Ask Mary

It depends on how many extra calories you eat and for how long the overeating lasts. You could fail to lose weight and maintain or gain depending upon the number of calorie you consume; however, the body is adept at maintaining weight over a range of calorie levels.  For instance, the body makes minor adjustments in the metabolic rate, the need for spontaneous physical activity (fidgeting), appetite control (it naturally decreases), and in the calories released as heat.  Metabolic adaptation is profound and it complicates the calories-in and calories-out equation.  You can also burn up extra calories by increasing your physical activity.