I have many personal training clients, as well as friends, who believe that they can and will gain a few pounds of weight over a holiday weekend.
Coming off a recent holiday, I'd had that same sentiment presented by clients and friends.
With the backing of science, we know that 3500 calories consumed equals 1 pound of fat gained. In order for us to gain a pound of fat we need to eat exactly 3500 calories above maintenance. That's a lot of food for 24 hours. Even for a weekend thats an extra 1750 each day.
Where we may run in to trouble is when we eat a little more than needed each day. It adds up after a few weeks or longer. So, what can we do? As a fitness professional, I would recommend portion control. If you don't want to measure your food, there are other tricks like the hand portion size guide. You can also practice intuitive eating. Eat slowly and try eating 1/3 less than you normally would in a meal. See if you feel content, hungry, or stuffed. Then you can begin to adjust to meet a content feeling.
For an added bonus - Remember the more you move the more calories you burn. According to medline.gov Standing burns more calories than sitting (186 calories vs. 139 calories). Walking at a moderate pace burns more calories than standing (324 calories vs. 186 calories). Try setting a goal to get outdoors and walk daily. Remember, it's the little actions we take daily that add up.
- Ethan Ma - SoFit SoCal
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