Losing weight after overeating?

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confettiplan
confettiplan Posts: 12
in Food and Nutrition
I had about three days of overeating at the weekend with various family events. I didn't go too overboard but still ate more calories than I think I burned. Yet I've lost more than a pound. I don't think it's that unusual but does anyone know why it happens?

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  • digitalsteel
    digitalsteel Posts: 374 Member
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    According to what I've read and believe, weight gain and weight loss are more a matter of hormones than the number of calories you consume.
  • lockef
    lockef Posts: 466
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    According to what I've read and believe, weight gain and weight loss are more a matter of hormones than the number of calories you consume.

    IBTL
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I think part of it is that spikes like that confuse your body because you're used to a set number of calories. I think it sort of keeps your body guessing. Notice I said I think . . . but it's always worked for me.
  • stefchica
    stefchica Posts: 257 Member
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    i'm no expert, but i'm pretty sure it has to do with the overload of calories in your system and your body pretty much fighting to burn them off. if your body is so used to eating a set number of calories and exercise then when you overload it , it sends a signal to your brain saying "THIS IS NOT NORMAL! TOO MUCH FAT! GOTTA BURN IT TO REACH NORMALCY!!" so its just burning them off more than ususal
  • cecekins
    cecekins Posts: 20 Member
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    The same thing happened to me. I've found that if I "zig zag" with my calories, then I lose 1/2 pound more per week. I keep under 1300 calories per day, but at least once a week I go over (maybe 1800-ish?). I think it's about "shocking" your metabolism so you don't hit a plateau.

    I think it's also better to change your "cheat day" (if you have a cheat day) every week. So don't cheat every Sunday, for example. Instead, one week cheat on Tuesday, the next on Friday, and so on. That way, your body doesn't get used to it.

    I'm no nutritionist or anything, so don't take my word for it. :) All I know is that it's worked for me so far.
  • Tujitsu56
    Tujitsu56 Posts: 392 Member
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    If you calorie count was previously too low or if you had been eating near the low end of your caloric requirements, you could have made your metabolism start to speed up by showing your body that you are going to give it more fuel. The body and how metabolism works is extremely complicated. This answer comes from some limited research I've done online, but it seems at times people purposely increased their caloric intake and started to loose weight. Not drastically increase though.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I had about three days of overeating at the weekend with various family events. I didn't go too overboard but still ate more calories than I think I burned. Yet I've lost more than a pound. I don't think it's that unusual but does anyone know why it happens?

    4173665.png
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    You would have to eat a considerable surplus to reliably effect scale weight. The reason your surplus doesn't necessarily reflect in the scale is likely due to water weight differences.
  • shesblossoming
    shesblossoming Posts: 426
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    The same thing happens to me. I was eating the same calories everyday and from time to time I would overeat (by A LOT), and I noticed I lost the same amount of weight, if not more. I think tricking your metabolism does it. If you eat the same amount of calories everyday, I'm sure your body gets used to it and when you do something like that, it snaps it back. Again, this is just from experience. That's why a lot of people love calorie cycling. When you have a different net intake everyday, your body never gets used to what you do. It's also how a lot of people break plateaus. Strange, because you would think you would have to eat less in order to lose.
  • FionaHelen
    FionaHelen Posts: 113 Member
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    somone once told me that what i eat this week shows on the scales next week!
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I think part of it is that spikes like that confuse your body because you're used to a set number of calories. I think it sort of keeps your body guessing. Notice I said I think . . . but it's always worked for me.

    It doesn't "confuse your body" or "keep it guessing". What happens is that eating at a calorie deficit for a long period of time will make your body think that you don't have access to enough food. That is why people experience plateaus where the weight loss stops. Having higher calorie days now and then (even one or two a week) lets your body know that you do have access to enough food and it keeps the fat burning processes going.
  • jmelyan23
    jmelyan23 Posts: 1,664 Member
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    I have no idea what the physiological explanation is for that, but I've experienced the same thing. I overate by a couple hundred calories 2-3 times in a week and I still lost 2 lbs.
  • TODJ06
    TODJ06 Posts: 85
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    I had about three days of overeating at the weekend with various family events. I didn't go too overboard but still ate more calories than I think I burned. Yet I've lost more than a pound. I don't think it's that unusual but does anyone know why it happens?

    4173665.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

    Congrats for still losing!! haha!

    I am unsure why this (losing weight whilst eating more calories than burned) happens.
    For me, in the past I may have eaten lots one week, but had no change on the scales... but the next week I may weigh more.
    Or one week I may do lots of exercise, but the scales may weigh more,.... then the following week doing less exercise, I may have a loss.... so who knows why all this happens!??!
    But as long as you are aware of what you are doing and what you are eating, and not just mindlessly consuming till you want to pop, well im sure you'll be fine! :D
  • aborgschulte
    aborgschulte Posts: 6
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    According to what I've read and believe, weight gain and weight loss are more a matter of hormones than the number of calories you consume.

    So you don't believe in the laws of thermodynamics?
  • HunterCML
    HunterCML Posts: 51
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    According to what I've read and believe, weight gain and weight loss are more a matter of hormones than the number of calories you consume.

    Can you please cite (with followable links) the sources you have read that lead you to believe that hormones somehow can completely negate daily energy balance?

    In case you missed my previous post from the other thread, please read this (and if you did, please reread it so you can maybe partially comprehend it).
    Let me educate you real fast. A calorie is a unit of energy. Your body uses calories (energy) for it's basic function and daily processes and tasks. The first Law of Thermodynamics states that energy can never be created or destroyed. What does this mean? Well, it means if you consume 2,000 calories and burn 2,500 calories in a day, the other 500 calories that you did not eat cannot just randomly manifest itself, and therefore is taken from your body. If you over consume calories in a way that there is more calories (over time) that your body can use for energy, it is stored.

    Some make the claim that a calorie is not a calorie.. well, yes and no. By definition all things are equal because a calorie is a standardized unit of energy. With relation to food the argument can be made that specific macronutrients undergo different metabolic pathways, some of which are more or less efficient resulting in variances in net caloric expenditure (this is referred to as the thermic effect of feeding in some cases). With that said, these miniscule variances are not enough to overthrow, disregard or demonize any particular macronutrient.

    While different macronutrients may, in short term, lead to different oxidation and storage processes by the body; in the long term they balance out.

    You lack a clear understanding of basic math/science/biochemistry/metabolic pathways, and you are nothing more than an ignorant alarmist who has no scientific evidence to back you claim, and no anecdotal evidence (nice avi.. lol) to lead anyone to believe you know anything about which you speak.

    If I were you, I would read some relevant studies.. or perhaps just attempt to educate yourself on nutritional basics.

    Please read this for a better understanding: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/nutrient-intake-nutrient-storage-and-nutrient-oxidation.html

    Hormonal imbalances and variances can of course affect total daily energy expenditure to some degree. However, to assert that hormones play a larger role on body weight than calories do is asinine. In the end it is still about energy balance; if hormonal responses raise or lower energy expenditure, you could compensate by energy (calorie) intake manipulation. All in all it is still about net energy balance.

    Do you understand yet or must I continue to publicly educate you?

    Please respond.
  • AeolianHarp
    AeolianHarp Posts: 463 Member
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    I have no idea what the physiological explanation is for that, but I've experienced the same thing. I overate by a couple hundred calories 2-3 times in a week and I still lost 2 lbs.

    The obvious answer is that you underestimate your caloric expenditure. I thought 2300 was my maintenance because I felt I was relatively sedentary outside of the gym but I end up finding out I have a high activity factor and I'm around 2800.
  • hulk6
    hulk6 Posts: 13
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    According to what I've read and believe, weight gain and weight loss are more a matter of hormones than the number of calories you consume.

    I really think you should read the stickies

    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=136691851
  • sawoobley
    sawoobley Posts: 2
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    Calorie confusion does not work. The thing that matters is weekly calories. If you have a big enough calorie deficit by the end of the week you see some weight loss. Some people do weekly refeeds or whatever to take a psychological break from dieting but shifting your calories or macros around will not help you. The one disclaimer to that is that there is a basic level of protein and fat which each person must hit or else body composition and general health can be affected. It is not necessary however to go to extremes and try and exclude a macronutrient or severely restrict it from your diet.

    Some people have a difficult time with the concept of energy balance for several reasons. If a person does not track their calories very accurately then a higher protein diet will be beneficial due to its beneficial effects on satiety which leads to better spontaneous calorie control meaning you tend to eat less without even thinking about it since your not as hungry. People also respond differently to an excess of food consumption due to variances in NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). Some people are more figgety in response to over eating and they spontaneously burn more calories whereas some of the rest of us do not. Watch the real skinny guys. Those suckers can never sit still or they just don't eat much. On the other hand some of us become slightly more lethargic when we restrict our caloric intake thus reducing the amount of calories burned which affects both sides of the energy equation and we don't see as much weight loss as we would like.

    I know it may seem like you are tricking your body into losing weight but it is more of a placebo effect than anything. It is important IMO to know what the real cause of weight gain and loss so you can maintain your results long term and avoid any unnecessary restrictive behavior than can affect the quality of your life.

    I recommend you guys do some reading here instead of fitness magazines:
    bodyrecomposition website (.com/articles)
  • poisongirl6485
    poisongirl6485 Posts: 1,487 Member
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    According to what I've read and believe, weight gain and weight loss are more a matter of hormones than the number of calories you consume.

    Say what? By this logic, calorie counting and exercising wouldn't do a damn thing for weight loss if it's driven by hormones.
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    I have noticed this myself a couple of times.

    I don't know what causes it. Some people here have claimed that zig-zagging your calorie intake somehow confuses your body's metabolism. It may be also that if you binge you get an upset tummy and end up pooping most of what you ate out.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    I had about three days of overeating at the weekend with various family events. I didn't go too overboard but still ate more calories than I think I burned. Yet I've lost more than a pound. I don't think it's that unusual but does anyone know why it happens?

    4173665.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
    If you've stayed in calorie deficit for a long enough time, then boosting your calories for a couple of days can raise your resting metabolic rate because of the influx of extra energy.

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