How many frosted sugar cookies have you consumed in the past few days? One… Five… Twenty… Zero? Well, if you are someone that shared in all of the epic holiday dinners the past few days (and hey, maybe the eating fest is still going on), you are not alone. A lot of people get caught up in the holiday cheer, ignore all full signs, and just take in as much goodness as possible. As much as we agree that once a year isn’t a big deal, it can actually be a big deal to some people in other ways, but it doesn’t have to be.
A way the food world likes to describe this type of eating is labeling it, binge eating. Now, we are fully aware that one meal of overeating isn’t serious enough to consider this a bingeing habit or something to get nervous about, but even though it is only one time a lot of physical and psychological reactions can happen. This isn’t really what this article is about. This article is to share how you can quickly recover after overeating a bit too much over the holiday season without seeing the effects on the scale.
Bouncing back from a night or day of bingeing doesn’t mean that you should now go the extreme opposite restrict yourself (as logically as that may sound, that just leads to more psychological issues). Eating all of the food you just enjoyed shouldn’t be a punishment. It should simply come from an enjoyment and bring you happiness, as you probably shared your meals with loved ones. Keeping eating a happy experience, will keep you on the right track. You have to allow yourself and be okay with letting yourself eat foods you love, not telling yourself what you can’t have or don’t deserve.
All in all, what is done is done. You ate, drank and were merry–that is what this time of year is all about. Sure, you may have another round of this around new year (or maybe it is round five) but that is part of life. Remember all of the happy moments that surrounded your (not normal) eating frenzies and get back on track when you can. Your mind is more powerful than your stomach. If you are happy and content, your body will follow suit.
