The recovery diet!

💥 The Recovery Diet: Why It’s Critical After Contest Prep

(Adapted from Team 3DMJ research — simplified for athletes and coaches)

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🧠 What It Is

After months of intense prep, your body is in survival mode — low hormones, high fatigue, poor sleep, mood swings, food obsession, and low metabolism.

The Recovery Diet is the intentional post-show phase that helps your body and mind return to normal before chasing more gains.

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🥗 Reverse Diet vs Recovery Diet

Reverse Diet: slowly adds calories back to maintain leanness. Often keeps you in a deficit too long, delaying recovery.

Recovery Diet: increases calories faster to restore hormones, performance, and mental balance.

👉 The goal isn’t to stay shredded — it’s to feel human again.

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⚡ Why It Matters

Staying too lean for too long leads to:

Low testosterone and loss of menses

Sluggish metabolism and thyroid function

Muscle loss and weakness

Poor sleep, mood swings, irritability

Disordered food focus or bingeing tendencies

Recovery brings these systems back online so you can train productively and build again.

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🍽️ How It Works

1️⃣ Immediate Surplus:

Increase calories 400–1,000 kcal above stage-prep levels.

Aim for ~5–10 % weight gain above stage condition over 4–6 weeks.

2️⃣ Phase 1 (Weeks 1–4):

Eat untracked, structured meals for 1 day post-show.

Then hit protein + calorie targets; regain weight steadily.

3️⃣ Phase 2 (Weeks 4–6):

Transition toward a mild surplus and more relaxed tracking.

Gradually restore energy, libido, mood, and sleep.

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💪 Training & Cardio

Reduce excess cardio immediately.

Keep training intensity but avoid high volume at first.

Focus on performance recovery, not fat loss.

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😬 Fear of Weight Gain

Feeling anxious about gaining weight after being stage-lean is normal — but staying in a deficit keeps you stuck.

Remember: you’re recovering, not regressing.

Leanness is for the stage, not for long-term health.

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📊 Transition to Off-Season

After recovery, move into a controlled offseason:

Track protein + calories within a ±100 kcal range.

Loosen precision gradually (protein → total calories → habit-based).

Maintain a slower rate of gain (≈ 0.5–1.5 % body weight / month).

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🧭 Summary Guidelines

✅ Start the recovery diet immediately after your final show.

✅ Gain 5–10 % of stage weight within 4–6 weeks.

✅ Focus on energy, health, and performance, not abs.

✅ Transition to a sustainable offseason plan once biofeedback normalizes.

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🏁 In Closing

The Recovery Diet bridges contest prep and offseason success.

It’s not about losing discipline — it’s about restoring the body so discipline actually works again.

By recovering first, you’ll:

Rebuild muscle faster

Train harder

Stay mentally healthy

Set yourself up for your best future prep

Information was provided by Dr Eric Helms at 3DJM