Weight falls after cheat days?

2

Replies

  • Suzanne106
    Suzanne106 Posts: 149 Member
    The same thing happens to me as well. I think it's because you are not working your muscles and afterall muscle does weigh more than fat. Don't worry about it and don't put too much stock into it, just be happy with it :bigsmile:
  • sparklyball
    sparklyball Posts: 93 Member
    bump
  • Cold_Steel
    Cold_Steel Posts: 897 Member
    This phenomena is something that my doctor has actually requested that I do. She calls it metabolism spiking. Eating the same calorie content day in and day out seems to make me stay the same day in and day out, yeah I lose some but the drastic loss has been when I really EFF with my metabolism. I never go over but I do what I can do go between 1000 and my max allotted with weight loss. So one day I ll do 1000 the next day I ll do like 1900 the next day 1600 and really try to focus on accurate counts.

    Seems to work for me. It works in vice versa with me I will stick at say 1800 every day, then I go to 1200 and viola loss of weight. Usually it is the opposite though I am at 1400 every day for a week then I spike to 1900 or 2000 and I drop like 4 lbs in one day.

    It works for me, Im not saying it works for every one. I am not a doctor, I just play one in bed.
  • BobbyClerici
    BobbyClerici Posts: 813 Member
    Sometimes a good feeding shocks your metabolism, and you can reset your internal thermostat that's often fooled into thinking our diets are a famine. Once that happens metabolism shuts down, so do as I do, and once each week, I eat like a horse. ENJOY!
  • LethaSue
    LethaSue Posts: 285 Member
    What ever it is, it cant be fat. It can be water or solids that have not made it out of your body yet. But actual fat cannot form in a few hours. It cannot disolve in a few hours either.
  • eddyca
    eddyca Posts: 153 Member
    It's not fat loss, it's water.

    It's because after a cheat day, your body taps into your glycogen stores for energy the next time you have a calorie deficit. For every ounce of glycogen, it takes 3 ounces of water to store it. But after a few days, your body puts the glycogen (and the water) back.

    That makes no sense. I understand the process, but this is the reverse. If what you said is the case weight should go up right after the cheat day when those glycogen stores are replenished, then slowly drop as those stores are used up and the water is no longer needed to store the glycogen. I think you have this backward.

    To the original poster, what is your calorie deficit set at for the week? Maybe you need to reduce it to something smaller.
    ^^^ best advise EVER
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    It's not fat loss, it's water.

    It's because after a cheat day, your body taps into your glycogen stores for energy the next time you have a calorie deficit. For every ounce of glycogen, it takes 3 ounces of water to store it. But after a few days, your body puts the glycogen (and the water) back.

    ETA this is also why people often lose 4-10 pound their first week on a diet. When you first go into a calorie deficit, the body thinks it's temporary so it uses our glycogen stores. After a while, the body figures out it's not temporary and starts burning fat instead. At that point, the glycogen gets put back (along with the water) and that's why many people don't lose the second week (or don't lose as much)>

    I've never heard of this before, I I guess i will get to googling. Thanks!
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    It's not fat loss, it's water.

    It's because after a cheat day, your body taps into your glycogen stores for energy the next time you have a calorie deficit. For every ounce of glycogen, it takes 3 ounces of water to store it. But after a few days, your body puts the glycogen (and the water) back.

    That makes no sense. I understand the process, but this is the reverse. If what you said is the case weight should go up right after the cheat day when those glycogen stores are replenished, then slowly drop as those stores are used up and the water is no longer needed to store the glycogen. I think you have this backward.

    To the original poster, what is your calorie deficit set at for the week? Maybe you need to reduce it to something smaller.

    I have my deficit set at 1 pound loss a week. About halfway through my weight loss I bumped it down from 2 lbs a week because of a plateau, so maybe I need to move it down to .5 a week now that I'm closer to my goal. Thanks for the idea!
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    gawd I hate when weight drops after a cheat day. Then everytime I want to cheat again I think "well what about that one time my weight DROPPED after eating this stuff?" It makes it feel okay...

    I know! Its not the kind of encouragement that I need!
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    I think you should try zigzagging for a week or two. Keep your weekly average on target but over eat some days and under-eat others, it fools your body into thinking your not starving yourself. I cant explain how it works but it did for me. And make sure you are eating the calories you burn, and vary what you eat. My husband, who is stuck at 4lb off his target has a tendency to repeat his meals with boring regularity and is now trying to mix it up a bit, again so his body doesn't plateau .

    Thank you. Maybe my body is just getting too accustomed to what I've been doing and needs a change.
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    I'm not claiming to be an expert here but this sounds like zigzagging. Long explanation short, zigzagging is eating the same amount of calories 6 days a week, then one day, you spike your calories. It's apparently because you are "shocking" your metabolism. Google "zigzagging" It's a really popular diet technique. When my weight stops, I zigzag for a few weeks, and it usually drops.

    here's a helpful website that will calculate your "zig-zag" calorie schedule

    Thanks. Any idea how I can keep the result of this going? It seems like I am just bouncing the same few pounds around. As soon as I start back the 6 days of calorie controlled eating, my weight goes right back to where it was.
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    Go to bodyrecomposition.com and read Lyle's series on Leptin for a better understanding of this. Last time I tried to quote it I butchered it badly, but in short, Leptin is a hormone in the fat cells and it plays a role in fat loss. When you eat at a deficit for long periods, Leptin can decrease and this can slow fat loss. Doing a refeed (carbohydrate spike) can bump Leptin levels back up which then has the potential to start fat loss going again. Cheat days can accomplish this.

    Thanks for the resource, I will read into this. It makes sense, but the fat loss doesn't keep going. It goes back up as soon as I continue eating at 1500.
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    Go to bodyrecomposition.com and read Lyle's series on Leptin for a better understanding of this. Last time I tried to quote it I butchered it badly, but in short, Leptin is a hormone in the fat cells and it plays a role in fat loss. When you eat at a deficit for long periods, Leptin can decrease and this can slow fat loss. Doing a refeed (carbohydrate spike) can bump Leptin levels back up which then has the potential to start fat loss going again. Cheat days can accomplish this.

    This is why I lost weight by not eating my exercise calories and sticking to 1200 calories (gasp!). I had/have binge days a few times a month....and when I say binge, I mean BINGE.....like too much to log. It keeps me from getting burnt out on being perfect all the time. :bigsmile:

    Thanks for the input. The way you are doing it was the way I lost the first 1/2 of my weight and then it stopped working and thats originally bumped up to 1500. Looks like I need to refigure everything again.
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    Sometimes you have just gotta trust your gut, literally. I have had that, where there are days that I don't get to log everything I eat or see how many calories I have burned - but apparently I only ate when I was hungry and managed to lose a couple pounds. Sometimes I think that thinking about it all of the time makes us want to eat more than we really need to. Although, that usually is only good for me for about a week and then I better start tracking again because I fall into my old habits of eating when I really shouldn't.

    Yes, for sure. I feel like that is what helped me survive Thanksgiving!
  • Captain_Mal
    Captain_Mal Posts: 945 Member
    funny-pictures-beaver-is-gratuitous.jpg
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    When you cheat, your often get a whoosh - which is water weight being shed from fat cells.

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

    Thanks, I'll read this!
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Cheat days are said to boost metabolism.
    I tell all my friends to have a cheat meal every week and those who are at the end of the loss to have a cheat weekend!

    PS: HIIT and cycling carbs will help drop the last 10lbs.
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    When you cheat, your often get a whoosh - which is water weight being shed from fat cells.

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

    From ^this:
    Finally, many have reported whooshes following an evening which included alcohol. A mild diuretic, this would also tend to implicate water balance issues in the whoosh phenomenon.


    OP, I looked at your diary and you did have alcohol last night. If you usually drink on your cheat days, this could be why.

    :smile: :drinker: :smile:

    Yes, I thought it could be this and it would explain most of the cheat days, but not all. I definitely know alcohol can cause water weight to shed. This is probably the #1 reason why I'm not just jumping to up my calorie goal.
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    Interesting, I am trying cheat (carb load) days for 30 days to see how it goes. After my first 2 cheat days my weight went up 3 pounds. I did not freak out cause I figured it was just water weight. On the 4th day my weight was back down and I had lost a pound and a half.

    I spent weeks researching carb cycling before I attempted this method. So far I am pleased with the results from my first go at it. I am very close to my goal weigh (5 more pounds) . But my new goal is to get my BF% down. I plan to keep having my cheat days.

    I haven't heard of this before. Thank you, I will read more about it.
  • demurefemme
    demurefemme Posts: 6
    Yes, this is so annoying!!! I broke a 10 day plateau over Thanksgiving and I've been attempting a zig zag ever since...it is making me nervous (I hate going "over" on my over days), but I'll report back how it goes! I'm three days into it :)
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    Go to bodyrecomposition.com and read Lyle's series on Leptin for a better understanding of this. Last time I tried to quote it I butchered it badly, but in short, Leptin is a hormone in the fat cells and it plays a role in fat loss. When you eat at a deficit for long periods, Leptin can decrease and this can slow fat loss. Doing a refeed (carbohydrate spike) can bump Leptin levels back up which then has the potential to start fat loss going again. Cheat days can accomplish this.
    THIS. This is why I have myself and clients do carb cycling.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Thanks alot! I read your advice on here often and I always appreciate what you have to say :)
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    Love the sharing and support you all give one another!
    I have a question... Carrie posted that she "read OP's diary."
    I did not know that was possible. We can read each others diaries?
    How does that work? I assume it is by permission only. Like between buddies or something?

    I also appreciate all of the support and advice!
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    The same thing happens to me as well. I think it's because you are not working your muscles and afterall muscle does weigh more than fat. Don't worry about it and don't put too much stock into it, just be happy with it :bigsmile:

    I'm definitely happy about it! I just wish it would stay off, what worries me is that as soon as I go back to calorie deficit my weight goes back up.
  • mynika
    mynika Posts: 312 Member
    bump bump :wink:
    great topic.
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    This phenomena is something that my doctor has actually requested that I do. She calls it metabolism spiking. Eating the same calorie content day in and day out seems to make me stay the same day in and day out, yeah I lose some but the drastic loss has been when I really EFF with my metabolism. I never go over but I do what I can do go between 1000 and my max allotted with weight loss. So one day I ll do 1000 the next day I ll do like 1900 the next day 1600 and really try to focus on accurate counts.

    Seems to work for me. It works in vice versa with me I will stick at say 1800 every day, then I go to 1200 and viola loss of weight. Usually it is the opposite though I am at 1400 every day for a week then I spike to 1900 or 2000 and I drop like 4 lbs in one day.

    Interesting! Do the lbs come back on on the days when you stay at 1400?
    I am not a doctor, I just play one in bed.
    Thanks for the advice, Dr. :blushing:
  • Ruchell
    Ruchell Posts: 236 Member
    Cheat days are said to boost metabolism.
    I tell all my friends to have a cheat meal every week and those who are at the end of the loss to have a cheat weekend!

    PS: HIIT and cycling carbs will help drop the last 10lbs.

    Thanks. Sounds pretty similar to what I have been hearing from everyone. Maybe I need to do it more often than I have been.
  • StacySkinny
    StacySkinny Posts: 984 Member
    I've noticed this too. I hope someone comes up with a good answer. So far looks like some contradictions. Gah, I wish this site had a nutritionist to ask these questions to. lol
  • allie0630
    allie0630 Posts: 139 Member
    What is carb cycling? How much of your diet should be carbs? Mine seems to be at 50% or above.
  • Cold_Steel
    Cold_Steel Posts: 897 Member
    This phenomena is something that my doctor has actually requested that I do. She calls it metabolism spiking. Eating the same calorie content day in and day out seems to make me stay the same day in and day out, yeah I lose some but the drastic loss has been when I really EFF with my metabolism. I never go over but I do what I can do go between 1000 and my max allotted with weight loss. So one day I ll do 1000 the next day I ll do like 1900 the next day 1600 and really try to focus on accurate counts.

    Seems to work for me. It works in vice versa with me I will stick at say 1800 every day, then I go to 1200 and viola loss of weight. Usually it is the opposite though I am at 1400 every day for a week then I spike to 1900 or 2000 and I drop like 4 lbs in one day.

    Interesting! Do the lbs come back on on the days when you stay at 1400?
    I am not a doctor, I just play one in bed.
    Thanks for the advice, Dr. :blushing:

    Thankfully I have not really gained weight back I plateued recently so I tried it and dropped three lbs. My doc instructed me to follow a 3 to 1 pattern so I do like 1200 1200 1200 spike too 1850 then next day 1200 then 1850 1850 1850 then back too 1200 ....or so takes a solid 7 days..
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    What is carb cycling? How much of your diet should be carbs? Mine seems to be at 50% or above.

    Carb macros depend on what your goal is.
    I like to base my macros on Protein and Essential Fats first.
    1g Protein per Lean Mass and .45g Fat per Lean Mass.
    Carbs make up the rest.

    Carb cycling is dropping carbs down below 150g a day for 3 days.
    On day 4 you refeed up to 400g.
    What this does is allows your body to burn off Glycogen quickly then it feeds on fat stores.
    Make sure you are eating your daily Protein and Essential fats!
    Remember this...the body wants carbs so this tends to create a lot of moodiness!
    =D
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