I Ate Everything in the House...Now What?

Pep Talk

It's been a long day.  You're stressed.  You're tired.  You're bored.  You reach for the bag of chips.  You eat.  Soon your salt-and-grease-coated fingertips are fumbling against the bottom of an empty bag, scraping together those little artificially-flavored crumbs and burnt pieces into a powder-filled bite of self-loathing and impending guilt.

But you don't stop there.  It's Girl Scout cookie season and you have a few boxes in the house.  Soon the empty cartons of said cookies are in the recycling bin.  Leftover chicken parm?  Down the hatch.  The feeding frenzy continues until you are sprawled out on the kitchen floor in a food coma, with nothing but baking soda and a sad jar of expired olives left in the fridge.

This is a situation that is common for many people, myself included!  We are all human and have food freak-outs from time to time.  There are many causes -- ranging from stress, boredom, emotions, to even -- yes -- that time of the month. 

However, the danger of a food cheat is not the cheat itself.  In fact, an occasional slip will do absolutely no damage to your fitness goals.  Treating yourself from time to time is a great way to stay on track.  Fitness is, after all, a lifestyle and you have to find ways to be in it for the long haul.  Enjoying your favorite unhealthy foods every now and then will help you to make healthier choices most of the other times.  You still have the freedom to have dessert or go out for drinks with friends; you just need to do it more infrequently and make smart choices the rest of the time.

So, like I said, the danger of a slip doesn't come from the slip itself.  Rather, it comes from falling off the wagon entirely and letting that one cheat meal turn into a day, weekend, week, or *gasp* month.  One night of poor eating will not affect your long-term progress if you are on track the rest of the time.  However, letting that one instance bleed over a longer period of time will derail your health and fitness goals.

Here is your strategy for recovering from a food cheat:

1. Accept that it happened and you can't undo it.
2. Forgive the guilt.
3. Get right back on track with your next meal.
4. Plan a workout for the next day to help push the mental and physical reset button.  
5. Ask yourself why you ate like that in the first place.  How are you eating on a day-to-day basis?  Are you eating enough healthy food?  Are you skipping meals?  Getting to the bottom of this will help prevent it from happening in the future.  For example, if you feel your current nutritional plan is too restrictive, consider ways to incorporate your favorite foods in a planned, occasional way.  Some ideas are to have a couple of cheat meals a week (i.e. family pizza night or Sunday dinner), or you can even incorporate a small daily cheat (i.e. a piece of dark chocolate or a small bag of potato chips) as long as it fits within your daily calorie budget.  An app like My Fitness Pal can help you to keep track of this.

The key to recovering from a cheat is to think long-term, not short-term.  Don't get wrapped up in the one time you ate a whole bag of candy.  Think forward about all the good, healthy things you are going to do so that you have the flexibility to cheat every now and then.

Challenge Workout

Perform 3 rounds, taking breaks as needed, of:

• 60 seconds Plank
• 30 seconds Single-Leg Hip Bridge (L) - see video here
• 30 seconds Single-Leg Hip Bridge (R)
• 30 seconds Side Plank (L)
• 30 seconds Side Plank (R)