STUDboardsToken · Cards · Research · Play · Study · Self · Fit · Money · Learn · Motivation · Adventure · Skill · Biohack · Personalities · STUD=1 STUDtokenOptional
Made in America
May contain inaccuracies · Check reliable sources · Not medical, training, or diet advice
← All topicsSTUDfit

Size · Lots of talk

Reverse diet

Also called reverse dieting · coming out of a cut · add calories back · diet exit

Community talk. May contain inaccuracies. Not medical, training, or diet advice. Sharp pain, fainting, or disordered-eating concerns need a clinician.

A reverse diet gradually increases food after a weight-loss phase, aiming for maintenance: eating enough to keep weight broadly stable. Its appeal is a structured exit; a special metabolism boost is unproven.

Cleveland Clinic · 2024

01

What returning to maintenance involves

Food increases in steps after the cut ends. A cut means eating less energy than the body uses. Reversing transitions out of that restriction; it differs from a temporary diet break followed by more cutting, or a deliberate muscle-gain surplus.

Community

One example adds 50–150 calories every 1–2 weeks. The clinic describes tracking intake and weight while portions increase; these are examples, not a required schedule.

Cleveland Clinic · 2024

Going directly to estimated maintenance is another exit. It increases intake to an estimated holding level at once, instead of climbing through small weekly additions.

JISSN · 2025

Small steps can mean several more weeks in a deficit. The T Nation poster planned 100-calorie weekly increases from 2,100 toward an estimated 2,900. Replies questioned spending eight weeks hungry while also adjusting cardio; changing both makes the outcome harder to interpret.

Community · T Nation · 2023

02

What it may offer

The main offer is structure for eating more. A target and gradual portion changes can make an uncertain transition feel manageable. They do not establish metabolic repair.

Community

Better weight maintenance has not been established. In 49 resistance-trained adults after 5% weight loss, a 15-week preliminary study found no significant weight-regain difference between approaches. This small report does not prove equivalence or address severe contest dieting.

JISSN · 2025

03

Good to know

A higher scale reading does not identify fat gain. Stored carbohydrate, called glycogen, is associated with muscle water. A small exercise-recovery study supports that relationship, not a calculation of any individual's post-diet weight change. Equally, every increase cannot be dismissed as water.

Fernández-Elías et al. · 2015

Health recovery may require more than holding weight. Missed periods, recurrent injuries or declining performance can accompany prolonged under-fueling. Food fear or disordered eating needs qualified help. Stable weight alone does not show adequate fueling; a clinician and sports dietitian can assess the situation.

Australian Institute of Sport

Severe restriction or prolonged fasting needs medical oversight. Reintroducing food after malnutrition can cause dangerous electrolyte shifts, called refeeding syndrome. A gym calorie ladder does not replace supervised refeeding.

Cleveland Clinic · 2022

04

From community discussion

Reported ladders use 50–100 calories for 7–14 days. Some accounts take 4–10 weeks; others return toward maintenance directly or over about a week. These describe different exits, not an optimal timetable. The endpoint is sustainable maintenance, rather than a permanent reverse-diet identity.

Community

More gym energy can accompany a stable reported weight. A PetiteFitness commenter described moving from 1,400 to 1,800 calories using 50-calorie weekly increases, daily weighing and waist measurements, with better gym energy. The original poster still felt intensely hungry after increasing intake. Neither account establishes a mechanism.

Community · Reddit · 2026

One diary kept lifting and walking while food rose. A CICO poster reported 100-calorie weekly additions to 2,700, stable weight around 167 pounds, and more enjoyable cardio. Their routine included three lifting days, regular walks and roughly 180 grams of protein. This is one person's log, not a transferable target.

Community · Reddit

More calories do not guarantee less hunger. A loseit poster described rising from 1,800 to 2,500 after a long diet, yet feeling hungrier a month later. Replies included persistent hunger five months into maintenance and another person's eventual improvement. The thread cannot establish a recovery deadline.

Community · Reddit · 2026

Very small increases can prolong tracking frustration. After uncomfortable fullness at higher intake, a loseit poster chose 75-calorie increases every 14 days. They still could not fit a small snack around protein and fiber targets. Replies discussed calorie-dense foods and daily flexibility; the poster later chose a larger increase.

Community · Reddit · 2026

Restaurant freedom can matter more than the calorie ladder. A T Nation account described restaurant worry after about five months and 50 pounds lost, with 1,600-calorie rest days. Other reports use a written target, extra oats or yogurt, clothes fit and telling a friend to make eating out less stressful.

Community

Early scale anxiety and later relief are both reported. Accounts describe wanting to restart a cut after a high weigh-in or holiday meal, then feeling warmer, stronger or less preoccupied with dieting. Some compare weekly weight averages rather than one morning, while keeping protein, lifting and sleep familiar. These are experiences, not promised week-by-week changes.

Community

Fuller muscles are not proof of rapid new muscle. A coach credited post-cut fullness and strength to rapid muscle gain; a reply instead invoked glycogen and roughly four grams of water per gram stored. Other reports invoke more everyday movement, or NEAT, to explain continued loss. Neither explanation was measured in those accounts.

Community

An uncontrolled eating episode is not a failed character test. Some accounts call a large weekend a rebound and describe shame or difficulty stopping. That does not establish why it happened. Women's discussions also mention hunger and periods returning; a fixed slow timetable cannot establish health recovery.

Community

References for this topic

Sources and context

  1. Does Reverse Dieting Work? ↗

    id
    fit-guide-diet-break-cleveland-reverse — Does Reverse Dieting Work?
    platform
    Cleveland Clinic
    role
    Professional context
    accessed On
    2026-09-24
    locator
    What is a reverse diet? and How to reverse diet, 10 January 2024
    scope
    A reverse diet is a slow calorie increase after dieting. The worked example uses about 100-calorie weeks, and 50 to 150 calories is called a workable step, held for one or two weeks.
    limitations
    The page says there is no evidence the reverse boosts metabolism, and that research on using it to maintain weight loss is lacking. It is an exit, not a mid-cut refeed.
    slugs
    • diet-break
    • mini-cut
    • reverse-diet

  2. International society of sports nutrition position stand: diets and body composition ↗

    id
    fit-guide-a-cut-issn-diets — International society of sports nutrition position stand: diets and body composition
    platform
    ISSN
    role
    Professional context
    accessed On
    2026-09-24
    locator
    Position Statement points 3 and 6, and Low-energy diets
    scope
    Fat-loss diets require a sustained deficit; slower loss can better preserve lean mass in leaner people; 2.3 to 3.1 g/kg of fat-free mass is cited for lean, resistance-trained people in a deficit; very-low-energy diets are about 400 to 800 kcal a day.
    limitations
    A 2017 position stand, not a personal intake. It does not set a cut length or prove that every kilogram lost is fat.
    slugs
    • a-cut
    • body-recomp
    • diet-break
    • fasted-cardio
    • lean-vs-dirty-bulk
    • mini-cut
    • reverse-diet
    • tracking-macros

  3. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise ↗

    id
    fit-guide-a-cut-issn-protein — International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise
    platform
    ISSN
    role
    Professional context
    accessed On
    2026-09-24
    locator
    Position statement points 2, 4, and 6
    scope
    About 1.4 to 2.0 g protein per kg body weight per day for exercising adults, in doses of about 20 to 40 g every 3 to 4 hours.
    limitations
    Published 20 June 2017. It does not set calories for a cut or convert fat-free mass into a scale-weight target.
    slugs
    • a-cut
    • body-recomp
    • diet-break
    • fasted-cardio
    • lean-vs-dirty-bulk
    • mini-cut
    • reverse-diet
    • tracking-macros

  4. Adult Activity: An Overview ↗

    id
    fit-guide-bro-cdc-adults — Adult Activity: An Overview
    platform
    CDC
    role
    Official context
    accessed On
    2026-09-24
    locator
    Recommendations for adults, page dated 20 December 2023
    scope
    Muscle-strengthening on 2 or more days a week that works all major muscle groups.
    limitations
    The page is a health guideline. It does not define a bro split, a set count for bodybuilding, or a best calendar.
    slugs
    • bro-split
    • calisthenics-beyond-rr
    • full-body-three
    • lift-after-40
    • twelve-three-thirty
    • hybrid-athlete
    • steps-neat
    • a-cut
    • body-recomp
    • diet-break
    • fasted-cardio
    • lean-vs-dirty-bulk
    • mini-cut
    • reverse-diet

  5. Does Reverse Dieting Work? ↗

    id
    fit-rebuild-reverse-diet-cleveland — Does Reverse Dieting Work?
    platform
    Cleveland Clinic
    role
    Professional context
    accessed On
    2026-09-27
    published Or Updated
    2024-01-10
    locator
    What is a reverse diet, How to reverse diet, and Is a reverse diet safe, 10 January 2024
    scope
    A slow calorie increase after dieting to find maintenance. The example uses about 100-calorie weeks from 1500, and 50 to 150 is called a workable step. No evidence of a metabolism boost. Multi-day fasts raise refeeding syndrome.
    limitations
    Research on using the method to maintain weight loss is described as lacking. The 200 to 500 calorie landing is a dietitian's observation, not a quota.
    slugs
    • reverse-diet

  6. The effects of reverse dieting on mitigating weight regain after a caloric deficit: a preliminary analysis ↗

    id
    fit46-reverse-diet-trial — The effects of reverse dieting on mitigating weight regain after a caloric deficit: a preliminary analysis
    slugs
    • reverse-diet
    role
    Professional context
    platform
    Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
    locator
    Abstract: Methods, Results and Conclusions, lines 138–152
    scope
    Randomized 49-person comparison after 5% weight loss; three 15-week post-diet approaches; no significant weight-regain difference.
    limitations
    Short preliminary supplement report, not a detailed full trial paper; trained adults, modest weight loss, limited sample and follow-up; no equivalence or metabolic-repair claim.
    accessed On
    2026-09-29
    published Or Updated
    2025-08-26

  7. Is Reverse Dieting Still Recommended? ↗

    id
    fit-rebuild-reverse-diet-tnation-still — Is Reverse Dieting Still Recommended?
    platform
    T Nation
    role
    Community discussion
    accessed On
    2026-09-27
    published Or Updated
    2023-08-29
    locator
    Original post on 29 August 2023 and replies the same day
    scope
    A plan to add 100 calories a week from 2100 toward an estimated 2900. Replies disagreed: slow reverse as unnecessary, a direct return to maintenance, or an immediate add of about 400 calories with a two-week wait for water and glycogen.
    limitations
    Forum disagreement from 2023. The Layne Norton remark is one reply's claim, not a page from Norton. Estimated maintenance was the poster's math.
    slugs
    • reverse-diet

  8. Relationship between muscle water and glycogen recovery after prolonged exercise in the heat in humans ↗

    id
    fit46-reverse-diet-water — Relationship between muscle water and glycogen recovery after prolonged exercise in the heat in humans
    slugs
    • reverse-diet
    role
    Professional context
    platform
    European Journal of Applied Physiology
    locator
    Publisher abstract: Purpose, Methods, Results and Conclusions
    scope
    Muscle glycogen recovery was associated with water; ratios differed with rehydration.
    limitations
    Abstract and publisher metadata inspected; full article paywalled. Nine aerobically trained subjects recovering from prolonged dehydrating exercise; not a reverse-diet trial or personal scale diagnostic.
    accessed On
    2026-09-29
    published Or Updated
    2015-04-25

  9. Energy Availability ↗

    id
    fit46-reverse-diet-energy — Energy Availability
    slugs
    • reverse-diet
    role
    Official context
    platform
    Australian Institute of Sport / Australian Sports Commission
    locator
    Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport; early signs; Clinical Management; Optimising Athlete Health and Performance
    scope
    Prolonged under-fueling can affect health and performance; menstrual dysfunction, recurrent injuries, disordered eating; qualified multidisciplinary assessment.
    limitations
    Athlete-focused general guidance using older IOC context; no publication date displayed. Does not diagnose an individual or validate a reverse-diet ladder.
    accessed On
    2026-09-29

  10. Refeeding Syndrome ↗

    id
    fit46-reverse-diet-refeeding — Refeeding Syndrome
    slugs
    • reverse-diet
    role
    Professional context
    platform
    Cleveland Clinic
    locator
    Overview; risk factors; Management and Treatment; Prevention; updated June 6, 2022
    scope
    Refeeding after malnutrition can cause serious electrolyte shifts and requires medical supervision.
    limitations
    Clinical condition, not the expected outcome of an ordinary post-diet increase; no personalized risk threshold inferred.
    accessed On
    2026-09-29
    published Or Updated
    2022-06-06

  11. Reverse Dieting ↗

    id
    fit46-reverse-diet-petite — Reverse Dieting
    slugs
    • reverse-diet
    role
    Community discussion
    platform
    Reddit · r/PetiteFitness
    locator
    After_Bear8341 original post; Sunshine_n_buttercup comment; replies discussing maintenance and steps
    scope
    Poster's ongoing hunger; commenter reports 50-calorie weekly increases from 1400 to 1800, stable weight and improved gym energy.
    limitations
    Self-reported calories/measurements; selected comments, not consensus. Absolute post date from indexed Reddit extraction; opened page shows relative timestamps. Comment date not assigned from relative text.
    accessed On
    2026-09-29
    published Or Updated
    2026-03-17

  12. Reverse Diet after a Long Cut – Maintenance phase – My Experience ↗

    id
    fit46-reverse-diet-diary — Reverse Diet after a Long Cut – Maintenance phase – My Experience
    slugs
    • reverse-diet
    role
    Community discussion
    platform
    Reddit · r/CICO
    locator
    Original post: The Story; My Diet; Training and Exercise; Rest and Recovery
    scope
    100-calorie weekly increases to 2700, reported 167-lb stable weight, walking and three lifting days, roughly 180g protein and improved cardio enjoyment.
    limitations
    Unverified single-person log with simultaneous training/activity habits; post date not confidently established, left unknown. Does not demonstrate causal metabolism change.
    accessed On
    2026-09-29

  13. Maintenance has somehow made my hunger even worse…is this typical? ↗

    id
    fit46-reverse-diet-hunger — Maintenance has somehow made my hunger even worse…is this typical?
    slugs
    • reverse-diet
    role
    Community discussion
    platform
    Reddit · r/loseit
    locator
    Clear_Channel_2090 original post; FrequentCycle1229 and Sandy2584 replies
    scope
    1800-to-2500 increase with ongoing hunger; differing reply experiences including five-month hunger and eventual improvement.
    limitations
    Self-report; estimated maintenance not measured. Hormone explanations and timelines from a self-described professional commenter are unverified and excluded. Absolute original-post date from indexed extraction.
    accessed On
    2026-09-29
    published Or Updated
    2026-06-08

  14. Hit my goal weight but the reverse diet somehow feels worse ↗

    id
    fit46-reverse-diet-frustration — Hit my goal weight but the reverse diet somehow feels worse
    slugs
    • reverse-diet
    role
    Community discussion
    platform
    Reddit · r/loseit
    locator
    darksalamander original post and follow-ups; loseit_throwit replies
    scope
    Fullness prompted 75-calorie increases every 14 days, continuing snack constraints; discussion of calorie density and flexibility; later 125-calorie step.
    limitations
    Personal account; estimated maintenance and nutrition targets are not prescriptions. Absolute original-post date from indexed extraction, reply dates not inferred.
    accessed On
    2026-09-29
    published Or Updated
    2026-05-28

Keep this topic in view

Preserved original record

Earlier public profile and reader notes are preserved separately from the current article. They may contain superseded wording and are not newly checked material.

Read the full original profile
slug
reverse-diet
name
Reverse diet
aliases
  • reverse dieting
  • coming out of a cut
  • add calories back
  • diet exit
family
size
heat
high
talk
Lots of talk
most Discussed
true
first Line
A reverse diet is a gradual increase in food intake after a dieting phase, usually discussed as a way of returning toward maintenance eating.
why Line
People compare a stepwise return with a more direct return to maintenance, including appetite, tracking and worries about weight changes after a cut.
feel Words
  • reverse diet
  • add calories
  • maintenance
  • scared to eat
common Picture
  • lead
    Increment examples: 50–100 kcal every 1–2 weeks
    why
    These describe a chosen approach, not proof of a special metabolic effect. [community]
  • lead
    Gradual-return reports: about 4–10 weeks
    why
    Other accounts return toward maintenance directly or over roughly a week. [community]
watch For
Using a reverse as a fat-loss method. Staying in a cut forever. Adding a dirty-bulk weekend mid-reverse.
what People Say
  • The job: Get out of the deficit without lighting the last three months on fire. [community]
  • Cleveland Clinic / OSF 2026 explainers and gym IG all say the same sketch: small adds, patience. [community]
  • Why people need it: after a cut, maintenance feels like a binge. [community]
  • Why coaches like it: it is a structured permission to eat. [community]
  • Why skeptics roll their eyes: some people just need to eat maintenance tomorrow, not a 12-week “reverse.” [community]
  • Both can be true. Anxious exits like steps. Simple exits just eat the extra rice. [community]
  • Reverse dieting is not defined as fat loss. Some reports attribute continued loss to more ordinary movement, called non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), as intake rises. That is a reported explanation, not the goal or proof of what changed. [community]
  • Bodybuilding peak weeks are a different, louder reverse. Most people are not peaking. [community]
  • Women’s rooms talk hunger and cycle returning. They go slower if they need. [community]
  • A dirty-bulk weekend in week two of a reverse is just a rebound. [community]
  • Protein intake, sleep and the lifting routine remain part of the person’s week as food intake changes. [community]
how People Run It
  • Pick a small add they can see — an extra splash of oats, a yogurt. [community]
  • Hold 1–2 weeks. Watch a weekly average, not Tuesday morning. [community]
  • Keep protein and the lift week. [community]
  • If the scale jumps fast: they hold, they do not slash back to the cut. [community]
  • If nothing changes and they are still hungry/cold: they add again. [community]
  • They stop when they feel like a person and the lifts have fuel. [community]
  • They do not start a new cut because a holiday meal landed. [community]
amounts People Use
  • Add: about 50–100 kcal per step. [community]
  • Step length: 7–14 days. [community]
  • Time to maintenance: 4–10 weeks in a lot of diaries — or 1 week if they just eat. [community]
  • Protein: hold the same grams. [community]
  • Lifts: hold load; adds may return. [community]
how People Keep It
  • A written target so “eat more” is not a fog. [community]
  • The same weekly weigh-in ritual as the cut, less emotion. [community]
  • A meal they add, not a new diet identity. [community]
  • They tell a friend they are reversing so restaurant panic has a script. [community]
  • Clothes as a check, not only the scale. [community]
how It Feels
  • Week one of eating more: fear. The scale might tick up (glycogen/water). They almost abort. [community]
  • Week three: warmer, nicer, stronger. [community]
  • A jump scare weigh-in: they want the cut back. They wait. [community]
  • Done right: they forget they were “on a diet.” [community]
  • Tracking can remain burdensome: some people still feel constrained by exact food counts even while eating more. [community]
  • The rebound binge feels like failure. It is information: the cut went too long. [community]
how Long People Run It
  • Until they are at maintenance and stable a few weeks. [community]
  • Then they live, or they start a lean bulk on purpose. [community]
  • It is not a 6-month identity. [community]
  • After a show or a crash diet: longer, and maybe with a clinician if things feel broken. [community]
deep Dive
  • Maintenance is the destination. Reverse is one road. [community]
  • A direct return to estimated maintenance is an alternative people compare with gradual reverse dieting. It is not the same stepwise method simply because both follow a cut. [community]
  • A cut is the season before. [community]
  • Lean bulk is the season after if they want to grow. [community]
  • Disordered history: this card is not therapy. A person who treats food as the enemy needs a person. [community]
watch For Long
  • A reverse is not a fat-loss method. [community]
  • +1,000 kcal Monday is not a reverse. That is a rebound. [community]
  • Staying in a cut forever because you are scared to reverse is still a cut. [community]
  • If eating more feels impossible or you cannot stop: a person and a clinician. [community]
  • Do not start performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to “hold the reverse.” Drug risks are a separate concern from returning to maintenance intake. [community]
related
  • a-cut
  • lean-vs-dirty-bulk
  • ppl
  • steps-neat
  • fasted-cardio
research Pointer
    house Pointers
      play Pointer
      —
      sources
      • Cleveland Clinic / OSF reverse-diet explainers 2026
      • gym IG reverse talk
      • r/loseit exit threads
      disclaimer
      Community talk may be wrong. Not medical, training, or diet advice. Sharp pain, fainting, or disordered-eating concerns need a clinician.
      quick Answer History
      • field
        deepDive
        rows
        • Some people do better jumping to estimated maintenance. That is also a reverse, just not branded. [community]
      • field
        firstLine
        rows
        • A reverse diet is how people leave a cut: add a little food at a time until they are eating like a human again.
      • field
        whyLine
        rows
        • A reverse diet is how people leave a cut: add a little food at a time until they are eating like a human again.
      • field
        commonPicture
        rows
        • lead
          Add ~50–100 kcal at a time
          why
          The gym-IG / 2026 explainer picture. [community]
        • lead
          Every 1–2 weeks
          why
          Not every meal. They give the scale a minute. [community]
        • lead
          Lifting stays
          why
          The point is to eat more and keep the muscle. [community]
        • lead
          Stop at maintenance
          why
          A reverse is an exit, not a forever protocol. [community]
        • lead
          Mood and gym performance count
          why
          If those rise and the waist holds, rooms call it a win. [community]
        • lead
          Gradual exit: commonly 4–10 weeks to maintenance
          why
          The small increases above are one approach. [community]
        • lead
          Direct exit: about 1 week in other reports
          why
          Some return straight toward maintenance instead of using a long series of small increases. [community]
      • field
        whatPeopleSay
        rows
        • Reverse as fat loss is a 2010s leftover. Some people keep losing as NEAT returns. That is a side effect, not the job. [community]
        • Self protein / sleep still run the weekday. [community]
      • field
        howItFeels
        rows
        • Done as a second religion: they are still tracking almonds at a wedding. [community]
      • field
        watchForLong
        rows
        • Do not start PEDs to “hold the reverse.” Research is a different map. [community]
      Read the preserved reader notes
      definition
      A reverse diet is a gradual increase in food intake after a dieting phase, usually discussed as a way of returning toward maintenance eating.
      community Picture
      People compare a stepwise return with a more direct return to maintenance, including appetite, tracking and worries about weight changes after a cut.
      additions
        guide
        what
        • The moving part is a stepwise calorie increase after a diet, used to find the intake where weight holds. Cleveland Clinic's page of 10 January 2024 quotes dietitian Natalie Romito: a slow rise after reduced calories, aimed at eating that maintains the loss. Fitness talk borrowed it from competitors coming back from very low body fat. It is not a fat-loss diet run in reverse, and it is not a large surplus with a scientific nickname.
        • Romito says there is no evidence the reverse itself boosts metabolism, and that muscle kept or lost has more to do with the eating and training before the ladder than with the ladder. Going straight to a known maintenance intake is a different exit. A diet break sits inside the cut and ends by going back down. A reverse starts when the cut is over. ISSN's 2017 diets stand describes adaptive thermogenesis, a larger-than-predicted drop in energy use after some hard diets, and does not present this ladder as the proven repair.
        how
        • Start from the intake you were actually eating, not from a guessed maintenance number. Cleveland Clinic's example moves a person who is losing at 1,500 calories to 1,600 for a week. If the trend is still down, the next week is 1,700, then 1,800, until weight is no longer trending down or up. Romito calls 50 to 150 calories a workable step, and two weeks at a step useful when daily weight jumps around. Keep the same food pattern. Make the portions a little larger, in a piece you can see, such as extra oats or a yogurt.
        • Keep protein near the ISSN protein stand's 1.4 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight while calories climb. Keep two muscle-strengthening days, as the CDC page of 20 December 2023 states, and keep loads you can perform. If a step makes the weekly average rise and stay up, hold the calories there. Do not slash back to the old deficit because one morning looked high. If weight is still trending down and the lifting still feels under-fueled after the hold, take the next small step.
        • Stop when weight is stable enough to name a maintenance intake, not when a calendar hits a round number of weeks. Romito says people often land about 200 to 500 calories above the dieting intake. That is her clinical observation, not a quota. If you already know a maintenance number and can eat it, the direct return is available. Use the ladder when the larger number is the one you will not start. A fast of several days is a different exit: Romito flags refeeding syndrome and says that return belongs under medical care, not a fitness ladder.
        understand
        • The ladder is for not knowing the maintenance number, and for the fear that maintenance will feel like too much food. It is not a metabolism drug. Cleveland Clinic says research on the strategy is lacking, even while the steps are a practical way to watch the trend. The common miss is staying in the deficit because the next add is scary. That is still a cut. The other miss is a large jump that gets called a reverse only after it happens.
        • This is the wrong tool for a plateau while loss is still the goal. Romito's note on plateaus is to wait and keep strength work rather than cut harder out of impatience. If eating more feels impossible to control, or you cannot stop once food increases, that is a clinician. The reverse does not, on this page, maintain muscle by itself. Community notes compare the ladder with eating the extra food in one step. Only the ladder is this method.
        sources
        Download original public profileDownload complete article

        End of Reverse diet