We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Lost two pounds after a weekend binge?

memeify
memeify Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys, I'm extremely confused. For three days in a row, I binged and consumed about 1,500 over my maintenance every single day. When I checked my weight today, I lost two pounds. Can someone explain what happened, and if it's going to stay? Thanks! (I'm 99% sure water weight or something comes into play here, but I'm still lost.)

Replies

  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    Depending on when you weighed yourself, it may be a fluctuation. Or you calculated maintenance wrong. Or overestimated your logging of 1500 calories.

    A lot of factors can be involved. Even dehydration can make you lose 2lbs.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    It depends on what you did the rest of the week. ;)
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Fluctuations of +/- 5 lbs are not uncommon due to retaining water/waste/etc. A loss though, I'd take the win and go forward not worrying about it. Maybe you're weighing in too often? If I can keep my metabolism in check (eating at the same times, staying within my goals, working out at my normal times, etc.) an overindulgence usually doesn't bother me either. I'll be honest though, I usually see a 2lb gain but it's temporary. Look at your goals over the course of a week. You may have been over 1500 for 3 days but what about the other 4, were you under your TDEE those days? If so you're still going to lose weight over the course of a week.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    I have experienced this as well although it wasn't a binge. I just eat at or slightly over my maintenance and whoosh I loose a few lbs especially if I'd been sorta stuck for a couple of weeks.

    I can't explain it but it's happened on a couple of occasions in the 5 months I've been counting calories. I'm pretty careful not to go over my maintenance too much though.

    Also it has backfired as well. I ate maintenance this weekend and I'm up 4 lbs so it does work both ways. I know it's not fat but water retainage from the extra sodium and it will go back down in a few days.
  • LegacyLion
    LegacyLion Posts: 25 Member
    I weigh myself through out weigh in day (from waking up to going to sleep) then I find the min and max and see what the medium and average to get a better estimate. I would definitely recommend it.
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
    edited December 2016
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Because weight loss and weight management doesn't really have anything to do with a specific day or two or whatever, it's about what is happening most of the time. It's not a linear function...you don't just drop calories for a day or two and lose weight...you don't just up calories for a few days and put on weight...that's not how your body works.

    So very true. I tell people to see it like a checkbook that you balance monthly.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited December 2016
    This never happens for me.. if i overeat it will show on the scale the next day or two, and always higher, never lower :(
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
    This never happens for me.. if i overeat it will show on the scale the next day or two, and always higher, never lower :(

    I'm up the day after and then my weight drops at 48 hours on.
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
    Russellb97 wrote: »
    This never happens for me.. if i overeat it will show on the scale the next day or two, and always higher, never lower :(

    I'm up the day after and then my weight drops at 48 hours on.

    Interesting. I'll be testing out this theory on the 27th of this month.
    But i don't think even 1000 whoosh fairies are going to save me from the damage I'm going to do :lol:

    Whoosh fairies are cute.
    I ate about 25,000 calories from Thanksgiving through Sunday and I've lost 5lbs since the day before Thanksgiving. I'm not at 195lbs my lowest weight since I was 11.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Whoooooooosh.
  • beaglebrandon
    beaglebrandon Posts: 97 Member
    If you overeat AND drink - you make yourself dehydrated and lose pounds.

    Example: Eat a 1/2 pizza and 20 wings... about 3,000 calories. You'd normally gain 1 pound.

    Now, combine that with 8oz of whiskey. (1,000 calories)...

    That's now 4,000 calories. But the whiskey dehydrates you and causes you to lose 2 pounds (32 oz) of water weight.

    You've 'lost' 1 pound after all this.

    The next day you eat 1,500 calories of food and lots of water...

    You'll see that after 'binging' you lost 1 pound, but after 'dieting' you gained 2 pounds. But it was all water weight that fooled you.
  • lady_ghost
    lady_ghost Posts: 175 Member
    memeify wrote: »
    Hi guys, I'm extremely confused. For three days in a row, I binged and consumed about 1,500 over my maintenance every single day. When I checked my weight today, I lost two pounds. Can someone explain what happened, and if it's going to stay? Thanks! (I'm 99% sure water weight or something comes into play here, but I'm still lost.)

    Sounds like you had a refeed. How it works is everyday u eat low calorie diet and then one day of the week or once every two weeks or once a month you eat 300-500 calories more over ur diet- mostly carbs. It makes you loose weight like craxy. I try and do have and do and do refeed once and do month. They do say online to limit ur fat during refeeds cus it makes you bloated. But if you try this strategy once a month or even twice a month while drinking lots of water you will see faster results in ur weight loss journey
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    lady_ghost wrote: »
    memeify wrote: »
    Hi guys, I'm extremely confused. For three days in a row, I binged and consumed about 1,500 over my maintenance every single day. When I checked my weight today, I lost two pounds. Can someone explain what happened, and if it's going to stay? Thanks! (I'm 99% sure water weight or something comes into play here, but I'm still lost.)

    Sounds like you had a refeed. How it works is everyday u eat low calorie diet and then one day of the week or once every two weeks or once a month you eat 300-500 calories more over ur diet- mostly carbs. It makes you loose weight like craxy. I try and do have and do and do refeed once and do month. They do say online to limit ur fat during refeeds cus it makes you bloated. But if you try this strategy once a month or even twice a month while drinking lots of water you will see faster results in ur weight loss journey

    That is fairly misguided information.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    There's a thing called "dieter's edema". Essentially, the calorie deficit stresses your body so your body produces cortisol (a stress hormone). Cortisol makes you retain water. A day of eating over maintenance lowers your cortisol levels and "whoosh!" off comes the water weight.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    lady_ghost wrote: »
    memeify wrote: »
    Hi guys, I'm extremely confused. For three days in a row, I binged and consumed about 1,500 over my maintenance every single day. When I checked my weight today, I lost two pounds. Can someone explain what happened, and if it's going to stay? Thanks! (I'm 99% sure water weight or something comes into play here, but I'm still lost.)

    Sounds like you had a refeed. How it works is everyday u eat low calorie diet and then one day of the week or once every two weeks or once a month you eat 300-500 calories more over ur diet- mostly carbs. It makes you loose weight like craxy. I try and do have and do and do refeed once and do month. They do say online to limit ur fat during refeeds cus it makes you bloated. But if you try this strategy once a month or even twice a month while drinking lots of water you will see faster results in ur weight loss journey

    That is fairly misguided information.

    I think this explains why the scale is jumping around .. not really a plan to loose weight tho .. the calorie deficit does that .. it also may explain why some people think that have to eat more to lose weight ..they have a big meal and drop a couple pounds ..

    Good luck
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Sorry if I missed somebody else mentioning this but an uptick in calories usually means more food in the GI tract, which means that things get pushed on through and out. If you eat low calorie and go a few days between bowel movements, suddenly eating a lot and then going a lot can end in weight loss.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Sorry if I missed somebody else mentioning this but an uptick in calories usually means more food in the GI tract, which means that things get pushed on through and out. If you eat low calorie and go a few days between bowel movements, suddenly eating a lot and then going a lot can end in weight loss.

    That's a good point ..maybe I am a little anal watching my weight lol pun intended.

    Good luck
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    edited December 2016
    jemhh wrote: »
    Sorry if I missed somebody else mentioning this but an uptick in calories usually means more food in the GI tract, which means that things get pushed on through and out. If you eat low calorie and go a few days between bowel movements, suddenly eating a lot and then going a lot can end in weight loss.



    This isn't entirely true. I eat very low calorie many days and those days my bathroom habits do not change. Low calorie does not always mean low quantity.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Sorry if I missed somebody else mentioning this but an uptick in calories usually means more food in the GI tract, which means that things get pushed on through and out. If you eat low calorie and go a few days between bowel movements, suddenly eating a lot and then going a lot can end in weight loss.



    This isn't entirely true. I eat very low calorie many days and those days my bathroom habits do not change. Low calorie does not always mean low quantity.

    Nobody said it always does.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    edited December 2016
    jemhh wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    Sorry if I missed somebody else mentioning this but an uptick in calories usually means more food in the GI tract, which means that things get pushed on through and out. If you eat low calorie and go a few days between bowel movements, suddenly eating a lot and then going a lot can end in weight loss.



    This isn't entirely true. I eat very low calorie many days and those days my bathroom habits do not change. Low calorie does not always mean low quantity.

    Nobody said it always does.

    You did say a calorie increase usually means more food in the GI tract thus pushing what ever in in there out. This is not true because calorie count does not always reflect the amount of food eaten. Perhaps some greater volume of food "could" cause that for some people. But it has nothing to do with calories. It is volume you mean to refer to. There is a huge difference in calories and volume.
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
    If you overeat AND drink - you make yourself dehydrated and lose pounds.

    Example: Eat a 1/2 pizza and 20 wings... about 3,000 calories. You'd normally gain 1 pound.

    Now, combine that with 8oz of whiskey. (1,000 calories)...

    That's now 4,000 calories. But the whiskey dehydrates you and causes you to lose 2 pounds (32 oz) of water weight.

    You've 'lost' 1 pound after all this.

    The next day you eat 1,500 calories of food and lots of water...

    You'll see that after 'binging' you lost 1 pound, but after 'dieting' you gained 2 pounds. But it was all water weight that fooled you.

    Lol just check your calories and measurements on alcohol and be specific on brand. An ounce of jack daniels is 65 calories, random "whisky" is 71 per ounce. You'll often see them measured by "shot" which is 1.5 ounces.

    Therefore 8 ounces of random whisky is 568 calories. Not 1,000.

    Thought at that point I've stopped counting. :-)
This discussion has been closed.