What To Do After A “Cheat Meal"

For those of us who are into fitness and health, we’ve all had one of those epic “cheat days” or “cheat meals.” Typically, the weekend often becomes the time so slack off on your nutrition and indulge in all the food. We are out with friends, have more time, going to social events like weddings/parties, celebrating, etc. These are times where food often becomes something you eat for pleasure rather than necessity. This is totally fine in moderation but sometimes you might just overdo and leave yourself feeling guilty, bloated, and totally stuffed. Then what? 

Although I am all about flexible nutrition, a “cheat” meal is definitely worked into my schedule every now and then. More often, I plan the meal into my macros and adjust my other meals for the day accordingly. But sometimes, I just need a day where I don’t track, don’t measure, don’t weigh, and don’t worry about the macros of the meal and just eat when my belly (and heart) desires. I believe this is beneficial sometimes for two reasons: it gives me a break from the mental aspect of tracking macros which can sometimes feel stressful AND it motivates me to get my diet together the following day/week to get back on track. 

Here’s a few tips that will help you regain your focus after one of these days:

1. Resume your NORMAL diet the following day. 
   One of the biggest things I see is that after a totally off track weekend, people think they need to starve themselves the following day or next few days. Please, DON’T. The best thing to do is continue to eat like you normally would for your health & fitness goals. Completely starving yourself the next day will put your metabolism through a crazy roller coaster ride. Stick to lean proteins, TONS of veggies, sweet potatoes, rice, healthy fats, and lots of water. Your body is probably craving all the healthy foods and will thank you for it!
2. Drink A TON of water!
   Normally, meals you eat out or that are on the “unhealthier” side are loaded with sodium, fat, and carbs. All the excess sodium will typically leave you feeling totally bloated and puffy. I always drink more water than normal that day and the day after to flush out some of the excess sodium. Your weight will probably be up a few pounds due to the excess water weight from the sodium, which leads me to my next tip...
   
3. DON’T weigh yourself the following day.
   I know it is tempting to weigh yourself to see if the scale changed but DON’T. Just don’t. It probably will show you are up a few pounds because as I said above, your body is holding onto water weight from the excess sodium. Do yourself a favor and stay off of the scale for the next few days. If you get back to your normal eating, you will be back to normal weight in no time. 
   
4. SWEAT IT OUT.
   Getting a good sweat on later that day or the following day is a great idea. Even if it’s just going for a walk with the dog outside after the meal or doing something light, that is a great start. The following day, get in the gym and hit your normal workout routine. Most people feel like they need to add on an hour of endless cardio to burn off all the calories. WRONG. The combo of long cardio sessions and improper nutrition wreaks havoc on your body. Use the extra food (energy from all those carbs!) and lift some weights. Do a high-intensity workout like a CrossFit metcon. Get outside and run a mile or two! Do something, anything, but just try and MOVE! You may feel lousy or sluggish in your workout which is totally normally because your body uses food as fuel and a crappy meal will only make you feel crappy in the gym. Push through it and you’ll feel WAY better afterwards. 
5. DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP.
   This is probably the hardest part for most people. Move on. Don’t let guilt and regret overwhelm you. I’m sure you enjoyed the meal/day at the time so enjoy it and then put it behind you. It won’t completely wreck your progress as long as you use the experience as motivation to regain control instead of letting it spiral into an entire week of off-track eating. Stay positive and use these tips to regain focus and control!
   

I’d love to hear any tips or tricks you use yourself after an off-track weekend or day. New ideas and opinions are always welcomed! 

Happy Monday & have a kick ass week!