Is gorging once as bad as regular slight overeating?

I have eaten 6300 calories in one day and have also eaten 0 calories in one day. One day of 0 calories did not make me skinny and one day of 6300 calories did not make me fat. However I do average my calories by the week and by the month and try to stay within a certain range to reach my goals. If I were to slightly overeat on a regular basis then I would slightly gain weight on a regular basis. If I gorge on excess calories and eat at maintainence the rest of the week I would also slightly gain weight. If the gorging puts you over your weekly calorie goal and you gain weight then yes it is just as bad as regular slight overeating.
Congratulations on your weight loss you have done an awesome job!

Once a month isn't too frequent, I have at least one gorge a week, I tend to save it for a Saturday night But then last night I hate a 1500 calorie bar of chocolate and overate by around 4000 calories in total. I do make sure I still track everything.

BUT, and there is a but, there can be psychological issues for people. Especially those who are obese or very overweight, having those kinds of meals has a lasting effect, not only do they do it too frequently it depresses them, demotivates them and actually makes them feel guilty.

If that's you then I would suggest not playing around with food intake like that because it's a slippery slope.

It's a bit like the clean eating thing. To me clean eating is nonsense. No one can define clean anyway and it's different for anyone. Plus it's just someone arbitrary standard and so on. I have 'unclean' foods every day. However for those who have eating issues or mental issues with food or those who are/were obese then really stick to broccoli and chicken until those issues are resolved because if like me you throw ice cream or popcorn into the mix everyday it can cause huge issues.

I have a theory that eating a really big, disgustingly-huge meal every once in awhile isn't as bad as slight, but consistent, overeating.

Specifically, I've noticed that if I overeat just a little for a couple of weeks (e.g., eating normally except for adding a few of my wife's chocolate chip cookies per day), I'll gain weight. However, if I eat normally for those same two weeks, with the exception of stuffing myself silly at a buffet once, I stay static.

The studies seem to support this in part.^

My theory is that the buffet provides far too many calories for my body to actually metabolize before they're eliminated, therefore resulting in far fewer excess calories than a straight calorie count would indicate.

Is there any truth to this theory?

No, you just store the excess kcals, in fat cells.

I have a theory that eating a really big, disgustingly-huge meal every once in awhile isn't as bad as slight, but consistent, overeating.

Specifically, I've noticed that if I overeat just a little for a couple of weeks (e.g., eating normally except for adding a few of my wife's chocolate chip cookies per day), I'll gain weight. However, if I eat normally for those same two weeks, with the exception of stuffing myself silly at a buffet once, I stay static.

The studies seem to support this in part.^

My theory is that the buffet provides far too many calories for my body to actually metabolize before they're eliminated, therefore resulting in far fewer excess calories than a straight calorie count would indicate.

Is there any truth to this theory?

No, you just store the excess kcals, in fat cells.

Actually, check out this new study. It appears there might be some validity to that theory.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23913807
"Short-term overeating results in incomplete energy intake compensation..."

I would think slight overeating might not be enough to trigger much increase in satiety so the excess intake doesn't result in reduced intake later. Whereas a single large meal might trigger it enough that you do compensate later by eating less. Because leptin.

I can't validate your theory, only share my experience earlier this week. I hit my weight loss goal on the same day as my birthday and wedding anniversary. I decided I would have a guilt-free splurge day. I ate my normal breakfast, did my daily workout, and ate a slightly bigger lunch than normal. I also had a piece of bday cake for a mid afternoon snack. But for supper, I ate a huge plate of shrimp and veggie linguini in a rich buttery sauce, dinner roll, salad, pie for dessert and another piece of bday cake for a midnight snack. The next morning I weighed in 3 lbs heavier than the day before. While I ate an obscene amount of calories, I know I did not consume enough to really gain 3 lbs of fat. I suspect I did, however, eat enough for my body to replenish my glycogen stores and that's why the extra lbs on the scale. I am now working to get rid of them again ( I am pretty sure it won't take long, as they are not "fat" lbs per se.

Maybe the difference is that my binge happened over the course of a half of a day rather than one sit-down meal.

I don't know the answer, but I'm wondering if it might be simply about the numbers? Obviously eating an extra 300 calories a day is going to add more calories over the week (2100) than one 1000 calorie meal a week.

Also, the 300 calorie snacks are extra, on top of your calorie allowance. Whereas the 1000 calorie meal is probably replacing a meal of, say, 500 calories, so is only actually adding an extra 500 calories. Obviously, your actual figures may vary!

Makes sense

I think having one day a week where you have one higher calorie snack or meal that you wouldn't allow yourself otherwise should be fine, as long as it is only a one off and you aren't over-eating all day long. For example, I might have a Mars bar on a Saturday...whilst it is almost 300 kcals, I'm not having that followed by McDonalds, Pizza Hut and donuts all in one day...you know? lol

Basically, if we never gave ourselves a treat now and again, most of us would fall spectacularly off the wagon. Just make sure you aren't eating more than the calorie amount it would take to maintain your weight

I have been cheating every Saturday for the past 80 weeks or so. Usually 4,000-6,000 calorie days. Never effected my weight loss. I kept doing it in maintenance and never effected my maintenance. That's one data point for half your hypothesis. I have not eaten at a surplus for a long time, but when I did before dieting I gained 30 pounds over a 4 year period. So I guess that counts.

That's fine and all.. but obviously if you do the same thing right/wrong every day/week you have based your regular calories on that.

So that means if you overeat by 3500 calories on every Saturday you could be eating 3500/7=500 calories more on every day of the week.

That's why it doesn't matter if you over or underestimate calories or exercise either. As long as on average you always do it wrong the same way.

That's fine and all.. but obviously if you do the same thing right/wrong every day/week you have based your regular calories on that.

So that means if you overeat by 3500 calories on every Saturday you could be eating 3500/7=500 calories more on every day of the week.

That's why it doesn't matter if you over or underestimate calories or exercise either. As long as on average you always do it wrong the same way.

Agree.

How about if the excess calories are the same for both cases?

Say my calorie limit is 2000 cals per day. One scenario is I eat 4100 calories (2100 over) on Monday, then for the rest of the week I eat at 2000 per day.

In another scenario I eat 2300 cals a day for a week so 300 over per day and total 2100 over for the week.

Given the excess amount is the same, would I gain 0.6 pounds in both cases? Or in the first scenario I might gain a tad less?

If you're overeating only once every few weeks, you're probably not consuming the amount of the deficit you created in that time. In regards to your body eliminating cals not needed, if true, then no one would be fat.

That's not what I'm talking about - what I mean is, if I eat a really heavy meal, does the sheer mass of food cause a lot of calories to just wind up getting passed before they can be absorbed? I think that's the case, but was interested in other perspectives.

no. you're looking for magic where none exists. it's pure, simple math.

overeat at the buffet one time probably results in a 1500 over tdee day at most. overeat by 300-500 cals per day and at the end of the month you've packed in 9000-15000 of excess cals. 10x the amount of cals from one day at the All You Can Eat chinese joint.

If you're overeating only once every few weeks, you're probably not consuming the amount of the deficit you created in that time. In regards to your body eliminating cals not needed, if true, then no one would be fat.

That's not what I'm talking about - what I mean is, if I eat a really heavy meal, does the sheer mass of food cause a lot of calories to just wind up getting passed before they can be absorbed? I think that's the case, but was interested in other perspectives.

NO..thinking that is just deluding yourself! Eating a really large heavy meals does not cause lots of calories to pass through before being absorbed. If that was the case we could all eat huge meals all the time and none of us would be fat.....I wish!!!!

A large meal just takes longer to be digested but the calories stay with you