Maybe you just have elevated mood and energy levels for a few hours? One of the nasty parts of dieting is that you can cut calories and not lose weight, just ha

Maybe you just have elevated mood and energy levels for a few hours? One of the nasty parts of dieting is that you can cut calories and not lose weight, just have less energy and feel worse. Probably not as relevant if your obese but cutting calories leads to some other effects than weight loss when your already lean. Conversely if your weight is stable you might be able to add 500 calories with no ill effects, just more energy, faster recovery etc. It would be great if it was just formulaic like your post implies but it isn’t.