If you skipped SlendHer’s tips for for avoiding extra holiday calories and already went for the world record for most Christmas cookies eaten in one sitting or succumbed to the peppermint bark and tasty toffee hanging out around the office, worry not. It’s a tough time of year with temptation lurking at every location. At some point you’re going to throw in the proverbial towel and take in the comfort of the tasty season – 100 (or likely more) calories at a time. Unless you have willpower of steel, it might happen. When the Plan A of avoiding the extra calories falls through, there needs to be a Plan B of what to do when the calories are stored up inside you. So here it is:
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- Don’t be a jerk to yourself. Seriously. It was just a brownie…a delicious, ooey, gooey, fudge filled brownie. Did you enjoy it? Did you enjoy the second and third one, as well? We’re guessing the answers are yes. But now that the joy is gone, don’t feel the need to replace it with guilt or negative self-talk. Move on…but not to another brownie. OK, maybe just one more!
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- Don’t lie down! No, the added weight of the food won’t crush you dead (or at least we hope you didn’t eat that much). But lying down leads to laziness, and laziness leads to sleepiness, and before you know it, the extra calories are building permanent homes in your belly and butt. You’ll become like a walking, talking condo calorie community.
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- Walk it off. Don’t know what to do now that you can’t lie down? Take a quick walk. Go see what beautiful light displays your neighbors have put up for your calorie-burning convenience.
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- Eat more. Yeah, you read that right. If you can stomach it (quite literally), eat some food that will help aid in digestion. Try yogurt, tea, peppermint, pickles, or sourdough bread–just not all together or you’ll be seriously sick.
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- Don’t skip breakfast. On the day after the indulgence, don’t feel like you can make up for the calories from the day before by skipping the most important meal of the day. This will only leave you hungry and cranky and seriously lacking of the holiday spirit. Instead, look for lean proteins to take in first thing to keep your blood sugar in check.
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- Face the fat. It’s time to see what kind of damage is done. Take a deep breath and step up on the scale or try on your favorite jeans–whatever way you choose to measure up. It’s better to know than to stress out wondering how many extra pounds might be there. You never know–the calories may have vanished like a Christmas miracle!
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- Work harder–and smarter. The calories are there. Now it’s your job to burn them off. Kick your cardio routine into high gear in the following days and add in strength training to keep the fat burning, even at rest.
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- Get back on a meal plan. Returning back to your normal eating routine will help your get your snacking back in check. Aim for eating like it’s a normal month–not a holiday month.
- Keep a food log. Don’t trust that you can eat your way back to success? Start a food log. Even if it’s temporary, there’s something about knowing that you have to write down 12 peanut butter cookies with the chocolate kisses on top that might make you stop, at say, 9 or 10 instead.
Most importantly, remember that this is not the time to look at holiday indulgence as a reason to admit defeat. It’s a minor setback. Accept it, move on, and get right back up on that healthy horse.
How do you make up for poor eating moments? Share with us in the comments!
Carrie Anton is a freelance writer focusing on health, fitness, and sports. She's been published in Self, Women's Health, Oxygen, and Maximum Fitness.
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