Occasionally pampering yourself with all you can eat can still be considered natural and healthy, especially during holidays or special celebrations. Overeating for a day or even a few days usually won't keep you from straying far from your goal. But often, overeating can leave you feeling guilty, failed and frustrated. As a result, it is more difficult for you to return to your original routine. Gradually returning to your normal daily routine over a few days or weeks can make the transition easier and less stressful for you.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Restarting a Healthy Routine
Step 1. Avoid the “give up” attitude
Often, it's easier to feel hopeless after a few or several days of unhealthy eating. It may come to mind that you've “ruined” the day by eating unhealthy foods, but that doesn't mean you're missing out on the opportunity to make positive choices for the rest of the day!
- Everyone makes mistakes or succumbs to temptation, but it's very human. If you're trying to eat healthy or lose weight, a few small mistakes don't matter. Don't give up right away just because you're eating more than usual.
- If you make a mistake, try to immediately think about what the next healthy steps can be or a healthy lifestyle to adopt.
Step 2. Forgive yourself
Overeating or being too indulgent, especially for a few days, can make you feel very guilty or as if you have failed to stick to a healthy eating plan. That is not true. You didn't fail and you don't have to feel guilty about anything. Remember, overeating or indulging in unhealthy foods are part of normal eating.
- The difference between a "cheat meal" and falling into an old unhealthy habit is how quickly you can realize the mistake and get back to where you were originally. Remember, just because you stray slightly from your goal doesn't mean the whole plan is totally ruined. You just need to get back on track.
- Don't overcrowd yourself with negative words or thoughts. Try to say positive affirmations or mantras so that your mind is always in a positive state. This attitude will lead you to greater long-term success.
- Oftentimes, a persistent negative attitude can increase stress or guilt and ultimately lead to overeating or making unhealthy eating patterns even more difficult to get rid of.
Step 3. Start writing down your goals in a journal
The initial goal you set or tried to achieve may feel more distant after overeating. But you can return to the original goal by rewriting the goal and what plans can be done to achieve it. This little refresher can help rekindle your motivation.
- Review your old goals and think of ways to turn them into long-term goals. Also consider whether you need to find new ways to achieve these goals.
- You can also use a journal to keep track of the food and drinks you consume.
Step 4. Create a meal and exercise schedule
Sometimes the number of changes you have to make to get back into a normal routine can be overwhelming. However, creating a schedule or plan can make it easier to handle.
- Try to schedule physical activity for one week. Write down what days you will exercise, at what time, and for how long.
- Write a meal plan that includes healthy meals and snacks. This will be your guide to grocery shopping and a healthy diet.
Step 5. Avoid weighing
Weighing regularly is considered important in long-term weight loss efforts, but jumping on the scales after a few days of overeating may not be a good idea. The numbers listed may be higher than you expect. This will make you stressed, irritated, or increase feelings of guilt or failure.
- Instead of worrying about the scales, focus your energy and attention on your goals and the steps you will take to get back to your original goal of adopting a healthy lifestyle. Scales can wait.
- Give it at least a few days or weeks before you get back on the scales. Skip the scales until you feel like you've been back to where you were for a while.
- It is advisable to re-weigh the weight at a certain point. Maybe not right away, but make sure you plan to do it when you feel the time is right.
Part 2 of 3: Back to Healthy Eating
Step 1. Cook and prepare food at home
Eating and preparing all meals and snacks at home will help you control the ingredients used for each dish. That way, you're free to add more lean protein, fruit, vegetables and whole grains without adding the salt or fat typically found in restaurant dishes.
- In addition to cooking meals at home, use low-calorie or low-fat cooking techniques and methods. Cooking with lots of oil or butter or using high-fat, high-calorie ingredients can also make it difficult for you to break the habit of overeating.
- To make it easier for you to cook meals at home, go to the supermarket and buy a large stock of your favorite healthy foods. Try to buy lean protein, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Step 2. Eat a breakfast that is high in fiber and protein
Start your day with fiber and protein that can help you get back on track with a healthy diet. Fiber and protein take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates and both provide a longer feeling of fullness.
- Eating breakfast can also help prepare mentally for a healthy day.
- Breakfast ideas that are high in fiber and protein include: whole grain oats with blueberries and nuts, a veggie omelet with low-fat cheese, or Greek yogurt with fruit slices and a sprinkling of granola.
Step 3. Eat a large salad for lunch
Follow up with a healthy breakfast with a veggie-laden lunch. Add a salad with a variety of vegetables that contain only a few calories.
- Vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber, but are also low in calories and fat. This food group is very suitable to be consumed in large quantities when you return to a healthy diet.
- Also add lean protein sources to salads. Again, protein helps you feel full longer.
Step 4. Enjoy a high protein afternoon snack
It's natural to feel a little hungry in the afternoon, especially if there's a long period of time between lunch and dinner. Skipping afternoon snacks and dinner when you're very hungry can cause you to overeat or overeat.
- Snacks should contain 100-200 calories. Fruits, vegetables, and lean protein help keep snacks low in calories, but still nutritious.
- Healthy snacks include: carrots and hummus, large celery and peanut butter, or Greek yogurt with fruit.
Step 5. Drink lots of water
Aim for about eight glasses of water or about 1.9 liters of clear, sugar-free liquid such as water, iced tea, or flavored water without calories. Oftentimes, dehydration is perceived as a feeling of hunger and makes you tempted to snack or eat more than you should, which can mess with your plans to “get back to eating healthy.”
- Monitor the amount of water you consume by purchasing labeled bottles. This will help you reach your target amount of water throughout the day.
- Mild dehydration can also have side effects. Oftentimes, dehydration can lead to fatigue and a feeling of lightheadedness in the afternoon. Prevent this by drinking water throughout the day.
- Adequate water needs in the body is one of the best ways to make you feel better when your way of eating has not returned to normal.
Step 6. Leave some food on the plate
Overeating is often accompanied by eating large portions of food. After several days of eating large meals, it can be difficult to get back to the right portions. If you automatically plan to leave less food on your plate, you can help yourself slowly return to smaller portions.
Another tip that can be applied is to use a smaller plate, such as a salad plate. If you have less food on your plate, you can reduce your overall food consumption
Part 3 of 3: Doing Other Supportive Practices
Step 1. Exercise
Not only does exercise support your efforts to lose weight, it can also help set you in the right mindset for the day or week as you try to get back into a normal routine. Aim to be physically active about three to four days each week.
- Aim for 150 minutes or 2½ hours of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. Adding regular aerobic exercise to your daily routine will support weight loss efforts. Aerobic activities include exercises such as: walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, or hiking.
- It's also a good idea to set aside two days of strength training each week. Strength training includes activities such as lifting weights, Pilates, or isometric exercises such as push ups or crunches.
- Starting an exercise plan can be difficult, especially if you're doing it alone. Working out with a friend or partner can be a big motivator so you can stick to your training program and be present at training sessions.
Step 2. Get eight hours of sleep
Experts recommend getting between seven and nine hours of sleep every night. Adequate sleep helps maintain a balanced mood and control appetite, both of which are important if you intend to return to a healthy diet.
To help prepare your body for bedtime, turn off all lights and electronic devices. Also, try not to use electronic devices at least 30 minutes before your bedtime schedule
Step 3. Find or build a support group
No matter how long you overeat, having a group or people support you can ease your way back to your original goal. Anyone can be a member of a support group, whether it's a spouse, family, friend or coworker. A support group can serve as a cheerleader that will motivate and propel you through this process.
If you want, you can follow a diet program like Weight Watchers and attend their weekly support group meetings
Step 4. Repeat positive affirmations every day
Sometimes after a few days of overeating, you can start to feel negative or discouraged. Repeating positive affirmations daily can help improve your mood and spirit and encourage you to adopt a better mindset to get back into a normal routine:
- “My body feels so fit when I eat the right kinds of food.”
- “Practice makes me feel energized and helps me set up a good mindset to go about my day.”
- “I have the power to make healthy choices today.”
- "I'm trying my best to stay calm to get back to a healthy diet."
- "Occasional overeating is fine and I'm back on the right track today."
Tips
- If one day you overeat, accept it as a conscious decision. The past is behind you. Be happy that you have the opportunity to start over.
- Try to slowly return to your normal routine. Again, suddenly changing your diet, exercise routine, and lifestyle may be too difficult to do all at once in one day. Make changes slowly for the best long-term results.
- Seek support from friends or family members by inviting them to “return to a healthy diet”. It will often be easier for you if someone else wants to make a similar change together.
- Starving yourself out of guilt is unlikely to help or benefit your progress. Episodes of overeating are often followed by a diet so restrictive that it causes another episode of binge eating. Try to avoid this.
