How long does it take to start putting weight from eating over your maintanance calories

Telton66

I reached my goal weight and have decided to switch to maintenance calories. I have an active job so my maintenance calories are enough for me then when I exercise its even plenty .However today we had education day at work so we spend 8 hours sitting down so I set my settings to sedentary.

It didn't help that there was Tim Hortons muffins which are calorie dense .I coudn`t resist and had one plus my lunch that I packed. I still track my calories and I didn`t have any calories left for dinner afterwards .I wet to gym after the class to earn some calories. However, I ended going over my calorie goal tonight and now I am afraid that if I start going over its going to start adding up and then boom, the pounds are back on.

So how long does it take to gain weight from going over your maintenance calories? Do you have to be going over everyday for it to start adding up? How easy is it for the pounds to start creeping up again?

Wheelhouse15

My understanding is that you start storing excess fat starting at about 3 hours after a meal. However, you aren't going to add a lot in one day it still takes a while for the caloric surplus to add up and a lot of people find that looking at total calories for the week works fine so you can always eat under by a few calories tomorrow and balance it out.

In the end it's an individual thing so just keep monitoring your weight and your calories and adjust as you go.

MissJay75

It's more about how many calories you overate than anything else. 1 pound equals 3500 calories. So when you have accumulated an excess of 3500 calories it will show up as 1 pound on the scale. That may be a few days, weeks, or months depending on how much you overeat.

Relax a bit, 1 day isn't going to make or break you, it's a pattern of behavior over time. Also there will be weight fluctuations due to water retention in your body just as there was when you were losing. Don't let that freak you out. Keep tracking your calories and there shouldn't be any real surprises on the scale.