Potential use case: for a "reverse diet" or "conservatively increasing energy intake" could be those that are not shredded/extremely lean, but after a mass loss phase, and this person wants to find their new maintenance while minimizing mass gain during this "seeking maintenance" phase?
So good, and I am not as smart nor do I have to time to conduct such research but having done 2 contest preps and now onto my third...this is me! Adaptation is big for me. 8 weeks into this prep from 2500 cals when tracked plus an off plan meal a week in the improvement season and already down to 1750 cals and a much lower resting HR. Avg 55 at 2500 cals now down to 39 - 45 HR. Very interesting can't wait for the next video.
Definitely not dramatically but I don’t think it’s as simple as the muscle burning slightly more calories than fat. There’s much more to it than that and have taken many clients to a much higher maintenance level. I don’t necessarily call it reverse diet but there is definitely something to the process of adding muscle over time that helps in this endeavor. Either way, great content Steve!
This is the black pill: if you are predisposed to obesity and have been significantly obese, then cutting down to and maintaining normal (not overweight or obese classification) body composition will be much more difficult for you than if you had never been obese or for other people who were not predisposed to obesity and/or were never obese. Your life at 15-20%BF may feel as bad to you as some others feels at 8-12%BF or perhaps even a stage-lean bodybuilder on contest day...that may be the rest of your life if you don't want to be overweight/obese ever again...
The good news is that it seems many bodybuilders seem to perceive that as they gain more experience and skill at contest preps, then their perceived difficulty later in their career holding lower off-season BF% or cutting for a show seems to get lesser/easier as they get better at doing this over and over. Perhaps the formerly obese can get better at living leaner too.
I started to cut from 24% bodyfat recently based on a 2850 maintenance level. I cut to 1850, but then gradually upped my calories, and am now maintaining 18% bodyfat on 3300 per day. My bodyfat actually dropped faster as I raised the calories.
I understand that those reversing will regain weight but what is the weight distribution? How much of the weight regained is muscle and how much is fat mass? Do they end up gaining more fat? It would also be interesting to know exactly what these studies are/ how fast they’re adding in calories and taking our cardio during these reverse diets
Being in a calorie deficit actually does a few other things. 1) It reduces insulin exposure, and insulin exposure is the main (proven) driver on long term insulin resistance. 2) It invariably raises Uric Acid levels, which raise cortisol, and lowers thyroid function. This can be mitigated but not prevented. In fact, 1000 kcal per day deficits have been found to raise U.I. by 2-4 mg/dl. Resistance training also raises U.I., but especially in people with genetically high U.I. 3) It upregulated gluconeogenesis. 4) It reduces the myo-cellular levels of glycolytic enzyme. 5) It reduces liver triglycerides, 6) It reduces free fatty acid storage in muscle cells. 7) It tends to make fat cells more insulin sensitive as well, which means that they regrow faster if calories are suddenly raised. 8) It reduces testosterone. Adding back calories SUDDENLY has been shown to regrow fat deposits after the first 3-4 days.
Thanks for this podcast. Does this mean that my estimated maintenance amount of calories will not be different if i did a cut to get to my current weight than if i had not done a cut to get to this weight? I read at some point that your metabolism would be about 10% slower if you had lost weight to get to your current weight compared to if you had not lost weight
A good starting point is averaging the last few weeks rate of loss in lbs and multiplying that by 500, this gives a rough daily deficit, which you can then add to your average calorie intake. - Steve
It’s pretty obvious all reverse dieting means is that your giving yourself a chance to gradually build muscle as you add calories so when you finish up at the target calories you have a higher metabolic rate.
Not sure that's obvious nor is growing muscle during that time guaranteed, especially considering when you're reversing you're still in a deficit. - Steve
Potential use case: for a "reverse diet" or "conservatively increasing energy intake" could be those that are not shredded/extremely lean, but after a mass loss phase, and this person wants to find their new maintenance while minimizing mass gain during this "seeking maintenance" phase?
Correct. On Trexler’s Stronger By Science episode on this topic, this exact use case was his one caveat for when it would be useful.
One of the best guests!
Next episodes with him are fire!
- Pascal
So good, and I am not as smart nor do I have to time to conduct such research but having done 2 contest preps and now onto my third...this is me! Adaptation is big for me. 8 weeks into this prep from 2500 cals when tracked plus an off plan meal a week in the improvement season and already down to 1750 cals and a much lower resting HR. Avg 55 at 2500 cals now down to 39 - 45 HR. Very interesting can't wait for the next video.
Glad you enjoyed this! - Steve
yep that resting heart rate drop can be drastic
Trexler is the GOAT, the whole MASS team is elite
Facts - Steve
fantastic episode. really insightful questions.
Thank you! - Steve
FASCINATING!!! So, what works post contest??????
It’s all about building muscle slowly. That will up regulate your metabolism through that process.
Sadly adding muscle doesn't dramatically increase your metabolic rate - Steve
Definitely not dramatically but I don’t think it’s as simple as the muscle burning slightly more calories than fat. There’s much more to it than that and have taken many clients to a much higher maintenance level. I don’t necessarily call it reverse diet but there is definitely something to the process of adding muscle over time that helps in this endeavor. Either way, great content Steve!
This is the black pill: if you are predisposed to obesity and have been significantly obese, then cutting down to and maintaining normal (not overweight or obese classification) body composition will be much more difficult for you than if you had never been obese or for other people who were not predisposed to obesity and/or were never obese. Your life at 15-20%BF may feel as bad to you as some others feels at 8-12%BF or perhaps even a stage-lean bodybuilder on contest day...that may be the rest of your life if you don't want to be overweight/obese ever again...
The good news is that it seems many bodybuilders seem to perceive that as they gain more experience and skill at contest preps, then their perceived difficulty later in their career holding lower off-season BF% or cutting for a show seems to get lesser/easier as they get better at doing this over and over. Perhaps the formerly obese can get better at living leaner too.
I started to cut from 24% bodyfat recently based on a 2850 maintenance level. I cut to 1850, but then gradually upped my calories, and am now maintaining 18% bodyfat on 3300 per day. My bodyfat actually dropped faster as I raised the calories.
I understand that those reversing will regain weight but what is the weight distribution? How much of the weight regained is muscle and how much is fat mass? Do they end up gaining more fat? It would also be interesting to know exactly what these studies are/ how fast they’re adding in calories and taking our cardio during these reverse diets
Being in a calorie deficit actually does a few other things. 1) It reduces insulin exposure, and insulin exposure is the main (proven) driver on long term insulin resistance. 2) It invariably raises Uric Acid levels, which raise cortisol, and lowers thyroid function. This can be mitigated but not prevented. In fact, 1000 kcal per day deficits have been found to raise U.I. by 2-4 mg/dl. Resistance training also raises U.I., but especially in people with genetically high U.I. 3) It upregulated gluconeogenesis. 4) It reduces the myo-cellular levels of glycolytic enzyme. 5) It reduces liver triglycerides, 6) It reduces free fatty acid storage in muscle cells. 7) It tends to make fat cells more insulin sensitive as well, which means that they regrow faster if calories are suddenly raised. 8) It reduces testosterone.
Adding back calories SUDDENLY has been shown to regrow fat deposits after the first 3-4 days.
Thanks for this podcast. Does this mean that my estimated maintenance amount of calories will not be different if i did a cut to get to my current weight than if i had not done a cut to get to this weight? I read at some point that your metabolism would be about 10% slower if you had lost weight to get to your current weight compared to if you had not lost weight
So if one adapts not directly in proportion to one's weight loss during a phase then how does one calculate their new maintenance?
A good starting point is averaging the last few weeks rate of loss in lbs and multiplying that by 500, this gives a rough daily deficit, which you can then add to your average calorie intake. - Steve
I have a client that recently told me that her cycle finally "normalized/regular" after 4yrs.
In itself great news but at the same time, 4 years....damn!!
- Pascal
💪💪💪💪💪💪
🤝😎
It’s pretty obvious all reverse dieting means is that your giving yourself a chance to gradually build muscle as you add calories so when you finish up at the target calories you have a higher metabolic rate.
Not sure that's obvious nor is growing muscle during that time guaranteed, especially considering when you're reversing you're still in a deficit. - Steve