Most of us think that a small overindulgence, especially over a holiday period such as the past long weekend, will not put a dent into your ,weight-loss plans. We will all be in the gym on Monday in the hope that we will burn off the kilojoules from the weekend. But a Swedish research study suggests that a month's worth of unhealthy living, changes our bodies physiology, making extra fat even harder to lose.

The authors recommend that we need to avoid very high intakes of energy in a short period of time. The study was conducted amongst 20-30 year olds, with a normal healthy weight. The participants were restricted to a restricted physical activity regimen that involved the equivalent of no more than 5000 steps per day and an increase of 70% of calories mainly from fast foods, for a period of one month. The participants gained on average 5-7kg and their fat percentage increased from 20% to 24% of total body weight. After six months most participants lost the weight they gained, but after one year the participants still registered a noticeable gain in fat mass compared with their pre-study status.

The study showed that even after two years, just the one month of overeating caused a dramatic change to the body fat mass of the participants. What this means for us: we need to avoid short periods of over indulgence. Always try to maintain a good level of physical activity and healthy eating.