After a cut or a bodybuilder show, you can't just stop and start eating the same amount of calories as before. It takes time for your metabolism, hormones, and hunger cues to get back to normal. First, eat 200–300 calories more than you normally would. Then, slowly add another 50–150 calories each week, depending on how your body reacts. Not only the scale, but also your energy level and how well you do at the gym should be tracked.
About 200 to 300 calories more than what you're currently eating is a good place to start. After that, you should check your hunger, weight, and training progress every week before making any more changes. For recovery after a show, keeping muscle is more important than cutting calories. This means getting enough protein and carbs is more important than eating a lot of empty calories. Instead of following a strict weekly plan, let your body's response guide each change.
Once a week, check your hunger, weight, and training progress. If your weight stays the same and you still feel tired or flat, you should eat more calories. If you're making progress more quickly than you thought, slow down. The goal isn't to avoid gaining weight at all; it's to get to a maintenance phase that won't cause an uncontrolled post-show rebound. Instead of setting strict dates for when to eat more calories, let your body's comments guide each one.
Do not increase your cardio to make up for changes in your weight on the scale. That trend makes it hard to get energy, which goes against the point of reverse dieting. Instead, focus on recovery nutrition after workouts, especially carbs to help your body keep muscle and repair glycogen.
During this time, think of your training as first maintenance and then gradual progression as you eat more and your body responds well to more fuel.
What Reverse Dieting Actually Does to Your Body
After a long period of being low on calories, reverse dieting slowly increases the number of calories you eat. This gives your metabolism, hormones, and hunger signals time to adjust before you return to your full maintenance calories. As you go on a cut, your body changes the way it uses energy to protect itself against losing even more weight.How Do You Set Starting Calories After a Cut?
Your starting calories after a cut should be based on how strict your deficit was, how long you were on a diet, and how much your body weight has changed. Going from 1,400 to 1,600 calories may make you gain more fat than you want if you go straight to maintenance calories. A more controlled change in calories gives your body time to recover from using more energy.About 200 to 300 calories more than what you're currently eating is a good place to start. After that, you should check your hunger, weight, and training progress every week before making any more changes. For recovery after a show, keeping muscle is more important than cutting calories. This means getting enough protein and carbs is more important than eating a lot of empty calories. Instead of following a strict weekly plan, let your body's response guide each change.
How Fast Should You Increase Calories?
The rate at which you eat more calories isn't set by the week, but rather depends on how your body reacts. Most people who are on a reverse diet add between 50 and 150 calories each week, but not everyone does. If you're recovering from a long prep period for a competition, your low glycogen levels and slowed metabolism may mean that you should make faster gains to avoid a long-term energy deficit.Once a week, check your hunger, weight, and training progress. If your weight stays the same and you still feel tired or flat, you should eat more calories. If you're making progress more quickly than you thought, slow down. The goal isn't to avoid gaining weight at all; it's to get to a maintenance phase that won't cause an uncontrolled post-show rebound. Instead of setting strict dates for when to eat more calories, let your body's comments guide each one.
Should You Train Differently During a Reverse Diet?
During a reverse diet, you don't have to change how you train completely, but you should adapt to where your body is at the time. When you first start working out after a diet, your energy level is low, so going for maximum intensity can slow your recovery instead of making you fitter. As you burn more calories, your training performance usually gets better. This is your cue to add more volume or intensity back into your workouts slowly.Do not increase your cardio to make up for changes in your weight on the scale. That trend makes it hard to get energy, which goes against the point of reverse dieting. Instead, focus on recovery nutrition after workouts, especially carbs to help your body keep muscle and repair glycogen.
During this time, think of your training as first maintenance and then gradual progression as you eat more and your body responds well to more fuel.
