan and diet are as follows:
Elements of Good Nutrition
- Adequacy – you need to be consuming an adequate amount of calories. Reversing up 100 calories from 1200 a day to 1300 a day and thinking you are done isn’t going to cut it. It will be a long journey, weeks to months, but you need to reverse to an adequate amount of calories that serve you and your body. That number will be unique to you but once you get there it will be worth it.
- Consistency – the way to see results in your reverse diet will come down to consistency. Having your calories fluctuate by 50 or so a day won’t have a super dramatic effect. But you don’t want huge swings. If you have a target of 2000 calories a day, big swings up and down every other day by hundreds of calories will hinder your results. Your body will respond best to more predictable change with minimal day-over-day variability.
- Quality – What you eat does matter. I’m a fan of the 80-20 rule. I follow it imperfectly but essentially I try to consume 80% of my calories from nutritious, minimally processed, and if possible whole foods. 20% of the time, give or take, I allow myself to eat other types of food that don’t fit into that “healthy” category. No foods are off limits, but I find that by nutritionally satisfying myself 80% of the time, I don’t crave my indulgences quite as much. I am able to enjoy them more when I do have them because there is no guilt associated with them.
Think of these as a trinity subset of the nutrition component of a reverse diet. Similarly, you need to work on all three to be successful at the nutrition piece on your journey.
Reverse Diet Component: Training
This one is my favorite! I love being active and finding fun ways to move my body. My advice for sustainability is to find a movement that works for you. If you hate running but love dancing, great take dance classes a few times a week. Regardless of what you love to do, you need to keep it consistent with your reverse diet.
As you start to up your calories, your body needs to have a need to use them. Building your strength will require calories and the good news is those extra calories will not go to waste. The ideal goal for most people on a reverse diet is to up your calories but also increase your strength and improve overall health. As you build muscle, you will need more calories. Essentially, the increase in both calories and muscle will complement and balance each other.
Keep in mind what happens if you don’t exercise
If you are increasing your calories slowly but have little to no movement and strength training, your muscles are not being challenged enough to grow. Those extra calories are more likely to be stored as fat than used to build muscle. This is why it is critical to incorporate a training program into your reverse diet.
That leads me to stress the importance of strength training. I love a good Barre or Spin class, but those are not going to give the progressive overload needed to grow your muscles very much. Yes, you can certainly get in shape and be healthy, but focusing on resistance and strength training is the key to seeing those muscles pop. Likewise, as you gain more muscle, they will require more calories to sustain. Therefore, your body gets more efficient at metabolizing the food you eat and you are more likely to achieve that fit/lean/toned/etc. aesthetic. Yes, you can have it, too.
Reverse Diet Component: Recovery
Recovery can be quite difficult for a lot of people. I am often one of those people. I live in the United States where we have a “go go go” mentality which can be a great trait for getting things done, but not so much for our physical and mental recovery. This applies to a reverse diet.
If you have your nutrition and training on point, it really doesn’t matter if you are not getting the rest your body needs. I’ve heard my whole life from relatives, school health teachers, and the internet about the importance of getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night. I won’t dispute this since it has been widely studied and I am not a professional in this space. However, I can personally attest to feeling better on a night I got 7+ hours vs. a night where I only got 5.
Sleep is not the only requirement for recovery. Yes, your muscles need sleep to repair, but they also need days off from work. If you are sleeping adequately every night but working out 5, 6, or even 7 days a week you are never really giving your muscles a chance to take a breather. If anything you will be more prone to injury since they are being strained.
How to incorporate recovery into training
My recommendation is to work out, ideally resistance training, 3-5 times a week for 45-50 minutes with a rest day or two in between. Focus on a progressive overload program that is consistent. I.e. the exercises only change every 4-6 weeks. Likewise, add additional movement such as walking, dancing, swimming, etc. a few times a week to get the heart rate up a bit but in a light capacity. See the example below.
Having a reasonable routine that allows for recovery days and 7+ hours of sleep at night is also necessary for digestion. Have you ever been in situations where you are not getting enough sleep and constantly moving, maybe traveling for a work trip as an example? If you are like me, digestion tends to take a turn and not for the better. Constipation, indigestion, and sluggishness, among other symptoms, are common because of a lack of rest.
Regardless of what is going on in your life, if you are not getting adequate rest, your body will struggle to recover and there are a plethora of symptoms you can negatively experience. Make sure you take the time to prioritize recovery.
Other Noteworthy Components
Here are several noteworthy components that are necessary for a successful reverse diet.
Hydration
You likely learned this several times in school but your body is mostly made up of water. In order to digest your food, aid your muscles in growth, and rest your body you need to keep it hydrated. I have a 1ltr tumbler I fill up 3-4 times a day. Having a straw makes it easier for me to gulp it down and I find I drink it more consistently that way as long as I keep it in sight. This absolutely needs to be a priority not only for a reverse diet but for life.
Time/Patience
Reverse dieting is definitely a practice of delayed gratification. You are not going to get results overnight. In fact, it probably won’t get you those final results (I argue there is never an end but I digress). However, it is a necessary process to get you to that goal you are after. Take the time, do it slowly, and set up sustainable practices that don’t create negative resistance in your life. Doing a reverse diet has been one of the best lessons in patience and enjoying the journey for me.
Tools & Tracking
It’s really hard to ever see results if you aren’t paying close attention to the work you are putting in. Having the correct tools to support you and track your progress are key to maintaining motivation and learning how to improve.
There are many tools and tracking methods out there. At a bare minimum, you need to be tracking your calories. This applies to most people doing a reverse diet but there may be some people where it does not. I love using Cronometer (free or 10% gold with this link) because it is a comprehensive database that dives deeper into micronutrients and biofeedback than any other tool I’ve found on the market. There are other fantastic trackers that are free like MyFitnessPal, but it all comes down to preference.
The other tool for tracking is to keep a record of your resistance training program so you can progressively overload. This could be as simple as a pen and notebook. However, there are apps out there that you can use to track your program and progress.
Commitment
Just like anything in life, you are the driver of your success. Stay committed you owe it to yourself. It is a form of self-love to give your body the nourishment, physical challenge, and rest it deserves. It won’t happen overnight but the process will be life-changing.
Take Aways
The Reverse Diet Trinity can be applied outside of a reverse diet. Nutrition, Training, and Recovery are always important to overall health. However, for the context of this post, they are especially important to focus on while working on your reverse diet journey. This is an investment in yourself. The physical, mental, and emotional efforts you will put into this need to be supported by what you can control.
Use these components of the trinity to guide you and keep you focused. It may be uncomfortable at times, but all of this is temporary and will have lasting effects for the better.
Have thoughts or questions about the Reverse Diet Trinity? Please leave a comment below I’d love to hear them!
