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Reverse Dieting: How Eating More Can Help You Lose Fat and Reclaim Energy · FitMitTuro Fitness Podcast

• 1:09
  Hey and welcome back to the fit me Turo fitness podcast. I'm your host, Turo Virta, and today's episode is that is one that might actually surprise you, because we are diving into a concept that goes completely against what most diet called culture has taught us, and it's reverse dieting, or it in in simple terms, eating more to feel better, look better, and even lose fat. Sounds crazy, right? But stay in between, because if you have been dieting forever, stuck in a plateau, feeling low on energy or scared of increasing your calories, most important mindset shift you need. So let's get into it. So what is actually reverse dieting? So reverse dieting is a strategy gradual increase in calories after a period of restriction or chronic dieting.
• 2:10
  So this is often available I have been using for several of my clients, and especially those who have been dieting for several, usually years or even decades and or at least several months. And that is, that is, it's a reverse dieting. It's, it's designed to help your metabolism recover, your hormones rebalance, and your body feel safe again. Think of it like this that you have been driving with the cat for months, maybe even years, and reverse dieting is how you slowly refill that tank so your body can run better, turn better and feel stronger, because it's, it's your body is adapting, in the long term to calorie restriction and and Why distant?
• 3:25
  Why this then actually matters, especially if you are over 35 because here is the thing, especially for women in their 30s, 40s and beyond, your body is smart. So if you have been under eating for a long time, your body doesn't just keep burning that endlessly. It actually slows things down. You feel tired, your workouts stop working hungry, get weird, stalls, or even worse, you gain fat, eating very little. This isn't a failure. It's adaptive.
• 4:06
  Thermogenesis, your body is adapting to less food and by eating more. Strategy. Strategy is sometimes the exact thing you need to unlock fat loss again.
• 4:24
  So this is, this is, it's very hard to understand, because the metabolic adaptation, it's, it's a real thing, and it's not. It might be not as big as you think. Because, first of all, there is if, if you have ever heard of some like a starvation mode, that is not the real thing, but metabolic adaptation is, and those are little bit different things. So gosh, if you think starvation mode like if you think that those people who are really starving like that, they don't have access, they are not, I don't know anyone who is actually overweight, who is actually starving, but that metabolic adaptation, which means that our bodies are very good at adapting. So think it other examples, like, for example, strength training. So if you are strength training, your body is adapting or new. Think what your body is doing more often. So if you are strength training, your you send signals to your body that you need to. There is every week you have to lift some weights. So your body is thinking that, Oh, what I there is all the time I have to do repeat the same movement. It is heavy, it is there is every time a bit more resistance, a bit more weight coming. So what, how your body is adapting, responding? It's you are sending signals that you need to be and it's the same thing with lack of strength training. So if you don't do something, your body thinks that, okay, it's those muscles. They are unuseful. You. I don't need them. And if you don't do it, you start to lose it, because your body is adapting. And it's the same thing with the food. So if you are consistently getting too less energy, your body's adapting, okay, this is all what I get. I there is not coming more. So then you need to start to shutting down things like what I don't need. Your energy levels usually are getting lower because you don't simply, you don't have enough energy to move your workouts are not going to work because you don't have enough energy to work out. And what are then signs like most often this is very hard question to ask the if you, if you have seen at least some of these, then you should at least consider it so you might so These are, these are kind of red, red flags, and what is what you are actually, what you what you would probably should consider that reverse dieting. So if you have been eating very little, most likely under 1600 calories, or even below that 1000 2004 depending on, obviously, what your calorie maintenance should be like. You can you can use calorie calculators what you find the internet. Or you can check to my my calorie calculator, what your maintenance calorie should be.
• 7:59
  And if you have been eating a pillow that for several months, and still you are not seeing fat loss progress. If you if that is your goal, that is a sign that you probably need start reverse dieting. So the second sign is that you are gaining weight or you can't lose it, even though you eat clean or very healthy.
• 8:24
  So this is, this is often time, what I what I hear that, you know, I'm I'm eating very healthy. I eat clean, but I can't lose weight. So this is sign number two. Sign number three is that your energy is low. You are having cold or your let's say often, it's those like your fingers, your toes, all like outside of organs. Because what happens is that your body, if you have been consistently under eating your body, starts to protect the most important part to keep you alive, and it's those in your biliary, those organs and like your heart, your liver, all old stuff, what is close to your chest area, and then all kind of outside of that further you go from that area, like your fingers, your toes, that is like that. Your body is always kind of shutting those down, and you start to feel that there is you have a cold fingers, you have a cold toes, or you might be moody, or you are losing muscle. So those are, those are all signs that you should consider what you are actually doing. Sign number four is that your sleep is poor and your workouts feel harder than they should. So often, sleep is the first one. What is suffering so you are not able to recover well you are.
• 10:16
  Could be some other reasons also why your sleep is bad, like stress and or your stress is probably the most common one more eating times harder workouts, late at night, alcohol consumption. But if you don't recognize any of those and sleep is still poor, it might the reason might be actually that you are eating too little, and sign number five is that you are scared to eat more because you think you regain weight instantly. So if this sounds familiar, then reverse dieting might be your missing puzzle piece. So how that reverse dieting is actually working? So I'm going through step by step guide. So how you how do you actually do it? So here's my basic framework.
• 11:22
  Step number one is to track your current intake, so find out how much you are actually eating, because most people, they are underestimating it. So you are underestimating you think that you know I'm I'm eating, I'm eating 1800 calories, but it might be 2000 2300 because it's very easy to underestimate if you are tracking most common, common calorie tracking mistakes are that you are. You are not tracking your snacks. You are if you are cooking for your family, you are tasting something. You forget to add those all sources.
• 12:05
  If you are cooking your meat in oil, you don't track your cooking oils. Sources, if you put pasta to pasta, you forgot to track the cheese. What is on top of it, all these kind of small things. It's obviously, in one time, they don't make that huge difference. But for sure, in a long term, let's say that in a day you have, let's say you have a you eat three to five meals, and every meal is you are underestimating it with 5050, to 100 calories. So it's three to 500 calories less what you are all mistake is three to 500 calories. So there is a big difference to actually track everything, how much you are actually eating, and then to know actually what you are eating, and if you are recognizing that, okay, now you are not. This is not enough what I'm eating. It's way too little.
• 13:13
  Then it's it's a sign that you should start more, too little so and like I said, the first step is to know what your maintenance calories should be. So use calorie calculator. I will put link to my calorie calculator in the show notes so you can check that out. So it gives you your protein call and and also your amount of calories. But feel free to use any other calorie calculator you find in internet to my one there is, there are several of them.
• 13:52
  Some of them are good. I think my calorie calculator is pretty accurate what it should be.
• 14:00
  Obviously, it's not 100% as all calculators you find online, they are as good as information you give them, and they are only estimates. But the best way to know is to actually track your calorie intake for at least for a week, ideally for at least for two weeks, and then you see, on average, how many calories you are taking in. And then it's time for step two, and that is then starting small and increasing your calorie intake.
• 14:39
  Usually it depends on how low you are, how much your maintenance calories should be, but I would say that it's around 100 calories per week. In some cases, it's 50 calories is enough. Some cases, you might go up to 200 calories, but usually, let's say 100, 150 calories per day, and that every single day or per week. So it's we are talking about 700,000 calories per week more. So it's not take it this way, because most people are scared that if I start to eat more, I retain immediately weight. What usually actually might even happen. Because the reason why you are gaining more weight is that you are actually you have more food in your stomach, carbs or something, which are storing more water in your your body. And you will see that scale in the picking might go even up, but, and that is the biggest mistake, is that at that point, most of the people who don't know, who don't trust the process, are panicking, and they need that. No, I can't eat more, but because I'm gaining immediately weight, I'm getting fat. And that is the reason that they go back to lower calories you can, and that's the reason that you never give yourself actually a chance that it would work. So it is that, if you think it, what is the worst way?
• 16:17
  What could happen? Like, let's say that kilo of fat is around 7000 calories. So half kilo, one pound, is around 3500 calories.
• 16:28
  And now we are talking increasing your calories, 100, 100 you don't know your maintenance, you eat for, let's say, for a month, 100 calories more per day. And so you are eating around 3000 calories more in a month. So even the case that you would be in a maintenance, and you would go in a calorie surplus, you maximum fat gain would be less than a pound, less than a half kilo in a month. And if you at the same time, if you do some resistance training, you most likely some of those calories are from protein. So that is not what is going to happen. So there is a even your scale might go up. And usually it goes up in the in the beginning, it's not going to be fat, and you shouldn't be scared of gaining fat, because the magic actually starts to happen when you start trusting the process. And then it doesn't mean that those 100, 150 calories, what you are going to add are going to be just some whatever food. Ideally, you are prioritizing your protein and whole foods so you keep your meal still balanced, and it's just giving your body more fuel, more things, more nutrients, to actually start balancing your protein, start that adaptation in other way and and step number four is to monitoring your body and seeing Not focusing only on the scale, but focusing more on your energy levels, your mood, your digestion, and how you are performing in your workouts. And then step number five is staying consistent. Give it time so most people do uh, sometimes even longer. So because this is, this isn't free for all, it's all structured and and usually like that. How the plan is going it's going to be like depending on situation. I tell you example from Sylvia.
• 19:09
  You can listen Sylvia's episode, how she did it and what she did.
• 19:14
  It's in my podcast. And if you don't know, just DM you in my if you can find it in my fit me, Turo, fitness podcast, just tell send me a DM in my Instagram, Turo and I will DM you the link of episode with Sylvia, where you can listen at the episode when Sylvia is telling her own words, but usually how that procedure is working. So let's say that we decided that you are going to increase 100 calories per week because, for example, CBS two maybe 1004 in A day, and her maintenance calories should be over 2000 with her very active lifestyle. So how we cut it up?
• 20:14
  So we started to add 150 calories per week, and we raised those calories because her maintenance calories, or what she was actually eating, were so little and and there was cap was almost 1000 calories. So we started adding 150 calories per week, or even 200 and we moved every week, first week 100 calories or 200 calories more.
• 20:41
  Week after that at another 100 or 150 200 whatever the number is. And then week after that, another ad, another ad, week by week. So every week, adding more calories up to a point that you start to get closer to your maintenance, because we really can't know what is your maintenance. Even calorie calculator is telling that your maintenance is but once you are measuring all your you are taking pictures. You are taking average weight per week. You are also tracking your measurements, Peli measurements, everything and what happened, for example, to Silvia in initially, she gained little bit scale weight, but then all of sudden, the weirdest thing happened, she started to lose weight while eating more. So after the initial weight gain, she started actually losing weight. And during this process, when we raised her calories from 1200 to over 2000 she lost three to four kilos of weight, her energy levels, you can imagine how much your energy level, how much her energy levels were getting better, how much more Effective workouts became, regularly and pinching. They reduce drastically so and during this process, it's like, in her words, she said that it's incredible feeling, unbelievable feeling, when you are actually starting to lose weight while eating more. And it doesn't mean like that. Okay, see, she said that she was eating 1200 uninstrued It is that most of the days she probably did, but then regular pinches during the week, or three, four times pinch eating during the week that actually she was eating more, but it felt every time so hard, every time when she was pinching. Said, Okay, tomorrow I'm going to be better. Maybe next day she was better. Day after another pinch and that kind of cycle feeling guilt and shame and not being able to you think, what is wrong with me? I just need more power. Through was to actually just starting to trust the process eating more and seeing what happens. And once she started to do it, those pinches drastically decreased, and magic things started to happen. Happen. So what could, what could happen? Then, if you do it right, so like, like, in this Sylvia's example, so you are, she was able to eat almost 1000 calories more. She was lifting heavier than ever. She was sleeping better, and yes, she lost that three, four kilos weight while actually adding calories. Her body finally started to feel safe. Her hormones start to regulate, and she started food so that reverse dieting, because the reverse dieting is teaching your body that it's okay to burn fuel again, because you are finally giving it enough to work with and and that is, that is the key examples and how to actually, what could actually happen when you are actually doing it, and what is, what are the most common fears and mindset mindset shifts is that, if that you are scared, so scared of gaining weight again. And this is, it is true, you will and most, in most cases, you will gain in the beginning, but it's often going to be minimal and temporary. And often it's not going to be fat.
• 24:59
  It's just due that you are eating, actually more your body starts temporarily more. You keep doing it, you are going to see that it's going to help in the long term. And in the worst possible case, you can always go back lowering and it's, it's that, if you know, because that's, it's a strategy, strategic calorie increase. So it's not it doesn't mean that you can eat whatever you want, as much as you want. You are still tracking your food. You are tracking your food. It's you know exactly what you are doing.
• 25:40
  You are adding calories step by step. And if it's if measurements, if all the ways how we are measuring your progress, all if all those things are showing that now you are actually in your maintenance, you are eating too much, then you can always move to other direction. So it's, it's a it's a long term think it's a long term game. It's not a short term game, it's a long term game. So it's restored.
• 26:11
  It's actually possible again, because if you think that what are, what were her options, if you are in situation like uh, Sylvia was eating 1000 2300 calories, and that was her new maintenance. So what would be from that position? You had two options, and the other one is to eat less and or and, or move more. But then energy levels, they were already very low, and hunger levels, they were low, or she was all the time hungry, and that several pins effects just confirmed it. So it was not a realistic option to actually start moving more or eating less. So going push, then it's the going to other direction, and that is the scariest thing.
• 27:13
  So if you just getting stronger on your strength levels, your energy levels, and having that food freedom, because food freedom means that you can actually eat what you want. But if you know what is, what actually does good for your body. And it doesn't mean like in Sylvia, it's now a couple years ago, and now she's training and feeling never have that kind of scary, scary mindset anymore, and and she knows what she's doing, and it's Not, it's it's such an incredible change. So So what is? What is, then those just few takeaways and few final thoughts. So reverse dieting is not weight gain dieting, energy and metabolic health, it's not about being perfect. It's all about being consistent. So you need to repeat trust with your body after years of dieting, this one way to do it, this is one way to do it. And if this feels scary, I get it, but the question is, what is scarier, continuing to feel exhausted and stuck, or taking one small step toward feeling strong again? So if this episode resonates with you, take a screenshot and tag me on Instagram at personal trainer, underline Turo. And if you are thinking, I might need help with this, head to my website, personal trainer, turo.com coaching slash coaching, and explore how we can work together. Thanks for listening to the fit me Turo fitness podcast and remember pulling apart. up for yourself in the most powerful way Talk soon. And thank you for listening.