My expirence with this is a little different.
About 2 years ago, I weighed in at like 215ish- (40+lbs of bodyfat, from being unemployed and eventually having no drivers license). I started going back to the gym and quit drinking, and lost weight like crazy. I got down to like 170ish.
I eventually got a new job, moved to the city, and ended up walking 2 miles there and 2 miles back. I got pretty lean, it was nice. Theres is a gold's gym a few blocks away from where I live. I had to wait for a month and a half to get my first paycheck (due to my contract start date, and I was only paid monthly..).
Anyways, For a few months before that, and for that month and a half I had a 30lb dumbell. I used that for more then it was worth for about a month or so, then borrowed some more weights from a friend, not very much though. I couldnt get more then 50lbs on a dumbell, (which seems like enough) but the weiths were uneven, and hard to use.
Long story short, after afew months of that I looked great as hell. ripped,.. built to most.
I then got my menbership to Gold's , and weighed in at 159.5lbs!!!!!
In 3 months, I was able to get up to 168.5. Which isn't impressive by any means, but my "usual weight was 165, and the heaviest I remember being while not fat was 170- years before.
It wasnt so much time off for me, I just took a few months at extreamly low weight and high reps.
But a few months at extreamly low weight, high reps (for only the purpose of muscle preservation) gave me around 3 pounds a month in gains- all this while pulling a total of 4 miles daily on foot to work, in the heat.
The only thing (after this long ass story) I cant decide is if it was the EXTREME difference training style (like going from high volumn to heavy weight- but the differences were huge)
of if it was that while kickin around the 30lb weight, my body basicly interpreted it the same as had I just taken time off all together.
I think, right now, if I could mentally afford to loose 5 pouns of beef, and the accompaning 3 pounds of fat, I'd do it again.
Maybe I'll try it for a week or so and see what happens!