Rebounding After A Weight Loss Diet: Why Does It Happen And How To Prevent It

First, let’s address the number 1 reason why people tend to re-bound/yo-yo back to where they were when doing a diet.

We’ll give the benefit of the doubt that they have ticked all the healthy eating boxes, exercising well and eating less.

Yet after so long they end up rebounding to exactly the same weight.

I’ve been there myself many times and I’m willing to bet you have to.

That number 1 reason is that people, assume a diet is just ONE PATH: Eat less, exercise and then I’ll lose the weight (excess fat) for good.

That’s only half the story.

A successful diet in which a re-bound does not happen is TWO PATHS:

PATH 1 – Dieting down for a set amount of time

PATH 2 – Reverse dieting back-up for the exact same amount of time you dieted down.

What does this mean?

Let’s say we have a 2-month diet. People will generally assume that means 2 months of eating less and exercising hard.

After that two months, they’ll probably have one large meal or large eating day.

Which, they tell themselves is just this one day. 99% of the time that one day stretches out to weeks even months of overeating.

Why?

When you have been dieting the body is primed and seeking (due to evolution) to store fat.

As soon as you give it enough excess food to do that, it will. It will then also release specific hormones, the main one that concerns us is a one called Ghrelin.

Ghrelin is a hormone that is produced and released mainly by the stomach. It is termed the ‘hunger hormone’ because it stimulates appetite, increases food intake and promotes fat storage.

Trying to resist the hormone Ghrelin, is like trying to beat Mike Tyson in a boxing match on his hay day.

You are going to lose. It’s a never-ending cycle, more binging, more Ghrelin, more binging. This is why the yo-yo or rebound happens.

You’re fighting your body’s natural survival mechanics.

However, when we reach the end of PATH 1 and then begin to slowly introduce more food at the right macro % (protein, carbs, fat) split and at the right time over a period, PATH 2. The body will actually utilise the macros (protein, fats, carbs) efficiently and put them to good use where they are needed. Like:

Carbs – refuelling our depleted glycogen stores in muscles so we have more energy

Fats – decreasing inflammation within the body caused by the diet

Protein – regenerating cells

Your entire metabolism begins to slowly increase as the body utilises the excess nutrition effectively.

For THIS reason, the magic actually happens in the reverse diet phase (PATH 2). You carry on burning fat, sometimes at a higher rate than in the actual diet phase (PATH 1), and…

• you have more energy
• your body begins to fill out and take on an aesthetic shape
• your lean muscle mass becomes more apparent
• your abs start to pop through
• you have a glow

It’s an awesome progressive adaption.

You may think that because you are done with the diet phase you won’t lose any more weight (burn fat), but that’s incorrect.

You can sometimes lose even more fat in the first two weeks of the reverse diet than the actual 4-week diet part.

What’s more, you can reverse diet backup to be eating more calories than you ever were whilst maintaining your leanness.

THIS is the key to dieting successfully. The main reason behind this is the increase in your metabolism.

A diet is a great way to reset a slow metabolism and get it firing back on all cylinders.

As a example here’s me before a 2-month diet:

1. 1-month dieting down
2. and 1-month reverse dieting back up

Now here’s a video of me 2 weeks into the reverse diet path.

I’d done 4 weeks of dieting down and I was 2 weeks into reverse dieting back up with another 2 weeks to go.

At this point, I was close to eating the same amount of food I was eating in the first photo. Which was around 3000 – 3100 cals a day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQZAMNcH5pM

By the time I finished the reverse diet, I was eating 3300 cals a day and much leaner. Most of the time at the end of the diet phase (PATH 1). You feel flat, lacking in energy and sometimes a bit disappointed with how you look as the end result.

But then, 2 weeks into the reverse diet phase, the magic begins to happen. Normally the results begin to exceed expectations at this point.

The overall plan and workout schedule does not change during the reverse diet. All that changes is the addition of calories week to week.

This 50/50 principle (PATH 1 AND PATH 2) applies to any diet length. Except for a week-long diet done for the sake of a small healthy reset.

The shorter the diet is, the harder you can go in terms of dropping your calories. However, you do run the risk of losing muscle mass by doing that. It’s a delicate balance.

Some examples:

1-month diet

PATH 1 = 2 weeks of dieting down where you can push quite hard in terms of reducing your daily calorie intake.

PATH 2 = 2 weeks reverse dieting back-up

4-months diet

PATH 1 = 2 months dieting down

PATH 2 = 2 months reverse dieting back-up

From experience, I find a 2-month diet to be very effective and achievable for most people.

Doing 1-month of dieting down and then 1-month of reverse dieting back up. It’s the one I always turn to once or twice a year.

If you do want to diet. I would advise starting with this 2 months diet approach first. I’ll take you through exactly how to do it below.

Remember

You will still be burning fat into the reverse diet path. Sometimes even more than the cut/diet path itself.

Don’t think a 2-months diet means you only have a chance to burn fat in the first 4 weeks, you don’t.

You will still burn fat right up until the end of the reverse diet. The reverse diet is where the magic and fun happens 😉

By the way, all of my Fitness Freedom TRX suspension trainer and resistance band Programs come with a nutrition teaching Program. I’ll teach you how to use the ‘Evergreen Nutrition Framework’ so can achieve a lean, toned, and energised body without the need to diet. And maintain it sustainably for life!

It’s not hard, you just need to learn the right levers to pull and when.

Let’s get to it!

Coach Adam