How to Start a Reverse Diet the Right Way (Without Gaining Fat)

Let’s be honest: the second someone tells you to reverse diet, your brain goes:
“Wait… so you’re telling me to eat more when I’m already not losing weight?” 😳

And my answer? Yep. But with a twist.

Reverse dieting is not just a permission slip to eat extra food (as fun as that sounds). It’s a strategic way to heal your metabolism, raise your intake, and set your body up for fat loss that actually lasts.

But here’s where so many women go wrong — and I see this all the time:

Why Jumping Calories Too Fast Isn’t Actually a Reverse Diet

If you’re eating 1,200 calories and suddenly jump to 1,800?

That’s not a reverse diet. That’s just a calorie surplus. And your metabolism, which has been adapting to a lower intake for months (or years), can’t keep up.

What happens next?
👉🏼 Your body stores that sudden calorie increase as fat.
👉🏼 Your digestion slows down.
👉🏼 You feel puffy, inflamed, and like your body is rebelling.

Because it is.

Your metabolism hasn’t caught up — and that’s the whole point of a proper reverse diet: helping it adapt as you increase.

The Secret to Reverse Dieting Without Regaining Weight

It starts by knowing your true baseline.

Before you start adding more food, you need to figure out where your metabolism currently sits. Not what should work based on a calculator — but what your body is actually used to. 

From there, the magic is in the method:

👉🏼 You increase one macro at a time (not protein, carbs, and fat all at once).
👉🏼 You give your body a week or more to adapt before adjusting again.
👉🏼 You pay attention to biofeedback: energy, digestion, hunger cues, strength.

This is where most women go wrong — they try to “eyeball it,” or follow generic macro rules. But your metabolism? She needs a custom approach.

(Need a refresher on what reverse dieting actually is? This podcast episode explains it from the ground up.)

Why Patience Pays Off (and Why Fat Loss Gets Easier)

Reverse dieting is like building the foundation of a house. If you try to skip steps or stack things too quickly? It crumbles. You plateau. You gain weight. You get frustrated.

But if you do it right?

✨ You raise your intake without fat gain.
✨ You improve your metabolism health.
✨ You finally hit that fat loss phase without restriction or starting over.

One of my favorite client stories? A woman who went from eating 1,400 → 2,300 calories, lost inches, and finally felt like her body wasn’t fighting her anymore. (You can hear another similar story in this case study.)

So… Should You Reverse Diet?

If you’ve tried every diet under the sun, are stuck at low calories, and still not losing fat — it might be time to reverse.

Whether you’re tracking macros and seeing no change or you’ve been in a deficit for months (or years 😬), it’s time to shift gears.

The goal? Heal your metabolism. Raise your intake. And actually give your body the tools to burn fat without a fight.

Let’s rebuild your foundation the right way — because you deserve results that last.