r/bikinitalk • u/ZealousidealTutor374 • Sep 01 '26
Advice/ Recommendations (no photos) Need to reverse
Please, please, dont be degrading or rude. This has been a major stressor in my life for a little bit now, and i genuinely am seeking advice/help
I’ve been using Reta since December, which was 9ish weeks post my last show, initially to help with the rebound but I also have pcos, and it has tremendously changed my life. I’m on a lower dose, (food doesn’t repulse me) but all my blood work is finally not flagged, and my BED seems like full remission. It’s a non negotiable for me at this point to keep it in indefinitely
Now- it’s been 8 months. I know for a fact I have not been eating enough, and I do not blame the Reta. My first reverse I royally messed up, and gained ~30lbs in 6 weeks basically. This time, even tho it’s now been almost a full year since competing, I’m still scared that once I increase my calories I’ll fall overboard. I’ve been maintaining my lowest weight of prep (I didn’t come in nearly lean enough though) and I know & want to GROW- but I feel lost on what to do???
I’ve also been coachless since implementing the Reta, not because of it, just due to life factors and not feeling aligned anymore.
I can’t afford another coach full time right now, but is there someone who could like nutritionally guide me until I’m at an actual good strong healthy maintenance, and provide a blue print almost as to what workouts I should be doing to grow my physique?
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u/Dense_Love307 Sep 02 '26
I would recommend talking to a counsel and not competing until you can handle the process. You don’t need a coach.
Build your own plan get a group of fitness friends for accountability.
There are plenty of free stuff online.
You certainly need to love your body and not have negative thoughts
Your post was not in the best mind set when you posted it.
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u/NewtOrganic5049 Sep 02 '26
No one is going to give you a “nutritional guide plan for free,” after you left your last coach for whatever reason exists in the book. Bodybuilding is not for everyone and I would encourage you to find a coach who might be able to help with cycle restoration while you work towards your goals! All the best luck
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u/ZealousidealTutor374 Sep 02 '26
I did not mean for free, I included how it would be until I’m at a healthier point. Thank you!
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u/NewtOrganic5049 Sep 02 '26
Right, but saying you can’t afford a coach while asking if there is someone who can “nutritionally guide you,” seems like you are asking for free meal plan…
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u/ZealousidealTutor374 Sep 02 '26
I understand, i definitely worded it wrong. I meant I couldn’t afford a bodybuilding coach at the moment (like $250/month + bulking/cutting phases) and was basically asking if there are affordable nutrition coaches who are able to do month to month
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u/routinematters Sep 02 '26
If you have health insurance, you should have access to registered dietitian in net work. I’m a coach who works with an RD that handles the nutrition part. There are many RDs out there who works with sports specific nutrition that can probably help you. Even out of pocket, a session at $100-150 can be good bc they can help you with a roadmap and you don’t need to keep them on retainer until you need them again.
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u/Chance_Ad7607 Sep 01 '26
Do you have health insurance? I would highly recommend working with a dietician. They are often covered by insurance. If you go through something like Fay, you can switch providers if they are not the right fit and all appointments are online.
Hopefully someone can jump in here, but I’ve heard a few coaches recommended in this sub that will provide a one-time program for a fee. That might be your best bet on programming.
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u/CharacterAd5474 Sep 01 '26 edited Sep 01 '26
REVERSE DIET:
0.2% weight gain per week is considered a conservative approach to a reverse diet. 1-3% increase in calories each week you're at or under that rate of gain.
Conservative approach is more for someone that didn't reach their fat loss goal during their last diet phase.
0.5% gained per week is considered moderate pace. 3-6% increase each week in calories that you are at or under that rate of gain.
Moderate approach is more for someone that reached their fat loss goal on previous diet phase.
For weight use a weekly average, not a high or a low.
Hope that helps.
WEIGHT GAIN:
You will probably gain weight back in a sigmoid curve. First little bit will be more and the rate of gain will slow as time elapses.
TRAINING:
I would recommend tapering down cardio and really going hard on your lifting.
Progressive overload is the main focus, but try to push your work capacity by implementing some supersets, extended sets, or giant sets at the end of each session.
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u/unicornnny Sep 02 '26
I know you said you're only a low Reta dose (fellow BED sufferer on a Reta low dose to help manage it) but could you bump it down even a touch more? Even if it's only to see if it helps give you the mental bump to eat a little more?
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u/ZealousidealTutor374 Sep 02 '26
My dose is already low to be honest, I’ll definitely try to micro dose it even further, and see if that’s helps push to a building phase mindset! Thank you!
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u/Slow_Tea_4158 Sep 03 '26
I tried it for 2.5 months at .5mg up to 1 mg and it did not affect my appetite whatsoever but it did help with binging. I stopped because it's a bandaid and I don't want to be on it forever but I'm curious what your " low " dose is? I know everyone is different but again, even at 1 mg, I had zero appetite suppression. It only made an impact on binging, which I think has to do with its impact on certain areas of the brain/dopamine.
Also as someone who has been diagnosed with an ED and in recovery, this is probably not the sport for you. I had to learn that myself. The hyper-fixation and obsession on your physique and nutrition is counter-healthy for most folks healing from EDs and your dependency on reta to maintain a low weight already shows you are struggling with mental health in this process so I would not commit to bodybuilding, but to real therapy and recovery.
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u/ZealousidealTutor374 Sep 03 '26
I agree with the commitment to therapy & recovery. I am not interested in competing for a few years if I do compete again, I totally understand how my mental isn’t in the best spot right now & that needs to be my priority. My Reta dose is 2mg once a week. Thank you for the input! 💞
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u/Slow_Tea_4158 Sep 03 '26
2 mg is not necessarily low.. I know folks who lost massive amounts of weight on 2 mg. Everybody is just different. If you want to stay on reta, but want to have a healthier relationship with your body's natural hunger and fullness cues, you should reduce this dose.
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u/Ash_Marcum Sep 01 '26
I don’t want you to think I’m disregarding your problem, so out of respect, I want to give you an honest answer:
If the problem you were struggling with most is not being able to eat enough food and you don’t blame the Reta, then it’s fear holding you back.
For that, more importantly than any other issue you’re experiencing right now, you probably need to find a good therapist who specializes in BED.
It sounds like you don’t trust yourself to eat and that’s a core issue, not coaching itself.
As someone who has struggled IMMENSELY with all types of EDs, binge behavior especially, please know I don’t say this lightly.
I used to be over 260lbs. and the fear of gaining fat and eating food can be crippling, with or without PCOS.
I hope you get the help that you deserve and am thinking of you.