Reverse Dieting: What is it and what are the pros and cons?

“Reverse dieting” is the idea of slowly increasing daily caloric intake over a few weeks or months after a diet. The goal of returning back to regular eating at a slow pace, is to increase metabolism and prevent fat gain.

The Pros and Cons

The pros of reverse dieting might include; increased energy, better sleep, less hunger, and improved blood sugar control.

The cons however might include weight regain. Weight gain might occur because when we diet or consume less calories, our body adjusts by expending less calories (our metabolism slows down) in an attempt to reach equilibrium.

A best practice for weight maintenance following a weight loss diet is working with a dietitian to figure out how many calories and what proportions of macronutrients your body needs to function day to day without consuming in excess.