What is reverse dieting?

Reverse dieting is the practice of gradually increasing calorie intake after a caloric deficit period. The goal is to raise your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) back toward normal maintenance levels while minimizing fat regain by keeping the calorie surplus small each week.

How much should I increase calories per week?

Common rates are 50 kcal/week (conservative, very slow fat gain risk), 75 kcal/week (moderate, balanced), or 100 kcal/week (aggressive, faster restoration but higher fat gain risk). Beginners typically start conservative and adjust based on scale weight response.

Will I gain fat during a reverse diet?

Some fat gain is normal, especially early on if you were in a large deficit. A well-paced reverse diet minimizes this by keeping weekly increases small so your body can upregulate metabolism before adding significant fat stores.

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the total number of calories your body burns per day, accounting for your basal metabolic rate plus physical activity. After a cut, TDEE is often suppressed and reverse dieting aims to restore it.

How long does a reverse diet take?

It depends on how large the gap is between your current intake and target TDEE, and your chosen weekly increase rate. A 500 kcal gap at 75 kcal/week takes about 7 weeks. This calculator shows the exact duration and schedule.

Reverse Diet Calculator

Name: Reverse Diet Calculator
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Enter your current intake and target TDEE to get a week-by-week reverse dieting schedule that minimizes fat regain.

Your Details

Current Daily Calories (kcal)

The intake you ended your cut at.

Target TDEE / Maintenance (kcal)

The maintenance calories you want to reach. Not sure? Use our TDEE calculator.

Weekly Increase Rate

Conservative — 50 kcal/week Slowest fat gain risk, takes longer to reach target. Moderate — 75 kcal/week Balanced approach — recommended for most people. Aggressive — 100 kcal/week Faster restoration, higher risk of minor fat gain.

Week-by-Week Schedule

Week	Daily Target (kcal)	Weekly Total (kcal)	Progress

Fill in your details and click Generate Schedule.

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