Reverse Dieting Calculator
The part nobody plans. Walk your calories back up week by week so the fat you lost stays lost.
What you are eating right now at the end of your diet.
Not sure? Run the TDEE calculator first, then come back with that number.
Fill in the fields above and your number appears here instantly.
What your numbers mean
Why you climb instead of jump
After a long diet your appetite is loud and your body is primed to store. Small weekly steps let bodyweight settle at each level instead of overshooting.
What the scale will do
Two to four pounds on in the first fortnight, most of it food volume and water. Judge the reverse on the trend across a month, never on a single morning.
Where the new calories go
Protein stays exactly where it is. Add carbs first, a little fat second. Carbs are what bring back your training performance and fullness the fastest.
How to adjust after two weeks
- 1Weigh in the same way every morningAfter the bathroom, before food or water, same clothing. One day means nothing. The seven day average is the number you read.
- 2Compare week two's average to week one'sLosing fat: you want a half pound to one percent of bodyweight down per week. Building: a quarter to half pound up. Holding steady inside those ranges means the numbers are right, so leave them alone.
- 3Move calories, not everything at onceOff target for two straight weeks? Change calories by roughly 150 to 200 and hold protein exactly where it is. Protein is what protects the muscle you already built.
- 4Recheck the calculator when your weight moves 10 lbA lighter or heavier body burns a different amount. Ten pounds in either direction is the trigger to run these numbers again.
Numbers are the easy part.
Eating them every day is where people fall off. Turn these macros into a full 7 day meal and training plan, built around your body, free.
Start my free 7 day kickstartCommon questions
What is reverse dieting?
Slowly raising calories after a diet instead of jumping straight back to normal eating. You add a small amount each week so your bodyweight has time to settle, which is how people come out of a cut without regaining the fat in a month.
How fast should I reverse diet?
Between 50 and 150 calories per week for most people. Slower if you are coming off a long aggressive cut or a stage prep. Faster if you only dieted a few weeks and feel fine.
Will I gain fat while reverse dieting?
A little, and mostly early on it is food volume and water rather than fat. Expect two to four pounds on the scale in the first two weeks. That is normal refilling, not failure.
How long does a reverse diet take?
Usually eight to sixteen weeks to walk from deficit calories back up to maintenance. The schedule below shows your exact week by week path and where it ends.
Do macros change during a reverse diet?
Keep protein where it is and add the new calories mostly as carbs, with a little fat. Carbs are what restore training performance and the flat, depleted look fastest.