Episode 10: Reverse Dieting for the Holidays
Hot take: Reverse Dieting is probably as close as you can get to a unicorn diet without literally using magic to defy the laws of thermogenesis.
Yes, just like the Tooth Fairy, a diet that conforms to your exact wishes and works off pixie dust just doesn’t exist.
But – this doesn’t mean you can’t strategically manipulate your food intake to consume more calories without gaining body fat, or even yes, sometimes losing body fat.
Enter the reverse diet.
Originated from the world of bodybuilding and popularized by people like Layne Norton. Reverse dieting has caught the attention of many people looking to gain muscle and lose fat, all while eating more food than they were before.
And while it sounds too good to be true, there is actual research to support these claims.
In this episode, Coach Bridget Moroney breaks down what exactly reverse dieting is, why it’s not magic (but also the science behind what it does actually work), and how you can go about setting up your own reverse diet.
This episode is coming at the perfect time with the holidays just around the corner in the Northern Hemisphere and so many people looking to avoid gaining weight over the holiday season.
Reverse dieting could be the perfect nutrition strategy for you to not only avoid weight gain while enjoying the holidays, but also set yourself up for some great success when the New Year, New Me crowd rolls in.
If you have any questions or want help getting your reverse diet set up, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
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Fill out the form below to set up a 100% certified non-salesy FREE 30-minute consult on your reverse diet goals.
Here’s a brief overview of the episode:
[1:05] Why starting a reverse diet during the winter holiday season is a good idea
[2:50] What is a reverse diet and its origins in bodybuilding and Layne Norton
[8:15] Reverse dieting for non-bodybuilders
[11:14] Metabolic adaptation and the laws of thermogenesis
[19:05] A study out of the Mayo Clinic that highlights the importance of NEAT in avoiding fat gain
[21:37] Reverse dieting is pretty awesome, but like anything else, it comes with a price
[22:36] A 5 Step Process to setting up your own reverse diet
[26:35] Macro balances and the importance of protein for body composition (i.e. gain muscle, lose body fat)
[31:41] How many calories can you eat on a reverse diet - conservative, moderate, and aggressive approaches
[37:24] How to monitor your reverse diet and make sure it’s actually working for you and your goals
[39:57] How to know when you should end your reverse diet or if you should keep going
Links And Studies Mentioned In This Episode:
Calories and Macros Calculator
Weiss EC, Galuska DA, Kettel Khan L, Gillespie C, Serdula MK. Weight regain in U.S. adults who experienced substantial weight loss, 1999-2002. Am J Prev Med. 2007 Jul;33(1):34–40.
Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE, Norton LE. Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014 Feb 27;11(1):7.
Siervo M, Frühbeck G, Dixon A, Goldberg GR, Coward WA, Murgatroyd PR, et al. Efficiency of autoregulatory homeostatic responses to imposed caloric excess in lean men. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2008 Feb;294(2):E416–24.
Levine JA, Eberhardt NL, Jensen MD. Role of nonexercise activity thermogenesis in resistance to fat gain in humans. Science. 1999 Jan 8;283(5399):212–4.
Green KK, Shea JL, Vasdev S, Randell E, Gulliver W, Sun G. Higher Dietary Protein Intake is Associated with Lower Body Fat in the Newfoundland Population. Clin Med Insights Endocrinol Diabetes. 2010 Mar 31;3:25–35.
Layman DK, Evans E, Baum JI, Seyler J, Erickson DJ, Boileau RA. Dietary protein and exercise have additive effects on body composition during weight loss in adult women. J Nutr. 2005 Aug;135(8):1903–10.
