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Following a long dieting phase, your body is in a state where it reeeally wants to eat a lot of food to gain back the weight that you lost — it’s an evolutionary/survival thing.
Caloric restriction decreases metabolic rate (causing you to burn less calories) and increases hunger signalling.
So what ends up happening to most people is that once they finish with their cut, their appetite is at an all-time high AND their energy expenditure is lower. With these two things combined, people end up more likely to eat at a caloric surplus and eventually end up back where they started by no time.
These increases in appetite caused by hunger hormone signalling can sometimes persist for up to 12 months* after weight loss, even after the onset of weight regain.
This means that the battle IS NOT OVER
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This transitory process from exiting the cut is commonly known as ‘Reverse Dieting’
Know what you were eating at the end of your fat loss diet. This helps you plan where to start your reverse diet.
This is crucial because your maintenance will likely be different after fat loss due to metabolic and behavioural adaptations.
Begin your reverse diet at a point between your fat loss calories and your estimated new maintenance, usually around 10-15% more.
Track your weight, hunger levels, and energy. If you're still losing weight, increase calories by 10%. If you're gaining too quickly, adjust your calories down.
The first few weeks are the hardest. Weight fluctuations and hunger are normal, so don’t panic.