Lots of people are concerned about their weight after weekends or holidays, but they don't always need to.
To gain 1 pound of body weight, you need to consume an excess of approximately 3,500 calories beyond what your body burns in its daily functions and activities.
Here's a breakdown of how this works.
Caloric Surplus
To gain weight, you need to create a caloric surplus, which means you're consuming more calories than your body burns for energy.
On average, a surplus of 3,500 calories is often used as a rough estimate to gain 1 pound.
Daily Caloric Expenditure
Your daily caloric expenditure, also known as Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), includes your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and the calories burned through physical activity.
BMR is the number of calories your body needs to maintain basic functions like breathing and maintaining body temperature.
Physical activity and exercise contribute to additional calorie expenditure.
Calculate Your TDEE
You can estimate your TDEE by using online calculators or formulas that take into account factors like age, gender, weight, height, and activity level.
TDEE provides an estimate of the calories your body needs to maintain its current weight.
Determine Your Surplus
To gain 1 pound, you need to consume approximately 3,500 calories more than your TDEE over a period of time.
For example, if your TDEE is 2,000 calories per day, you would need to consume an additional 3,500 calories on top of your daily maintenance calories.
This surplus can be achieved over days, weeks, or months, depending on your rate of weight gain.
