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From 3 episodes and 2 videos

How many calories should I add each week when reverse dieting?

Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated

The short answer

Nikkiey suggests adding roughly 50 to 150 calories per week, after first tracking a full week to find your true starting intake. Bring protein up first, then carbs and fats. Hold each increase for one to two weeks while watching energy, sleep, mood, digestion and your weight trend before adding more.

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  1. Nikkiey on adding 100 to 150 calories a week and holding one to two weeks

    Plays from 19:48 · Ep. 284: Reverse Dieting for Women Over 40: Do You Need One?

  2. Nikkiey on her own reverse diet: 50 to 100 calories more each week

    Plays from 1:55 · Video: One Year of Reverse Dieting After 1,200 Calories

  3. An example jump from 1,200 to about 1,350 or 1,400 calories

    Plays from 20:45 · Ep. 39: How to Fix Your Metabolism After Years of Dieting

  4. Quick takeaways: protein first, then carbs and fats, and track biofeedback

    Plays from 18:24 · Ep. 307: Why Your Reverse Diet Didn't Work and How Long It Takes

The full answer

The exact number depends on you. On Ep. 284, Nikkiey explains that the pace depends on how wrecked your metabolism is: some women can go a little harder, others need to go slower. The episodes give slightly different ranges:

  • Ep. 307 and Ep. 284: about 100 to 150 calories per week, mostly from protein at first, then carbs and fats.
  • Her own reverse diet (YouTube videos): 50 to 100 calories a week. She says it felt almost too small to matter, but the increases added up. She also admits one week she increased too fast and felt bloated and sluggish for days.
  • Ep. 39: as a broad example, someone at 1,200 calories might move up 150 to 200 calories, to around 1,350 or 1,400, and stay there for a week or two.

Whatever the jump, the step before it matters. Track exactly what you eat for seven full days without trying to be good, so the increases start from your real baseline, not a guess. Then hold each new level for one to two weeks and stay consistent, because you can't judge how your body is responding if the numbers keep changing.

The decision to add more comes from biofeedback, not the scale alone. Nikkiey looks at energy, sleep, hunger, mood, strength in your workouts and digestion. If those improve and your weekly average weight holds steady, with normal fluctuations of a few pounds, you add more. If things feel off, you slow down. Use the extra energy to lift heavy and train with purpose.

This is a slow process by design. On Ep. 307 she says a reverse diet that seemed not to work usually wasn't held long enough, and if you've dieted for years you may need six to 12 months of repair before another deficit. Small, steady increases are not you failing to move fast enough. They are the plan.

From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.

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    Will I gain weight when I start eating more?

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