How was your weekend? My dream weekend looks like this: I catch up on all of my work and sleep (is that even possible?), meal prep for the week, hike some amazing and challenging mountains with Molly + gang, spend quality uninterrupted cell-phone-free time with Jason, and watch all of my favorite shows. Is that too much to ask? What’s your dream weekend look like? And welcome to education Monday!
Today’s content is a continuation on Metabolism and more specifically, Reverse Dieting/Maintenance Calories. You’ll want to be sure you’re caught up in the series, so check out the last 2 blogs as a refresher:
https://coachingwithabby.com/blog/maintenance-deficit-surplus-calories/
https://coachingwithabby.com/blog/what-happens-when-you-bust-ass-dont-eat-enough-food/
If you are someone who has created Metabolic Adaptation (bust ass + don’t eat enough food), and you’re living off of <2,000 calories a day, you’ll want to Reverse Diet and get yourself up to Maintenance calories so you can achieve hormonal happiness + long lasting results 😉
Here’s how to Reverse Diet to achieve your Maintenance Calories + Restore Hormones:
- CALORIES: Determine how many calories you need: https://coachingwithabby.com/blog/customize-your-calories-macros-and-stop-eating-1500-calories-a-day/
- PROTEIN: Leaner you are, closer to Protein in grams/BW
- Aim for Protein + Calories + (focus on increasing Carbs + Fat to achieve minimum amount needed to support hormones)
- PATIENCE: Hang in there and give hormones (slow to change) + thyroid time to bounce back
- Sometimes need to gain weight/Body Fat to restore health (especially if you are under-weight or have been chronically restricting for years!)
- Gradual, take it slow
- Can take 4-18+ months to reverse (depends on history and long you have been in a deficit + amount of stress)
- You should hang 3-5 months @ maintenance or however long it took to get there (@ maintenance) before you consider dieting
If vastly below Maintenance:
- Begin 15-20% calorie increase
- Ex: Eating 1,000 calories BUT need to be @ 2,000 calories
- Start @ 1,200 calories
- Increase 100-250 calories every 1-2 weeks
- If you change calories sooner, body can’t adjust
- Limit Body Fat gain
*PAUSE + take a minute to determine what your maintenance calories should be.
How much are you currently consuming? You may need to spend at least a week tracking your intake to create awareness around where you’re at. And from there you can start to reverse diet towards maintenance.
Be sure to stay posted for next week’s article on what to expect when you’re Reverse Dieting.
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Struggling to determine your maintenance calories/Reverse Diet?
Hit REPLY. Let’s chat, 100% free. I would love to support you on your journey and talk with you about your goals and my nutrition coaching programs.
Fuel your dreams!
Coach Abby
Registered Dietitian Nutrition Coach & Personal Trainer
