Can you gain 5 lbs in a day

First, the good news: It's really, really difficult to gain 5 pounds of fat in just a couple of days. One pound of weight is about 3, calories, which means gaining 5 pounds in 2 days would require eating a surplus of about 17, calories, according to the Mayo Clinic. Did you know that keeping a food diary is one of the most effective ways to manage your weight? Download the MyPlate app to easily track calories, stay focused and achieve your goals!

Although ultra-processed foods are high in calories, it's still extremely difficult to eat 17, extra calories in 2 days, especially by accident. The extra burger and fries you ate over the weekend won't come even close.

Water retention occurs when your body holds excess fluids in your belly or in your extremities, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Sometimes this retention is visible as swelling in the fingers or ankles, for instance. But in some cases, it may not be obvious, depending on how much water you're retaining. Usually, water retention also known as edema is harmless and will go away in a day or two.

But if you're also experiencing shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or chest pain, get professional help immediately, recommends the Mayo Clinic. Seek medical assistance immediately if you're experiencing shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or chest pain in addition to water retention.

Unfortunately, there's no hard and fast rule when it comes to fluid retention. Factors that may cause one person to retain 5 pounds of water may not influence another person's weight at all.

However, there are some general trends that can cause water gain:. Sitting in one place for too long can cause mild edema, according to the Mayo Clinic. That's why some people tend to experience swelling in their fingers, legs or ankles after a long flight. Eating too much salty food can also cause some excess swelling or fluid retention.

Foods like pretzels, salted nuts, pickles and processed pasta sauces are all high in sodium and can cause you to hold excess water. The 9 Worst Foods for Bloating. Although it may sound counterintuitive, forgetting to drink water can also cause water weight gain, according to the U. National Library of Medicine. Every part of your body needs water to function properly. Interestingly, with every 1g of glycogen stored, g of water will be bound up with it.

There are also various serious conditions that can cause weight gain, including an undiagnosed autoimmune condition, endometriosis , polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS and diabetes.

For instance, NHS lists tiredness as a reason why you could have gained weight seemingly overnight. However, this is likely to be water retention, the contents of your bladder or stomach, or the consequence of another influencing factor changing the scales, rather than actual fat gain. Like how long it takes to gain weight, weight loss timeframes will differ for everyone.

It is widely known that losing weight through crash diets or at a rapid pace can promote faster weight gain once the dieting has come to an end. This means that in order to gain 1 pound of fat, you need to eat calories above what you normally eat your maintenance calories.

To put it into perspective, 1 Big Mac has about calories, therefore, you should eat about 6 Big Macs on top of what you normally eat to gain 1 pound of fat. If you tend to eat out a lot, you can explore this article I wrote about how to keep your calories low when eating out.

Punishing yourself by not eating much and doing more cardio the following day is not the way to approach this; this can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise in the long-term. Instead, just focus on getting back to your normal routine, as I said, your weight should come back to normal after a few days.

One of the most accurate ways of weighing yourself if to do this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Try weighing yourself at least 4 days a week and getting the average for more accurate measurements.

In order to better track your progress, try to take waist, thighs, and arm measurements and weekly progress photos.

This plan helps men and women lose pounds in just 21 days and can be repeated as many times as you want.