Reverse Diet....
Reverse diet…Month 1
So all that dieting for the competition is now over – First week post show I was eating and eating and eating junks. A few days I tried to track and did well but by the night, I craved for sweets and gave in. Last year I rebounded bad – gained approx. 43 pounds over the course of 6 months. I want to think because of the strictness of the dieting when it was all over I couldn’t mentally get back on track. This year because my dieting was more flexible the whole prep (besides the last 4 days – which sucked J ) it was easier. I did eat a whole package of cookies, ice cream, desserts, etc but I also was able to pull myself back on track much easier and faster this time around.
I had planned to reverse diet post show but gave myself one week of not monitoring or tracking before beginning – this is where my month 1 blog will start.
What is reverse dieting you ask? It’s like dieting backwards….the short explanation – you keep adding calories slowly to increase your calorie allotment w/out gaining or minimal weight gain so when you do want to cut again, you can do so on a higher number of calories.
Since post show I ate quite a lot, I figured I did not have to reverse from where I left off dieting the weeks before the show. I decided to start my reverse a little under my maintenance calories (calories needed to maintain current weight) since I was still over the range I’d like to stay at. I based my calorie intake at 1480 with macro break down to reach my goals. My goal – maintain leanness while gradually increasing calories so when I am ready to cut again, I will be able to do so on a lot of more food…..and who doesn’t like to eat?
Starting weight: 119
Weight end Week 1: 117.8
First week I struggled mentally – wanting to be leaner again, wanting to do cardio so that I could get lean….By midweek I got my head straight by realizing what my long-term goals are and the purpose of reverse dieting. I stopped fixating on abs and stuck with trusting the process.
I also cut my cardio this week – If I recall I did 1 day 30min, 1 day 20min HIIT, and 1 day 10 minutes 😊
Since I lost weight I will be increasing my calories to 1540 this week.
Starting weight Week 1: 117.8
Weight end Week 2: 119
Since I gained a bit this week I will keep my calories the same this week. For cardio this week I did 1 day 20 min, 1 day 30 minutes and 1 day 20 min HIIT.
Still struggling mentally – not going to lie. Want to be leaner…..but want to build (can’t do both). Somedays
I want to give up and eat everything in my kitchen. Somedays I think it’s just not worth it and just want to eat what is convenient not food prep. Trust me, it’s not easy for me either – but I have a choice everyday; to either go closer to my goal or further.
Starting weight Week 2: 119
Weight end Week 3: 119
Since I maintained weight I will add 50 more calories per day.
For cardio this week I did 2 days 30 minutes and 1 day 20 min HIIT.
Still miss being lean and seeing abs but long term goals over instant gratification, right?? Right now building muscle and restoring my metabolism is priority…..I need to keep reminding myself. I should be cutting cardio as well, but I like the adrenaline rush I get and the sweat….I will try cutting to 2x20 min hiits…..but no promises……..
Starting weight Week 3: 119
Weight end Week 4: 120
For cardio this week I did one day 20 min hiit.
So as you can see over the past 4 weeks I’ve increase 110 calories, cut back on cardio and only gained a little weight.
I think you get an idea – I will continue to monitor and continue to add. My goal is to get up to 2800 calories and then start my cut (probably at around 2300-2500 calories – imagine a “diet” with that much food)