Reverse Dieting - What to do After a Diet or Cut???

Summary

In this video, Coach Greg discusses the concept of reverse dieting and why he believes it is ineffective for most people. He explains that reverse dieting, which involves gradually increasing calories post-diet, is too difficult to track accurately and is prone to failure. Instead, Greg advises eating the least amount of calories needed to maintain energy without binging and gradually reducing cardio after dieting. He emphasizes the importance of protein intake, regular meals, and maintaining energy for optimal muscle growth while debunking misconceptions around metabolism and fat loss.

Takeaways

• 💡 Reverse dieting, which involves gradually increasing calorie intake after a diet, is a flawed approach according to Greg due to its complexity and low success rate.
• 📉 Reverse dieting is difficult to track accurately because calorie calculations from food labels and fitness trackers are often incorrect.
• 🤔 Adding 50 calories per day is impractical since calorie burn can fluctuate based on activity levels, making reverse dieting unpredictable.
• 🚫 Greg discourages reverse dieting since most people will eventually binge or cheat, undermining the whole process.
• 🥗 Instead of reverse dieting, Greg suggests eating the fewest calories that still allow you to feel energized and function well, without starving.
• 💪 Reducing cardio by half post-diet is advised, as cutting it out completely may cause unwanted fat gain while keeping energy balanced.
• 🍗 Maintaining protein intake is crucial for muscle growth, with 5 protein-rich meals per day being optimal for most people.
• 🍽 Greg stresses that any diet (vegan, keto, etc.) can work as long as the calorie balance is maintained, but vegan diets may make it harder to get sufficient protein.
• 🧠 Greg criticizes the reliance on research studies without understanding the biases behind them and highlights the importance of critical thinking.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Post-diet metabolism increases when more calories are consumed, as energy levels rise and allow for more activity, but Greg warns that it's not a 'magic' fix.

Q & A

What is a reverse diet?

A reverse diet is a gradual increase in caloric intake after a period of calorie restriction, intended to help the metabolism adjust without rapid weight gain.

Why does the speaker believe reverse dieting is a bad idea?

The speaker argues that reverse dieting is impractical because it's almost impossible to track calorie intake accurately, and most people will eventually binge or miscalculate, making it ineffective.

What are the main challenges with accurately tracking calorie intake, according to the speaker?

The speaker notes that food labels, fitness trackers, and personal estimates are often inaccurate. Factors such as food weight discrepancies and varying activity levels make it difficult to track calories precisely.

What should you do instead of reverse dieting, according to the speaker?

Instead of reverse dieting, the speaker recommends eating the fewest calories possible while maintaining enough energy to feel okay and function properly. This prevents binging and unnecessary calorie intake.

How should cardio be adjusted after a diet?

The speaker suggests reducing cardio by half. For example, if you were doing 60 minutes of cardio daily, cut it to 30 minutes. This helps balance energy expenditure without completely stopping activity.

How does the speaker suggest handling protein intake after a diet?

The speaker advises maintaining 5 protein meals per day, with each meal spaced 3 to 5 hours apart. The recommended amount is 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight for optimal muscle growth.

Why does the speaker argue that a vegan diet is harder for building muscle?

The speaker believes a vegan diet is harder because it limits the variety of protein sources available, making it more challenging to get sufficient protein and amino acids compared to diets that include meat.

How does metabolism change when you eat more food?

When you eat more, the thermic effect of food increases, meaning you burn more calories from digestion. However, the speaker emphasizes that this does not mean your metabolism magically speeds up.

Why does the speaker emphasize the importance of maintaining energy levels after a diet?

The speaker stresses that having enough energy is crucial for maintaining training intensity and overall well-being. Eating too little can make you feel weak and reduce your ability to train effectively.

What does the speaker say about fat burners and their effectiveness?

The speaker explains that fat burners work mainly by giving you more energy, which makes you move more and train harder, and by suppressing appetite. They don't magically burn calories by themselves.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Understanding the Reverse Diet Concept

In this paragraph, the speaker introduces the concept of a reverse diet, which is a gradual increase in caloric intake after a calorie-restricted diet. The purpose is to allow the metabolism to adjust. The speaker expresses frustration with the term 'reverse diet' and emphasizes the difficulty in accurately tracking calorie increases. They argue that most people will not be able to execute a reverse diet successfully due to the complexity of tracking calories and the potential for unexpected events to disrupt the process. The speaker also points out the inaccuracy of calorie counting tools and the challenges in maintaining discipline post-diet.

05:02

🍽️ Practical Approach to Post-Diet Eating

The speaker advises against strict reverse dieting and instead suggests consuming the minimum calories necessary to maintain energy levels without binging. They discuss the impracticality of counting every calorie and macronutrient when not on a strict diet. The paragraph also touches on the idea of reducing cardio activities to support muscle growth after a diet. The speaker emphasizes that protein intake remains crucial for muscle building, and they discuss the challenges of vegan diets in comparison to omnivorous ones for protein acquisition. They conclude by stating that the type of diet one follows is less important than the total caloric intake in determining weight loss or gain.

10:05

🏃‍♂️ Balancing Energy and Metabolism Post-Diet

In the final paragraph, the speaker focuses on the importance of eating enough to maintain energy levels and the functionality of the body, including the ability to train effectively. They explain that as one eats more, the thermic effect of food increases, leading to a higher calorie burn, but this does not equate to a 'magically faster metabolism.' The speaker argues against the idea of a slow, gradual increase in calories for the sake of maintaining a high metabolism, as it is not based on scientific principles. They encourage listeners to find a balance that works for them, acknowledging individual differences in metabolism and energy levels.

Keywords

💡Reverse diet

A reverse diet is a strategy involving a gradual increase in caloric intake after a period of restrictive dieting. The video discusses this concept critically, suggesting that it is impractical for most people to implement correctly. The speaker argues that tracking small caloric increases is difficult and prone to failure, as variables like inaccurate calorie tracking and deviations from the plan can disrupt the process.

💡Caloric intake

Caloric intake refers to the total number of calories consumed through food and beverages. In the video, the speaker advises against trying to precisely manage small increments of calorie increases, instead recommending that individuals eat the fewest calories needed to maintain energy without bingeing, following a diet.

💡Metabolism

Metabolism is the process by which the body converts food into energy. The speaker emphasizes that while eating more can slightly increase metabolism due to the thermic effect of food, it doesn't mean the metabolism magically becomes faster. The speaker also notes that changes in caloric intake and activity level affect how the metabolism functions during and after dieting.

💡Binge eating

Binge eating refers to consuming large quantities of food in a short period, often in response to restriction or emotional triggers. The speaker warns that binge eating is a common pitfall after a diet, where even those following a reverse diet plan can overeat, which can negate any benefits of the dieting process.

💡Thermic effect of food

The thermic effect of food refers to the calories burned by the body while digesting, absorbing, and processing nutrients from food. The video touches on this when discussing metabolism, noting that consuming more food slightly increases the number of calories burned, but not in a way that drastically alters metabolic rates.

💡Energy expenditure

Energy expenditure is the amount of energy a person uses throughout the day, including activities like walking, working out, and even digesting food. The speaker highlights how variable energy expenditure can make tracking calories difficult, as factors like extra physical activity can change the balance of calories burned versus consumed.

💡Protein

Protein is a macronutrient essential for building and repairing muscle. The speaker recommends consuming five protein-rich meals per day after dieting to support muscle growth and maintenance. This concept is part of the advice for transitioning out of a restrictive diet while preserving lean muscle mass.

💡Cardio

Cardio refers to aerobic exercise that raises the heart rate, such as running or cycling. In the video, the speaker advises reducing cardio after a diet to prevent overexertion, suggesting that people cut their cardio routine in half rather than stop it completely, in order to balance calorie burning and muscle preservation.

💡Muscle growth

Muscle growth is the process of increasing muscle mass, typically through resistance training and proper nutrition. The video stresses the importance of maintaining a balance between caloric intake and exercise to support muscle growth after a diet, especially by eating adequate protein and performing controlled amounts of cardio.

💡Vegan diet

A vegan diet excludes all animal products, including meat, dairy, and eggs. The speaker addresses the challenges of following a vegan diet for muscle growth, noting that while it is possible, it is more difficult to meet protein needs without animal sources. The example is used to illustrate the broader point that different diets can work for different people but some require more effort.

Highlights

Reverse dieting involves gradually increasing caloric intake after a diet ends.

The speaker finds reverse dieting to be ineffective for 98% of people.

Tracking small calorie increases, like 50 calories per day, is unrealistic and prone to errors.

Energy expenditure varies daily, making it difficult to maintain a consistent reverse diet.

Most people end up binge eating, which derails their reverse dieting attempts.

The speaker advises against reverse dieting due to the high level of discipline required.

Instead of reverse dieting, people should eat the fewest calories that provide enough energy.

After finishing a diet, it's recommended to gradually reduce cardio instead of cutting it out entirely.

For muscle building, stick to eating five protein meals a day, spaced 3-5 hours apart.

Protein intake should be around 1 gram per pound of body weight.

Different diets like keto, vegan, or intermittent fasting can work, but calorie intake is the key determinant of weight changes.

Vegan diets make it harder to get the necessary protein compared to diets that include meat.

The thermic effect of food increases when you eat more, slightly boosting metabolism.

Metabolism doesn’t magically speed up through gradual calorie increases; the increase in energy helps burn more calories.

Fat burners work by increasing energy, helping people move more and suppress appetite.

Transcripts

and will always happen I goofed I

cheated I do watch me down coach Greg

and today I'm going to be discussing the

best way to end a diet a lot of people

been asking should you reverse diet how

should I do this reverse diet how do I

go about doing it I'm gonna answer all

those questions explain to you exactly

what you should do once the diet is over

because trust me almost everyone in the

world has died attendance at some point

many of you have reached your goals and

then once you're there now what what do

you do before you get into that I'm not

a doctor I'm not a registered dietitian

I'm just telling you what I think and

what I do and if this information should

help you and that's awesome click the

subscribe button and the bell button to

get notified do it right now early on

here cuz I want you to watch more my

stuff cuz half the time you ask me can

you do a video on yes and I'm already

covered the video I have almost 400

videos start watching some of my videos

I haven't been just doing this for a

week it's been months okay

watch all the videos alright so what in

the hell is this reverse diet I'm so

frickin sick of the term that it's just

driving me insane so a reverse diet is

basically you go on this calorie

restricted diet say it's 1,500 calories

a day your diets over whether it was to

go down south wedding vacation photo

shoot doesn't matter it doesn't matter

after it's over well you can't die

forever you ventually be dead you're

gonna maybe your Bleen bulking maybe

you're you don't need to diet anymore

whatever a reverse diet would be a slow

gradual consistent increase in caloric

intake weekly so that it hopefully

allows your metabolism to

catch up with you I'm gonna tell you why

it is a stupid notion a stupid idea

and why 98% of you will not be able to

do it and so if it's going to fail in

98% of you why in the world would one

promote something that you have a 2%

chance of success that is stupid okay

I'm not here to give you stupid

information and advice I'm here to tell

you what to do so for example if you've

been eating 1,500 calories a day and

starving yourself you just did miss

Fitness girlfriend best boyfriends show

whatever best bod contests now it's over

and you're like okay well I don't want

to get fat so you don't just go crazy

and eat everything you go on this

reverse diet of adding in say it's 50

calories a day let's go further the

first week I'm reverse dieting I'm going

to add 50 calories a day to my plan hey

you don't know what 50 calories is

nobody does no one knows fitness tracker

does no it doesn't you write it in it's

wrong it spits out information it's

wrong you read a package it says each

slice of bread has 140 calories you

weigh the bread and it's wrong the bread

weighs more than it said on the package

so if you think you're adding 50

calories a day you are not you might

have added thirty one day you might have

added a hundred and fifty one day you're

just not gonna know it's too difficult

way too difficult ok so the next problem

is well how do you know how much energy

expenditure you're doing you add 50

calories a day let's assume you even

could do that alright well what if today

he went on a 60 minute walk extra that

you didn't do the other days well now

you're in a deficit so you thought you

were slowly adding calories but you

actually just burnt off more then guess

what happens and will always happen I

goofed I cheated I did you much Pete

down I went out and my friend buy me

chocolate

said I couldn't refuse them somebody

popped me a glass of wine and I couldn't

say no so you think your perverse

dieting six days straight let's say

you're perfect you're in that 2% that

could do it the seventh day comes and

you binge cuz it's a bound to happen it

just screwed up the whole reverse diet

thing in the first place it is not going

to work ever it will never work you will

never be able to track this accurately I

don't care how many Fitness pals you

have I don't know how many people you've

coached I don't care how accurately you

know how to add up the information you

will not be able to do it two different

stakes they look the same they have

different calories you eat the same up

there's no way you can do it and the

amount of discipline required to

calculate every last freaking macro when

you're not even on a diet is absolutely

insane so it doesn't work so I'm telling

you do not reverse diet does that mean

just go all-in and binge no this is what

you do eat the fewest amount of calories

that you can that still gives you the

energy to feel okay the fewest the least

the lowest amount maybe one day say

you're on that 1,500 calorie diet it's

over the day after celebration time

family Oh

let's celebrate you just won the mr.

Olympia everyone brings you chocolates

and brownies you might have 6,000

calories that next day

well the reverse diet sure ain't gonna

work so then what happens

eat the fewest calories to give you

energy so then the next day you'll need

900 calories because well you hate so

much that day the next day you don't

need any the next day you eat 1,400 why

because you still living off that 6,000

you had the two days before slowly you

just eat the least amount that you can

you don't binge you try to avoid all

this extra crap and extra junk it's very

simple the fewest calories that you can

eat

what about cardio you should be doing

less cardio than you were if you're

trying to put on muscle after this diets

done Shiva will do less cardio don't cut

it to zero

my advice whatever you were doing do

have if you are doing 60 minutes a day

do 30 if you're doing 3 hours a day do

90 that way it's a beneficial amount for

everyone it gives you an idea you don't

go cold turkey no more cardio you just

cut it in half half the cardio what does

that mean well you're gonna burn up a

lot less calories so does that mean you

have to actually eat more maybe not the

15-under calorie diet that you had if

you're doing 3 hours of cardio a day on

it and now you're doing an hour and a

half a cardio you might not even need to

eat more you might slowly gain weight by

eating the same amount of nutrients it's

as simple as that

so don't go all-in don't binge eat the

fewest amount of calories possible what

about protein stuff every single rule of

building muscle still applies

5 protein meals a day 1 gram of protein

per pound of body weight you don't need

more can you have more yes all good meal

separated by say at least 3 to 5 hours

in that range

can you intermittent fast can you skip

meals can you do vegan can you do keto

you can do any diet you want the

calories is what's gonna dictate if you

lose the weight or gain the weight I'm

saying for optimal muscle growth 5 meals

a day with protein for optimal muscle

growth better to not go vegan vegan you

can it's just harder some vegan gain BS

more on try to debate with me and he was

like no it's not harder to get protein

if you're not eating meat it's easy it's

the same easy how is it the same easy if

you can only if there's forty jugs of

protein and the only ones you're allowed

to choose are the ones that say vegan on

it it's harder you have one choice vegan

you can't add the one with the meat now

what about food

it's harder if you can eat chicken fish

meat all this

there's whole sections of the grocery

store you have to avoid it's harder to

get the protein amino acids you need

because you're eliminating choices it's

like saying I want to get dressed up for

winter because winter's coming

well Greg you're not allowed to buy

jackets snow pants snow shoes and so on

and so I'm like well it's gonna be

harder for me to stay warm

can I yes I go into another store that

sells thick sweaters and I buy two or

three of them and so on it's still

harder it's not the same hard it's just

stupid stupid comments and all these

cherry-picked studies you guys can go

and pick any stupid study you want to

say whatever you freaking want to

believe you and your great nine

education grade 12 education PhD station

doesn't matter how smart you are how

educated you are if you don't know how

to analyze a friggin research article to

see the biases inherently inside of that

article and to know that you can't just

assume certain things based on the

results you can and you can't prove

cause and effect all the time and just

because it's a meta-analysis doesn't

mean it's gonna say exactly what you

want and that whatever it says is the

truth and it has to be it just does it I

could go into so many examples but I

just don't have the time or the patience

I'm competing in a week and a half I

just can't deal with all the morons

there's just too many too many morons

okay so sticking to this do not reverse

diet eat less calories the less calories

you can to have energy by having energy

I mean you need to be able to feel good

you need to be able to go to the gym

train herd

you need to not feel absolutely starving

so if one day that means you need 3000

calories you need 3,000 calories doesn't

matter if you're eating 1,500 before you

eat the least amount of calories and go

up now is your metabolism gonna go up

yes does that mean it's like some magic

metabolism no does that mean the laws of

thermodynamics change no when you eat

more the thermic effect of food is going

to ink

crease that means you're burning more

calories from eating the food doesn't

mean your metabolisms magically faster

but also when you eat more you have more

energy when you have more energy you can

rant more and move more when you make

youtube videos that burns more calories

when you have no energy and you speak

like this it's peak week and I just

don't have energy because I'm on a keto

diet for three days

boy this sucks I can't wait to compete

you burn a lot less calories when you

have no energy than when you have energy

that's why fat burners burn calories be

like well fat burners do this and that

they don't like just magically burn

calories if it gives you energy you move

more and you train harder and it

suppresses your appetite you eat less

you burn more fat that's how it works or

maybe a dehydrates you you sweat more

and you lose more water

okay so Point take-home message do not

reverse diet in a counting calories

since every week I'll add 10 calories to

my diet for the next six months and in

six months from now I'll be shredded

still but I'll have this fast metabolism

because my body's gradually getting used

to these extra calories it doesn't work

like that so eat the least you can get

the least fat you can but have the

energy to train every one of us is

different I might hold well at 12% you

might hold well at 32% that's just

genetics okay some people can walk

around at 6% body fat and have energy

year-round I cannot I'm under 6% body

fat and I'm always tired I rarely have a

good amount of energy that I want yeah I

still train and I still go hard but

compared to how I could if I was like

eating more not even close guys okay so

I'm gonna end this here Greg your sitcom

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