How To Feel Better After A Binge

We've all been there... Dieting can be hard. I know the feeling of eating clean all day and being "on track" with my foods then all of a sudden, the sun has gone down (my stomach isn't even growling) yet for some reason my mind is screaming "EAT! EAT NOW! WHERE'S THE YUMMY FOOD?" and boom - I give in. Before you know it, the leftovers are gone, I've eaten 3 pieces of bread with butter on it, ate just about everything unhealthy I could find, and now - I feel AWFUL. Like more than awful, the feeling of heartbreak, disgust, regret, and pain. If you've ever binged multiple times on a diet, you know this feeling - and it SUCKS! Well I'm here to say, it's gonna be OK. Take a deep breath... and keep reading.

Step 1. 
Accept it.
The first thing you need to do is accept what happened. It's already in the past and you can't go back. Take a few more deep breaths and just tell yourself "it's over." PHEW! 

Step 2.
Have a glass of water.
Seriously, have a glass of water. Stress burns up water inside the body and we need to replenish it so that we can calm down. Drink it slowly or quickly, which ever you prefer, just make sure you drink it!

Step 3.
Remind yourself that it's OK.
The truth is, if you're dieting and restricting your calories it can be beneficial to give yourself a major calorie-stuffed meal to rev up your metabolism! It's OK that this just happened. Take some time to imagine your body going into "buzz mode" because you just gave it BIG TIME food to burn off. Have you heard of "cheat meals"? These were made popular by bodybuilders and fitness competitors because they eat very strict but usually have 1 "cheat meal" per week. I don't know how each individual competitor chooses to eat but from what I've heard these cheat meals can be pretty outlandish. Well, think of your binge as a cheat meal. Bodybuilders do this intentionally so that they  rev up their metabolism to move past any "plateaus" in their weightless. This is not to say you should be binging frequently but when it happens, think of it as an intentional cheat meal.

Step 4.
Get moving!
Do 50 squats, maybe some planks, or even a walk around the block! Whatever you can do to get moving is going to help get the food going through your system so that it can flush out ASAP.  I KNOW you don't want to wake up with this reminder and bloated stomach tomorrow morning, so make some moves! Nothing too intense since you're full of food, but just enough to get your blood pumping a bit. 

Step 5.
Forgive yourself. 
I know the heartache and pain that binges bring. Remember - you're human. Things aren't going to be perfect right away. It's going to take some trial and error, some accomplishments and setbacks, some ups and downs, but if you keep going you WILL reach your goal. Just forgive yourself. You're an incredible human being with thoughts, emotions, feelings, dreams, and more determination inside of you than you even know. Forgive yourself. Say this out loud right now "I forgive myself and I am worthy of loving myself despite my shortcomings. I am perfectly imperfect and will reach my goals no matter what."