Everybody overeats every once in a while.
Maybe others do it more than the rest, but people don’t usually plan overeating. Sometimes you may feel some guilt and regret after stuffing all the food down your mouth, but you shouldn’t act this way after binge eating.
You must realize your worth because overeating isn’t the end of the road. You will be able to pick yourself up and get back on your feet faster than you think.
Here are seven tips for moving on and getting back on track after overeating.
1. Start With Forgiveness
First things first, guilt will only make things harder for you. Research shows guilt causing people to eat more food. Overindulgence is common to humans, therefore overeating once isn’t a major setback. It’ll take you two extra days to get back in shape, and it won’t have a lasting effect on your body, so don’t worry. Forgive yourself for all your uncontrollable urges. It’s best to forget about your eating episode and move on to being healthy again.
2. Never Starve Yourself
You tend to pair guilt with the feeling of remorse. You start skipping meals to get rid of the extra calories while you shouldn’t. Skipping meals will only increase your cravings and make you eat more. If you feel bloated, eat fruits and light snacks to resume your regular eating habits.
3. Learn from Your Mistakes
Analyze what made you overeat. You can start a food journal or a food log to find out where things went wrong. This practice will make you identify your eating habits and thoughts causing you to overeat. Record your feelings before, during, and after your meal to find out what triggers you to eat more, so you can prevent it from happening again.
4. Get Enough Sleep
When you get enough sleep, you get back on track a lot faster. A study conducted by the University of Colorado found subjects eating less with 7-9 hours of sleep. Sleep influences our metabolism, hormones, and mood, so make sure you get enough sleep all the time.
5. Don’t Punish Yourself
Training for hours after eating promotes overeating because you’ll think you can burn all the excess calories in one workout. Sadly, this never happens. Just do your usual workout, and don’t overdo it. The primary objective is to bring back your normal routine.
6. High-fiber Breakfast
The worst case of overeating happens at night, so you should start the next morning with a healthy fibrous meal. When you feel bloated, fiber improves food digestions and increases chances of eating healthy in other meals. Chicken breast and veggies are the best ingredients for a perfect breakfast.
7. Go for a Walk
When you go for a stroll, you clear your mind and reflect on your goals. After overeating, goal setting is the best thing to do because you inspire yourself to make up for your setback. Use this opportunity to strive for health and never look back. If you don’t do anything about it, you might start binge eating again. A walk will serve as a form of meditation to see you through your goal-setting.
Taking the right steps after overeating is important to get you in the zone again.
People make mistakes, but you should strive for EXCELLENCE.
STAND above your shortcomings and attain the healthy lifestyle you deserve.
Aimee Harris-Newon, Psy.D., D.A.B.P.S., C.Ht