It can be useful to remember that, just as one day of dieting will not cause a person to lose weight, a day of binge eating will not cause weight gain. Although an episode of overeating can happen to anyone occasionally, some people have a binge eating disorder, which usually requires professional attention.
Many people complain that they gain weight around the holidays, but you'll be happy to know that you can't really gain weight from a single meal or day of overeating.
Overeating one day will not have much impact on your weight, but it will surely leave you feeling bloated. You can have an extra slice of your favorite cheesecake occasionally, but do not make this your habit. The next day, return to your fitness routine and everything will be fine.
The Initial Gain Is Water Weight
All that sodium can make a temporary difference when you get on your scale. That's because sodium naturally helps your body regulate its fluid balance by retaining water. In moderation, that's a good thing – it helps protect against low blood pressure. In excess, it means bloating.
Eating 1,000 extra calories a day for five days did not lead to any significant changes in weight, fat mass, or fasting blood sugar levels. But chronic overeating—eating 1,000 extra calories a day over the course of a month—was linked to a fat-mass increase of about 3 pounds, as well as increases in blood sugar.
Keeping your body well-hydrated is always a good practice, especially after a binge, because water aids in digestion and reduces bloating. Vavrek recommends sticking with vegetables, fruits and other foods with high-fiber content as well as lean protein the day after a binge.
Your body might decide to store more those calories, subtracting an additional 1,000 calories or so to become fat. That means you would potentially gain 0.3-0.5 pounds of fat. That's it.
On the other hand, a 2,000-calorie diet would exceed the calorie needs of some people, likely resulting in weight gain. Though 2,000-calorie diets have the potential to aid weight loss, it's important to tailor your intake to your individual needs, as calorie needs vary based on many factors.
Dehydration causes your body to retain excess water, which can lead to 5 pounds of weight gain overnight (5). When you feel thirsty and drink a lot of fluid at once, you'll absorb the extra fluid quickly and it shows up on the scale within 24 hours.
But while overeating sometimes may be normal – and doesn't pose too much of a risk to our health – it's important to stress that eating more than we need on a regular basis isn't healthy.
The drawbacks of such accidental overeating are obvious. Most people overeat foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt, which can have negative effects on your health. Plus, over time, eating solely for enjoyment can override the body's ability to recognize when we're satisfied.
In some people, especially those who have been dieting or fasting, a meal high in carbohydrates, such as pasta or rice, can be stored as glycogen. Glycogen is stored with water, which causes an individual to gain water weight very quickly – as much as 2 pounds overnight.
The bottom line is if you eat 1,000 to 1,500 calories more than you need to maintain your weight in a single day, you'll probably only gain ⅕ to ¼ of a pound of fat, even if your scale weight tells a different story.
You should step on the scale first thing in the morning. That's when you'll get your most accurate weight because your body has had the overnight hours to digest and process whatever you ate and drank the day before.
Since many people can't eat enough in a day or two to actually gain 5 or 10 pounds, if you notice a dramatic increase on the scale, chances are it's due to water, says Anita Petruzzelli, M.D., owner and medical director of BodyLogicMD.
It's most likely your overnight weight gain came from sodium and carbs. However, if you're sensitive, intolerant or allergic to inflammatory foods, eliminating them is the only way to stop the cycle. Corn, soy, dairy products, wheat, and gluten are the top foods affecting inflammation.
A binge eater often: Eats 5,000–15,000 calories in one sitting. Often snacks, in addition to eating three meals a day. Overeats throughout the day.
1 day of over eating isn't going to change things enough to matter about it. You may not even notice- when you see the scale it might just be water weight/sodium retention. Start over and get right back on track the next day and you will be good to go! As long as you stay on track 80-90% of the time, you will be good!
Most women need 1,600–2,400 daily calories to maintain their weight. Most men need 2,000–3,000 calories. Eating fewer can lead to weight loss. Reducing the number of calories you eat per day can be an effective weight loss method ( 1 ).
Bloating may occasionally add a pound or two, but it doesn't actually signify weight gain. A simple way to tell the difference between bloating and weight gain or fat is how your stomach looks and feels. If your stomach is tight and hard, then bloating is the cause. If your stomach is soft and thick, then that's fat.
Do not fast. Fasting after binging raises the risk of triggering a binging-fasting cycle. Fasting can make you more hungry so that you subsequently overeat.
A binge eating episode can last over an hour, though it may be much shorter or longer. Sometimes binge eating is a planned activity and other times it is not. Most binges involve the consumption of more than 1,000 calories, with a quarter of binges exceeding 2,000 calories.
Overeating causes the stomach to expand beyond its normal size to adjust to the large amount of food. The expanded stomach pushes against other organs, making you uncomfortable. This discomfort can take the form of feeling tired, sluggish or drowsy. Your clothes also may feel tight, too.
Of course, if you keep up these binge sessions daily, or even once per week, you could undo any calorie deficit you create during the week and inhibit weight loss or even gain weight. But, a one-night affair is unlikely to do any permanent harm.
But yes, you can gain a few pounds overnight due to certain factors, and the good news is that, this extra weight is just temporary, and you can easily shake it off once you can identify what's causing these fluctuations in the first place.