Another great video providing examples and explaining the theory behind the mechanisms at work. Changing the way we view contest dieting and post contest strategies!
Fearmonger or not, this dude is on top! He's strong, has his doctorate, is a pro bodybuilder, seems to be happy in life, and he's killing the coaching game.You can't hate on the results.
biolayne The fearmongering/marketing rather intentional or unintentional is debatable and I'm sure you do get tons of e-mails. What's not debatable is, the results you've gotten for yourself and your clients. As I said in the initial comment, "you can't hate on the results." I subscribe to your channel and appreciate the free information you provide. I'm on your side, fam! Relax.
biolayne Layne im liked to your facebook, subbed to your channel, liked the video, i just want to thank you for this information and the results.. really amazing stuff, its like your a wizard adding those calories back into peoples diets. your awesome dude.
If people just took the time and actually watched the videos. More than half of the questions wouldn't even exist. No wonder he gets so frustrated lol. The best and most honest man out there 💪💪🤘
Perfect timing for a new log. I just finished watching the previous ones. It's fascinating how much your statements and studies contradict on what my university teachers teach here in Finland. Thanks a lot for your time and effort doing these vlogs Layne!
Needed this!!! I'm 1 week post comp and determined not to gain loads of fat. Had my burger day of show and treated myself but then was back on track straight after. Feel like I'm still on my diet with just a small calorie increase. Tough but I know it will be worth it. Wish me luck!!!
Layne, I am extremely grateful for your videos and the free information you put out. Normally people pay a lot of money for this information. Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you Layne for another great video. As someone who recently switched over from a more "old-school" approach to contest prep, your videos have made a tremendous difference in my life. Currently, I'm reverse dieting about 2 weeks post-contest, I feel healthier, stronger, and just about as tight as I was the day of my contest. Can't thank you enough for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us and changing the way the industry thinks!
Layne, thanks so much for the shout out on the video... such an honor to be mentioned, and to be coached by you.... Is it inappropriate to say " I love you" ? LOL
Just competed in my first physique show over the weekend and am currently starting my reverse diet. Thanks for putting information like this out there, it is priceless.
Layne speaks. I listen. Currently in the middle of my reverse diet, and I definitely think it is just as hard if not more difficult than the extended fat loss phase itself, mainly psychologically. All I want is to be back in a gaining phase but I know I have to take my time getting there. Its frustrating but know it will be worth it in the end
Log 23 & 24 have answered so many questions for me! I am very overweight and after years of crash dieting, I asked myself why is it getting so difficult to do at 46 what came easily at 19 and putting it all down to age was not satisfactory. Also, I am a vegan and your thoughts about fibre really made sense and it confirms for me that about 2000-2500 calories high-carb low-fat (about 20%) with a weight routine will be most effective for me. Thank you so much!!
Thanks for the video man! Much love and respect. Glad the troubled times here on RUclips seem to be moving into calmer waters now. All the best for you and your fam!
I have been steady following the tenants laid down by your videos regarding this. I slowly bulked up my calories and put on some serious muscles (gained 25 lbs in 6 months clean). Now I have been backing it down little by little and losing about 1/2 lbs per week. In the bulk phase I did not gain a single waist size, my shirts got tighter across the chest and shoulders and that's it. Now that I'm losing again, I can see the fat melting off and I'm never diving my calories down so low as before, again. I'm currently eating about 2700 calories a day and still dropping weight, it's honestly been amazing.
Great video Layne!! There wasn't much info in there that was new to me personally but it will be an awesome tool for me to use by referring ppl to it as opposed to taking the time to explain reverse dieting which can be very long and tedious LOL. Keep em comin man, much appreciated!!
Great video as always!!! Keep them coming and continue to educate Layne :) I followed your advice and knowledge in my last bikini prep with the help of my husband!
Layne, you guys, anyone? please help?!? I live in Italy and can't find any coach who is knowledgeable about this stuff, the ones at my gym never even HEARD of reverse dieting. So I did it myself. I went from 1350 calories (150 carbs) where I was no longer losing any weight, gradually up to 2050 (320-330 carbs) in the course of 16 weeks and lost about 2 kg in the process, while training 3x a week. And then all of a sudden, when I tried to increase it by another 50 calories and going up to 340 carbs, I gained 1 kilo! I waited another 2 weeks to see if it was just a random fluctuation, perhaps caused by water retention or what not, and see if my body would adapt but the extra kg does NOT budge. I know it's FAT and not muscle, because my measurements say so, and I can kind of see it in the mirror as well and from the way my clothes fit. So I am not sure what to do at this point. Does this mean I ended my reverse diet and this is my maximum metabolic capacity for now? And do you guys think it is good enough to start cautiously losing weight by cutting out about 15% of the calories? Or should I push it further and try to bring it up to say, 2400 cal and even more carbs?? I really don't want to put on more fat but don't know if it's normal to gain a little at some point, and it doesn't necessarily mean I'm over with reversing. Pleeeease advise!! Huge thanks to everyone. Oh and I'm 160 cm tall (5 foot, 2 in) currently 60 kg (132 pounds)
Layne built a website to help with just your type of situation. Avatar Nutrition should help you a lot. avatarnutrition .com I've learned from my last few reverse diets that it's best to maintain after reverse dieting for around as long as the diet. If you cut again too soon then your metabolism won't have recovered and you'll end up dieting close to where you were before. Second, I also learned that most people will reach their cap of around 14-17 times their lean body mass. Third, if you are binging then you may want to be more aggressive and accept the weight gain at the beginning but you should always try to stick to your daily caloric intake. Anytime I went over by more than 100 calories I gained weight.
+Aaron L athrop Hi!!! Thank you so much for replying... No I'm not binging I'm ok and stick with my daily calories.. I tried to lower it by 200 cal now, and let's see what happens!! Thanks again :)
Awesome Video! Thank you for what you do and sharing your knowledge! I'm cutting right now with my online coach with carb cycling. Calories are at a measly 2300 with 30 min cardio sessions 5x a week (yes, I know, it sucks). Even on my "High Carb" days I'm only getting in 200g carbs, that's not high carb to me at least. I'm 6"0 tall male and currently sitting at 205lbs. I'm going to finish the program so that I can try to get to at least 10%bf and then gonna try to reverse diet. Can't wait to get off. Thanks again!
How many grams of carbs are you adding in a week? I apologize if I missed it in the video. Thank you for taking the time, energy and effort to put out such great information.
Great video Layne. I also listened to your podcast #19 featuring Dr Phillips and I think he's onto something. He hypothesized successful reverse diets are most likely attributable to an increased volume in training, whether consciously or unconsciously, which likely increases lean body mass. I think it would be interesting to see a study on reverse dieting in conjunction with increased training volume.
Amazing video!!Tried out the advice for my first physique competition and now Im back up to eating almost the same amount of Kcals holding less bodyfat.
Hello Layne! Just subscribed. I love the videos, they're very informative. I wanted to ask about after you finish reverse dieting, how should you approach going back into a standard fat loss diet? Should it be a gradual decrease? How much should you lower your macronutrients when going back into your diet once again after your reverse diet?
Great vlog, Layne! I really hope I'm going to be succesful at this when I'm done cutting. Thank you soooo much for sharing this fantastic information and doing it in a way that everyone can understand :) You rock!
Awesome video filled with great information, definitely more than worthy of the Dr. title lol, I do have a question though.. can or should you try to reverse diet even though your not at your goal weight/body fat but continue to get stuck at a certain weight and body fat percent and binge and go through that cycle?
hey layne, ive been dieting for over 8 months, my calories are all the way down to 1800 calories, 225 protein 135 carb and 40 fat, lost 20kg, i only got 5 more kg to lose, cardio up to 3 times a week and dont wana go above that cause i know from what u said about cardio shouldn't do alot of it other wise your body adapts, im doing hiit cardio then 30 mins of medium intensity cardio after hiit, and now stopped losing weight again :( and i needa get to 6% bodyfat less than 8 weeks, im at 12% now, but i cant drop my calories more cause it will cause metabolic damage plus i got alot of muscle so dont wana lose it,
Hey Layne, thank you for the very helpful video! I have referred so many of my clients to watch your videos! Quick question, does this reverse dieting apply to long term diets only? Would this be advised say for a short term diet, say 6 weeks? I guess I'm wondering when you see significant metabolic slowdown. let me know your thoughts. Thank you Layne!
Hey Layne, great vlog as usual. I understand the importance of recovering your metabolic rate after dieting but one thing not covered is what about restoring body fat levels to a point where your hormone levels return to a more optimal level so that you can then begin the process of adding more muscle? I think you have said in the past you felt body fat % in the 10 to 12% range to be optimal for building muscle.
I was what kind of dieting would you recommend for endurance athletes? Should they eat exactly same amount they spend to avoid slowing their metabolism or what?
is it a good idea to add a couple of very high volume workouts every month to boost metabolism whilst cutting or reverse dieting? just an idea i thought id ask!
Big fan Layne, I have a question about cholesterol when reverse dieting. When pushing the fats up do you recommend keeping all the fats good fats like coconut oil avocados..I had some eggwhites for example and decided I'd added some yolks for fat and obviously my cholesterol went through the roof..what's your thoughts?
You made a suggestion once to be “at weight” around 4 weeks before a fight. My question is, once I reach that goal with dieting and training, should I switch to maintenance or reverse diet for the 4 weeks before the fight????
good as video layne! :) ive been dieting for 5 months now, macros at 240 protein 200 carb and 53 fat, lost 13kg but got another 12kg to lose, my weight loss and stopped, should i reverse diet for couple of weeks then start to diet again? would this work for me to keep dropping bodyfat? it feels like my metabolism has slowed down
So it seems the progression is much slower than I thought. So what you're saying is this could take 6 months to a year to really restore a stronger metabolism. A few years ago I did this incorrectly over a 2 month period by increasing my calories way to fast, around 3000 and then tried to cut on month 3 by taking in 2000 calories and there was no weight loss. I was stuck at 230lbs for almost 2 months eating 2000. So it sounds like a good plan would be to reverse diet and stay in maintenance over fall/winter and then cut in spring for the summer. Thanks for the info.
Hi Layne, just a quick question. while reverse dieting and gaining a little fat, increasing calories slightly each week. Do you also gain lean muscle mass? I'm assuming you do but would like to be sure. Thanks. Also thanks for the great info!
Great video Layne! What do YOU suggest in terms of lbs per week when cutting and bulking? I'm curious to hear your take and hear if it differs from the standard 1-2 lb per week. It's not always that easy, hitting macros or not so yeah, thanks!
In reverse dieting, will you be able to add lean muscle mass at the same time as increasing metabolic rate and calorie intake? While also maintaining a lower rate of body fat gain than you would otherwise?
Was listening to superhuman radio and got an lol over the guys talking about the "expert fitness tips" in the magazine....... Keep the video coming ! :-) This stuff applies to the many overweight yo yo dieters in the world.
long story short, n00bie here > did my first cut a year ago > found myself doing hours of cardio (yes stupid i know) > gained 20 pounds (maybe like 3-4 pounds of muscle) > haven't been able to lose it even after a year > tried reverse dieting, still maintaining weight, planning to slowly add in calories until reaching 2,200 kcal/day is there any way i can lose the weight i've gained anytime soon? or should i just continue to reverse diet+train hard and just disregard it for now =/
Jay C you werent at a calorie decifit. TRACK EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO YOUR MOUTH TO THE GRAM. find your tdee and eat below that. you find your tdee by using a calculator online like iifym. then you track your weight on those calories and gauge the calories from there.
Starting this 3.5 years later. I started iifym in April. I’m 5’0. I was 145. I did not like it. So I started eating better and got down to 120. But was coming to a plateau. I think that was in September. So decided while it’s winter I should go to trying to get muscle. So I am working on my reverse right now. My lowest was probably 1250,1300 and right now I’m up to 1700. Been doing 100 calories a week up and have actually lost 3lbs since I started I believe. 2-3 lbs. i feel like I’m getting up to my maintanence soon (my Fitbit tells me I do 1800-2200 a day depending on what activity I do in a day, unsure how accurate it is though) so I’m to the point where I’m getting a little nervous to start gaining weight. But I’ll pay attention to the scale even more now. And if you still reply to these.. how many calories should I go up once I figure out what my maintanence is to gain some muscle for a women? I’m doing 1g of protein per body weight. Fats is in the higher 40s and my carbs are close to 200 I think right now. Of course in January /feb I’ll start working on my cut again see if I can get farther down to my goal.
Do you believe the lower the starting carb intake the slower the weekly increase should be in order to avoid fat gain? I am planning to start a reverse diet from an extremely (and stupidly) low point, 33-50 g per day- any advice would be so appreciated. Thank you so much for the amazing videos & honest info!
So I don't binge, I was anorexic for 28 years and I didn't eat anything. I now am training heavy with weights and reducing my cardio gradually. I've gained 12kg from my lowest weight of 27kg, so I'm now 39.5kg. Is it possible that a reverse diet can work for me? Or will I just gain more and more body fat? I have gained some muscle, and I'm able to lift more each week too. But am I wasting my time? Is my metabolism wrecked forever?
Hi Layne, big fan of your work right here, I actually know one of your clients Francisco Montealegre, amazing job by the way. Just a quieck question, I just came out of a bodybuilding campaing, and diet for 24 weeks, lost almost 22 pounds, I have binged a couple of times after finishing diet, how can I restrain myself from binging? How can I control it?
biolayne im 230 pounds @22-25%bf and ive been up and down weight for about 8 years going from a lean 185 up to 250 and back and forth. Now ive been stuck and 230lbs for a couple months and eating way to low of kcals around 1700 a day but I dont lose muscle, in fact Ive been getting stronger. I want to compete in a powerlifting competition in October. At 220 or 198. my metabolism is shit right now, should I stay at this amount a kcals until I get to the weight that I want to be at or reverse diet up? How can I lose weight by then but eat more? Im kinda confused right now! P.s. congrats.
hey layne, how would one reverse diet out of a keto diet? eating around 1900/2000 cals dropping weight still. but only 30 net carbs a day. would i just increase carbs gradually while cutting fat?
You are my new favorite person. Up there with GoKaleo and basically saying the same thing. Thanks for putting everything into layman's terms and being an excellent role model.
would you recomand 36-48 hours of high carb- high kcals before a reverse diet phase to replanish glicogen in the body? to my seems pretty obvious but I `ould like to have thoughts from you experiences. thanks coach
Hey Layne! I have a question. Do you recommend carb cycling during reverse dieting or keeping the macros constant everyday? I've been doing carb cycling for a while now and it would feel weird to have the same amount of carbs on a leg day and a rest day. Thanks for your help! Adrianna
Hi layne, very interesting topic. I've learned so much today from just watching 2 of your videos, thank you for that! Now I do have one question: How do you know when to stop adding in kcal? When someone's bodyweight keeps going up and doesn't maintain anymore? Grtz
Great information Layne, question for you, what causes some people to hyper-respond to reverse diets and others to gain more body fat? I am sure it is not one variable, I am just curious your thoughts with the variety of clients you have what factors play a role? Does a hx of being overweight play a part in those who do not hyper-respond? Is it age-related? Will those who don't hyper-respond eventually get to higher carb levels over time? Thanks Layne!
If you repeatedly did reverse dieting correctly, am I correct to think that you could eventually maintain a very low level of body fat while eating a tonne of calories? :)
Thank you for this. I'm currently recovering from an ED, reverse dieting until I get to BMI 19 maintenance calories (this was suggested by me dietitian, I didn't pick these numbers haha). I'm just so, so tired of dieting. But at the same time, I'm so, so afraid of... Idk. Gaining weight still feels like undoing progress. I'm so tired of that mentality. Really wish I could let go of my attachment to BF % / scale. Anyway, I've promised myself that after I reach BMI 19 maintenance calories, depending on how my body responds, I'll stay there for at least a year. Part of me wonders what that'll mean for body composition, to do resistance training while eating at maintenance. Really slow body recomp, I guess? Would it be a good metabolic environment to focus on building strength rather than doing hypertrophy training? Dieting / cutting is off the table for obvious reasons but yeah. Anyway, would love to hear your opinion. Thank you for your content. Whenever I get the urge to restrict I play your voice in my head, telling me to "not compromise my long term goals for short term goals" and that "to get something different you need to do something different". Seriously, thanks!
What is best approach in terms of training during reverse dieting if i wanted to bulk ? Slight progressive overload or same training scheme during cutting ?
This is a great video. I wish I knew this a long time ago. I lost 70+ lbs I was @ 258 lbs and I dropped to 185 lbs from September 2012 to February 2013 was where I lost nearly all of my weight. I was maintaining my weight on 1500 calories a day @ 185 lbs. I could easily gain weight if I went over 1500 calories a day. I would try to lose more weight so i had to drop to 1200 calories a day and my weight still wouldnt fall and I would be starving so I would binge eat hard. I left town for a trip out of state on a friday afternoon and I left @ 183 lbs, came home on sunday night I was sitting @ 197 lbs. I destroyed the buffet more than once while we were gone. I had done this many times then crash dieted back down from low 190s to 185 and the cycle repeated until a few weeks ago. I started @ 1500 calories a day, @ 185.8 lbs. I went to 1600, then 1700 then 1800 then 1900 and this week I am eating 2050 per day. I do track my macros which is currently 185 protein, 215 carbs, 50 fat. My weight has gone down. This morning my weight was 182.0 which is the lowest I have ever been and I am eating 550 calories a day more. I started by adding in 20 carbs a week, 2g fat. This week I increased it from 185g pro, 190g carbs, 45g fat to - 185g pro, 215g carb, 50g fat [5g fat, 25g carbs] and my weight has continued to drop. I know that I've increased my calories faster than you mention throughout the series of just a few grams a week, but with my weight dropping and my energy and well being so much better I would think that's okay.
I watched the whole video but still have a question. Is reverse dieting optimal for making lean muscle gains while gain in a lower amount of body fat? as in reverse dieting I to a bulking state? or will you MR always be caught up to your calories and therefore not be able to pur on weight?
If I made a slow cut of around 0.5 kgs per week for a total of 12 weeks, would the "metabolism damage" not be as apparent as the crash diets? What I really wanna ask is that if I choose to stay on maintenance calories after the diet, will I gain alot of fats due to the slowed down metabolism?
Your videos are a big eye opener and especially for myself has helped me so much! By any chance, could you do a video on binge eating and the after effects of it. For myself I've dealt with 1000-1400 calorie days and burning roughly 1000 + at the gym (that's including 30-45 mins of cardio and strength training after). Then have uncontrollable binge episodes of 4000-6000 (sometimes in one sitting twice a week). I no longer live this way because I was making myself sick. today 1700-1900 cals a day and an 45-60 mins of strength. I'm still recovering but if you could do a video on the effects of binging, I'm sure I could learn more about the damage I did.
Hello Layne, big fan of your videos, they are amazing and have helped me a lot! Could yo please tell me in general at the end of a reverse diet what would be the ratio of macros? thanks!
Another great video providing examples and explaining the theory behind the mechanisms at work. Changing the way we view contest dieting and post contest strategies!
10 years later thanking you for this man. you are a legend and I give you so much credit for my success.
This man needs a podcast. Convenience and knowledge bombs combined.
Self control is the hardest part!mental discipline is the greatest strength you can have in this sport.
Fearmonger or not, this dude is on top! He's strong, has his doctorate, is a pro bodybuilder, seems to be happy in life, and he's killing the coaching game.You can't hate on the results.
not trying to fearmonger. I'm trying to help people. If you saw the thousands of emails I got... you'd understand
biolayne
The fearmongering/marketing rather intentional or unintentional is debatable and I'm sure you do get tons of e-mails. What's not debatable is, the results you've gotten for yourself and your clients. As I said in the initial comment, "you can't hate on the results." I subscribe to your channel and appreciate the free information you provide. I'm on your side, fam! Relax.
biolayne
Layne im liked to your facebook, subbed to your channel, liked the video, i just want to thank you for this information and the results.. really amazing stuff, its like your a wizard adding those calories back into peoples diets. your awesome dude.
If people just took the time and actually watched the videos. More than half of the questions wouldn't even exist. No wonder he gets so frustrated lol. The best and most honest man out there 💪💪🤘
Perfect timing for a new log. I just finished watching the previous ones. It's fascinating how much your statements and studies contradict on what my university teachers teach here in Finland. Thanks a lot for your time and effort doing these vlogs Layne!
Needed this!!! I'm 1 week post comp and determined not to gain loads of fat. Had my burger day of show and treated myself but then was back on track straight after. Feel like I'm still on my diet with just a small calorie increase. Tough but I know it will be worth it. Wish me luck!!!
Layne, I am extremely grateful for your videos and the free information you put out. Normally people pay a lot of money for this information. Thank you so much for your time.
Thank you Layne for another great video. As someone who recently switched over from a more "old-school" approach to contest prep, your videos have made a tremendous difference in my life. Currently, I'm reverse dieting about 2 weeks post-contest, I feel healthier, stronger, and just about as tight as I was the day of my contest. Can't thank you enough for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us and changing the way the industry thinks!
Layne, thanks so much for the shout out on the video... such an honor to be mentioned, and to be coached by you.... Is it inappropriate to say " I love you" ? LOL
Man, Layne. I appreciate this a lot. Seriously, you're very underrated. Thank you, sir. +biolayne
Just competed in my first physique show over the weekend and am currently starting my reverse diet. Thanks for putting information like this out there, it is priceless.
Fantastic advice for anyone willing to approach their training & dieting with patience. Thanks for posting.
Layne speaks. I listen.
Currently in the middle of my reverse diet, and I definitely think it is just as hard if not more difficult than the extended fat loss phase itself, mainly psychologically. All I want is to be back in a gaining phase but I know I have to take my time getting there. Its frustrating but know it will be worth it in the end
yes, it can be just as hard if not harder
Log 23 & 24 have answered so many questions for me! I am very overweight and after years of crash dieting, I asked myself why is it getting so difficult to do at 46 what came easily at 19 and putting it all down to age was not satisfactory. Also, I am a vegan and your thoughts about fibre really made sense and it confirms for me that about 2000-2500 calories high-carb low-fat (about 20%) with a weight routine will be most effective for me. Thank you so much!!
Thanks for the video man!
Much love and respect. Glad the troubled times here on RUclips seem to be moving into calmer waters now.
All the best for you and your fam!
great video....the pictures really make a difference...i like how you showed good responses and average responses to reverse dieting
I have been steady following the tenants laid down by your videos regarding this. I slowly bulked up my calories and put on some serious muscles (gained 25 lbs in 6 months clean). Now I have been backing it down little by little and losing about 1/2 lbs per week. In the bulk phase I did not gain a single waist size, my shirts got tighter across the chest and shoulders and that's it. Now that I'm losing again, I can see the fat melting off and I'm never diving my calories down so low as before, again. I'm currently eating about 2700 calories a day and still dropping weight, it's honestly been amazing.
Thanks layne. I'll be implementing your information after my contest prep is done.
This video is great Layne.
Thanks for the heads up about watching the previous video.
Thanks Layne! As always very helpful information that I'll pass on to my clients. Much appreciated!
Great video Layne!! There wasn't much info in there that was new to me personally but it will be an awesome tool for me to use by referring ppl to it as opposed to taking the time to explain reverse dieting which can be very long and tedious LOL. Keep em comin man, much appreciated!!
Just had Giordanos in downtown Chicago in November!! First time there!
Great video! Thanks for the information and examples. Just about to start a reverse diet so will be taking note of everything learned in this video.
Great video as always!!! Keep them coming and continue to educate Layne :) I followed your advice and knowledge in my last bikini prep with the help of my husband!
Layne, you guys, anyone? please help?!? I live in Italy and can't find any coach who is knowledgeable about this stuff, the ones at my gym never even HEARD of reverse dieting. So I did it myself. I went from 1350 calories (150 carbs) where I was no longer losing any weight, gradually up to 2050 (320-330 carbs) in the course of 16 weeks and lost about 2 kg in the process, while training 3x a week. And then all of a sudden, when I tried to increase it by another 50 calories and going up to 340 carbs, I gained 1 kilo! I waited another 2 weeks to see if it was just a random fluctuation, perhaps caused by water retention or what not, and see if my body would adapt but the extra kg does NOT budge. I know it's FAT and not muscle, because my measurements say so, and I can kind of see it in the mirror as well and from the way my clothes fit. So I am not sure what to do at this point. Does this mean I ended my reverse diet and this is my maximum metabolic capacity for now? And do you guys think it is good enough to start cautiously losing weight by cutting out about 15% of the calories? Or should I push it further and try to bring it up to say, 2400 cal and even more carbs?? I really don't want to put on more fat but don't know if it's normal to gain a little at some point, and it doesn't necessarily mean I'm over with reversing. Pleeeease advise!! Huge thanks to everyone. Oh and I'm 160 cm tall (5 foot, 2 in) currently 60 kg (132 pounds)
Layne built a website to help with just your type of situation. Avatar Nutrition should help you a lot. avatarnutrition .com
I've learned from my last few reverse diets that it's best to maintain after reverse dieting for around as long as the diet. If you cut again too soon then your metabolism won't have recovered and you'll end up dieting close to where you were before.
Second, I also learned that most people will reach their cap of around 14-17 times their lean body mass.
Third, if you are binging then you may want to be more aggressive and accept the weight gain at the beginning but you should always try to stick to your daily caloric intake. Anytime I went over by more than 100 calories I gained weight.
+Aaron L athrop Hi!!! Thank you so much for replying... No I'm not binging I'm ok and stick with my daily calories.. I tried to lower it by 200 cal now, and let's see what happens!! Thanks again :)
when I stopped reverse dieting and moved to maintenance I kept gaining until I dropped by 10% then I stopped
Awesome Video! Thank you for what you do and sharing your knowledge! I'm cutting right now with my online coach with carb cycling. Calories are at a measly 2300 with 30 min cardio sessions 5x a week (yes, I know, it sucks). Even on my "High Carb" days I'm only getting in 200g carbs, that's not high carb to me at least.
I'm 6"0 tall male and currently sitting at 205lbs. I'm going to finish the program so that I can try to get to at least 10%bf and then gonna try to reverse diet. Can't wait to get off.
Thanks again!
How many grams of carbs are you adding in a week? I apologize if I missed it in the video. Thank you for taking the time, energy and effort to put out such great information.
Great video. Can't wait for the eBook!
Thanks Layne,
If ever possible in your description on your logs
Can you put links or titles to the research articles? Would be great to read then
I did that in other videos. check them
Thank you for your reply
Your videos are so informative really enjoy watching them, thank you.
Great video Layne. I also listened to your podcast #19 featuring Dr Phillips and I think he's onto something. He hypothesized successful reverse diets are most likely attributable to an increased volume in training, whether consciously or unconsciously, which likely increases lean body mass. I think it would be interesting to see a study on reverse dieting in conjunction with increased training volume.
AMAZING AS ALWAYS!!!!! Thank you for sharing! You are truly gifted!!!!!
Thanks so much to take your time for sharing this with us;) Great info!!!
I absolutely LOVE this channel!!!! thank you
Thank you making this video. Can't wait to for the collar ebook.
So cool. Thanks so much for your time and knowledge!
Thank you so much for all the info you provide. It's truly helpful.
I just wish more people knew how to enjoy life better this way
Amazing video!!Tried out the advice for my first physique competition and now Im back up to eating almost the same amount of Kcals holding less bodyfat.
Hello Layne! Just subscribed. I love the videos, they're very informative.
I wanted to ask about after you finish reverse dieting, how should you approach going back into a standard fat loss diet? Should it be a gradual decrease? How much should you lower your macronutrients when going back into your diet once again after your reverse diet?
Excellent information.
your beard looks as though its been reverse dieting
Great vlog, Layne! I really hope I'm going to be succesful at this when I'm done cutting. Thank you soooo much for sharing this fantastic information and doing it in a way that everyone can understand :) You rock!
Currently reverse dieting now. Can't wait to post results
very informative video Layne, ty very much for the solid content
This video changed the game for me 🙏
Awesome video filled with great information, definitely more than worthy of the Dr. title lol, I do have a question though.. can or should you try to reverse diet even though your not at your goal weight/body fat but continue to get stuck at a certain weight and body fat percent and binge and go through that cycle?
DO yougenerally replace the protein and/or fat you have removed with carbs right away?
hey layne, ive been dieting for over 8 months, my calories are all the way down to 1800 calories, 225 protein 135 carb and 40 fat, lost 20kg, i only got 5 more kg to lose, cardio up to 3 times a week and dont wana go above that cause i know from what u said about cardio shouldn't do alot of it other wise your body adapts, im doing hiit cardio then 30 mins of medium intensity cardio after hiit, and now stopped losing weight again :( and i needa get to 6% bodyfat less than 8 weeks, im at 12% now, but i cant drop my calories more cause it will cause metabolic damage plus i got alot of muscle so dont wana lose it,
Excellent. Sure wish you'd do a series on ketogenic dieting causing some to have high LDL-C.
Hey Layne,
thank you for the very helpful video! I have referred so many of my clients to watch your videos! Quick question, does this reverse dieting apply to long term diets only? Would this be advised say for a short term diet, say 6 weeks? I guess I'm wondering when you see significant metabolic slowdown.
let me know your thoughts.
Thank you Layne!
appreciate the content
Hey Layne, great vlog as usual. I understand the importance of recovering your metabolic rate after dieting but one thing not covered is what about restoring body fat levels to a point where your hormone levels return to a more optimal level so that you can then begin the process of adding more muscle? I think you have said in the past you felt body fat % in the 10 to 12% range to be optimal for building muscle.
I was what kind of dieting would you recommend for endurance athletes? Should they eat exactly same amount they spend to avoid slowing their metabolism or what?
is it a good idea to add a couple of very high volume workouts every month to boost metabolism whilst cutting or reverse dieting? just an idea i thought id ask!
Big fan Layne, I have a question about cholesterol when reverse dieting. When pushing the fats up do you recommend keeping all the fats good fats like coconut oil avocados..I had some eggwhites for example and decided I'd added some yolks for fat and obviously my cholesterol went through the roof..what's your thoughts?
You made a suggestion once to be “at weight” around 4 weeks before a fight. My question is, once I reach that goal with dieting and training, should I switch to maintenance or reverse diet for the 4 weeks before the fight????
good as video layne! :) ive been dieting for 5 months now, macros at 240 protein 200 carb and 53 fat, lost 13kg but got another 12kg to lose, my weight loss and stopped, should i reverse diet for couple of weeks then start to diet again? would this work for me to keep dropping bodyfat? it feels like my metabolism has slowed down
So it seems the progression is much slower than I thought. So what you're saying is this could take 6 months to a year to really restore a stronger metabolism. A few years ago I did this incorrectly over a 2 month period by increasing my calories way to fast, around 3000 and then tried to cut on month 3 by taking in 2000 calories and there was no weight loss. I was stuck at 230lbs for almost 2 months eating 2000. So it sounds like a good plan would be to reverse diet and stay in maintenance over fall/winter and then cut in spring for the summer. Thanks for the info.
Hi Layne, just a quick question. while reverse dieting and gaining a little fat, increasing calories slightly each week. Do you also gain lean muscle mass? I'm assuming you do but would like to be sure. Thanks. Also thanks for the great info!
very informative layne, thanks
Question is how fast do you put on muscle with reverse dieting. Sure you stay lean, and cuts go by faster, but how fast do you actually put on lbm?
Another great vid. Cheers layne
Great video Layne! What do YOU suggest in terms of lbs per week when cutting and bulking? I'm curious to hear your take and hear if it differs from the standard 1-2 lb per week. It's not always that easy, hitting macros or not so yeah, thanks!
In reverse dieting, will you be able to add lean muscle mass at the same time as increasing metabolic rate and calorie intake? While also maintaining a lower rate of body fat gain than you would otherwise?
I absolutely love this video
Thank you! Really the most important part of the diet in my opinion!
Was listening to superhuman radio and got an lol over the guys talking about the "expert fitness tips" in the magazine....... Keep the video coming ! :-) This stuff applies to the many overweight yo yo dieters in the world.
Layne, check you mic and sound settings. There's this weird "tapping" noise around the 22 minute mark.
Great video. Great information. Subscribed.
long story short, n00bie here
> did my first cut a year ago
> found myself doing hours of cardio (yes stupid i know)
> gained 20 pounds (maybe like 3-4 pounds of muscle)
> haven't been able to lose it even after a year
> tried reverse dieting, still maintaining weight, planning to slowly add in calories until reaching 2,200 kcal/day
is there any way i can lose the weight i've gained anytime soon? or should i just continue to reverse diet+train hard and just disregard it for now =/
Jay C you werent at a calorie decifit. TRACK EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO YOUR MOUTH TO THE GRAM. find your tdee and eat below that. you find your tdee by using a calculator online like iifym. then you track your weight on those calories and gauge the calories from there.
Starting this 3.5 years later. I started iifym in April. I’m 5’0. I was 145. I did not like it. So I started eating better and got down to 120. But was coming to a plateau. I think that was in September. So decided while it’s winter I should go to trying to get muscle. So I am working on my reverse right now. My lowest was probably 1250,1300 and right now I’m up to 1700. Been doing 100 calories a week up and have actually lost 3lbs since I started I believe. 2-3 lbs. i feel like I’m getting up to my maintanence soon (my Fitbit tells me I do 1800-2200 a day depending on what activity I do in a day, unsure how accurate it is though) so I’m to the point where I’m getting a little nervous to start gaining weight. But I’ll pay attention to the scale even more now. And if you still reply to these.. how many calories should I go up once I figure out what my maintanence is to gain some muscle for a women? I’m doing 1g of protein per body weight. Fats is in the higher 40s and my carbs are close to 200 I think right now. Of course in January /feb I’ll start working on my cut again see if I can get farther down to my goal.
Do you believe the lower the starting carb intake the slower the weekly increase should be in order to avoid fat gain? I am planning to start a reverse diet from an extremely (and stupidly) low point, 33-50 g per day- any advice would be so appreciated. Thank you so much for the amazing videos & honest info!
So I don't binge, I was anorexic for 28 years and I didn't eat anything. I now am training heavy with weights and reducing my cardio gradually. I've gained 12kg from my lowest weight of 27kg, so I'm now 39.5kg. Is it possible that a reverse diet can work for me? Or will I just gain more and more body fat? I have gained some muscle, and I'm able to lift more each week too. But am I wasting my time? Is my metabolism wrecked forever?
Hi Layne, big fan of your work right here, I actually know one of your clients Francisco Montealegre, amazing job by the way. Just a quieck question, I just came out of a bodybuilding campaing, and diet for 24 weeks, lost almost 22 pounds, I have binged a couple of times after finishing diet, how can I restrain myself from binging? How can I control it?
biolayne im 230 pounds @22-25%bf and ive been up and down weight for about 8 years going from a lean 185 up to 250 and back and forth. Now ive been stuck and 230lbs for a couple months and eating way to low of kcals around 1700 a day but I dont lose muscle, in fact Ive been getting stronger. I want to compete in a powerlifting competition in October. At 220 or 198. my metabolism is shit right now, should I stay at this amount a kcals until I get to the weight that I want to be at or reverse diet up? How can I lose weight by then but eat more? Im kinda confused right now! P.s. congrats.
hey layne, how would one reverse diet out of a keto diet? eating around 1900/2000 cals dropping weight still. but only 30 net carbs a day. would i just increase carbs gradually while cutting fat?
***** Layne, I'd love to know this as well. Currently cutting on a keto diet at 1500-1700 calories. Protein is at 0.8g/lb, carbs
This is an excellent video and will certainly invest the time in a reverse diet, seems to be really worth it in the long term and can't hurt.
You are my new favorite person. Up there with GoKaleo and basically saying the same thing. Thanks for putting everything into layman's terms and being an excellent role model.
How long do you reverse diet for if you are doing it conservatively??
would you recomand 36-48 hours of high carb- high kcals before a reverse diet phase to replanish glicogen in the body? to my seems pretty obvious but I `ould like to have thoughts from you experiences. thanks coach
I don't know if it was mentioned but when reverse dieting should you keep your refeeds the same?
Hey Layne! I have a question. Do you recommend carb cycling during reverse dieting or keeping the macros constant everyday? I've been doing carb cycling for a while now and it would feel weird to have the same amount of carbs on a leg day and a rest day.
Thanks for your help!
Adrianna
Thanks for another informative video
Hi layne, very interesting topic. I've learned so much today from just watching 2 of your videos, thank you for that! Now I do have one question: How do you know when to stop adding in kcal? When someone's bodyweight keeps going up and doesn't maintain anymore? Grtz
Great information Layne, question for you, what causes some people to hyper-respond to reverse diets and others to gain more body fat? I am sure it is not one variable, I am just curious your thoughts with the variety of clients you have what factors play a role? Does a hx of being overweight play a part in those who do not hyper-respond? Is it age-related? Will those who don't hyper-respond eventually get to higher carb levels over time? Thanks Layne!
If you repeatedly did reverse dieting correctly, am I correct to think that you could eventually maintain a very low level of body fat while eating a tonne of calories? :)
Can reverse dieting be achieved by increasing fat intake alone? Or is it just carbs that are the magic bullet here?
Great information, Layne! Thanks :)
Thank you for this. I'm currently recovering from an ED, reverse dieting until I get to BMI 19 maintenance calories (this was suggested by me dietitian, I didn't pick these numbers haha). I'm just so, so tired of dieting. But at the same time, I'm so, so afraid of... Idk. Gaining weight still feels like undoing progress. I'm so tired of that mentality. Really wish I could let go of my attachment to BF % / scale.
Anyway, I've promised myself that after I reach BMI 19 maintenance calories, depending on how my body responds, I'll stay there for at least a year. Part of me wonders what that'll mean for body composition, to do resistance training while eating at maintenance. Really slow body recomp, I guess? Would it be a good metabolic environment to focus on building strength rather than doing hypertrophy training? Dieting / cutting is off the table for obvious reasons but yeah.
Anyway, would love to hear your opinion. Thank you for your content. Whenever I get the urge to restrict I play your voice in my head, telling me to "not compromise my long term goals for short term goals" and that "to get something different you need to do something different". Seriously, thanks!
I’m also reverse dieting to get my period back. I’ve gone from 1800 to 2700 and am holding there until my cycle comes back.
Could you give an example of macro counts for off days verses training days in one of your examples? Thanks!
What is best approach in terms of training during reverse dieting if i wanted to bulk ? Slight progressive overload or same training scheme during cutting ?
This is a great video. I wish I knew this a long time ago. I lost 70+ lbs I was @ 258 lbs and I dropped to 185 lbs from September 2012 to February 2013 was where I lost nearly all of my weight. I was maintaining my weight on 1500 calories a day @ 185 lbs. I could easily gain weight if I went over 1500 calories a day. I would try to lose more weight so i had to drop to 1200 calories a day and my weight still wouldnt fall and I would be starving so I would binge eat hard. I left town for a trip out of state on a friday afternoon and I left @ 183 lbs, came home on sunday night I was sitting @ 197 lbs. I destroyed the buffet more than once while we were gone. I had done this many times then crash dieted back down from low 190s to 185 and the cycle repeated until a few weeks ago. I started @ 1500 calories a day, @ 185.8 lbs. I went to 1600, then 1700 then 1800 then 1900 and this week I am eating 2050 per day. I do track my macros which is currently 185 protein, 215 carbs, 50 fat. My weight has gone down. This morning my weight was 182.0 which is the lowest I have ever been and I am eating 550 calories a day more. I started by adding in 20 carbs a week, 2g fat. This week I increased it from 185g pro, 190g carbs, 45g fat to - 185g pro, 215g carb, 50g fat [5g fat, 25g carbs] and my weight has continued to drop. I know that I've increased my calories faster than you mention throughout the series of just a few grams a week, but with my weight dropping and my energy and well being so much better I would think that's okay.
I watched the whole video but still have a question. Is reverse dieting optimal for making lean muscle gains while gain in a lower amount of body fat? as in reverse dieting I to a bulking state? or will you MR always be caught up to your calories and therefore not be able to pur on weight?
If I made a slow cut of around 0.5 kgs per week for a total of 12 weeks, would the "metabolism damage" not be as apparent as the crash diets?
What I really wanna ask is that if I choose to stay on maintenance calories after the diet, will I gain alot of fats due to the slowed down metabolism?
Your videos are a big eye opener and especially for myself has helped me so much! By any chance, could you do a video on binge eating and the after effects of it. For myself I've dealt with 1000-1400 calorie days and burning roughly 1000 + at the gym (that's including 30-45 mins of cardio and strength training after). Then have uncontrollable binge episodes of 4000-6000 (sometimes in one sitting twice a week). I no longer live this way because I was making myself sick. today 1700-1900 cals a day and an 45-60 mins of strength. I'm still recovering but if you could do a video on the effects of binging, I'm sure I could learn more about the damage I did.
Hello Layne, big fan of your videos, they are amazing and have helped me a lot! Could yo please tell me in general at the end of a reverse diet what would be the ratio of macros? thanks!
Quick question though, lets say someone had a refeed day in their cutting protocol you would recommend keeping that the same right??