Overdoing it a little at the table every now and then is completely healthy and normal, but it can also trigger feelings of guilt and failure. Do not worry! This is also normal. Even if you've given yourself a day or two of hearty meals, it doesn't mean you've given up on your eating plan. Follow these steps to try to "get back on track" and get closer to your weight goal.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Raise Morale
Step 1. Relax
Maybe you are angry with yourself thinking that all your hard work to lose weight has been lost in a binge. At most, you may have gained a pound, but the cause could also be water retention due to foods that are too salty or the weight of the food that is still in the digestive tract and has not yet been excreted.
Step 2. Love yourself for taking good care of your body
You recognized that you took a little break from the routine, but you don't have to punish yourself for it. Absolute dogmatic rigidity leads to unhappiness; allow yourself some flexibility while remaining focused on your plan to eat as healthy as possible.
Step 3. Remember why you started
If you stop thinking about it, you probably forget it. At some point, we're all tempted by that slice of cake, but the right thing to do is to enjoy every bite and then get back on track!
Step 4. Read other people's success stories
Watch videos or even photos of people who have managed to lose weight to increase your motivation. So, after consuming that meal that led you into temptation, regain your self-confidence and let your body know that you are now 'back'.
Part 2 of 3: Get back to a healthy diet
Step 1. Eat fiber-rich cereals with skim milk or light soy milk for breakfast
Choose a cereal with 28 grams of fiber per cup and, if you opt for soy, choose the one with the addition of fiber (2-3 grams). In this way you ingest about 30 grams of fiber in the body, which help to expel all the waste due to excesses still left in the digestive system, as well as making you feel full. This is important, because the day after a binge you feel even hungrier than usual due to high blood sugar levels and a distended stomach.
Step 2. Drink plenty of green tea and water between breakfast and lunch to help process breakfast fibers and reduce stomach heaviness
Eat celery dipped in a hot sauce to combat the urge to snack.
Step 3. Have a high protein meal for lunch and dinner
Some options might be low carb protein shakes, grilled or baked fish or chicken. Enjoy water or green tea with meals.
Step 4. At 4pm, have a high protein snack
Diet cheese or low-carb yogurt are two possible ideas. Make sure the snack doesn't exceed 100 calories.
Part 3 of 3: Adding Support Exercises
Step 1. Do a walk and / or sit-up and / or push-up at home
If you feel motivated to do some exercise, do it, but don't overdo it as it could trigger the desire for a new binge.
Step 2. Make sure you sleep at least 8 hours
Doctors and health magazines always remind us of the need to sleep well and enough, because tiredness can trigger the desire for a snack in an attempt to regain energy.
Step 3. Do a challenging workout
When you exercise hard, you understand how exhausting it is to burn a pound of fat and how easy it is to gain one instead! Remind yourself how hard you have to work if you keep indulging in too many binges. Make sure you get out of the gym completely sweaty, otherwise the workout wasn't challenging enough.
Step 4. Follow the tips in this article for another day or go back to your original healthy eating plan
Advice
- Accept your day of "concessions at the table" as a conscious decision. Hating yourself for overdoing it gets you nowhere. Leave the past behind. Be happy that you have a chance to start over.
- The only time you are in control of things is the present. Dwelling on the fact that you ate a whole box of candy yesterday will only make you feel hopeless. Focus on what you are doing right now to correct what happened previously.
- Work to stop thinking in terms of "all white or all black." This would lead you to completely abandon your healthy eating schedule due to binge eating. If you really think so, know that it is a completely irrational way of reasoning that many people follow on a regular basis. Realize that it is counterproductive in any situation.
