Surviving a binge (aka getting back on the wagon)

We've all been there. You're doing so well on your weight loss/healthy eating journey and then, somehow, you go temporarily insane and have the dreaded binge! This weekend I think I ate more than anyone's ever eaten in three days. I had planned the Indian takeaway and treats on Friday night. That's fine, it's good to have a treat. What I didn't plan was the 12 hour drinking session and disgusting kebab shop chips, cheese and doner meat on the Saturday. Then of course there's the excessive hangover recovery eating the whole next day. Eurgh.

This happens to me way too much. I used to get really down about it and it would spark an eating frenzy for the next month or so. I think I've learnt to take the good with the bad now and I'm getting better at just accepting my failure and moving on.

People forget this very simple fact:

Losing weight isn't easy and it's never going to be a perfect journey, unless you have unlimited amounts of money and willpower. I certainly don't. I try to remember a few very important things when I'm feeling rubbish after a binge.

START NOW! One thing that really annoys me is when I see 'diet starts on Monday' or 'eating right again from tomorrow.' Why tomorrow? Surely it's better to start straight away! Put down the burger and go for a run NOW.

You didn't put on all that weight in a weekend. So it's not going to happen again. In the same way that it's not going to come off overnight either. It's a process and a lifestyle. As long as I am generally going in the right direction 90% of the time, I feel okay. Yes it's annoying when you feel like you just keep getting distracted and stalling but all is not lost!

Exercise is important. When I eat rubbish and sit on the sofa all day, I feel disgusting. When I'm exercising, I find it easier to eat right. REMEMBER THIS. Somehow, it always seems to slip my mind though. It can just take me a week of not going to the gym to completely forget the amazing feeling it gives me and I start to dread going. I don't know why this happens. As soon as I brave the first workout, I feel amazing again and it spurs me on to keep it up.

Water, water, water. When you step on the scale after a binge weekend, you haven't really put on 7lbs. Most of the time it's just water weight. When we eat excess amounts of salt and (for me personally) carbs, our bodies balloon up and we store lots of water. The only way to get rid of this is, weirdly, to drink more water! It's important to keep hydrated anyway, even if you haven't fallen off the wagon.

Treats are good. I like to have a few treats or 'cheats' to keep me sane. If I didn't allow myself chocolate or cake ever, I know I wouldn't last a week. It's important to allow yourself 'naughty' things once in a while. Diets just don't work. You need to work out a lifestyle that you can keep up every day.

Plan your meals. It helps me a lot to keep a food diary. If all my meals and snacks are written down for the week or at least the day, I find it easier to stick to it. If you deviate a little, it's okay, as long as you generally follow what you set out to do. Try it for a week and see if it works for you.

I read this very interesting article once and have never forgotten it: http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/scale_lies.htm It taught me not to rely on the scale so much; it's more important how you look and how you feel.

So if you have a disappointing weekend or few days, do not despair! Just try and think about the bigger picture and start introducing healthy habits back into your life slowly.

You can do it!