How many days of going over calories until you gain?

typicallyjazzy
typicallyjazzy Posts: 41 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Long story short, I went over my calories by like 1500 a couple days ago. I'm set at 1360 to lose half a pound a week. I'm 121/122 looking to get down to 118 maybe.

So I know it takes 3500 calories over your maintenance to gain a pound BUT I'm a little confused still with the time period and weight gain over time. If I went over by 2000 once last week and 1500 once this week, and had one more day at 1800, (the rest in between 1360 and 1700) will I somehow gain weight? How many days of eating over maintenance does it take to gain weight? Or is that impossible to know?

I guess I want to know how badly I've messed up and if I'll gain weight as a result.

Replies

  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Here's an easy way to think about it - your daily calories are set to lose 1/2 lb per week by keeping a 250 calorie deficit per day. So over the course of the week, if you maintain that 250 cal deficit each day, you will lose that 1/2 lb.

    It's the same for gaining weight. If over the course of the week, you eat 3500 calories about maintenance, you would gain a lb (or how ever many calories you went above maintenance). So look at your weekly average.

    1360 x 7 = 9520 (weekly calorie goal to lose 1/2 lb)
    (1360+250) x 7= 11270 (weekly calorie goal to maintain)

    So add up your totals for the week. If you are between 9520 and 11270, you will lose weight, although how much depends on where you fall between those numbers. If you go over 11270, you would gain, although how much depends on how much you go over. Remember, the math formulas are sound, but the exact numbers (calories you ate) are always estimates, so while it might say you gained, realistically you might not (same for losing).
  • typicallyjazzy
    typicallyjazzy Posts: 41 Member
    Here's an easy way to think about it - your daily calories are set to lose 1/2 lb per week by keeping a 250 calorie deficit per day. So over the course of the week, if you maintain that 250 cal deficit each day, you will lose that 1/2 lb.

    It's the same for gaining weight. If over the course of the week, you eat 3500 calories about maintenance, you would gain a lb (or how ever many calories you went above maintenance). So look at your weekly average.

    1360 x 7 = 9520 (weekly calorie goal to lose 1/2 lb)
    (1360+250) x 7= 11270 (weekly calorie goal to maintain)

    So add up your totals for the week. If you are between 9520 and 11270, you will lose weight, although how much depends on where you fall between those numbers. If you go over 11270, you would gain, although how much depends on how much you go over. Remember, the math formulas are sound, but the exact numbers (calories you ate) are always estimates, so while it might say you gained, realistically you might not (same for losing).

    Thanks! It all makes sense now :)

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