Key facts
- Used to transition out of a calorie deficit.
- Calories are raised slowly, often weekly.
- Helps rebuild diet capacity and reduce rebound bingeing.
- Doesn't 'reset' metabolism, despite the claims.
After a long diet, jumping straight back to a big surplus can feel uncontrolled and lead to rapid fat regain. Reverse dieting takes the opposite approach: you add a small amount of calories (often carbs and fats) each week, easing back toward maintenance while monitoring your weight.
The real benefits are behavioral and practical: it smooths the transition, restores energy and training performance, and reduces the binge-rebound cycle that often follows strict dieting. Claims that it dramatically 'boosts' or 'heals' metabolism are overstated — your maintenance simply rises as you eat and move more.
Frequently asked questions
Does reverse dieting boost your metabolism?
Only modestly. Eating and moving more raises your daily burn, but reverse dieting doesn't produce a dramatic metabolic 'reset' — its main value is a controlled return to maintenance.
How fast should I add calories?
Slowly — many people add a small amount (e.g. 50–150 kcal) per week, watching their weight, until they reach their estimated maintenance level.
Get the app