Who is a reverse diet NOT best-suited for?⠀
Someone who has been in a deficit so long or cut so hard that biofeedback has tanked, would benefit more from a ‘recovery diet,’ whereby a much larger jump is taken to slightly under or up to presumed maintenance, in an effort to more immediately restore metabolic and hormonal function.⠀
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Weight gain will be more immediate but the increased surge of energy will likely boost overall expenditure (calorie burn) and most of that gain will be due to food content and formerly depleted glycogen stores. You can expect the scale to balance out in a few weeks if you were in a deficit, or tick up several pounds if you were at a very low maintenance number. ⠀
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Rest assured, anything gained will likely be required to repair low levels of physiological functioning and reach future goals.⠀
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How do I know when I’ve hit maintenance?⠀
Maintenance calories are a moving target. This is fabulous news because no one wants to track calories down to double digits forever. So your end point will likely be a range within 200 of your final reversal. The more muscle you have on your frame, the higher you’ll be able to go.⠀
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As you approach that range, expect:⠀
✅Outstanding energy and PRs in the gym⠀
✅Improved biofeedback markers in sleep, mood and enjoyment of LIFE!⠀
✅Becoming less food-focused and more in tune with your natural hunger cues that may have been overridden during a cut⠀
✅Needing to shift some volume food choices like riced cauli back over to faster digesting carbs like rice to keep digestion running smoothly⠀
✅Fewer cravings, better satiety signals⠀
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Manage your expectations. Realize that like anything, results aren’t the same for every person. We all have different backgrounds, genetics, life-stressors, food availability, intolerances, gym-access, environmental support and other lifestyle factors, all of which contribute to the ability to respond to nutritional and training stimuli.⠀
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Be as kind and patient with yourself as you would with a friend! The words you speak become the house you live in.⠀
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So remember, there is no timeline. In the scope of life, 2-3 years of nutritional periodization is a blip! Invest!!
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