What Happens in Your Body When You Gorge on a Festive Dinner
If you went out of your way at the holiday feasts, don’t feel guilty as it can be difficult to keep calories in check at this time of year. You may feel discomfort from bloating at first, but the good news is that your body is healing on its own and the overall impact is not as great as you think.
You’ve probably heard that you need to eat over 3,500 calories to gain a pound of fat. Even if this were true (and in fact it is not), occasionally allowing yourself to eat even 1000 or 3000 calories does not automatically mean an increase in the amount of body fat. Of course, this assumes that you eat wisely on most other days of the year.
You will probably feel “soft” for a few days, but that’s to be expected after a very large meal. If you overdo it on carbohydrates and fats, you will notice weight gain from water weight, carbohydrates stored as glycogen, and waste. No need to starve yourself, do extra cardio or exercise. After all, punishing yourself for overeating is a harmful feedback loop. If you go back to eating sensibly, your weight will return to normal after a few days.
Overeating here and there doesn’t really matter. In the long term, consistency of proper nutrition and healthy food is more important. It’s also worth noting that people who eat until they get sick tend to overeat and overeat more often, not just during the holidays; and it is constant overeating that leads to weight gain. If this sounds like you, we have tips on how to stop overeating .
When you overeat on Thanksgiving, what’s going on inside your body? | Examine.com