Metabolism Rehabilitation: A DIY Reverse Dieting Guide
Metabolism Rehabilitation: Important Terms to Know
Metabolism Rehabilitation: An Overview
Step 1: Getting Started
Step 2: Learning How to Count Macros/IIFYM
Step 3: Baselining & Training
Step 4: Calculating Your Individual Macros
Step 5: Reverse Dieting
Step 6: Planning Your Goals
Metabolism Rehabilitation: An Overview
Step 1: Getting Started
Step 2: Learning How to Count Macros/IIFYM
Step 3: Baselining & Training
Step 4: Calculating Your Individual Macros
Step 5: Reverse Dieting
Step 6: Planning Your Goals
Step 3: Baselining and Training
Baselining
Before we can start manipulating macros or begin the reverse dieting process, we need to have a starting point. We need to figure out where your metabolism is at right NOW. That’s why we baseline. There is no online IIFYM calculator that can accurately do this. If you are coming out of an eating disorder/restricted calorie diet and you jump straight into what an IIFYM calculator tells you… be prepared to gain some serious fat seriously fast. Not fun. You MUST find out where your metabolism is at MANUALLY.
For one week (7 days), you need to use MFP (MyFitnessPal) to track your food intake. Again, it is absolutely critical that you measure everything accurately, down to the last gram.
You will also need to weigh yourself. This may be hard to deal with for some people, but just suck it up and do it. You got this. For this first baselining week, I recommend weighing daily or every two days with the ultimate goal of having the same weight on day 7 as you did on day 1. You need to weigh yourself FIRST THING when you wake up, before eating or drinking anything.
The purpose of baselining is to figure out exactly how many calories you can eat per day to maintain your body weight. So after you spend your week weighing and tracking everything on MFP while maintaining your weight, add up your daily calories as shown on MFP and divide them by 7 to get your average daily caloric intake. I know I said don’t look at calories, but this week is the only week you will deal with the “calories” in MFP.
Weight Training
Training should be supplemented with the reverse diet to achieve optimal results.
If you are not already, you need to start incorporating weight training into your exercise routine. I personally lift 6 days a week, lifting heavy 8-12 reps of 3-4 sets. I usually do about 8 different exercises each gym session. I usually spend 1-1.5 hrs in the gym per session. I have only been seriously lifting for a little over a year, so I do not consider myself an expert by any means in this area. I do not have all the answers nor do I claim to.
I know what you are thinking--that sounds like a lot to just jump right into. DO NOT BE OVERWHELMED!! Be encouraged!! You can start out at 3 days a week, just an hour a day. Honestly, do whatever you can make work for you. Training is important, but nutrition is more important. Just do your best and do not be afraid to hit the weights section of the gym! You can do it, I promise!! :)
As with everything else in this guide, I will tell you exactly what I did to achieve results so you can feel free to follow my model or make changes to accommodate your individual needs. For instance, if you have messed up knees, you may not want to squat heavy, etc. Just be careful because you do NOT want to hurt yourself, but at the same time you want to challenge yourself and lift heavy. It’s something you will need to kind of “feel out” but definitely be conservative when you are starting out. I have spent countless hours watching videos, reading articles, and trying to figure out what is “optimal”… but it honestly just DEPENDS. I just did my best to learn as much as I could and jumped right in! A good friend of mine helped me with form when I started out and still helps me sometimes when I don’t feel totally confident on my form. I recommend getting someone legit to help you get started with correct form. You can also prop your phone up and video yourself while doing exercises. Compare your video to videos of the exercise with proper form.
I also recommend looking at the exercise database on BodyBuilding.com and filtering exercises based on highest ratings for the muscle group(s) you are targeting. It may be total faux pas to say this, but whatever, it’s what I do. I get a lot of ideas from some of my favorite instagram fitness accounts that frequently post exercises -- @khvideos @ladyfitworkouts @nikkiblackketter @chadyd @amandalatona @katiesfitscript @jessicaarevalofit @ashley.horner – I recommend following these awesome ladies and incorporating their training ideas/techniques.
I know there are MANY split variations. I know many people who do full body workouts 3 days a week. Just research a little bit and do what works best for you.
I personally change up my split about every month or so to keep my body from “getting used to” the exercises I’m doing. Currently my split looks like this:
Mon – Biceps/Triceps
Tue – Glutes/Quads
Weds – Shoulders/Back
Thurs – Hamstrings/Quads
Fri – Chest/Triceps
Sat – Plyometrics/Abs
Sun – Rest
On all my leg days, I start with heavy squats and deadlifts. I will always keep squats and deadlifts in my leg days, but I may vary them a bit – like changing it up with sumo squats/deadlifts, etc.
Compound lifts are very important to incorporate for beginners. You get more “bang for your buck” with these because they use many muscles per movement as opposed to isolation lifts (like bicep curls), which only hit one muscle. Variations of squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, bench press, and military presses are all lifts you will want in your training arsenal. These guys enable you to work smarter, not harder. :)
I started out this Macro Experiment doing 2x20 min High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions a week. I bought a heart rate monitor and either did sprints on a treadmill (1 min to max heart rate, 1 min slow jog), elliptical, or arc trainer with a 4 min warm up and 5 min cool down. So twice a week I would do 2-a-days at the gym. On month 2, I started doing only 1 HIIT session a week, and am currently doing no “cardio” except a 5 minute warm up before my heavy lifting sessions with minimal rest between sets/supersets/pyramids, etc.
I do NOT recommend doing LISS (Low Intensity Steady State) cardio during a reverse diet. Just trust me on this one or look it up for yourself from a reliable source. HIIT>LISS.
So there you have it guys, baselining and training in a nutshell.
Awesome! Step 4 is next – let’s figure out your individual macro breakdown!
Before we can start manipulating macros or begin the reverse dieting process, we need to have a starting point. We need to figure out where your metabolism is at right NOW. That’s why we baseline. There is no online IIFYM calculator that can accurately do this. If you are coming out of an eating disorder/restricted calorie diet and you jump straight into what an IIFYM calculator tells you… be prepared to gain some serious fat seriously fast. Not fun. You MUST find out where your metabolism is at MANUALLY.
For one week (7 days), you need to use MFP (MyFitnessPal) to track your food intake. Again, it is absolutely critical that you measure everything accurately, down to the last gram.
You will also need to weigh yourself. This may be hard to deal with for some people, but just suck it up and do it. You got this. For this first baselining week, I recommend weighing daily or every two days with the ultimate goal of having the same weight on day 7 as you did on day 1. You need to weigh yourself FIRST THING when you wake up, before eating or drinking anything.
The purpose of baselining is to figure out exactly how many calories you can eat per day to maintain your body weight. So after you spend your week weighing and tracking everything on MFP while maintaining your weight, add up your daily calories as shown on MFP and divide them by 7 to get your average daily caloric intake. I know I said don’t look at calories, but this week is the only week you will deal with the “calories” in MFP.
Weight Training
Training should be supplemented with the reverse diet to achieve optimal results.
If you are not already, you need to start incorporating weight training into your exercise routine. I personally lift 6 days a week, lifting heavy 8-12 reps of 3-4 sets. I usually do about 8 different exercises each gym session. I usually spend 1-1.5 hrs in the gym per session. I have only been seriously lifting for a little over a year, so I do not consider myself an expert by any means in this area. I do not have all the answers nor do I claim to.
I know what you are thinking--that sounds like a lot to just jump right into. DO NOT BE OVERWHELMED!! Be encouraged!! You can start out at 3 days a week, just an hour a day. Honestly, do whatever you can make work for you. Training is important, but nutrition is more important. Just do your best and do not be afraid to hit the weights section of the gym! You can do it, I promise!! :)
As with everything else in this guide, I will tell you exactly what I did to achieve results so you can feel free to follow my model or make changes to accommodate your individual needs. For instance, if you have messed up knees, you may not want to squat heavy, etc. Just be careful because you do NOT want to hurt yourself, but at the same time you want to challenge yourself and lift heavy. It’s something you will need to kind of “feel out” but definitely be conservative when you are starting out. I have spent countless hours watching videos, reading articles, and trying to figure out what is “optimal”… but it honestly just DEPENDS. I just did my best to learn as much as I could and jumped right in! A good friend of mine helped me with form when I started out and still helps me sometimes when I don’t feel totally confident on my form. I recommend getting someone legit to help you get started with correct form. You can also prop your phone up and video yourself while doing exercises. Compare your video to videos of the exercise with proper form.
I also recommend looking at the exercise database on BodyBuilding.com and filtering exercises based on highest ratings for the muscle group(s) you are targeting. It may be total faux pas to say this, but whatever, it’s what I do. I get a lot of ideas from some of my favorite instagram fitness accounts that frequently post exercises -- @khvideos @ladyfitworkouts @nikkiblackketter @chadyd @amandalatona @katiesfitscript @jessicaarevalofit @ashley.horner – I recommend following these awesome ladies and incorporating their training ideas/techniques.
I know there are MANY split variations. I know many people who do full body workouts 3 days a week. Just research a little bit and do what works best for you.
I personally change up my split about every month or so to keep my body from “getting used to” the exercises I’m doing. Currently my split looks like this:
Mon – Biceps/Triceps
Tue – Glutes/Quads
Weds – Shoulders/Back
Thurs – Hamstrings/Quads
Fri – Chest/Triceps
Sat – Plyometrics/Abs
Sun – Rest
On all my leg days, I start with heavy squats and deadlifts. I will always keep squats and deadlifts in my leg days, but I may vary them a bit – like changing it up with sumo squats/deadlifts, etc.
Compound lifts are very important to incorporate for beginners. You get more “bang for your buck” with these because they use many muscles per movement as opposed to isolation lifts (like bicep curls), which only hit one muscle. Variations of squats, deadlifts, pull-ups, bench press, and military presses are all lifts you will want in your training arsenal. These guys enable you to work smarter, not harder. :)
I started out this Macro Experiment doing 2x20 min High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions a week. I bought a heart rate monitor and either did sprints on a treadmill (1 min to max heart rate, 1 min slow jog), elliptical, or arc trainer with a 4 min warm up and 5 min cool down. So twice a week I would do 2-a-days at the gym. On month 2, I started doing only 1 HIIT session a week, and am currently doing no “cardio” except a 5 minute warm up before my heavy lifting sessions with minimal rest between sets/supersets/pyramids, etc.
I do NOT recommend doing LISS (Low Intensity Steady State) cardio during a reverse diet. Just trust me on this one or look it up for yourself from a reliable source. HIIT>LISS.
So there you have it guys, baselining and training in a nutshell.
Awesome! Step 4 is next – let’s figure out your individual macro breakdown!