Question:

I have heard that you cannot eat enough in one day to put on any weight? I have heard that there comes a point at which your body will stop absorbing calories and excrete them? So would it be alright to eat what ever you wanted on ONE day a week and be good on the rest of the week?

Answer:

To answer your first question with regards to eating enough in one day to gain weight: Yes, you can eat enough food in one day to put on weight. The amount of weight will vary from person to person depending on their individual energy (Calorie) requirements. With that being said any additional calories you consume over this will be stored as fat. One pound of body fat is equal to 3500 Calories. Therefore, you may not gain a significant amount of weight in one day, but say for example you eat 500 additional Calories everyday for an entire week you are likely to gain one pound of body fat.

To answer your second question with regards to eating excess calories will be excreted: No, there is not a point where your body will stop absorbing calories and excrete them, rather your body will store any excess calories as fat. There may come a point where you have overeaten so much that it causes indigestion, cramping, or bloating, and you may experience vomiting or diarrhea, but this is rare and usually due to food poisoning and not overeating.

To answer your last question with regards to giving yourself one day where you are free to eat whatever you want: I would tell you to not deprive yourself of any food that you want. Keep in mind portion size and moderation. It is when you deprive yourself of something you want that you will tend to binge or overeat. Work on making small lifestyle changes that you will be able to live with forever.

If you are interested in finding out how many calories you need to be taking in each day, I would recommend that you schedule an appointment with a local Registered Dietitian. He or she will be able to help you determine your calorie level. They may have access to a MedGem. This is a test that actually measures your resting metabolic rate. This will be helpful for you in goal setting and getting an overall idea of health and well-being.

To Good Health,

For more information:

Go to the Obesity and Weight Management health topic.