crazy weight loss after vacation - why?

I'm not an expert... but I think by doing this you get your body is thinking that it has alot of calories of burn so increases your metabolism and when you get back to normal it's burning more than normal. It's kinda like the reverse effect of starvation mode when your body holds onto calories because it's not getting very many. Alot of people do high calorie days to break a plateau.

Good job!

I am guessing at this, but from my reading a prolonged calorie deficit severely reduces the hormone Leptin. Leptin is one of the hormones that is responsible for weight loss. The extra eating you did increased your Leptin levels, thus making weight loss easier at least for a little while. There are whole diet programs designed around this process like Cheat your Way Thin and Xtreme Fat Loss Diet. I know the second of those is not meant as a long term program, but it meant to get off fat quickly while sparing muscle this is for a limited time 25 days, and specific fat loss, say to get lots of muscle definition for some event.

The other possibility is that you did very well calorie wise while on vacation, but the sodium was high so you retained water making it look like you didn't lose anything. Now that you are back to your normal diet, that weight loss has shown itself.

You could have just shocked your system and metabolism. It is why some say it is good to zig zag your calories or have a high calorie day every so often to keep your metabolism guessing. When you eat relatively the same amount of calories day in and day out your metabolism adjust and gets used to it. High calorie days throw it off and make it work harder to keep up. Just be careful because it will eventually adjust to high calories if you have too many high calorie days in a row

This exact thing happened to a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago. We went to the beach for a few days, and although we didn't go crazy on the eating, and we walked and bicycled a good bit, we did eat some good vacation food! She went to her WW weigh-in the day after we got back and had gained a pound. However, the next week she had lost 6 pounds. Weird!

Thanks for all the insight!

I love that it's *good* to go off plan for a few days here and there! It works mentally and physically for me, you know?

I do think the sodium aspect is a possibilty for part of it too, since I was eating at a resort buffet and really have no idea what was in some of those things.

Yes it is very good for the mind to not have to be accountable every once in a while. I have days where I go over just to go over and have a "day off" and look at where I am at....55lbs down so apparently its working here!! I have yet to *knock on wood* hit a plateau even. Not sure if its related but who knows.

And yes...it could also have a sodium aspect to it. Did you drink a lot of water once you were home? You could have flushed out all that excess sodium and thus lost some water weight as well

Metabolism burns fat for energy, and the two things that increase metabolism are muscle and food. It's why I double my calories once very week on my Spike Day. It shocks my body, restores glycogen and leptin.
Good job, it's fun having a time to splurge and yet still lose weight.

So the body is truly a mysterious thing...

Two weeks ago we went on vacation. We were moderately active, and I didn't completely lose my head, but I did eat desserts and other treats and I didn't track food with MFP.

After that week, my weight was the same. So far so good, made sense.

The FOLLOWING week (last week), I went back onto my normal MFP program, and had a couple days where I went over a bit but mostly within goal.

Today I weigh myself and in one week, my body has shed 6 pounds. Who baby. Why?

Is it something about going off plan for a week? I'm schocked. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy, but it's odd, no?

Anne

This isn't uncommon if you've been on a consistent calorie deficit for awhile. I teach clients to "cycle" their carbs to get the same results weekly.

A few years ago I went on a vacation to disney world for 2 days and then a 5 day cruise, I didn't pay attention to what I ate and didn't eat to a plan either. But I came home and lost 4lbs even with eating all of that rich food. Why? I walked a bazillion miles. All the walking around Disney world, then the cruise ship and all of the ports of call. I did way more walking than I ever do on my daily routine. This might be what happened to you as well.

I went on vacation last week. We went to Disneyland and did a ton of walking but also ate way more than I have been. I tried to eat good for about 2 days and then I just went to eating whatever I felt like.

I came back and was about dead even but each day this week I have lost weight. So I think it does your body some good to let lose now and again and zig-zag your calories. Your metabolism thinks it has to burn at a higher rate after the calorie increase.

Good for you and build in a crazy couple of days now and again to keep your body guessing.