Overeat This Weekend? Don’t Panic. Do This Instead.

Did you overeat this past weekend?  My colleague and friend Loni Markman wrote a powerful post on her blog www.LoniMarkman.com following the July 4th weekend and I knew I just had to share!  Check out her guest post below.

Hope you had a beautiful, restful, fun-and-sun filled 4th of July weekend. I spent it with my hubby and close friends on the beach in Fire Island. I ate awesome food (see my kale salad pic), did some yoga, got a massage, played games, laughed a lot and slept in. It does not get much better than that! BUT it certainly made Monday hard to get back into the swing of things.

Yesterday, I heard the same ole thing from every client I spoke with…I OVERATE ALL WEEKEND AND NOW I FEEL TERRIBLE.

Does that sound familiar? I’m not gonna lie to you and say I only ate kale salad…I love me some ice cream after a beach day and you better believe I was having some (Vanilla Swiss Almond is my favorite flavor just in case you wanted to know!)

So, what do I tell my clients to do after a weekend of food fun? Exactly what I do…

DO NOT PANIC – gaining “fat weight” is a little tougher than you might think. In order to gain one pound of body fat (think 4 sticks of butter), you have to consume an excess 3,500 calories. Chances are you didn’t consume an extra 3,500 calories. It is sooooo important that you don’t throw in the towel and give up on yourself and your healthy ways. Over indulging is normal during the holidays so it’s OK if you consumed more than normal on the 4th. It is just sooo important to get right back to normal. Don’t worry! I got you covered on how to do that but before I share my tips you have to promise me one important thing…

DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP!!! Say to yourself instead “Today is a new day and I choose to feel good!”

If you’re still thinking “If it’s ok to over indulge on the holidays THEN WHY DO I FEEL SO FAT?” Here’s why:

You are probably feeling some of that undigested food, extra water bloat and waste your body hasn’t yet eliminated. Yuck. When we eat all that processed sugary stuff we call “food,” we gotta know the consequences. If you are more of a salty foods gal than you can be sure you are carrying around excess water weight which is making you feel puffy.

Bottom line: when you eat more than usual for a day or two, you’ll undoubtedly feel more bloated and sluggish, and you’ll even weigh more on the scale, because scales measure everything. FYI: I don’t love the scale anyway so just stay off it! Once you get back on track, you probably won’t notice much of a difference in the way your clothes fit you.

GET BACK TO YOUR NORMAL: Here are my 5 tips to getting right back on your healthy horse so to speak.

1) Go Green – add those dark leafy greens back into your routine to balance your PH and cut those sugar cravings off before they linger. Green smoothie, anyone?
2) Make sassy water – a quick way to soothe the GI tract and help beat the belly bloat. CLICK HERE FOR SASSY WATER RECIPE
3) Eliminate breads, sugar and salty foods – going back to your whole foods diet will give you the fiber you need to drop the water weight and button your shorts.
4) Take a “shot” of aloe vera – Click here to learn this is important
5) Send yourself extra self-love and TLC – Focus on doing something to feel good everyday!!

Loni Markman, a Nutrition & Positive Body Coach. Loni’s philosophy is that our bodies know best when it comes to healing itself, all it asks for is the right tools for the job.