I'm back! (Post-binge..)

Sorry for being MIA.  Unfortunately this long weekend hasn't been the best for me.  I came home on Friday still very high strung after a long week of many deadlines, and I coped/decompressed basically by greeting the pantry and refrigerator   You know the term "raiding the fridge"?  Yea.. that was me.  It was not a pretty sight.  When I tallied it up, I consumed almost 3500 calories in one evening.  It was grossss.. This was a very bad binge for me.  What's worse though- Instead of doing the healthy thing and just brushing it off as a slight bump in the road, I became consumed with the idea of dieting again.  You know those unrealistic standards of restriction.  I'm sure I wouldn't have actually believed in these crazy restriction plans that night (post-pinge) if I had really re-checked with my cognitive and realistic side of me, but I was so wrapped up with the idea of 'making up' for it.  Of course, what comes with a diet?  The opposite.  At least that's how it works for me.  I can restrict for about half a day and then all h&L* breaks loose.  So the that post-binge day was another whopping 3000 calories or so.  Mind you, I was on duty to house sit this weekend, so I was all alone.  This was really not good.  Binging is shameful and when you're alone for a second, that shame seems avoidable but in truth, that shame is still there but just within yourself.

So the following day, I was able to cut back to a normal 1700 calories, just as people returned to the house.  This morning, upon reflection, I have a few tips for handling binges like this:

1.  You inhaled several thousands of calories? It's okay.  Grab a bottle of water, and start drinking. You need to flush as many toxins out as you can.  It wasn't just calories you consumed.

2.  The following day, start with a hearty and healthy breakfast like a big bowl of oats.  Add some fruit to it to bulk it up and add additional fiber.  Then, get to the gym or walk outside/inside the following day. If exercise still feels uncomfortable post -binge, work on some stretching and mild yoga. Remember to keep nursing that water bottle.  Don't skip any meals and make sure they are warm (this helps!), filling and healthy.

3.  On day 2pb (post-binge), give intense exercise another try.  If you can, do 2 sessions of intense, heart-pumping exercise that day.  Keep up the warm, filling and healthy meals and the water bottle sessions.

4.  Keep doing this for 5 days and you will feel back to normal.