I screwed up, now what?

Yep, we’ve all had that feeling. We screwed up, we ate that large pizza, we scarfed down an entire chicken and then we finished it all off with a whole chocolate cake. We’re bloated, we’re full, we’re stuffed and we’re guilty. It can happen with huge meals like I just described but it can also happen with little snacks. Heck, I feel guilty over a single piece of chocolate. So what do we do?

First, what not to do

• Do not write off the whole day / week / month - I used to do this. If I made one little mistake that meant the whole day, week or month was shot. Which essentially gave me an excuse to be unhealthy for the rest of that time period. We’ve talked about this a few times already on 60 in 3. Don’t make a minor issue into a major problem.
• Don’t take drastic measures that are bad for your health - These measures can include such things as forcing yourself to throw up or taking laxatives. If you’re doing any of these things I would recommend seeing a doctor. Eating disorders can happen to anyone and ignoring them will not make them go away.

So what can you do?

• First, take a look at your diet. Do you even need to worry about this? I plan a little calorie margin into my daily requirements. I know I need around 3,000 calories a day but I plan to eat only 2400. So if I happen to eat a candy bar, oh well, I’m still on target. How about you? You may not have any reason to feel guilty.
• Adjust. Did you have a bigger lunch than you really should have? Perhaps you should just have a salad for dinner. Remember, your daily calorie requirements are just that, daily. So if you messed up early in the day, fix it in the later part of the day.
• Exercise. You don’t have to go to the gym. You can just take a walk. Walking is an excellent way of keeping your energy level high after a big meal. Take a walk around the block and you’ll feel less bloated in no time.