This is such a no-brainer, but works every time. Even though you feel sluggish, choose a neighborhood or shopping area that you like to look around at, go there and walk for just 30 minutes. You’ll be amazed how you can go from feeling stuffed to just satisfied. A 30-minute power walk can burn 200 calories, and sometimes that brings you back down to your calorie allowance for the day.
There’s nothing worse than waking up still full from the night before. If your schedule allows it, sleep an hour or two later the next morning after a big meal. That gives your body more time to digest your big meal before you eat breakfast. It also means you’ll be awake for a couple less hours the next day, giving you less time to eat, so you’ll probably eat a little less and balance out the over-consumption from the day before.
When those crazy thoughts start swirling through your head that that one meal will make you gain weight, here’s a reality check: go dig out your “fat” clothes and put those on. When you realize you’re still absolutely swimming in those, you’ll calm down.
You don’t need digestive discomfort the day after a big meal on top of the guilt. Drink a digestive-aid tea to lessen your chance of bloating or constipation the following day.
After overeating, you tend to feel like you’ve lost control. Gain it back by cooking up tons of healthy food for the week, and divvying it up into containers, marking your lunches and dinners for each day. Now you feel more in control and secure in the fact that you’ll eat meals you’re proud of the rest of the week.
Just call a friend and vent. We have all over-eaten. You can bet the moment you say to your friend, “Ugh. I ate too much,” she’ll shoot back telling you she recently ate too much too! Or she’ll tell you a story of a time she really ate too much, and it was way worse than what you just did. Just realizing that the whole world does it—including your friends, who are still in shape—will comfort you.
You’re freaking out over one mistake. But if you sit down and think about every healthy meal you had that week, every dessert you said no to, every cocktail you said no to, every workout class you took and extra walk you squeezed in, you’ll realize your lifestyle is overall a very healthy one. And it’s your lifestyle — not one meal — that dictates what kind of shape you are in.
Go online to a site like Groupon or Living Social and look up deals on workout classes in your area. Find a fun, unique, intense workout class you’ve never tried and buy a coupon for the following day. You’ll relax a bit more that night knowing you’re going to work it all off the next day.
Hop in your car, drive around, and find homeless individuals to give food to. When you remember there are people who worry every day whether or not they’ll eat at all, you’ll feel pretty silly for feeling bad for overeating. You’ll feel grateful you have a lifestyle that allows you to indulge sometimes.
If you’re a woman and you’ve overeaten, put on those pants that make your butt look great. Or put on a blouse that flows over your stomach but accentuates your cleavage. If you’re a man, put on a shirt that makes your arm muscles look large. Immediately put on an outfit that flatters you, so you remember, “Even if I did put on five pounds, I could still look good.”
