Whether it’s a party, a dinner, or maybe a weekend trip; we all have times that we felt we just maybe indulged too much. If you’re tracking macros then maybe you went over your calorie goal or had your ratio be off with maybe too much carbs and fats and not enough protein. It can sometimes be even more extreme than that if it was something that felt more like an out of control binge that may even happen while at home. And while I think the big difference in these is mindset (with feeling like you overindulged at an event may leave us uncomfortably full but is expected, while overindulging at home can feel more personal and upsetting) In either situation I would recommend the same 5 tips to getting back to feeling your best.
1. Don’t Beat Yourself Up
If you’re feeling full from an event or special dinner, then it’s probably because there was a ton of delicious food! Take a moment to recognize what you enjoyed about the event and the food and savor it! You were probably celebrating and/or around foods you don’t normally have, so it’s natural to want to try them and because foods at events and restaurants are typically more palatable, then they are very easy to consume in large amounts so it’s very easy to feel like you overindulged on them. Just know this is normal and ok! Not all progress is ruined from one night/weekend of indulgence, it’s what you do consistently that will ultimately decide on how you feel and progress you towards reaching a fitness goal!
And if it was something that happened in a private setting that feels more personal than just enjoying party food, then maybe ask yourself what seems to be the cause of late night indulging or maybe over snacking that gets you to a point of feeling overly full and uncomfortable. When I went through my own binge and restrict cycle, I would find myself making loaves of banana bread because it was “healthy” and restricting myself from regular bread. But instead of enjoying a mindful portion of the banana bread I would eat the whole thing in one night making myself sick 🙁 Other examples in which I ate too much also involved desserts, I would eat “clean” all the time and then say I was being “balanced” by eating 4 slices of cake or ton of candy because I normally never had it, so I wanted to have as much of it as I could, this would lead to horrible stomach aches. It took me a while to realize that the reason for my behaviors stemmed from me being too strict with the foods I ate everyday. Eventually I learned about tracking macros and learned that there were no good or bad foods, and that I could enjoy any food in moderation without ruining my fitness goals! This is was the game changer that lead to my binge episodes completely stopping. You can learn more about my journey to balance here.
2. Drink A Lot of Water
No detox tea is needed! Help your body naturally digest the food it ate by drinking a lot of water! Your liver is an incredible organ that wants to digest all the food you consume and can do so more efficiently with water! A basic recommendation on daily water intake is to take your weight in lbs and divide it by 2 and that’s how many oz of water you should have daily. Ex: 150 lb person would drink 75 oz of water per day.
3.Get in a Strength Training Session
While the popular strategy of combatting going over calories is to do cardio to “burn them off” this can actually do more harm then good. Our bodies don’t want extremes but balance. Indulging too much and then doing too much cardio after to try to make up for it can have a negative impact on our metabolisms and also our mentality towards fitness and food. Instead, I’d recommend to get in a strength training session the day after an overindulgence so that you can feel like you are putting those calories to use. Using extra calories as fuel for training and muscle building will also help increase your metabolic rate.
4. Get In Some Nutrient Dense Foods
The overindulgence was probably from less nutrient dense “fun foods” so focus the following day on getting in nutrient dense foods that help fuel your body best. Lean protein, fruit, veggies, healthy fats, and complex carbs, will help with getting your body back to feeling fueled and the nutrients (especially fiber) in some of these foods will help digesting anything from the day before.
5. Pay Attention to How Your Body is Feeling
If you typically have breakfast everyday, but wake up the next day after a big event just not feeling hungry then don’t feel the need to force yourself eat. Pay attention to how you’re feeling and know it’s ok to fast. But at the same time, don’t think that fasting is necessary as it can easily lead into a restrict and then binge cycle which never makes anyone feel their best. The day after an event I’ll always drink 16 oz of water and a cup of coffee and then start getting ready for my day. If I feel myself getting hungry during that process then I will typically make a large egg white and veggie scramble/omelette to get in some lean protein and veggies, but if I don’t then I will just continue with my day until I feel hungry which could be later in the day. And if I had the scramble and was still hungry then I would have maybe a slice of avocado on multigrain toast to get in some healthy fats and complex carbs.
Here’s an example day I have on my page about flexible dieting and what I ate before and after a big meal out 🙂
I know this concept of trying to listen to if your body food needs the following day can be tricky but I think implementing these strategies especially of drinking a lot of water and getting back to nutrient dense foods will make it easier. Foods that are higher in nutrients like slow digesting fiber (as opposed to quick digesting sugar) and satiating like lean protein and healthy fats will help with feeling properly fueled with balanced energy levels. And having more balanced energy levels I’ve makes it easier to listen to hunger and fullness cues.
And last thing to remember after a day of indulgence is this popular quote: “No one got fat from one doughnut, and no one got skinny from one salad” it’s what you do consistently that will ultimately decide if you will reach your fitness goals! So don’t dwell on the past but focus on the future of taking the steps necessary to get you back on track towards your goals 🙂
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Struggling to meet your fitness goals and want guidance with macros/nutrition and/or personal training from me, a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist? Check out my coaching services which range from me just setting up macros and training programs to macros with meal ideas to more in-depth one-on-one coaching that involves weekly check-ins with optional phone calls.
*This post was created by Ashley Cates who is not a Registered Dietician or a Medical Professional, nothing said should be taken as medical advice or replace any advice given by a Physician. This information does not in any way intend to diagnose or treat any health condition/disorder. The information provided is based on Ashley’s education and experience.