Once you decide it’s time to stop your reverse diet you have three goals to choose from: weight loss, maintenance, or weight gain.
Here are some suggestions to help you choose which is best for your long-term goals.
When to Choose Maintenance
For most people coming from a reverse diet, we recommend switching their goal to maintenance. Heres why.
Going from a slight surplus (reverse diet) to a deficit (weight loss) can be a big shock mentally due to the larger drop in calories you may see. It might be nice to break it up with maintenance and transition to the deficit slowly.
Going from a slight surplus (reverse diet) to maintenance allows your weight to stabilize and gives the coach time to learn your new maintenance.
When to Choose Weight Loss
When did you end your last diet? If it's been less than 20 weeks, it might not be the best time to switch to a weight loss goal.
Weight loss can be mentally and physically taxing. It's important to allow yourself to recover, so you put yourself in the best position for success with a new weight loss goal.
Once you reach the 20-week milestone, go ahead and switch to weight loss if you are ready.
When to Choose Weight Gain
First, it's important to outline the big difference between a reverse diet and a weight gain goal.
The main purpose of a reverse diet is to improve your metabolism. It will put you in a slight surplus and increase your calories slowly over time. If you gain over the allowable amount, the coach will hold your calories.
The main purpose of a weight gain goal is to gain a certain amount of weight per week. It will increase your calories based on your set gain rate. If you go over the rate set for the week, the coach will drop your calories.
Why is this important to know?
You can build muscle on both goals since you are in a calorie surplus, but there's potential to build muscle faster on a weight gain goal due to being in a larger surplus. Ask yourself, are you are willing to gain weight more quickly? If you are, then switching to a weight gain goal is the route you should take. If not, stay on your reverse diet.