How much damage can one bad day cause.
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Enthusiast84 wrote: »If those bad days are regular then my guess would be a lot of damage however 1 bad day in a week I don't think will do too much providing you are eating at the mfp recommendations the rest of the time. I've had at least 1 bad day a week in recent weeks due to birthdays weddings etc and I've still lost weight.
But I guess it will also depend on how much over you go over on a bad day. At 1200 cals a day for me eating 4000 would be a big no no!
I could easily have cancelled out my deficit for a week by one big (4000-5000 calorie) day once a week, especially in the latter stages of weight loss, when deficit was smaller. This is why I always suggest people log their "cheat days" or "cheat meals", even if they have to estimate, so they don't end up generating "Help! Can't lose! Plateau!" posts.
Personally, I don't do "cheat days". Once in a while, I do eat waaay past my weight loss or maintenance calorie goal . . . it's a decision, not a cheat.3 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »Personally, I think I could gain a pound (real weight, not just water weight) fairly easily in one day, but it would be demonically difficult to lose one in the same of time . . . so I think that part is maybe hyperbole for many of us.
The body is not really that efficient so it may be entirely possible to gain a pound of fat in a day but it would take effort and planning. It would probably require something like eating sugar all day and trying to keep the insulin/glucose absorption window open.
Eating sugar wouldn't be the best option for this experiment, especially for someone who is active or dieting. A good amount would be wasted to replenish glycogen as it's not the preferred macro for fat storage. Fat is more easily stored as body fat, but probably would not be realistic to drink pure oil. The best meal would probably be a made of high fat foods palatable enough for the person to be able to eat a lot, and as low in protein as possible. So I'm thinking would mostly be a mix of fat and carbs, but predominantly fat. Things like cakes and high fat candy bars come to mind.
Eating a lot at once can affect the ability of the body to absorb calories, so it would definitely need to be more than a 3500 calorie surplus, and any increase in metabolic rate following this meal, if any, should be accounted for too.
More than definitely possible, though, even without the above considerations for someone who is capable of eating as much as I am.
We think alike. I'm not going to do the experiment, but that's the route I'd try if I did. Plus enough adult bevs that impulse control was inhibited, the fat calories would get stored while the alcohol calories were prioritized to be processed out, and I'd be more likely to lay around a lot . . . but not enough to cause nausea.
And I'll bet it would be fun.
Could also alternate different flavor profiles to avoid sensory-specific satiety, like starting with a blooming onion, then moving to the pecan pie, back to nibbling on chips and dip, then rich ice cream etc..1 -
I don't know, but I maintain on about 2000 calories/day, and I think I ate about 8000 yesterday--I'm afraid to really count, and I'm not doing the math.
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amusedmonkey wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »Personally, I think I could gain a pound (real weight, not just water weight) fairly easily in one day, but it would be demonically difficult to lose one in the same of time . . . so I think that part is maybe hyperbole for many of us.
The body is not really that efficient so it may be entirely possible to gain a pound of fat in a day but it would take effort and planning. It would probably require something like eating sugar all day and trying to keep the insulin/glucose absorption window open.
Eating sugar wouldn't be the best option for this experiment, especially for someone who is active or dieting. A good amount would be wasted to replenish glycogen as it's not the preferred macro for fat storage. Fat is more easily stored as body fat, but probably would not be realistic to drink pure oil. The best meal would probably be a made of high fat foods palatable enough for the person to be able to eat a lot, and as low in protein as possible. So I'm thinking would mostly be a mix of fat and carbs, but predominantly fat. Things like cakes and high fat candy bars come to mind.
Eating a lot at once can affect the ability of the body to absorb calories, so it would definitely need to be more than a 3500 calorie surplus, and any increase in metabolic rate following this meal, if any, should be accounted for too.
More than definitely possible, though, even without the above considerations for someone who is capable of eating as much as I am.
We think alike. I'm not going to do the experiment, but that's the route I'd try if I did. Plus enough adult bevs that impulse control was inhibited, the fat calories would get stored while the alcohol calories were prioritized to be processed out, and I'd be more likely to lay around a lot . . . but not enough to cause nausea. And I'll bet it would be fun.
Could also alternate different flavor profiles to avoid sensory-specific satiety, like starting with a blooming onion, then moving to the pecan pie, back to nibbling on chips and dip, then rich ice cream etc..
Mmm: It's a par-tay, amusedmonkey'n'me! I'll bring the tiramisu, batter-dipped deep-fried potatoes, homemade muffins with good butter, and salted macadamias.
Good thought about the sensory-specific satiety: That one often bites me IRL.
But we digress.1 -
March 18, I weighed 255.8 and then I had two blowouts - 3329 & 4411 followed by a high day of 2620.
March 19 - 256.2
March 20 - 257.4
March 21 - 259.8
March 22 - 258.6.
March 23 - 256.6
March 24 - 255.6
It sets me back a few days. Actually, all of March kind of went like this eating-wise but I managed to maintain the weight I started with on the 1st day of the month.
The real damage that it used to cause me would be for me to throw in the towel if I saw a 4 pound gain on the scale. I don't do that anymore. I just keep on keeping on and try to have more good days than bad. I've settled down with the overeating in April and I think I've finally found my groove. Out of 14 days, I've only had 4 higher calorie days (2500ish)
I used to think that every day had to be perfect and within calorie goal and no "cheat" days or meals.
*kitten* that. Too stressful.
I've lost 22.2 pounds since Jan 18/18 with more high days of eating than is sensible for a person wanting to lose weight.6 -
Once in a while, I do eat waaay past my weight loss or maintenance calorie goal . . . it's a decision, not a cheat.
This is my day today. Been cutting cals and feeling progressively weaker and sleepier as the week went on. Tried to hike this morning and couldn't summon the *kitten* or energy, so took myself to brunch, grabbed some frutas and some nice sushi and stuff for later.2 -
One day won’t ruin you. That’s like saying “I didn’t hit my macros for one day, will all my muscle go away?” Long term, one day won’t do anything. Just jump back on your regimen0
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amusedmonkey wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »Personally, I think I could gain a pound (real weight, not just water weight) fairly easily in one day, but it would be demonically difficult to lose one in the same of time . . . so I think that part is maybe hyperbole for many of us.
The body is not really that efficient so it may be entirely possible to gain a pound of fat in a day but it would take effort and planning. It would probably require something like eating sugar all day and trying to keep the insulin/glucose absorption window open.
Eating sugar wouldn't be the best option for this experiment, especially for someone who is active or dieting. A good amount would be wasted to replenish glycogen as it's not the preferred macro for fat storage. Fat is more easily stored as body fat, but probably would not be realistic to drink pure oil. The best meal would probably be a made of high fat foods palatable enough for the person to be able to eat a lot, and as low in protein as possible. So I'm thinking would mostly be a mix of fat and carbs, but predominantly fat. Things like cakes and high fat candy bars come to mind.
Eating a lot at once can affect the ability of the body to absorb calories, so it would definitely need to be more than a 3500 calorie surplus, and any increase in metabolic rate following this meal, if any, should be accounted for too.
More than definitely possible, though, even without the above considerations for someone who is capable of eating as much as I am.
We think alike. I'm not going to do the experiment, but that's the route I'd try if I did. Plus enough adult bevs that impulse control was inhibited, the fat calories would get stored while the alcohol calories were prioritized to be processed out, and I'd be more likely to lay around a lot . . . but not enough to cause nausea. And I'll bet it would be fun.
Could also alternate different flavor profiles to avoid sensory-specific satiety, like starting with a blooming onion, then moving to the pecan pie, back to nibbling on chips and dip, then rich ice cream etc..
Mmm: It's a par-tay, amusedmonkey'n'me! I'll bring the tiramisu, batter-dipped deep-fried potatoes, homemade muffins with good butter, and salted macadamias.
Good thought about the sensory-specific satiety: That one often bites me IRL.
But we digress.
Can I please join the party?
I think I have just done the experiment over 14 days of all you can eat and drink.
Sensory satiety achieved daily.
Weight difference between when I left the house and when I returned +0.2 lbs (after water weight drop day).
I am honestly thinking I could up my cals to 1800 or more after this holiday.
Cheers, h.2 -
One bad day is simply that, one day of not eating as you know you should. One bad day only becomes a problem if you beat yourself up about it and decide to have another bad day tomorrow. Put it behind you--you don't even have to get on the scale the morning after. Just go back to doing the things you need to be healthy.0
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Almost nothing at all and I can speak by experience. I can have days where my weight shoots up by 6-7 lbs, but as soon as I go back to my regular diet, I can lose almost that much overnight. I wouldn't sweat over it. It's usually water weight and higher sodium in the body, nothing else. What can screw up your diet is going over your macros on a regular basis, but one day of screwing up your diet is almost impossible. You can't get skinny overnight, so why would you think you can become fat overnight?5
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amusedmonkey wrote: »Eating sugar wouldn't be the best option for this experiment, especially for someone who is active or dieting. A good amount would be wasted to replenish glycogen as it's not the preferred macro for fat storage. Fat is more easily stored as body fat, but probably would not be realistic to drink pure oil. The best meal would probably be a made of high fat foods palatable enough for the person to be able to eat a lot, and as low in protein as possible. So I'm thinking would mostly be a mix of fat and carbs, but predominantly fat. Things like cakes and high fat candy bars come to mind.
Eating a lot at once can affect the ability of the body to absorb calories, so it would definitely need to be more than a 3500 calorie surplus, and any increase in metabolic rate following this meal, if any, should be accounted for too.
More than definitely possible, though, even without the above considerations for someone who is capable of eating as much as I am.
You are right. You would need sugar and fat. Sugar to send the signal that all the energy that is needed is present and fat to be converted to body fat. You would still have to keep you blood sugar levels elevated so the fat isn't "wasted" powering the body. Even then you have a percentage that will go undigested so you would probably need to eat over a pound of fat which would likely make you sick and then after some unpleasant toilet visits for a few hours a lot of the fat would still be expelled as waste. This assumes the person has been living a fairly healthy lifestyle and not accustomed to ingesting so much fat over the course of a day.
So, yes, if you are really determined to gain a pound and you are not made sick by the experience it might be possible.
It is more likely that falling off the wagon for a day or just doing it by design will result is little to no net difference in actual body fat.
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Over Easter weekend I ate something like 5100 and 3800, when my maintenance is 2150. By the 4th day back to eating at my usual deficit, my weight was back down where it was before Easter, and I managed to lose another lb over the course of the week.
One or two days like that, no big deal. The trick is to get back on track and realize those high days are bound to happen from time to time, cuz life.3 -
Im curious to know much damage can be done by one bad day.
For example, if soneone was reguarly to eat around 2000 calories and then had one day of eating really badly (4/5000 calories) how much damage could that day realistically cause?
My secondry question is related I guess but us there a limit as to how much weight you can gain in a day?
Lot's of answers posted here already, but maybe you need to look at another question. Where does exercise come in to the picture? What I've done in the past is to increase exercise if I knew I ate too much. Seems to work really well for my son. Excess eating does not bother him, as he burns it off at a terrific rate with increased workouts.0 -
middlehaitch wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »Personally, I think I could gain a pound (real weight, not just water weight) fairly easily in one day, but it would be demonically difficult to lose one in the same of time . . . so I think that part is maybe hyperbole for many of us.
The body is not really that efficient so it may be entirely possible to gain a pound of fat in a day but it would take effort and planning. It would probably require something like eating sugar all day and trying to keep the insulin/glucose absorption window open.
Eating sugar wouldn't be the best option for this experiment, especially for someone who is active or dieting. A good amount would be wasted to replenish glycogen as it's not the preferred macro for fat storage. Fat is more easily stored as body fat, but probably would not be realistic to drink pure oil. The best meal would probably be a made of high fat foods palatable enough for the person to be able to eat a lot, and as low in protein as possible. So I'm thinking would mostly be a mix of fat and carbs, but predominantly fat. Things like cakes and high fat candy bars come to mind.
Eating a lot at once can affect the ability of the body to absorb calories, so it would definitely need to be more than a 3500 calorie surplus, and any increase in metabolic rate following this meal, if any, should be accounted for too.
More than definitely possible, though, even without the above considerations for someone who is capable of eating as much as I am.
We think alike. I'm not going to do the experiment, but that's the route I'd try if I did. Plus enough adult bevs that impulse control was inhibited, the fat calories would get stored while the alcohol calories were prioritized to be processed out, and I'd be more likely to lay around a lot . . . but not enough to cause nausea. And I'll bet it would be fun.
Could also alternate different flavor profiles to avoid sensory-specific satiety, like starting with a blooming onion, then moving to the pecan pie, back to nibbling on chips and dip, then rich ice cream etc..
Mmm: It's a par-tay, amusedmonkey'n'me! I'll bring the tiramisu, batter-dipped deep-fried potatoes, homemade muffins with good butter, and salted macadamias.
Good thought about the sensory-specific satiety: That one often bites me IRL.
But we digress.
Can I please join the party?
I think I have just done the experiment over 14 days of all you can eat and drink.
Sensory satiety achieved daily.
Weight difference between when I left the house and when I returned +0.2 lbs (after water weight drop day).
I am honestly thinking I could up my cals to 1800 or more after this holiday.
Cheers, h.
Yay! You're in, for my vote.So fun! Pity about the multi-country thing.
OP, sorry for the digression. I vote you can join us - it's only fair. 1 -
As most others are saying, probably not too much damage in one day. My problem is one day off the wagon, tuns into the next and the next and the next sometimes. I think it just really depends on your personality.1
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middlehaitch wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »Personally, I think I could gain a pound (real weight, not just water weight) fairly easily in one day, but it would be demonically difficult to lose one in the same of time . . . so I think that part is maybe hyperbole for many of us.
The body is not really that efficient so it may be entirely possible to gain a pound of fat in a day but it would take effort and planning. It would probably require something like eating sugar all day and trying to keep the insulin/glucose absorption window open.
Eating sugar wouldn't be the best option for this experiment, especially for someone who is active or dieting. A good amount would be wasted to replenish glycogen as it's not the preferred macro for fat storage. Fat is more easily stored as body fat, but probably would not be realistic to drink pure oil. The best meal would probably be a made of high fat foods palatable enough for the person to be able to eat a lot, and as low in protein as possible. So I'm thinking would mostly be a mix of fat and carbs, but predominantly fat. Things like cakes and high fat candy bars come to mind.
Eating a lot at once can affect the ability of the body to absorb calories, so it would definitely need to be more than a 3500 calorie surplus, and any increase in metabolic rate following this meal, if any, should be accounted for too.
More than definitely possible, though, even without the above considerations for someone who is capable of eating as much as I am.
We think alike. I'm not going to do the experiment, but that's the route I'd try if I did. Plus enough adult bevs that impulse control was inhibited, the fat calories would get stored while the alcohol calories were prioritized to be processed out, and I'd be more likely to lay around a lot . . . but not enough to cause nausea. And I'll bet it would be fun.
Could also alternate different flavor profiles to avoid sensory-specific satiety, like starting with a blooming onion, then moving to the pecan pie, back to nibbling on chips and dip, then rich ice cream etc..
Mmm: It's a par-tay, amusedmonkey'n'me! I'll bring the tiramisu, batter-dipped deep-fried potatoes, homemade muffins with good butter, and salted macadamias.
Good thought about the sensory-specific satiety: That one often bites me IRL.
But we digress.
Can I please join the party?
I think I have just done the experiment over 14 days of all you can eat and drink.
Sensory satiety achieved daily.
Weight difference between when I left the house and when I returned +0.2 lbs (after water weight drop day).
I am honestly thinking I could up my cals to 1800 or more after this holiday.
Cheers, h.
You're more than welcome to join us! As a professional eater/weight gainer/food pleasure seeker, it will be a guaranteed no judgment zone. Yes, it does make me wish the world was just a little bit smaller.
I think sensory satiety is an interesting one. We still have all the sweet Easter goodies and I'm way less interested in them than I was then. In fact, I'm way less interested in anything sweet. I usually give myself semi-free rein for a couple of weeks for Christmass and Easter (a bank of 10k calories over maintenance total to have a lot of freedom but not need more than 2 weeks of disciplined dieting to mitigate). The first few days of the holiday I ate a lot. The most amazing leftovers with all kinds of flavor profiles: savory, fresh, heavy, crunchy, creamy, umami, sweet, semi-sweet and all that jazz. Once we were down to only sweets, my desire for these foods tapered down on its own by a lot. I'm not sure if it's the surplus, sensory-specific satiety, or having guilt-free access to these foods that made them less attractive. Probably a combination.
For what it's worth, even if I use all of my 10k calories, the actual gain I usually see is usually smaller than what 10k calories would calculate to. Seems like about 3k or more calories disappear on me to less than optimal absorption and probably increased energy expenditure.2 -
lightenup2016 wrote: »Over Easter weekend I ate something like 5100 and 3800, when my maintenance is 2150. By the 4th day back to eating at my usual deficit, my weight was back down where it was before Easter, and I managed to lose another lb over the course of the week.
One or two days like that, no big deal. The trick is to get back on track and realize those high days are bound to happen from time to time, cuz life.
Exactly. Despite the myth you cannot wreck your diet in the course of a day, a weekend, or even a week. Not by eating. Not even if you go a week and gain a pound. You can only wreck it by failing to get back to where you should in a timely manner. Eating bad on Friday is not an excuse to finish the weekend in hopes to start again on Monday. From my experience Monday turns into 3+ months a little too easily.3 -
It depends on the size of your deficit and how you handle it.
Look at your weekly calorie intake.
If your daily calorie goal to lose weight is 2000 calories and you eat 5,000 calories one day that week you may not lose as much or at all that week. You probably won't gain fat unless you are well over your maintenance level. If you go back to eating normally it probably will not be anything noticeable. It is generally best to log it and move on.
If you are inaccurate in your logging that day then you might have eaten more than 5000 calories and maybe gain a pound from one very high day. It is not much.
You might weigh yourself the next day and see the scale number bump up a few pounds simply due to extra food/waste or water retention. If you wait a week to weigh that probably won't be an issue.
If you react to this one high calorie day by exercising a bit more or eating lighter for a few days things could even out and there will be zero "damage" unless you try to punish yourself emotionally for not being perfect.
If you react by having several more higher calorie days/giving up you could gain more. If you treat yourself like garbage because you overeat it could be damaging to you mentally.
Just log it and move on.0
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