Why does my weight drop after I eat more?

jonnythan

Twice in the past 1.5 months or so, my weight has dropped significantly in the days after an increase in calorie consumption. It then levels off or increases. I normally eat TDEE - 500.

I don't recall having experienced this during weight loss before, but I may not have been paying attention.

I'm trying to understand why this is happening. Let me give some numbers:

My weight had held steady at about 160 from February 24 to March 13. On March 13 and 16 I ate a ton of food; from March 13 to March 19 the scale dropped to about 157.5 and then stayed there. It rebounded a bit to about 158.5 for a couple of days. Then I increased my calorie goal by 200 on the 26th. On the 27th the weight dropped to below 157 and stayed there yesterday and today.

This is obviously sort of the opposite of what I'd expect. I'd expect weight to bounce up after maintenance days as glycogen gets fully replenished and whatnot. Mine bounces down.

I want to note that I'm not concerned about this or anything. I just want to understand why this happens.

bajoyba

I don't have the answer, but this has also happened to me a couple of times. Not that I'm complaining!

tobejune

it happens to cause me jealousy

witchieboo

By eat just 500 calories a day you are putting your body into starvation mode. Women need at least 1200 calorie and men 1500 calorie just for the body to function.

bajoyba

By eat just 500 calories a day you are putting your body into starvation mode. Women need at least 1200 calorie and men 1500 calorie just for the body to function.

He's not eating 500 calories a day. He's eating TDEE minus 500, which is basically maintenance calories minus 500. His point is that he's lost a fairly solid amount of weight eating MORE than this amount.
I typically eat 1800-1900 calories a day and have also lost weight a couple times by going over my normal calorie goal.

jonnythan

it happens to cause me jealousy

You know, June... sometimes I feel I'm not a positive influence in your life.

WADELOGAN

I get this too. It is weird, I can watch what I eat all week and lost little then on a day I over eat and feel all bad about it, I wake up with a big loss. For instance if I eat Mc Donalds quarter pounder meal---every time after I wake up like 3 lbs less than the day before. Obviously I know I wouldnt be able to do this daily to keep losing.


In my opinion, I think it is just our bodies probably getting the calories we are suppose to get and on the othe days we are probably not eating enough, making our bodies think we are
starving, so we store the fat.
Just my thoughts, no testing on this.


We probably are not eating enough, although we think we are and are bodies think they need to hold on to everything.




Good Luck to you all

jonnythan

I get this too. It is weird, I can watch what I eat all week and lost little then on a day I over eat and feel all bad about it, I wake up with a big loss. For instance if I eat Mc Donalds quarter pounder meal---every time after I wake up like 3 lbs less than the day before. Obviously I know I wouldnt be able to do this daily to keep losing.


In my opinion, I think it is just our bodies probably getting the calories we are suppose to get and on the othe days we are probably not eating enough, making our bodies think we are
starving, so we store the fat.
Just my thoughts, no testing on this.


We probably are not eating enough, although we think we are and are bodies think they need to hold on to everything.




Good Luck to you all

Well you're obviously not shedding 3 lbs of fat overnight after eating a Big Mac! The weight lost must be retained water or something I guess.

Is there some relationship between calorie deficit and retaining water?

jonnythan

Here's an interesting article about whooshes, but not specifically about eating more. Saw it posted in Eat, Train, Progress.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html

cmeiron

This happens to me too. I find that an "over-feed" about once every 2 weeks seems to result in a drop in numbers about 2 days later. Weird, but I'll take it

jenns1964

It happens to me, also. So I don't stress about going over.

woodsy0912

Bump! This has happened to me a couple times in the past couple months.

jonnythan

It happens to me, also. So I don't stress about going over.

Absolutely not stressed about it. I really want to know what the physiology here is though.

CristinaL1983

http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/how-to-deal-with-water-retention-part.html

This article doesn't discuss the exact biological mechanism but the important point is

At the start of the study, the men were losing weight linearly, dropping about 2 lbs per week. However, after some time the weight loss became erratic and unpredictable. No longer was it linear, but rather it occurred in "bursts" with long periods of plateaus. The researchers overseeing the experiment noted that water retention was noticeable in most men and in some cases quite severe.

Half-way through the study the men were allowed a relief dinner to celebrate their progress. One big meal of 2300 kcal was served; roasted chicken, potatoes, gravy and strawberry shortcake. That night everyone got up more often than usual to urinate. The next day they discovered that they had each lost several pounds.

This was not a one-time occurrence. When the experiment was over and the refeeding phase began, the men continued to drop weight at an accelerated rate until calories were increased substantially.

What I want you to take away from this is the following:

* Refeeding can cause rapid weight loss, a whoosh. This seems counter intuitive, but it's a phenomenon observed in the scientific literature and retold by many dieters. My clients experience this, and so do people embarking on diet regimens where planned carb refeeds are integral parts of the plan (for example, The Ultimate Diet 2.0).

* In my experience, the more severe and rigorous the diet, the higher the likelihood of retaining water. In simple terms, higher calorie deficits usually result in more erratic, non-linear weight loss. This is not a proven fact, but rather a hypothesis based on what I have observed throughout the years - and it has some backing if we look at the weight loss curve observed in starvation and studies like The Minnesota Experiment.

* The hypothesis has credibility if we look at the hormonal response to starvation diets. "Starvation diets" in this context simply mean any diet approach that results in a very high weekly caloric deficit created through diet and/or exercise. This is perceived as a significant stress to the body, to which it responds with chronically raised levels of cortisol. Some cortisol is great, but too much of it is very bad; and studies suggest that cortisol increases in a dose-dependent manner related to the calorie deficit. Prolonged elevations of cortisol can lead to massive water retention. If you've ever been treated with hydrocortisone, a pharmaceutical form of cortisol, you know what I mean.

Basically, the answer seems to be water retention. I read somewhere that as glycogenolysis increases during calorie restriction, water weight also increases. Because more water will be required during increased glycogen usage. A rapid decrease in glycogenolysis would lead to a rapid decrease in water. I still cannot find a source for that so I cannot back it up with anything.

magerum

I'm going with wizardry...



Seriously though, it's just a miracle of human biology and a prime example of how non-linear this whole deal is. The article you saw on bodyrecomp is a good one that kinda' explains it.

jonnythan

http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/how-to-deal-with-water-retention-part.html

This article doesn't discuss the exact biological mechanism but the important point is

At the start of the study, the men were losing weight linearly, dropping about 2 lbs per week. However, after some time the weight loss became erratic and unpredictable. No longer was it linear, but rather it occurred in "bursts" with long periods of plateaus. The researchers overseeing the experiment noted that water retention was noticeable in most men and in some cases quite severe.

Half-way through the study the men were allowed a relief dinner to celebrate their progress. One big meal of 2300 kcal was served; roasted chicken, potatoes, gravy and strawberry shortcake. That night everyone got up more often than usual to urinate. The next day they discovered that they had each lost several pounds.

This was not a one-time occurrence. When the experiment was over and the refeeding phase began, the men continued to drop weight at an accelerated rate until calories were increased substantially.

What I want you to take away from this is the following:

* Refeeding can cause rapid weight loss, a whoosh. This seems counter intuitive, but it's a phenomenon observed in the scientific literature and retold by many dieters. My clients experience this, and so do people embarking on diet regimens where planned carb refeeds are integral parts of the plan (for example, The Ultimate Diet 2.0).

* In my experience, the more severe and rigorous the diet, the higher the likelihood of retaining water. In simple terms, higher calorie deficits usually result in more erratic, non-linear weight loss. This is not a proven fact, but rather a hypothesis based on what I have observed throughout the years - and it has some backing if we look at the weight loss curve observed in starvation and studies like The Minnesota Experiment.

* The hypothesis has credibility if we look at the hormonal response to starvation diets. "Starvation diets" in this context simply mean any diet approach that results in a very high weekly caloric deficit created through diet and/or exercise. This is perceived as a significant stress to the body, to which it responds with chronically raised levels of cortisol. Some cortisol is great, but too much of it is very bad; and studies suggest that cortisol increases in a dose-dependent manner related to the calorie deficit. Prolonged elevations of cortisol can lead to massive water retention. If you've ever been treated with hydrocortisone, a pharmaceutical form of cortisol, you know what I mean.

Basically, the answer seems to be water retention. I read somewhere that as glycogenolysis increases during calorie restriction, water weight also increases. Because more water will be required during increased glycogen usage. A rapid decrease in glycogenolysis would lead to a rapid decrease in water. I still cannot find a source for that so I cannot back it up with anything.

You mentioned that on my status a few days ago, and it was interesting. I was hoping someone could come up with something a bit authoritative. It's a reasonable explanation, certainly, and I suppose I'll have to run with it. Thanks for the quote.

rabblerabble

I eat 5-6 meals every day. (Usually a lean protein, low glycemic carb, low fat). I strive to NEVER eat/snack in between those meals, not even the smallest tidbit. Down about 21 pounds since the middle of December (and a few pounds in the last few weeks since I joined MFP). Idea is constant fuel keeps my metabolism boosted all day.

If 5-6 meals seems like a lot, consider someone who eats breakfast, has a donut in the break room at 10, goes to lunch, has a candy bar or bag of chips from the vending machine in the later afternoon, eats dinner, and has a bag of popcorn while watching late night TV. That is 6 meals, with at least 3 of them (depending on what they eat for the 3 standard meals) being complete garbage.

Working out 6 days a week too of course which helps.

CristinaL1983

http://www.leangains.com/2010/01/how-to-deal-with-water-retention-part.html

This article doesn't discuss the exact biological mechanism but the important point is

At the start of the study, the men were losing weight linearly, dropping about 2 lbs per week. However, after some time the weight loss became erratic and unpredictable. No longer was it linear, but rather it occurred in "bursts" with long periods of plateaus. The researchers overseeing the experiment noted that water retention was noticeable in most men and in some cases quite severe.

Half-way through the study the men were allowed a relief dinner to celebrate their progress. One big meal of 2300 kcal was served; roasted chicken, potatoes, gravy and strawberry shortcake. That night everyone got up more often than usual to urinate. The next day they discovered that they had each lost several pounds.

This was not a one-time occurrence. When the experiment was over and the refeeding phase began, the men continued to drop weight at an accelerated rate until calories were increased substantially.

What I want you to take away from this is the following:

* Refeeding can cause rapid weight loss, a whoosh. This seems counter intuitive, but it's a phenomenon observed in the scientific literature and retold by many dieters. My clients experience this, and so do people embarking on diet regimens where planned carb refeeds are integral parts of the plan (for example, The Ultimate Diet 2.0).

* In my experience, the more severe and rigorous the diet, the higher the likelihood of retaining water. In simple terms, higher calorie deficits usually result in more erratic, non-linear weight loss. This is not a proven fact, but rather a hypothesis based on what I have observed throughout the years - and it has some backing if we look at the weight loss curve observed in starvation and studies like The Minnesota Experiment.

* The hypothesis has credibility if we look at the hormonal response to starvation diets. "Starvation diets" in this context simply mean any diet approach that results in a very high weekly caloric deficit created through diet and/or exercise. This is perceived as a significant stress to the body, to which it responds with chronically raised levels of cortisol. Some cortisol is great, but too much of it is very bad; and studies suggest that cortisol increases in a dose-dependent manner related to the calorie deficit. Prolonged elevations of cortisol can lead to massive water retention. If you've ever been treated with hydrocortisone, a pharmaceutical form of cortisol, you know what I mean.

Basically, the answer seems to be water retention. I read somewhere that as glycogenolysis increases during calorie restriction, water weight also increases. Because more water will be required during increased glycogen usage. A rapid decrease in glycogenolysis would lead to a rapid decrease in water. I still cannot find a source for that so I cannot back it up with anything.

You mentioned that on my status a few days ago, and it was interesting. I was hoping someone could come up with something a bit authoritative. It's a reasonable explanation, certainly, and I suppose I'll have to run with it. Thanks for the quote.

Yeah, I tried looking for the source but I cannot find it right now. I have two projects due today that I should have started last week so I don't have time for an exhaustive search for a source. A quick google led me to articles that show increased glycogen storage for endurance athletes and complete breakdowns for the biological mechanism for glycogenolysis but not what I was looking for. I'll look again later tonight and if I find it, I'll post it.

LoggingForLife

This happens to me as well, which is why I will be refeeding all day on Sunday on chocolate Easter bunnies and hot cross buns.

woodsy0912

Ya I plan on having quite a high calorie day today. I will be having BBQ and lots of easter chocolate.

I'll just consider it an experiment for, you know....science!

dianeb613

Well given that I gained 1.2 this week and was probably right where I should be calorie wise, I am just throwing caution to the wind today and see if I get rewarded next weigh in. LOL