Did things get a little bit out of control for you this past weekend?

You went from having Friday night plans for a bite out to eat and a few drinks with friends to a weekend-long binge-eating episode. 

Saying you feel low would be the understatement of the century and you can’t stop beating yourself up about how things played out.

You were doing so well with maintaining a calorie deficit.

But now you just feel like a failure.

A screw up.

A disappointment.

But maybe the thing eating away at you the most is you’re afraid you’ve ruined all your progress.

You just want to know what to do after a binge so you can feel better. 

Should you eat fewer calories to make up for overeating? 

What about extra strength training workouts?

Or additional cardio to help sweat out everything you ate and drank? 

I know you’re stressed to the max about what to do after a binge, so I need to start off by saying this… 

1. Binges happen to all of us and you shouldn’t think any less of yourself…Not even one microscopic bit

2. You have not (I repeat, HAVE NOT) undone the progress you’ve made, set yourself back, or anything like that. 

3. Your metabolism is still intact, I promise you didn’t break it. So there’s absolutely no need to waste your money on some stupid “reset” or detox drink. 

With that said, let’s say we talk about what to do after a binge, as well as what not to do. 

 

Should I restrict the day after a binge?

Let me ask you this:

Does one weekend of hitting your workout and nutrition goals get you lean or make you skinny? 

No, seriously.

Let’s walk through this mindset shift exercise.

Imagine you’re 100% consistent with your workouts and nutrition ONE weekend.

Do you expect to wake up that next Monday morning and see your dream body when you look in the mirror? 

You wouldn’t. 

Now, apply that same logic to binge eating.

You have a day or weekend where you overate.

You consumed more calories than you wanted to.

Well…

In the same way, one weekend doesn’t get you super fit, one weekend won’t undo all the progress you’ve made. 

See how it works both ways? 

This is life we’re talking about here.

The truth of the matter is that, sometimes, things are going to go a little sideways.

But don’t make the big mistake of thinking you ruined anything or have something to “make up” for.

Perfection isn’t the goal here.

You just want to be consistent, which is a lot more realistic and sustainable. 

To put it another way…

Results are driven by what you do most of the time, not little one-offs like binge eating for a day or weekend. 

To definitively answer the question: “Should I restrict the day after a binge?”

The only correct answer will forever and always be a resounding HELL NO.

Don’t go into health overdrive and think you have to eat 100% “clean.” 

Don’t slash your calories down to only 1,200 a day (that’s not even enough for most toddlers).  

No excess cardio, especially fasted cardio because you think it’ll help you lose more fat (it won’t). 

You don’t need to increase the length of your strength training sessions.

Or switch up your workout routine by adding more days to it.  

Pretty much, don’t try to “make up” for anything the day after binge eating.

That’s the golden rule.

 

Well, what should I do after binge eating?

Just so we’re clear…

You didn’t make a mistake or do anything wrong, so you have nothing to “make up” for.

There’s no damage to undo or anything to feel guilty about.

You simply get back on track ASAP (more on this in a second). 

The main thing to remember is there isn’t any over-the-top or extra work that needs to be done. 

 

How to feel better after binge eating: My best piece of advice

You know about what to do after a binge vs. what not to do.

And I’ll repeat this until I’m blue in the face…

DO NOT RESTRICT YOURSELF.

I realize things are easier said than done though.

So, here’s a quick tip to help with your mindset after binge eating: 

What to do after binge eating: Find a quick win 

You will feel so much better about yourself if you do this.

What do I mean by “find a quick win”?

Let’s say you binge eat Friday and Saturday.

You tell yourself: “I’ll just start back up again on Monday and get back on track.” 

But then Sunday rolls around and you’re just sitting there, stewing about how much you feel like you messed up.

You reach the point where it’s like, “Well, I’ve already ruined everything, I might as well enjoy the rest of the weekend.”

That’s when things start to snowball and how weekend binges turn into weeks or maybe even months of staying off track.

Rather than let all those negative thoughts and feelings build up, here’s my best piece of advice on how to feel better after binge eating:

Find a small action (keyword: SMALL) you can take immediately that’ll give you a quick win and put you back in a positive state of mind. 

Getting back in the win column ASAP is essential to feeling better after binge eating.

You’ll build momentum in a positive direction, which will carry over into the following days.

I’m not telling you to go out there and have extra workouts or anything like that.

That would defeat the purpose of everything we’ve talked about regarding what to do after a binge.

You simply choose something that’ll take minimal effort and provide you with an easy win.  

Here are some ideas of what that could look like:

• Go on a nice, leisurely walk 
• Plan your workouts for the week ahead
• Drink a few glasses of water 
• Eat a serving of fruits and veggies at your next meal
• Make your next meal high in protein (it’s the most filling macronutrient, just eating it increases your metabolism, and it’s key to building and preserving lean muscle mass) 
• Pre-log some of your meals for the week ahead to ensure you stay within your calories
• Get your gym clothes ready and laid out for tomorrow’s workout
• Map out what you’ll buy on your next trip to the store (you can use this weight loss grocery list I created for some ideas)
• Perform one or two steps of your normal meal prep process

What to do after a binge: Summary

Did you have a weekend where things went off the rails a little bit?

Ate more than you intended to?

Don’t stress, you have nothing at all to feel guilty about or be ashamed of. 

It happens to all of us and the good news is now you know what to do after a binge.

You don’t restrict yourself by skipping breakfast or trying to “make up” for anything by scheduling extra workouts. 

You find a small win to get back on the positive train. 

Go for a walk, have a serving of fruits and veggies at your next meal, or lay out your workout clothes for tomorrow so you can just grab and go out the door. 

Just do something simple, anything, that puts you back in the win column 💪

 

What to do after a binge FAQs

What to do after a binge to not gain weight?

First off, weight gain and fat gain are two separate things.

You didn’t all of a sudden just put on a ton of extra body fat by binge eating for a day or two.   

In terms of your scale weight, that number is always fluctuating. 

If you weigh yourself every day, you’ll see exactly what I mean. 

One day the scale says you weigh X amount.

But then the very next day, even after doing everything right, you’re up a few pounds overnight. 

Again, the scale won’t always be an accurate representation of where you truly stand.

And barely (I mean BARELY) any of the weight increase you might see after binge eating is actual fat gain. 

Here’s something else you should know…

There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat.

So to gain just 2 pounds of fat, you’d have to eat 7,000 calories…ABOVE your maintenance!

A day or two of binge eating won’t come anywhere even remotely close to you putting on that much fat.

 

What should I do immediately after a binge?

1. Don’t restrict yourself. There’s nothing to “make up” for, binges happen. Remember, a weekend of being healthy doesn’t get you fit and a day two or binge eating won’t erase all your progress.

2. Don’t let things snowball and fall into the “I’ll just start up again on Monday” trap.

Find a quick win ASAP to get things rolling in a positive direction again.

Nothing strenuous like extra cardio or strength training workouts.

 

How do you reset your body after eating bad?

First off, don’t look at going over your calories as eating “bad.”

Food doesn’t have a moral ground and things happen.

Secondly, your body is its own detox machine so you don’t need some special reset or detox treatment after a weekend of not staying within your calories. 

I’ve said it a few times and I’ll say it again…

From a weight loss perspective, one weekend of healthy eating won’t get you lean or make you skinny, the same way a weekend of binge eating won’t erase the progress you’ve made.