The Morning After – How to survive a high carb day

You’ve been doing great. You’ve been losing weight by adopting the low carb lifestyle. You feel better. You have more energy. You sleep better. Your clothes are looser. And then you blow it.

For some reason, you go off your plan and indulge in a high carbohydrate meal or a whole day of binge eating. Maybe you were really stressed-out at work or you were at a Wedding or special event. The food looked great so you thought you would just try a little…

Now it’s the day after and you know you made a mistake. You probably feel bloated, guilty, and upset you did this to yourself. You were doing so well and now you are doubting your ability to maintain this lifestyle. Well stop right there.

Remember that this is a lifestyle and not a diet. Sometimes there are special events where you want to splurge a little. The first step to coming to terms with your mistake is to understand that it was just that – a mistake. It was a slip up and not a general trend of eating the wrong foods for your lifestyle. You know you are sorry for your action, so forgive yourself. That’s right, accept that you made the mistake and forgive yourself. It is a new day and you can go right back to your way of eating.

First thing to do is to weigh yourself. You need to understand what your indiscretion did to your body. Is it 1, 2, or 5 pounds more than you were yesterday. A temporary binge on high carbohydrate foods can do that to you.

Now it’s time to get back on the low carb wagon. Make yourself a great breakfast. An omelet with bacon or sausage or a small stack of Atkins Pancakes with Da Vinci Sugar Free Syrup. Have some decaffeinated coffee with stevia and half and half. Make a half pot and bring it to work with you so you can enjoy it all morning. Stop at a convenient store on the way to work and get a fresh, cold bottle of premium water for the afternoon.

Have a great lunch like Chicken Caesar Salad (without the croutons) or a tasty protein shake. Go for a longer walk or do 5 extra minutes of aerobics today to help you burn off those extra carbohydrates from the night before.

You are getting back into your normal routine and your small indiscretion is now behind you. A fabulous dinner like steak and veggies will top of the day. As an added treat, try a decaf cappuccino after dinner.

Wait a couple of days before you weigh yourself again. You should see that you are back to your previous weight or close to it. You can now fully understand that even one day of carbo loading will throw your lifestyle off course. Now you no longer have to be upset and you survived a high carb day.

If you have any other suggestions for surviving a high carb indiscretion, please send email to [email protected].

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