Maybe mom made your favorite pasta, or you met your friend over dinner after ages. Or, your neighbors made your favorite dessert that you had to eat until the last piece of it was over because it tasted heaven!
No matter the reason, when you’re done overeating, the first thing that comes to your mind is, ‘I should’ve known when to stop.’
To top that, that feeling you get after overeating including tiredness, low energy or, the worst, stomach hurting – really adds to your guilt. Do you know why it happens? The mixture of food, liquids, and swallowed air stretch your stomach, small intestines and abdominal muscle to the extent that causes pain.
So, when you experience pain next time, know it’s normal, and it happens with everyone. We all slip up at times, but that’s just human.
After processing the guilt and feeling better, the most important question that pops into your head is, what’s next?
You must be strong enough to get back on track with the right choices and continue living a happy, healthy lifestyle.
Here are a few things you must do to make things better after overeating:
Things to Do After Overeating
- Don’t Stress – Stop beating yourself. It happens with everyone. Get over it.
- Take a Walk – Clear your mind with a nice walk. It helps in digesting the food as well.
- Have a Nutritious Breakfast – Get back stronger with a high in fiber & protein breakfast & crush your goals.
- Plan Your Meal – Take some time out to plan your meals & prepare healthy food options when you’re hungry.
1. Don’t Stress – Let’s be honest; the feeling you get right after you overeat is not pleasant. You beat yourself, think about what could’ve been avoided and then eventually feel guilty about eating your favorite meal.
This entire process is not only too harsh but makes you feel demotivated. But don’t worry, there’s a better way to deal with this.
Acknowledgement changes the way you deal with things post-overeating. Confused? Let’s say you mindlessly grabbed a few extra fries, had that cheesy burger, and, to top it all, had a coke. Now, how that made you feel? Full, tired or uncomfortable? Remember that feeling the next time you’re in this same situation, and use it to prevent yourself from overeating.
This will save you from all the unnecessary stress that overeating causes.
2. Take a Walk – One bad day won’t spoil all your hard work, don’t quit, keep at it and remember, after all, you’re a human and love food. So, it’s okay. Acknowledge, forgive yourself and commit even harder.
Take a Walk – You must not do a heavy workout after overeating. However, a long walk benefits you more than you think – it makes you feel PHYSICALLY and MENTALLY in control.
It helps reduce bloating or feeling full by emptying your stomach. Also, walking is a great way to deal with guilt & jumpstart your metabolism.
A good walk burns calories and helps to reduce the extra ones consumed due to overeating. With that, walking puts you in a good mood and makes you stronger to avoid negative emotions & stress.
In short, walking is the simplest and easiest form of exercise that helps you to get back on track without too much pressure.
3. Have a Nutritious Breakfast – It may seem a little counterintuitive, but it’s just the opposite of that.
Having a nutritious breakfast, the next day after overeating sets the tone for your day. Go for high-fibre and protein breakfast, so you feel fuller for longer. Feel motivated throughout the day by getting your fitness back on track. The motivation and positive energy help you to push harder and crush your goals with greater zeal & vigour.
Go for the healthy choices, including oatmeal and add some fruits, nuts or anything you like. There are plenty of other healthy and tasty breakfast items you can have to get your day started post-overeating.
4. Plan Your Meal – One of the most obvious reasons we go for junk food is its ease of access. It is much easier to open a bag of chips or order a burger than to prepare a nutritious meal yourself. You do not always have time or the ingredients to make a healthy meal.
To deal with this problem, you can have healthy options ready when you have a craving or feel like grabbing a quick bite. You can take some out during weekends to prepare some healthy snacks.
Try to get rid of all the unhealthy junk, desserts and everything that will distract you from your goals. So, when the next time you feel hungry, you make the right choice.
But, at the same time, you will not always have that choice if you are the only one dieting. So, you need to have some self-control.
Now that we know what to do after overeating, there are a few things we must not do after that. For instance, punishing yourself with overexercise, weighing yourself, starving etc. Remember, these things will not help you but make your situation worse.
So, don’t be hard on yourself and go for the healthy ways post-overeating. You got this!
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