It’s an easy enough scenario to imagine, and it comes from a place most of us have been. You’ve gone through your dietary detox program successfully, slowly re-introduced protein, fruits and other low-GI foods into your daily eating and ramped up the weekly exercise. In short, you’ve made all the right moves—you’re feeling better and it’s starting to show, too.
And then: at a birthday party, two slices of cake manage to creep up on you when you’re not looking. While you could blame the birthday girl for having such good taste (seriously, who can turn down chocolate mousse cake?), it’s more likely you’re beating yourself up for showing weakness in the face of the enemy and avoiding the scale at all costs. At worst, you may even be thinking of throwing in the towel.
If this happens to you—and it happens to everybody, by the way—there’s a much better way to handle it. Here’s a 7-step guide for how to recover and regain your stride:
1.Keep Eating- Seriously—do not under any circumstances starve yourself the following day in an effort to make some dietary amends. You’re greatly increasing the chances of a repeat binge brought on by low blood sugar, and the start of a vicious cycle. Get up the next day and eat the same breakfast that has worked for you so far.
2.Do a Reality Check– Understand that it takes 3,500 extra calories to gain one pound of body fat; far more than most people eat in a day. That pizza, burger or slice of cake didn’t set you back that far. Take a deep breath and be objective
3.Rehydrate- Be sure to drink a little extra water for the next day or so, to help flush away any excess sodium(which is very common in most of “those” foods). This will help to prevent any long-term bloated feelings or puffy appearance, in turn offsetting any feelings of guilt.
4.Ramp Up The Fiber– Moral and otherwise! To minimize any impact on your digestive system or waistline, step up your fiber intake with some black beans, an apple or for an extra quick fix, fiber Powder.
5.Sweat It Out– Of all days, the day after a binge is the best kind for a few extra minutes spent at the gym. Look at it this way: with all that extra fuel in your system, your normal workout wouldn’t be tough enough anyway!
6.Plan a Counterattack– Get right back on track. Don’t skip any meals.
7.Never Surrender– Most importantly, DO NOT let one misdirected meal overturn all your efforts! Remember, it’s unlikely to add even a single pound to your body, so you shouldn’t let it weigh on your mind. Pick up where you left off and keep going.
Losing your grip at one meal doesn’t say anything about you, other than that you’re human, which (hopefully) you’re okay with. There are times for action and times for acceptance. When it comes to recovering from a binge, acceptance comes first; own your error, but don’t let it defeat you. Get back up, and get moving!