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Proper nutrition can improve body composition and performance in the gym, but many strategies used for fat loss or competition are often not sustainable. (1) In bodybuilding, when dieting is at its peak, athletes often combine off-seasons focused on maintenance or eating more food to aid recovery. Long-term, intense eating can disrupt hormones, deplete energy, and have a negative impact on health. How does one reduce the damage caused by extended fat loss stages?<\/p>\n
Reversible and recovery diets can reset and restore balance after a solid diet.<\/strong> Dr. Eric Helms, PhD, CSCS, recently highlighted the differences between these methods and how to know which is better when the diet phase ends.<\/p>\n Dieting and recovery are two methods widely used following a bodybuilding competition. Often referred to as \u201cdiet after meal,\u201d reverse dieting maintains leanness while gradually increasing caloric intake and decreasing cardio. <\/p>\n Reverse dieting works on a spectrum, from slow to moderate calorie increases in reducing cardio. However, the opposite is not always true <\/span>food causes a caloric deficit.<\/p>\n Recovery diets prioritize rapid restoration of physical, mental, and social well-being to improve energy, energy levels, food concentration, sleep, libido, and hormonal balance. This diet can promote a healthy state of mind as gradual body changes occur without the stress of preparing for a competition.<\/p>\n As opposed to diets, restorative diets are on the spectrum, with recommendations ranging from moderate increases to significant increases in caloric intake and decreases in cardio, depending on the needs of the athlete. For example, the diet of a Male Bodybuilder will differ from that of a Male Open Bodybuilder. Both approaches offer strategies designed to meet post-competitive recovery needs.<\/p>\n It is not possible to accurately measure energy consumption during a meal, but it can be estimated based on factors such as calorie intake and body weight. Prolonged lack of energy and severe weight loss can influence these predictions. <\/p>\n Studies have shown a 15% gap between predicted and actual energy expenditure due to exercise. This difference is due to the body’s greater efficiency in preventing weight loss than gaining weight.<\/p>\n Metabolic changes contribute to the adaptive thermogenesis of the athlete. Although basal metabolic rate (BMR) is often observed, the most variable component is resting energy expenditure. A large calorie deficit causes significant changes in daily energy expenditure (TDEE), which can reduce energy availability and increase the risk of Sports-Related Energy Deficiency (RED-S). <\/p>\n RED-S may persist after a meal, influencing athletes’ mood and postprandial eating strategies. Research shows that the decrease in energy expenditure, which promotes weight loss, extends beyond the active weight loss phase. (2)<\/p>\n Reverse dieting aims to gradually increase caloric intake, returning TDEE from its altered state to normal levels. However, Helms suggested that diet alone for lean athletes is unlikely to fully restore TDEE or energy availability.<\/p>\n Perverse diets may fail due to the complex behavior of leptin, a hormone that helps control body weight. Leptin initiates processes in the hypothalamus that drive physiological changes associated with weight gain and loss. Leptin is effective in preventing weight loss, but it is not very effective in stopping obesity. People with normal types of obesity usually lack leptin; they have high levels of circulating leptin but are resistant to its effects.<\/p>\n Leptin levels are closely related to body fat. The study shows a correlation of 0.85 across nearly 300 participants ranging from normal weight to obese. Hormones, environmental factors, and nutrition greatly influence body weight. (3)<\/p>\n Reverse dieting can fail because of the concept of a low intervention point, which means that some people find it difficult to reverse the diet without side effects. Dr. Helms shared a personal example from 2019, when he tried to bounce back and recover. <\/p>\n After competing in a bodybuilding show in April and culminating in June, Dr. Helms followed a strict weight loss diet to maintain a lean body without gaining fat. Although he achieved the beauty he sought, the process left him physically and mentally exhausted. Although a distorted diet can produce visible results, it is not always sustainable.<\/p>\n “Until I returned the body fat – about 22 kilograms – I did not feel better. I felt better little by little, but not back to normal,” said Dr. Helms. When he uses the right foods with his clients, their success rates improve. “We started seeing 60, 70% success rates,” explained Dr. Helms.<\/p>\n Dieting can be important for bodybuilders who earn their professional card and must compete during the year. This involves gradually increasing their weight above the stage level and getting closer to their intervention point. By maintaining a high calorie and body fat percentage, they can eat properly to prepare for their pro debut. <\/p>\n It’s a bad move, but at least you know you’ve got that show, and you’re helping them by holding on.<\/p>\n \u2014Dr. Eric Helms<\/em><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n A recovery diet is not an excuse for uncontrolled indulgence. Research shows that overeating during recovery can have adverse effects, including higher rates of weight gain, which may hinder certain aspects of the recovery process. <\/p>\n Featured image: @helms3dmj on Instagram<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Proper nutrition can improve body composition and performance in the gym, but many strategies used for fat loss or competition are often not sustainable. (1) In bodybuilding, when dieting is at its peak, athletes often combine off-seasons focused on maintenance or eating more food to aid recovery. Long-term, intense eating can disrupt hormones, deplete energy, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2670","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition-healthy-eating"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2670"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2672,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2670\/revisions\/2672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wiki-living.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Reverse Diet vs. Recovery Diet<\/h2>\n
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) When Eating<\/h2>\n
Why Delayed Eating Doesn’t Work<\/h2>\n
When A Reverse Diet Is Necessary<\/h2>\n
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What Recovery Diets Shouldn’t Be<\/h2>\n
More In Nutrition<\/h2>\n
References<\/h2>\n
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