Weeks after the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, the question on the lips of many people is ‘How do I shed off the acquired unwanted extra calories?’ Last week, I went to my regular health club, ‘Ivory Health Club’, Ikeja, Lagos, and I was surprised that the gym was filled to the brim.
While some were engaged in workouts, others came for counseling on dieting and nutrition.
If you ate too many cakes, chin-chin, cookies, rice, pounded yam, or drank too much palm wine and other drinks over the holidays, all your healthy eating efforts are not lost.
You can recover from the effects of holiday overeating, but you must do some work to get your eating back on track.
We enlisted the expertise of registered dietitians, nutritionists, and doctors to find out the best ways to bounce back from a binge, so you can continue living your life, wearing your regular clothes.
Steps to take after holidays overeating:
First of all, forgive yourself
It is not a crime to indulge. You are only human, after all. So if you are feeling fat, bloated, and mad at yourself for overdoing it, just stop. Dwelling on your binge will only make you more upset, which could lead to emotional bouts of overeating down the road. Moving past the guilt is the first step toward getting back on track. It is important to realize, too, that if it was just a holiday overindulgent meal, it wouldn’t do too much damage. Generally, this would only set someone back a day or two.
Hydrate
When you are super full the last thing you want to do is guzzle down water. But it is for your good. Staying hydrated can aid in overeating recovery by aiding digestion and fighting gas-induced bloat. Also, staying hydrated supports a healthy metabolism and satiety, making recovery more manageable for the body. Drink a large glass before bed and a few large glasses the next morning. It is also advisable to keep a water bottle by your side over the next few days. Doing so will help flush out any excess salt that is making you bloated.
Do not starve as penance
If you are hungry between meals, eat something! Do not deprive yourself of food just because you overdid it during the holidays. Skipping usual meals or snacks will only increase the desire to overeat again. Reach for snacks rich in protein to promote satiety.
Fill up on fiber and protein at breakfast
After eating a huge meal, we often swear we will never eat again only to wake up the next morning feeling more ravenous than ever before. Why does this happen? After eating a big dinner, insulin levels spike. This is often followed by a blood sugar drop, which increases feelings of hunger the next morning. Instead of heading to the cupboard and stuffing your face with sugary cereal, fix a balanced breakfast with a mix of protein, carbs, and fat. This will help tame your crazy hunger and aid in the continued digestion of last night’s heavy meal.
Read Also: Nigeria saved $10b from subsidy removal in 2023 – Deputy Speaker
Engage in extra workouts
Some research shows that regular exercise during a period of overeating could protect people from negative metabolism changes. Both cardiovascular exercise and weight training are recommended, especially for weight loss and maintenance. Exercise is one of the best ways to feel better quickly. Go for a run, a bike ride, a long walk, or practice yoga (twists and inversions are especially great for detoxing). This will help release toxins from your system, give you an endorphin boost, and leave you feeling refreshed and renewed quickly.
Sweat it out in a sauna
A sauna or steam room (ideally followed by a cold plunge or cold shower) can help you to further flush out toxins, improve your circulation, and help you relax and de-stress. It can also brighten up your complexion, and even help get rid of puffy eyes if you’re fatigued!
Avoid hard-to-digest foods
If you have a case of post-binge digestive distress, steer clear of any foods that may disrupt your tummy further. Big culprits include gluten, dairy products, coffee, refined sugar, carbonated beverages, and acidic foods like fruit juice, pasta, alcohol, fatty meats, and chocolate. On the other hand, fruits, vegetables, green teas, almonds, lentils, and avocados are all more alkaline and won’t upset those prone to acid reflux. Focus first on eliminating known problem foods, and then decide if there are any others that you may need to avoid for a day or two to restore balance.
Get your greens in
Re-incorporating healthy fruits and vegetables is a surefire way to overcome a day of bad eating. Re-adding healthy fruits and vegetables to your diet ups your fiber intake, which can improve satiety and help decrease cravings.
Keep lunch and dinner ‘clean’
There is absolutely no need to put yourself through a full-blown cleanse post-binge, but eating “clean” whole foods days after overeating will make you feel refreshed and put you back in the right frame of mind to reach your goals. Cook meals comprised of a good balance of protein, fiber-filled carbs, and fat.
Skip the scale
The scale is not your friend days after festivities. It may display a number higher than what you are used to as a result of the extra food sitting in your stomach and the water retention brought on by eating those salty foods. Wait for a week before weighing yourself.
Get some sleep
Getting seven to nine hours of sleep is one of the best things you can do to get back on track after a binge. Why? It may make it easier to turn down fat and carb-laden trigger foods the next day. In a University of Colorado study, participants who were only permitted to sleep a mere five hours ate more the next day than those who got nine hours of shut-eye. Researchers observed that the well-rested crew had more “food restraint,” while those who were sleep-deprived not only took in more calories, but more calories from carbs and fat.
If possible, start the day with hot water and lemon
This works wonders for your digestive system, especially if you ate some not-so-decent food the night before. It will help to boost your immune system, balance your pH levels and stimulate the elimination of toxins from your body.
We are human and we live a little sometimes. Enjoy yourself, have fun, balance it out with some extra self-care, and let it go. Most of our post-indulgence suffering comes from wishing we hadn’t done it. So breathe, release yourself from any guilt, and get yourself outside for some fresh air and exercise! Wishing you a glorious New Year.