If you've ever felt like you're stuck in a cycle of overeating, you're not alone. Overeating is a problem almost everyone trying to lose weight faces at one point or another. An unexpected binge can feel incredibly frustrating, but there are ways to get back on track.

This can not only lead to stagnation, but can make you lose sight of your goals, and make it difficult to continue working hard.

Although this might not be necessary, adding a few positive habits to what you do regularly can assist you in continuing on.

Here are some tips to help you after an unplanned binge: 1. Drink plenty of water 2. Eat slowly and mindfully 3. Avoid foods that trigger binges 4. Get rid of any temptation 5. Find a healthy activity to do 6. Avoid any type of starvation 7. Don’t be too hard on yourself 8. Learn from your mistakes 9. Forgive yourself 10. Move on

1. Go for a Walk

If you go for a walk after overeating, it can help you feel better mentally and physically.

Walking may help to relieve discomfort caused by overeating by accelerating stomach emptying.

Regular exercise can help you burn off any extra calories you may have consumed during a binging episode.

A small study showed that obese women who walked for 50-70 minutes three times per week for 12 weeks lost 1.5% of their body fat, including a significant amount of belly fat.

Walking can improve your mood and reduce some of the negative feelings that may trigger emotional eating.

Physical activity can help improve mental health by releasing neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine.

Research has demonstrated that exercise can also improve mood and reduce stress levels, both of which can help prevent future episodes of uncontrolled eating.

2. Sleep It Off

If you've overeaten, getting a good night's sleep can help reduce cravings and start the next day off better.

Researchers have found that not getting enough sleep may be linked to having a greater appetite. This is because not getting enough sleep can affect hormonal levels, specifically ghrelin and leptin which play a role in regulating hunger and appetite.

Ghrelin is a hormone that tells the brain it's time to eat, while leptin is a hormone that let's the brain know when it's time to stop.

One study found that people who slept for less than eight hours a night were more likely to be overweight, and that short sleep duration was linked to higher levels of ghrelin and lower levels of leptin.

A separate small study found that men who slept for only four hours consumed 22% more calories the following day than those who slept for eight hours.

Experts recommend that people get at least seven to nine hours of sleep per night, though people's sleep requirements can vary.

Try going to bed a little earlier than usual after an unplanned binge so you can get a full night of sleep and start fresh the next day.

Getting enough sleep is important for regulating your appetite. Sleep deprivation has been linked to increased food intake, as well as changes in hormone levels that can make you feel hungrier. aim to get seven to nine hours of sleep per night.

3. Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Instead of skipping breakfast or lunch the day after overeating, it is better to have a healthy meal. This will help you get back on track.

Starting your day with a healthy breakfast can help you get back into your routine and make healthier choices throughout the day.

Studies suggest that sticking to a consistent eating schedule may help to reduce episodes of binge eating.

The first meal of the day is important for what you eat.

ghrelin is a hormone that causes hunger, one study found that eating a high-protein breakfast decreases levels of ghrelin more effectively than eating a high-carb breakfast.

A different study that included 48 people found that consuming oatmeal, which is high in both protein and fiber, resulted in increased feelings of fullness and more controlled appetite compared to eating a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal.

Choose a breakfast that is high in both protein and fiber to set yourself up for a healthy day. You can combine fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, grains, or legumes with a good source of protein to create a nutritious and well-rounded meal.

If you want to avoid overeating later in the day, start your day off right with a healthy meal. Eating high-protein, high-fiber foods may help keep your appetite under control.

4. Stay Hydrated

It is not only important to drink enough water for your overall health, but it is also necessary to drink water to lose weight and keep your appetite under control.

After eating too much food, it is very important to keep your body hydrated by drinking fluids throughout the day.

A study found that when people drank 17 ounces of water before a meal, they ate fewer calories during the meal than a control group.

That study found that people who increased their water intake to 17 ounces per day and ate a low-calorie diet lost 44% more weight than those who just ate a low-calorie diet.

Drinking more water can help you burn more calories.

One study found that drinking 17 ounces of water increased people’s resting energy expenditure by about 30% after 30–40 minutes (15).

How much water you should drink each day can depend on many different factors. The best way to make sure you're getting enough water, though, is simply to listen to your body and drink when you're thirsty.

If you want to lose weight, one of the best things you can do is drink more water. This simple strategy can help you reduce your calorie intake and increase your resting energy expenditure.

5. Try Yoga

There are a number of health benefits that have been associated with yoga, including reducing the frequency of migraines and improving sleep quality.

Yoga may help promote healthy eating habits, which could reduce the risk of overeating.

One study found that yoga helped reduce binge eating and led to a reduction in body mass index.

Additionally, yoga can help improve your mood which can in turn help prevent emotional eating and keep you feeling motivated after an unplanned binge.

It has also been shown to lower levels of cortisol, which may help with anxiety and depression by impacting how serotonin is taken up by the brain.

131 people were studied and it was found that practicing yoga for 10 weeks helped to improve mental health and reduce stress and anxiety.

Adding yoga to your weekly regimen may be even more beneficial over the long term than practicing it right after overeating.

To begin practicing yoga, try attending a class at a nearby gym or yoga studio. If that's not possible or desirable, there are many online videos and other resources that can help you learn yoga at home.

Yoga may help to promote healthy eating habits by reducing stress, depression and anxiety, which can lead to emotional eating.

6. Fill up on Veggies

Vegetables are a healthy food because they contain many important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Eating vegetables after a binge will help stop you from overeating.




Vegetables are high in fiber, which means they take a long time to digest. This can help you feel fuller for longer.

Research indicates that consuming more fiber can help you manage your weight by causing you to eat less.

A study found that when people increased their daily intake of fiber by 14 grams, they consumed 10% fewer calories on average and lost a significant amount of weight.

A study found that those who ate more vegetables lost more weight and felt less hungry than a control group.

It is a good idea to fill at least half your plate with veggies at each meal.

Try eating more vegetables as snacks to keep from overeating and reduce cravings. Some examples of healthy snacks that contain vegetables are carrots with hummus, roasted chickpeas, and baked kale chips.

After a binge, you can get back on track by filling up on vegetables. They're high in fiber, which may help promote weight loss and feelings of fullness.

7. Avoid Skipping Meals

But it may actually help you break the cycle of overeating and make better choices throughout the day. After eating a lot, you may not want to think about what you will have for dinner. But this can help you stop overeating and make better decisions during the day.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, skipping meals can actually make it harder to stick to your diet and may lead to binge eating.

A study of 14 healthy women showed that eating three meals a day instead of two helped them feel fuller throughout the day and increased their fat-burning.

This study compared the effects of eating one meal a day versus three meals a day, with the same number of total calories consumed.

If you only eat one meal a day, not only will your levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, go up, but you will also have other problems such as higher fasting blood sugar and delayed insulin response.

According to a few studies, it appears that maintaining a consistent eating schedule could be linked to less binge eating behaviours.

It is best to resume your normal routine and continue with what works best for you after binging, whether you are accustomed to eating three large meals or a greater number of smaller meals.

Adhering to a set meal schedule could help to diminish the desire to overeat, as opposed to irregular meal times which may lead to increased hunger and appetite.

8. Start Exercising

Regular exercise can help improve your overall health, but it may be especially helpful after a period of overeating.

A study that involved 84 obese women found that a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and exercise was more successful at reducing the frequency of binge eating than using CBT by itself.

A small study conducted with participants who suffer from binge eating disorder found that 6 months of regular exercise stopped the disorder altogether for 81% of the participants.

Exercise may also help to regulate your appetite so that you do not overeat.

A review of 20 studies found that exercise can reduce levels of ghrelin, a hormone that increases appetite, while also increasing levels of hormones that make you feel full.

Working out can not only make you physically healthier, but also improve your mood and reduce stress. This in turn will help reduce emotional eating, which can lead to health issues.

Join a gym close to where you live to help you stay motivated and get back on track after a binge.

It is not only good for your physical health to exercise regularly, but it can also be enjoyable if you find an activity that you like.

Exercising can help you recover from a binge and get back on track. It can affect hormones that influence hunger and improve your mood. To help prevent future binges, develop a regular exercise routine.

9. Practice Mindful Eating

Paying close attention to the way you feel while you eat is called mindful eating. This means that you are aware of the taste, texture, and smell of the food, as well as how your body feels while you are eating.

Eating should be about more than just sustenance. It should be an experience that encompasses all of your senses. Pay attention to how you feel while you eat and really savor the taste, texture, and smell of your food.

eating with intention and purpose may help improve symptoms of binge eating disorder, which is defined by frequent episodes of overeating.

One review of 14 studies showed mindfulness effectively reduced incidences of both binge eating and emotional eating.

32Trusted Source states that when women who have binge eating problems are given a combination of mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral therapy, their eating behaviors improve and they become more self-aware.

According to a review of 24 studies, mindful eating may help people lose weight by reducing their food intake later in the day.

To practice mindful eating, eat slowly and without distractions. Recognize when you're full so you know when to stop eating.

If you want to stop binge eating, you may want to try mindful eating. Studies have shown that mindful eating can help reduce binge eating and emotional eating. Additionally, it may help you eat less food overall later in the day.

10. Increase Your Protein Intake

Protein-rich foods can help regulate your hunger signals and make you feel fuller.

A study of 19 people showed that increasing protein intake from 15% to 30% led to significant decreases in calorie intake, body weight, and fat mass.

Protein can affect the levels of hormones like ghrelin which can then impact hunger. One study found that eating a meal high in protein reduced the levels of ghrelin more effectively than a meal high in carbs.

In another study, it was shown that a high-protein diet can improve fat burning and make a person feel fuller. This is because it increases the concentration of GLP-1, which is a hormone that is associated with appetite suppression.

It's ideal to get protein from each meal and have high-protein snacks throughout the day.

There are many foods that are rich in protein, such as meat, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds and dairy products.

11. Talk to Someone

To Dr. Michael Jay Nusbaum, the best way to deal with obstacles is to face them head on. Nusbaum, who is the Chief of Bariatric Surgery at Morristown Medical Center, advises people to get to the root of the problem if they are struggling with binge eating. He believes that it is important to figure out what is triggering the binge eating, whether it be stress, a fight with a loved one, or feeling overwhelmed. Once the root of the problem is identified, Nusbaum believes that it is best to talk to someone about it, whether that be a friend, a parent, or a therapist.

12. Focus on the Big Picture

“I like to remind my clients that having one bad day out of 365 days a year is really not that bad after all!,” says De Luca. “It is my job as a registered dietitian to not only educate my clients about nutrition, but to also provide support during these hard times and to teach them how to develop a resilient mindset so that they can bounce back quickly after a binge and continue on the path toward goal attainment. After all, consistency is key!”

13. Reframe Your Mindset

“The reframing technique helps change your overall perspective of the situation,” De Luca says. “Reframing is great because it shifts the individual's mindset in such a way that it allows forgiveness and makes the client feel more in control of the situation. For example, if I were to reframe the thought process after a binge, it [would change from] ‘I just binge ate and I feel like a failure; I have no self-control' to ‘I ate a little more food than I would have liked to, but tomorrow is a new day and I will get right back on track.' Your thoughts control your actions! If we can reframe the negative connotations that surround binge eating, then we are more likely to bounce back quickly after a binge.”

The Bottom Line

If you find yourself binge eating while you're on a diet, don't worry. It doesn't mean you're making less progress or that you won't be able to lose weight.

Letting go of the guilt and forgiving yourself will help you to stay motivated.

The tips above will help you continue toward your goals.