Go to a party for the Packers playoff game and eat this:
Thats 2784 calories, 134 grams of carbs, 138 grams of fat, and 132 grams of protein. That is roughly what I did this past Sunday…
AND that was just during the game – not counting my breakfast or lunch that day!
So now whats the point of me sharing this?
Well first off, I literally felt like I had a basketball in my stomach and really struggled to fall asleep that night. I knew I overate by a long shot.
It happens. To you, to me, to everyone. It happens.
Say your goal is weight loss (mine is not right now) – if you eat in a 200 calorie deficit every day, Monday through Saturday that is 1200 calories in deficit for the week.
Then you have a Sunday like this and eat a 1500 calorie surplus in one day, well…that puts you are a 300 calorie surplus for the week. Newsflash: you aren’t losing weight with that.
So now how to recover from this:
1) Get right back on track Monday – and listen and react accordingly to your body in the morning.
I was still full at breakfast time. So I had a very light breakfast (knowing that I wouldn’t be able to eat again until noon, I knew I would eventually be a little hungry). So I had some eggs, egg whites and 2 pieces of toast. Whats that? A pretty normal light breakfast for me.
I didnt completely starve myself, or buy the nearest cleanse or detox – I got back to doing what I normally would do, minus a few calories.
Same thing for lunch. It was post workout – so I had a normal post workout lunch. Higher carb, high protein and lower fat. It’s what I NORMALLY would eat.
Dinner was chicken stir fry, so I portioned out my normal plate and enjoyed it.
2) Put that food to use!
Since i ate that calorie bomb the night before, I knew my gas tank was more than full. So I hit some heavy deadlifts, high volume back work, and some bike sprints. I put my feast to work.
When you start thinking of food as fuel, you can adjust your workouts accordingly. Had a high fuel day? Well then you better have a high output and octane workout. Heavy compounds lifts, multiple sets, and a little conditioning work can go a long way.
Don’t waste time trying to sweat it out on an hour jog on the treadmill – crush some weights instead.
3) Plan and strategize what you will do next time you are in that situation.
Obviously you want to avoid something like this from becoming a regular occurrence. No, don’t shut out your friends and lose your social life – but think about what you could do next time to avoid this epic of a screw up. Don’t guilt trip yourself here – but rather use it as a learning opportunity.
Next time I could:
- Eat lighter throughout the day, knowing all too well that there will be some higher calorie options later that day.
- Don’t bring the tray of appetizers into the living room where you can easily and mindlessly snack away while your team blows a 18 point lead.
- Sit somewhere where you can’t reach the food non-stop.
- Fill the plate ONCE, and eat slowly. One plate and one plate only can go a long way.
- Drink water between alcoholic beverages.
- Try to balance out the food choices with lower calorie options.
- Play with your friends baby more to occupy your time and distract you from the food.
Whatever you can come up with, plan it out and execute your game plan. I will report back next week on my game day choices this weekend – as the Packers are still alive and playing for a chance at getting to the Super Bowl. Go Pack Go!
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Stay healthy my friends,