Let’s talk about something that so many women ask me—“How long is it gonna take before I can actually lose fat if I reverse diet first?”
If you’re nodding along like, “YES CAITLEN, TELL ME,” then welcome, my gal, you are so in the right place.
Why You’re Not Losing Fat on 1,200 Calories
If you’re in a fat loss plateau—even while eating super low calories like 1,200–1500—your body isn’t broken. Your metabolism is just adapted to survive. It thinks those 1,200 calories are your “normal,” and no amount of cardio or cutting is going to make it burn more.
In fact, continuing to drop calories often leads to metabolic adaptation, muscle loss, and yes—dreaded unwanted weight regain.
The Reverse Diet = Preheating the Oven 🍪
Here’s my favorite metaphor—because I know you gals love a visual.
Think of fat loss like baking cookies. You’ve got the dough (aka your hard work and consistency), but if you skip preheating the oven (aka reverse dieting), those cookies are never gonna bake.
Reverse dieting is the preheat. If you jump into fat loss too early, your metabolism won’t cooperate and the results will flop.
So… How Long Will It Actually Take?
Truth bomb: There’s no universal timeline. Your reverse diet depends on:
- How long you’ve been dieting (be honest, was it like… years?)
- How slow your metabolism currently is
- Where it needs to be before your body can safely enter a calorie deficit
That’s why I created a Heal Your Metabolism Starter Kit to help you figure out exactly where your metabolism is now—and what it needs to reach fat-burning status. You’ll even get a rough timeline for how long your “preheating” phase will take.
The Cost of Skipping the Reverse Diet
One of my gals reached out a year ago, ready to reverse but scared to start. She ended up doing it alone… and just messaged me after spending over $6K on injections and diet pills that led nowhere. Meanwhile, another gal who joined BPM at the same time? She finished her reverse in 6 months and is already down 15 lbs in fat loss.
It’s not about “doing it fast”—it’s about doing it right.
And if you’re thinking, “But Caitlen… I’ve tried every diet under the sun,” then YES—this is exactly why you need to reverse. Not restrict.
Psst… not sure if you need to reverse diet? This episode breaks it all down in a juicy, easy-to-digest way.
TL;DR? Don’t Skip the Preheat.
Fat loss isn’t about chasing perfection or cutting more calories—it’s about working with your metabolism, not against it. 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.
Your next step?
👉 Find out where your metabolism stands
👉 Learn how to track your macros strategically
👉 Or peek behind the curtain of the kind of support you really need here
Now go write “Preheat the oven” on a sticky note and slap it on your bathroom mirror. We’ve got cookies to bake. 🍪💛
