Bouncing Back From an Indulgent Weekend
It's easy to overdo it on eating and drinking over a weekend. Holiday celebrations, vacations, parties with friends - these fun times often go hand-in-hand with making not-so-healthy choices.
Occasional indulgence is perfectly normal, but it can leave you feeling sluggish, bloated, or guilty come Monday morning. The good news? With a few simple strategies, you can recover from weekend overindulgence and get your healthy habits back on track.
Assess Your Eating
First, reflect on what types of food and drink led to overdoing it. Were you famished and scarfed down food without thinking? Or mindlessly snacking out of boredom? Did party cocktails or sugary treats push you over the edge?
Without judgement, identify your weekend pitfalls. This awareness alone curbs overeating. Also, consider any emotions tied to your food choices. Anxiety, excitement, even happiness can drive excess eating. Understanding the behaviour provides insight to prevent repeats.
Get Back to Basics
After a nutritionally loose weekend, simplify your diet to give digestion a break. Focus on quality over quantity by filling up on whole foods.
Fill your plate with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and lean protein. Opt for simple preparations without heavy sauces or condiments. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated too.
Lighten It Up
Eating lighter fare after a weekend splurge helps get your body back into balance. For a couple days, emphasize plant-based foods, broth-based soups, salads, and lean proteins like fish, poultry, eggs or tofu.
Avoid added sugars, excess salt, fried foods, heavy starches, and processed snacks, which can exacerbate bloating and sluggishness. Be sure to get enough protein for satiety as you cut back on calories.
Reduce Portions
It’s easy to get portion sizes out of whack, especially when eating decadent party treats. But enlarging your portions expands your waistline too.
Get back on track by serving reasonable portions to avoid overeating. Use smaller plates and bowls to prevent piling on too much food. Share desserts or restaurant entrees instead of getting your own.
Up Your Activity
Balancing indulgent weekends with more physical activity helps offset treats. Get yourself moving to rev up calorie burning.
Schedule at least 30-45 minutes of exercise several days during the week after overeating. Opt for something you enjoy, whether walking, swimming, cycling or strength training. Just get those endorphins pumping.
Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting limits eating to set times, helping undo weekend overindulgence. For instance, you might fast completely or stick to 500 calories for 16 hours of the day, eating normally during the other eight.
This allows the body to use up excess calories. It also gives your digestive system a break from constantly processing food. But be sure to stay hydrated during fasting periods.
Get Back to Your Meal Routine
Unstructured weekends can disrupt your usual meal schedule, prompting poor food choices. Come Monday, stick to your regular eating routine as much as possible.
Having set meal times with balanced nutrition prevents ad hoc snacking decisions. Meal prepping also helps control portions. Your routine gives structure after a weekend free-for-all.
Supplement Smartly
Certain supplements offer digestive and nutritional support after weekend indulgence. For instance, probiotics aid gut health after high fat, sugar, or alcohol intake. Bromelain and papaya enzymes help digest proteins.
Ginger, peppermint, dandelion, and fennel ease bloating and sluggish digestion. Diuretic herbs like celery seed and parsley reduce water retention. Talk to a nutritionist before supplementing.
Stay Hydrated
Many overeating weekends go hand-in-hand with alcohol and caffeinated beverages that can dehydrate. Combat this with ample water and unsweetened teas.
Drink a large glass of water first thing when you wake up. Carry a reusable water bottle and sip consistently throughout the day. Hydration improves digestion, flushes out toxins, and prevents false hunger signals.
Get Quality Sleep
Burning the candle at both ends is common on indulgent weekends but wreaks havoc on your metabolism and willpower. Make more sleep a priority.
Aim for 7-9 hours nightly to aid weight control and restore energy. Develop a calming pre-bed routine, disconnect from screens, and create a restful sleep environment. Proper rest helps get your health goals back on track.
Manage Stress
Stress drives overeating behaviors of all kinds. High cortisol from anxiety spikes hunger and cravings for unhealthy comfort foods.
After an indulgent weekend, get stress under control through yoga, meditation, massage, talking with friends, or keeping a journal. Stress-reducing strategies make it easier to stick to healthy habits going forward.
Reset Your Mindset
It’s all too easy to beat yourself up after dietary indulgence. But self-criticism often leads to more poor food choices, fueling a vicious cycle.
Treat yourself with compassion as you get nutrition back on track. Reframe slip-ups as learning experiences rather than failures. Look at Monday as a fresh start to make healthy choices going forward.
Focus on How You Feel
Dieting often focuses too much on numbers on the scale. But good nutrition isn't about pounds. It’s about having energy, a healthy gut, stable mood and reduced disease risk.
After a nutritionally lackluster weekend, shift attention to how you feel. Base food choices on optimizing wellbeing rather than hitting certain weights. Feel-good fuel will get you on the right track.
Make Gradual Changes
Small, sustainable changes in eating habits have more sticking power than extreme restrictions after overindulging. For instance, cook more meals at home or reduce portion sizes by 20%.
Gradually ramp up plant foods, cut back on junk food, limit dining out to two times per week. These modest changes help counter weekend pitfalls without an oppressive diet overhaul.
It happens - weekends centered around food indulgence can throw us off balance nutritionally. But with a few painless strategies, you can recover from excess eating and alcohol and feel your best in no time. Be kind to yourself in the process!
FAQs
What are some healthy foods to focus on after weekend indulgence?
After overeating or drinking, stick to lighter whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, beans, lentils. Emphasize simple preparations without heavy sauces or added sugars.
What are some supplements that can help get your digestion back on track?
Probiotics, bromelain, papaya enzymes, ginger, and peppermint can help support healthy digestion and reduce bloating after overeating. Dandelion, parsley, and celery seed act as natural diuretics as well.
How can you avoid overeating when dining out after an indulgent weekend?
Share dishes or appetizers, drink water instead of sugary beverages, start meals with a low-cal salad, choose grilled instead of fried options, and eat slowly to prevent overeating when dining out.
What are some simple ways to get more activity after weekend indulgence?
Take 30-45 minute walks, swim, cycle, lift weights, join an exercise class, play a sport with friends, garden/do yardwork, use an online workout program, park farther away, take the stairs - any movement counts!
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
Add Comment