We all lose some will power at some point in our diet. It’s hard to eat perfect 24/7 and you shouldn’t feel like you have to. We all make mistakes on our diet, but the goal is to jump right back into it. Whether you needed to fulfill some cravings, or accidentally went all-out at dinner last night, you need to make the right decisions the next day to keep from falling into a weight gain/yo-yo diet spiral. Here are some tips and reasons to help you get back on track the next day.
Don’t skip breakfast the next morning after a heavy meal. You might have woken up not feeling full or gross from the food you ate the day before, but you need to fuel your body with something. This will help you from slowing down your metabolism. You need to have energy for the day and need a kickstart so you don’t start eating up your hard-earned muscle. Wait 30-60 minutes if need be and make sure you grab something small and nutritious that is good for you, whether you are hungry or not. Try to grab a meal or snack that has protein, carbs and healthy fats.
Get rid of the bloat. A bunch of the initial bloat you feel isn’t always necessarily fat you put on your body overnight. It usually is water weight from all the extra sodium and carbs you consumed the day before. The key to rid your body of extra bloat and water weight is to up your water intake the following day — although you should be aiming for 100 ounces minimally a day regardless. Watch the salt intake the next day, avoiding the extra-salty condiments and processed junk foods. You may be running to the bathroom frequently but you have to get rid of that bloat and cleanse your body.
Get moving regardless of how lethargic you feel. Usually the morning after you eat a bunch of sweets, white carbs or load up on a bottle of wine, you tend to get the sugar crash the next day. You might feel like laying around all day, but the best thing for you to do to regain your energy levels is to get moving. Go do a light workout and burn off some calories. It doesn’t have to be full-out, but any movement will help get your body and metabolism back on track so you are feeling better by the end of the day.
Don’t get too discouraged the day after and think you completely have undone all your hard-earned work. It takes 3,500 calories to pack on a pound and you have to eat a lot in one meal to get to that level. Get moving, drink water and drop some of the water weight from cheating. Get motivated again and move on to achieving your goals. Don’t ever fall off the bandwagon completely.
Char Biggs is a registered personal trainer at 12th Street Gym. To learn more about Char, visit www.biggsbuilt.com or www.12streetgym.com.