When you drop weight, is it usually a result of previous week's dieting?

TurtleTop08

Reason I ask is because I was previously logging and restricting calories. Then went out with friends to a buffet. I'll admit, I went crazy. Like "binge on all the sweets and treats at a party" crazy. Plates and plates of food in one evening, much of it being calorie dense. Honestly, I didn't even know I was capable of eating that much. Mind you, this was after weeks of consistently dieting and logging with a calorie deficit. Ironically, the next day I was down 2 pounds! Was this a result of previous couple week's of dieting that finally "registered" or is there something about occasional overeating that seems to be more help than harm?

Tacklewasher

Read the first few pages of http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

You didn't see 2 lbs of fat loss, but yeah, your body can be holding onto excess water and you can drop it overnight. Sometimes a refeed will prompt this.

RoxieDawn

You had the scale down because of fat you lost several days (or weeks) ago, and you finally expelled the water that took its place. Its hard to trigger this response, a day or two refeed won't harm you, sometimes it will work and other times it may not.

Longer term refeeds/diet breaks (up to 2 weeks+) are good to take if you have been in a calorie deficit for longer periods of time and perhaps are at long stall. Reaching maintenance for a period of time will allow to resume calorie deficit at higher calories, helps take a mental diet break and psychically with resetting hormones, etc. The link above is a good read and the video too.