Go for a walk.
Getting out into the fresh air will clear your mind, and a long walk can help wake up your digestive system and get your full feelings subsided quickly. Besides burning a few calories and waking up your body - an outdoor walk can help prevent any negative thoughts you have about your cheat meal/day and prevent future emotional eating.
Get a good night’s sleep.
Studies have shown that people that get less than 8 hours of sleep each night were associated with a higher body fat percentage. And people that slept less than 4 hours per night ate 22% more calories the next day.
There are two hormones that are affected by sleep that are connected to your appetite and feelings of hunger. Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates hunger, and leptin is released from your fat cells that signals that you’re full.
These two hormones do all the wrong things when you’re sleep deprived. You crave more high calorie foods and your lack of leptin being released creates a never full type of feeling.
Chug some water.
Some studies have shown that drinking more water increases metabolism, decreased the amount of calories they ate each meal, and weighed less overall.
Upping your water intake can also help wake up your digestive system, flush out toxins, and reduce inflammation caused by the junk you ate the day prior.
Eat your vegetables.
When our bodies crave junk food, it’s really a cry for more micronutrients, which are easy to find in green vegetables. They’re also high in fiber which will help you feel full.
Avoid skipping meals.
Don’t try to make up for over eating by under eating the next day. This will start a binge and restrict cycle that’s dangerous and doesn’t make a difference anyway.
Get back on track with your regular and balanced diet and forget the cheat meal even happened!
Get a good workout in.
A good sweat is going to help decrease any negative thoughts you may be having after over eating and it’ll start the wheel in motion of more healthy choices.
One important thing to note is that you shouldn’t try to workout to make up for the cheat. It’s nearly impossible. A typical cheat meal is 2,000+ calories and if you made it a cheat day (more power to you) you’re likely over the 5,000 mark.
In short, you cannot burn that many calories in one sitting, nor is it a healthy way to mentally process the cheat.
All in all… you’ve gotta do what feels right for you but in the journey of wellness it’s important to find balance wherever you can. Enjoy the cheats - guilt free, and do the things you know you need to do to get back on track.
