Reverse dieting

Reverse dieting is the practice of increasing intake in small weekly steps at the end of a fat-loss phase, rather than returning to maintenance in one jump. It came out of physique competition, where the post-show rebound is a well-known problem.

It matters because the underlying observation is real: after a sustained deficit, expenditure has fallen — partly through lost mass, partly through reduced NEAT and metabolic adaptation — so pre-diet intake is no longer maintenance. Returning to it abruptly does produce fast regain, some of it fat.

In practice the stronger claims — that a slow increase 'repairs' or 'rebuilds' metabolism to a higher level than before — are not supported by controlled evidence. The defensible case is behavioural and modest: a controlled ramp gives you feedback and keeps you in charge, rather than resetting your metabolism.