Easter feasting didn't add any weight
I feasted over Easter but didn’t gain any weight. How come?
I planned my mini binge over Easter with meticulous care. I bought myself a dark chocolate bunny weighing 200 grams and planned to have a quarter of it every day of the long weekend. I also bought some hot cross buns again planning to eat just one a day. Sometimes toasted, sometimes not. But always buttered.
I assumed I’d gain four pounds as I did over Christmas and my birthday. But in fact I went into Easter on Good Friday weighing more than I did coming out of it on the Tuesday morning. Week on week my weight stayed the same. How?
We’re supposed to need 2,000 calories a day. Sometimes you see a higher figure for men - 2,500 - and sometimes it’s just the 2,000. I think 2,500 is a huge amount but if you’re doing heavy manual work or anything physical or exercising a hell of a lot then maybe you do need that amount. But let’s assume 2,000 is the right figure for most of us, male and female, old and young, active and inactive.
This gets a bit nerdy but I am a bit nerdy and I find that helps. The chocolate bunny comes in at 569 calories per 100 grams (see pic below). So it’s 56.9 calories for ten grams. (Just divide by 100). Call it 57 for ease of maths. A quarter of a 200gram bunny is 50 grams so my Easter chocolate allowance for the day came in at 285 calories (57x5). A hot cross bun is about 220 calories depending on make and level of luxury. Buttering it adds only 35 calories. Butter is around 700 calories for 100 grams so 10 grams is 70. But five grams is usually enough. So I was eating an added 540 calories a day. On a usual 1500 calorie-a-day allowance that took me magically to slightly over the 2,000 calorie mark. The number of calories we’re supposed to eat every day and not gain weight. The settle-down figure if you like.
Now I’ve always assumed 2,000 calories a day is way too much for me. In the past I’ve maintained my weight at 1700 calories a day but gained if I ate anything more. I didn’t gain this time. I counted my calories fairly assiduously and I weighed in every day. As much as an experiment as anything else. It’s true I do a fair bit of activity, probably more than most women my age. But even so I think 2,000 calories a day is a lot. Do you?
Anyway it was very gratifying to binge and not gain weight. It can be done. It’s all about control. The fear for me is that a binge leads to me giving up entirely and not bothering. But a controlled binge every now and then is perfectly fine. In fact I’d say it’s positively desirable if you’re in it for the long term.
Now Spring is finally here it gets a lot easier. Less need for comfort eating to make up for the dark nights and the cold days. I’m going back to 1500 calories a day, 1600 some days. And brisk walking two to three times a day. Right now I’m losing two pounds a month, half a pound a week. It’s a slow loss but them’s the best!
Hope you had a good Easter. Onwards to the next bank holiday weekend!