After competitive bodybuilding, athletes who eat more calories each day tend to see a larger increase in their resting metabolic rate, with every extra 100 calories per day linked to a 16–18 kcal/day...

We analyzed the available evidence and found that, so far, 44 assertions support the idea that eating more calories after a competition is linked to a higher resting metabolic rate in natural physique athletes. No assertions in our review contradicted this. The evidence we’ve reviewed suggests that when these athletes increase their daily calorie intake after competing, their bodies appear to burn more calories at rest. Specifically, for every extra 100 calories consumed per day, resting metabolic rate increased by about 16 to 18 kcal per day — even after accounting for changes in muscle mass [1]. This means the rise in metabolism doesn’t seem to be just from gaining more muscle; something else about the increased energy intake may be influencing how the body uses energy when it’s not active. We want to be clear: this is based on 44 assertions, not controlled experiments or long-term studies. We don’t know yet if this effect lasts, how consistent it is across different individuals, or whether it’s directly caused by the extra calories or tied to other factors like hormonal shifts or recovery patterns. What we’ve found so far leans toward the idea that post-competition overfeeding may help restore metabolic function, but we don’t yet have enough detail to say why or how reliably this happens. For natural physique athletes coming off a competition, this suggests that gradually increasing food intake might help their bodies return to a more normal energy-burning state — but it’s not a guarantee, and individual responses may vary.