Increase Your Metabolism With Reverse Dieting
Many people have heard the phrase “eat less, move more” as the go-to advice for weight loss, but what happens when you eat too little for an extended period? For those who have struggled with restrictive eating, low-calorie diets, or undereating, the body often adapts in ways that make it difficult to sustain weight loss, or even maintain energy and health. If you've been eating very low calories and find that your weight loss has plateaued or you feel constantly drained, it could be due to a slowed metabolism. Today, we’ll explore how low calorie intake affects your metabolism and why reverse dieting can be a powerful tool to repair it, setting you on a path toward improved energy, well-being, and weight stability.
How Does Metabolism Work?
Your metabolism is the sum of all chemical reactions in your body that keep it alive and functioning. It’s typically divided into several key components:
1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
This is the number of calories your body needs at rest to support vital functions, such as breathing, heart rate, and cell production. BMR accounts for about 60-70% of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
2. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)
This is the energy your body uses to digest, absorb, and process nutrients from the food you eat. TEF contributes around 10% of TDEE.
3. Thermic Effect of Physical Activity (TEPA)
Physical activity includes everything from structured exercise to everyday movements, like walking or even fidgeting. It can account for up to 30% of your TDEE, though it varies widely based on activity level.
4. Adaptive Thermogenesis
This is the most flexible component of metabolism, responding to factors like stress, temperature changes, and—crucially—calorie intake. When you eat fewer calories than your body needs over a prolonged period, adaptive thermogenesis decreases, meaning your body burns fewer calories to conserve energy.
The Impact of Eating Too Few Calories
When you consistently consume fewer calories than your body requires, it triggers several adaptations aimed at preserving energy, as your body interprets prolonged calorie restriction as a potential threat to survival. Here’s what happens:
1. Lowered Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
Extended low-calorie intake can cause your BMR to decrease. When your body senses a shortage of energy, it reduces its “maintenance costs” by slowing down metabolism. This means you burn fewer calories at rest. Research has shown that this effect is even more pronounced with extreme calorie restriction, as the body shifts into a state of conservation, prioritizing survival over expenditure .
2. Decreased Muscle Mass
In a low-calorie environment, your body may turn to muscle tissue for energy, especially if protein intake is insufficient. Since muscle is more metabolically active than fat, losing muscle mass further reduces the number of calories you burn at rest, compounding the effects of a slower metabolism.
3. Reduced Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)
When you eat less, your TEF naturally decreases because your body has less food to process. Additionally, prolonged calorie restriction has been shown to reduce the TEF as the body becomes more efficient at absorbing nutrients, further lowering overall energy expenditure .
4. Lowered Thermic Effect of Physical Activity (TEPA)
Chronic undereating often leads to reduced energy and motivation to exercise, but it also impacts your unconscious movements, like fidgeting or even maintaining good posture. Your body adapts by minimizing energy spent on physical activity, contributing to overall decreased calorie burn.
5. Increased Appetite and Cravings
Beyond metabolic changes, prolonged low-calorie intake alters hunger and satiety hormones, including ghrelin, leptin, and peptide YY. Ghrelin, often called the “hunger hormone,” tends to increase during calorie restriction, signaling to your brain that you need to eat more. Meanwhile, leptin, which signals fullness, tends to decrease, making you feel hungrier and less satisfied even after eating.
This combination of factors can create a frustrating scenario where you feel tired, hungry, and yet your body is burning fewer calories than it was before you started restricting. Many people in this situation find that they hit a weight loss plateau, experience intense cravings, and may even gain weight if they return to their previous eating patterns.
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What is Reverse Dieting?
Reverse dieting is a strategic, gradual increase in calorie intake designed to help repair your metabolism after a period of eating too few calories. The goal is to slowly increase calories to reach your body’s maintenance level—where it burns as many calories as you’re consuming—without triggering rapid weight gain. By carefully reintroducing calories over weeks or months, reverse dieting can help restore your metabolism to a healthier level, supporting muscle growth, balanced hormones, and sustainable weight management.
How Reverse Dieting Works
Step 1: Establish Your Baseline
Before beginning a reverse diet, it’s essential to assess your current calorie intake and physical activity level. This baseline helps you understand where your body is currently adapted and how much you may need to increase. Working with a dietitian can be particularly helpful for assessing your needs accurately and safely.
Step 2: Gradual Calorie Increase
Reverse dieting typically involves adding 50-100 calories per day to your intake each week. This gradual increase gives your metabolism time to adapt and prevents the body from storing excess calories as fat immediately. Over several weeks or months, you’ll slowly reach your estimated maintenance calories—enough to support your body’s energy needs without further adaptation.
Step 3: Monitor and Adjust
As you increase your calories, monitoring progress is crucial. Tracking changes in weight, energy levels, hunger, and mental well-being can provide valuable insights. For some, this process may take several months to see significant metabolic changes, but the slow pace helps the body adjust to the higher calorie intake without large fluctuations in weight.
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Benefits of Reverse Dieting for Metabolic Recovery
1. Restores Basal Metabolic Rate
By consistently providing your body with adequate energy, reverse dieting can help restore your BMR to a healthier level. Studies indicate that metabolism can “up-regulate” in response to increased calorie intake, particularly when paired with resistance training, which preserves or increases lean muscle mass .
2. Supports Lean Muscle Growth
Reverse dieting often includes an emphasis on higher protein intake, combined with resistance training to encourage muscle growth. This lean muscle mass increase can raise your BMR, as muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat tissue does.
3. Regulates Hunger Hormones
Gradually increasing your calories helps balance hunger and satiety hormones. As leptin levels normalize with adequate calorie intake, you’ll likely feel fuller and more satisfied after meals. Conversely, ghrelin levels may stabilize, reducing the intense hunger cues that often accompany restrictive diets .
4. Improves Energy and Physical Performance
A well-fueled body has the energy needed for physical activities and daily tasks, which also supports an increased thermic effect of physical activity (TEPA). Many people report improved exercise performance and stamina, as their bodies are finally receiving the energy required to thrive.
5. Supports Sustainable Weight Maintenance
Reverse dieting teaches your body to function well at a higher calorie intake, making it easier to maintain your weight without constant restriction. Rather than oscillating between restrictive diets and “cheat days,” you’re building a more stable relationship with food and your body.
Addressing Common Concerns about Reverse Dieting
Will I Gain Weight?
The concern about weight gain during reverse dieting is understandable. Although some initial weight gain may occur due to increased glycogen storage (the body’s carbohydrate reserves) and water retention, this doesn’t necessarily mean fat gain. The body’s gradual adjustment to increased calories, along with balanced nutrition and physical activity, minimizes the risk of significant fat gain.
How Long Will It Take?
The duration of reverse dieting varies based on individual factors, including the length and severity of prior calorie restriction. On average, it can take several weeks to several months to reach maintenance calories and experience the full metabolic benefits.
Can Reverse Dieting Help if I’m Not Interested in Weight Loss?
Absolutely. Reverse dieting is beneficial for anyone who has been under-eating, even if weight loss isn’t a goal. Restoring metabolic health supports energy levels, muscle maintenance, hormone balance, and overall well-being.
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Conclusion
Eating too few calories may seem like a straightforward way to lose weight, but it can lead to long-term metabolic adaptations that make it harder for your body to function optimally. Over time, restrictive eating can slow your metabolism, reduce muscle mass, and disrupt hunger cues, often resulting in exhaustion, cravings, and weight plateaus.
Reverse dieting offers a gradual approach to rebuilding your metabolism and supporting your body’s energy needs. By slowly increasing calories, you’re allowing your metabolism to readjust and strengthening your foundation for sustainable health. If you’re interested in exploring reverse dieting, consider working with a dietitian, like Shannon Cook, to tailor a plan that fits your specific needs and helps you regain balance, energy, and well-being.
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References
1. Doucet, É., & Tremblay, A. (2008). Adaptive reduction in basal metabolic rate in response to food deprivation in humans: A review. *European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 62*(3), 308–314.
2. Müller, M. J., Bosy-Westphal, A., & Krawczak, M. (2010). Genetic studies of common obesity and their value for the development of novel therapies
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