Relax (For a Moment)
The good news is, one meal is not going to ruin you if you eat sensibly and exercise regularly the rest of the time and get back to your routine.
“No one is perfect in their eating habits. What we have to learn is that we are giving ourselves permission to do this, and as soon as it’s over, we should go back to the eating plan we normally follow. This does not give us permission to continue to overeat and binge.”
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
“You may feel defeated and say, ‘Oh I blew my diet” , don’t be self-deprecating.
You overeat for one day; let’s get back on track again. Let’s be more conscious of our portion sizes the next day.
Think of Your Diet Over the Course of Several Days
“In other words, you had a dinner invitation on a Tuesday, make a different diet plan for wedesday dinner and lunch
Resume Sensible Eating
You may be tempted to compensate for the extra calories by skipping meals the next day. But skipping breakfast or lunch will only leave you hungry and at risk for pigging out later.
Cut back throughout the day with a series of small meals packed with fiber-rich fruits and vegetables:
- Wait until you’re hungry. Then have a light breakfast such as a bowl of low-fat yogurt and berries.
- Mid-morning snack: A piece of fruit and an ounce of low-fat cheese
- Lunch: A big salad with lean protein such as fish or chicken, or a whole-wheat pita pocket with lettuce and tuna or turkey
- Afternoon snack: A cup of vegetable soup and an orange
- Dinner: A piece of fish and plenty of vegetables
Skip the Scale
After a feast, your weight is bound to be inflated. That’s not because of an increase in body fat, but because of water retention brought on by the excess salt you likely ate.
Weighing yourself will only make you feel defeated. Salge Blake tells clients to weigh themselves on Fridays, when they’re likely to weigh their lowest.
Stick to Your Normal Exercise Routine
Compensating for the extra calories by over-exercising will leave you burned out or worse, Laquale says.
“If you overload and do more than your regular routine, you could strain a muscle, you could hurt a joint. So muscle soreness may set in. Then you can’t exercise,” she says. “So now we’re into your third day, and you’re tight all over and you’re still feeling down because you overate, so it creates a vicious cycle.”
Track What You Eat
Setting a caloric goal for the day and recording what you eat keeps you conscious of what you’re eating, Dollar says.