How Do I Recover From a Cheat Day?

It should come as no surprise that 45% of Americans want to lose weight as their New Year's resolution. Brand new year, brand new you, right?

You've started a diet and are getting more exercise. You feel fantastic and are on track to meet your weight loss goals!

But then your girlfriends invite you out to go clubbing.

Sure, you burned some calories dancing, but you had so many shots and sugary drinks. And afterward, you chowed down because of the drunk munchies.

You've just woken up, and to your horror, you realize you had a complete cheat day last night.

Thankfully, this shouldn't be enough to completely throw your diet off track. Here's what you can do to recover from a cheat day and bounce back!

Understanding Weight Gain

Before we get to the ways of bouncing back from a cheat day, you need to first understand how weight gain works.

Each person has a unique basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the very least amount of calories your body needs to burn to keep all your functions running smoothly.

Another thing you have is your resting metabolic rate (RMR), which is very similar to your BMR. This is how many calories you burn while your body is inactive. BMR and RMR are usually used interchangeably, so don't worry about it too much.

Your BMR will depend on what sex you are, how much you weigh, and how old you are. On average, it's 1,400 calories for women and 1,800 for men. So if you don't want to do any calculations, just aim for either of these numbers.

To change or maintain your weight, you'll have to manage your calorie intake.

To lose weight, you'd eat less than your BMR. To maintain your weight, you'd eat at around your BMR. And to gain weight, you'd eat over your BMR.

When you have a cheat day, chances are, you're eating over your BMR, which means if you keep this up, you'll start gaining weight. However, just one cheat day won't completely throw your diet off track and it doesn't necessarily mean you'll gain weight.

3,500 calories equal 1 pound, so you'd have to overeat by 3,500 calories in one night to gain that pound. So long as you work hard and stick to your diet plan, you should be able to recover from your cheat day.

Are Cheat Days Good for You?

Yes! Adhering to a strict diet works amazingly well for some people, while it's very difficult for others. For most, their willpower can cave at times, and they end up binge eating, which isn't very healthy.

To prevent this from happening, it's always good to allow yourself some cheat days. For example, you can assign them to Sundays, where you can get takeout and have a bigger piece of dessert.

Of course, you shouldn't go overboard with this. You should still eat somewhat healthy on your cheat days, but you're allowed to treat yourself!

Ways to Get Over Your Cheat Day

By understanding the basics of weight gain (as well as maintenance and loss), you now have a grasp on what triggers fluctuations in weight. Now, we can move onto some effective ways you can get over your cheat day and ensure you stay fit.

Get More Exercise

Let's say you normally go on a 30-minute jog every day. But since you've had a cheat day, you've taken in more calories than usual.

As we've said above, to lose weight, you need a calorie deficit; to maintain it, you need to eat the same amount needed for your BMR. When you have a cheat day, you have an excess of calories, so you need to burn them off.

In this case, you can add other physical activities to the next few days to make up for it. So instead of running for 30 minutes, do 60+ for the next 2 or 3 days.

The amount of extra activity you'll need to do will depend on how big of a cheat day it was. For instance, if you ate 1,800 instead of 1,600 calories, you won't need to do much to make up for it. However, if you ate 3,000+ instead of 1,200, then you'll have to put in a little bit of elbow grease for the next few days to ensure you don't gain any weight and keep losing it instead.

Drink More Water

Chances are, you've eaten some sugary or fatty, greasy, and salty foods for your cheat day. These unhealthy foods can cause your body to hold onto more water weight than normal, which will push that need on your scale higher.

The day after your cheat day, make sure you drink more water than usual. This can help flush out the sugar, salt, and any other toxins you've ingested.

Not only that, but drinking water can fill your stomach and stave off hunger so you won't overeat once again. So if you feel like reaching for a slice of leftover pizza, drink a glass of water first and see how you feel afterward.

Do Some Fasting

While starving yourself long-term is never a good idea, fasting can actually be great for your health. A good time to fast would be after a cheat day, when you've ingested extra calories and other toxins.

It doesn't even need to be a whole dedicated to fasting. Instead, you can just skip a meal or consolidate eating all your calories into one window of time. Whatever you do, just make sure the calories balance out the ones you overate the previous day.

Make sure you drink plenty of water so you don't find yourself getting dehydrated or feeling ill from hunger.

Eat More Protein

If fasting doesn't sound like a lot of fun, then that's no problem. Instead, you can just reduce the calories you eat the next day.

But if you eat like normal and only reduce your portions, you might find your stomach grumbling a lot throughout the day. You might even feel weak and lethargic.

A great way to combat this is to pack in the protein. Not only do proteins make you feel fuller for longer, but they also keep you energized so you can carry on with your day without feeling beat down.

If you don't have time to make a dish filled with chicken and other protein, you can always get a portable smoothie blender to make protein shakes in. Just throw in the ingredients, blend it up, and sip! If you're always on the go, then this is the perfect solution to bouncing back from your cheat day without having to invest much time into food prep.

Go on a Detox

Your gut health is very important, especially when it comes to your diet. A greasy hamburger and fries (as well as multiple shots and mixed drinks) are definitely going wreak havoc on your system.

A good idea would be to go on a 30-day detox every once in a while. With the Teami Blends kit, all you have to do is drink Teami Skinny in the morning and Teami Colon every other night before bed. So even if you live a busy lifestyle, you can easily do a month-long detox.

By clearing up the toxins and maintaining a healthy gut, you'll be able to focus on losing weight better. The results will be noticeable, for sure!

Don't Beat Yourself Up

While losing weight and getting fit has a lot to do with the physical side of things, many people underestimate how vital the mental side is.

If you beat yourself up over one cheat day, you may find yourself losing morale and feeling deflated about your new lifestyle. This can lead to lost motivation for eating healthy and skipping out on workouts.

If you can keep your chin up after one bad day, you'll find it much easier to get yourself back on track.

Remember: it takes 3,500 calories to gain one pound. Even if you somehow ate an excess of 3,500 calories in one night, that's just one extra pound gained! That can easily be remedied if you dedicate yourself to living a healthy lifestyle for the most part.

Recover Swiftly From a Cheat Day

So you've had a cheat day. So what? In fact, you're supposed to schedule them out for your diet, especially if you're struggling with it!

The important thing is that you get straight back into your diet after you allow yourself some indulgence. So remember to ramp up your physical activity, drink more water, go on a detox every once in a while, and practice healthy eating. If you keep these things in mind, then you'll be well on your way to hitting your goal weight in no time!

Are you ready to get back to healthy living? Then get yourself a Detox Wellness Pack now!