How much weight can you really gain in one day?
One day of eating a few too many cookies (or even the whole packet) does not mean that you have completely ruined your health regime. Yes you might feel really sluggish and maybe a little guilty for being a cookie monster, but how much weight can you really gain in one day? Registered Dietician Samantha Cassetty told Women's Health Magazine the truth (and it takes a lot more to gain weight in one day than you might think)!
For whatever reason, tiredness, boredom or a night out on the town with friends, sometimes we can eat too much food in one day - or even in one sitting. If you have done this before, rest assured that you are not alone. More importantly though, is the feelings or mood changes that can happen afterwards. It is definitely not unheard of to feel extremely down after such an indulgence. Maybe you even think that you will put have weight on because of it, and that you have completely undone all of your health conscious efforts up to that point. However this is not the case! One day, even if you think it was REALLY over indulgent, will not result in an instant excess in weight.
How much does it take to gain weight?
Registered Dietician Samantha Cassetty explained to Women's Health Magazine, that it is harder than you might think to put on real weight from one day of overeating. According to her, in order to really gain 1lb of actual weight in one day, you would have to eat 3500 calories on top of your average daily intake. Generally speaking, this simple calculation is true enough that she says it is, "virtually impossible to gain weight overnight, even if you really blew it on bar food."
To put it into perspective, here is an example of what you would have to consume in 24 hours to become close to gaining 1lb. But first, think of what you generally eat in an average day when you are not particularly active. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Then, consider that you would need to consume the following as well:
- 3 glasses of wine
- a quarter pound beefburger with all of the toppings
- a portion of onion rings
- a side of fries topped with cheese
- a large slice of cake to finish it off. (your favourite cafe - sized slice)
Still feeling like you "ruined everything"?
Well, you can't simply undo a lifestyle in one day (healthy or otherwise). So let it go, and get right back to eating properly and exercising regularly. This will minimise the aftermath from feeling like you ate more than you needed to. Try taking a walk if you do feel stuffed, but don't compensate by going over board and working-out for 3 hours straight. Similarly, eat consistently afterwards and don't restrict yourself. Start the next day consciously with a breakfast which is high in protein. This will avoid the spike in your sugar levels which would see you turning to the cookies again by mid morning and continuing a problematic cycle.
Put an end to any thoughts that the extra slice of cake will stop you from getting your jeans on the next day, because it's just not true! There is the proof that you mustn't have restless nights or start turning down social invitations out of fear over indulging! It is so important to rid yourself of these ideas in your efforts to live healthily, for your body and your mind.
