To hear the TikTok girlies tell it, theres a hack that will let youEAT MORE FOOD!

No, it needs a name and a strict protocol:reversedieting.

Eventually youll be back up to 2,000 calories, or maybe even more.

This is not a trend that originated on TikTok.

While the process can create dazzling physiques, it also fucks with your metabolism and overall health.

But it doesnt work that way.

After dieting a long time, you may be eating a miserably low number of calories.

There are also a number of untruths and half-truths that come up.

(Scroll long enough on fitness TikTok and somebody will explain that all your problems are due to cortisol.

Take a drink.)

In any case, this is where reverse dieting comes in.

So whatsactuallytrue about reverse dieting, and why is everybody so into it?

Lets take a closer look.

Heck, you could givegainingweight a try.

And that is, in fact, the real answer.

The world will not end.

it’s possible for you to eat food again, and you will be fine.

So why reverse diet?

One problem with this approach is that after bodybuilders diet that hard, theyneedto regain fat.

You cant stay dangerously lean forever, and thats true whether youre a meathead or a TikTok girlie.

One is relatively harmless.

Lets say youve been on a diet and youre ready to start gaining weight.

But thats not how its being described on social media.

But the strictness and the expectations can be damaging on their own.

For an extreme example, check outthis videofrom a registered dietitian and eating disorder specialist.

She describes a woman who was getting help for eating disorder recovery.

So youre supposed to eat 1,250 next week?

And then 1,300 the week after that?

Whats even more concerning to me is that 50 or even 100 calories is an extremely precise amount.

Over time it balances out.

What if theyre heavy handed with the sauce?

Clearly, they have not taken a step very far out of diet-land.

For these folks, it actually seems like the reverse is essentially a way of extending their diet.

You could be eating at maintenance for those eight weeks, but youre restricting instead.

Prioritizing leannesseven while gaining muscleis some backwards-ass shit.

Its okay to not be able to see your abs while you are trying to make yourself bigger.

As strongman JF Caronfamously put it, abs is not a thing of power.

Is just a sign you dont eat enough.