How Fast You Can Gain a Pound: What Every Dieter Needs to Know

While weight loss can become very complex when you look at the raw science, losing a pound a week comes down to cutting out about 500 calories a day, or 3,500 calories per week. So, when you flip this, adding 500 calories a day, or 3,500 calories per week will result in weight gain. That 3,500 calories is equal to one pound. Here we will break down how rather simple it is to pack on an extra few pounds without even realizing that you are adding so many extra calories throughout your day.

Your Breakfast

So, do you think that just taking one bite of that chocolate chip muffin or glazed doughnut is perfectly fine? Well, it is better than eating the whole thing, but just one bite of either of those can give you an extra 30 to 50 calories on average. Also, your coffee. Regular, black coffee is pretty benign when it comes to calories, and you probably are already using a calorie-free sugar substitute, or nothing at all. However, what type of cream are you using? That little individual serving size creamer is worth 20 calories on average. If you want some cream, go for skim milk as it only gives you all of six calories for the same amount.

Your Lunch

You are probably already skipping the non-diet soda and this is great because regular soda is packed with sugar and calories. However, if you are substituting with a juice (most are just as packed with sugar these days) you really are not saving on calories and are still getting 120 to 150 calories per serving. Go for unsweetened iced tea. This is my absolute favorite. You can add a sugar substitute if you want a little sweetness, but I prefer mine unsweetened. You can also squeeze in some lemon or orange for a dash of citrus flavor. Think about your lunch sandwich. Did it have mayo or another creamy condiment? On average, this will add about 40 calories per half tablespoon. Go for mustard.

Your Dinner

You have a salad and are doing everything right. You even chose a vinaigrette dressing. However, you added five garlic croutons. I love croutons too, so I know how hard they are to resist. Those five croutons just added about 50 calories to your day and your otherwise very healthy salad.

You are proud of yourself because you skipped dessert, so you decide to have two very small squares of your favorite chocolate. While a far better choice than a piece of pie or cake or something equally as caloric, these two small squares of chocolate just set you back 60 calories.

Grand Total

Taking the worst case scenario in all of the above figures, you just added 330 extra calories to your day. 120 more calories (which is incredibly easy to hit) and you are at 500. Those little bites that we do not think about really do add up, and they add up fast.

Resources

USDA: Weight Management: