I ATE TOO MUCH, NOW WHAT?
Here at THE BOD, our approach to nutrition takes life into consideration. That means we know and understand there will be times that you eat out, times where you slip up and times you have a food binge or blowout. While it may feel good at the time, the after effects can stir mental and physical regrets - sore stomach, headaches, body aches, nausea, even self-loathe and extreme guilt.
Don’t beat yourself up if you overeat, sis. We’ve all been there and there are ways to bounce back!
1. FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CRAVINGS COME FROM
The time you waste on regret could be better used elsewhere. Instead of focusing on how crappy you feel, find out why your cravings came about and learn how to pick up on signs earlier.
Some reasons why you’re overindulging could include:
- You’re restricting and starving yourself throughout the week (and waiting for the weekend to roll over as an excuse to have a blowout)
- Poorly timed meals - eating too much during the day or not enough
- Eating beyond the point of hunger and emotional eating
Did you know that a craving for salty food could actually indicate low levels of calcium? And if you're craving something sweet, you might really need some magnesium-rich foods!
2. GO STRAIGHT BACK ONTO YOUR MACROS
Often, your first thought will be to go into starvation mode to 'make up' for the calories you've over consumed. This kind of punishment mindset is one we want you to avoid.
Any kind of drastic starvation causes your metabolism to slow down and your body to use the smallest amount of energy as possible.
This suggests the minute you do eat something substantial, you can actually gain weight.
When your body is in a 'fasted state', your insulin (blood sugar) levels begin to drop, and when you finally do eat, your blood sugar spikes and your body reacts by storing and reserving fat as a mode of survival.
The best thing to do is to resume your regular eating pattern.
3. DON'T STRESS
The stress hormone cortisol and fatty foods go hand in hand.
According to Harvard Medical School:
"Physical or emotional distress increases the intake of food high in fat, sugar, or both."
Research also shows a link between increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol and higher insulin levels - your blood sugar drops and you turn to sugary, fatty foods.
Don't beat yourself up and stress yourself out because you ate too much food - this will cause more harm than good.
4. EXERCISE
Turn to exercise to alleviate any raging headaches or soreness - not to punish yourself. You can aid the digestion process by going for a light walk, or change your environment by heading outdoors or to the gym.
We'd also suggest trying some aerobic or endurance exercise, which studies have proven to help not only your heart, but headspace too.
5. STOP WHERE YOU ARE
If you are just in the middle of a food-laden weekend or huge late-night binge; stop right there. It's completely fine to accept where you are at this point in time now.
What is not okay is taking these circumstances and using it as an excuse to go on a full-blown binge all week or weekend.
Tell yourself:
“I am no longer hungry, I have the power to stop this potential blowout in its tracks. It hasn't been my best eating day, but it won't be my worst."
WHAT IF MY BLOWOUT IS ON A SMALLER SCALE?
Maybe you had a bit more for dinner, or added in a dessert without tracking:
If this is the case, and you may have not tracked your macros perfectly or slightly indulged over the weekend - go straight back onto your macros.
Don't under-eat for the next few days to compensate for overeating when in the grand scheme of things, it won't affect your overall journey dramatically.
You are better off kickstarting your day with a nutritious meal to change your mindset over anything else!
ARE YOU OFTEN GETTING TO THE POINT OF 'I ATE TOO MUCH', AND SICK OF IT? REACH OUT TO OUR BOD COACHES IN OUR FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP AND LEARN WHICH SUSTAINABLE MEAL PLAN IS FOR YOU!
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