So you overate - if you’re feeling guilty, frustrated with yourself, or stressed to the nth degree, Deeeeeep breath!

Our metabolism is very dynamic. Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t a firm line in the sand that dictates fat gain…Meaning, you don’t gain weight from overeating one time. You gain weight from overeating repeatedly over a period of time. This is because the calories required for metabolic work is a range, not a finite value. Eventually, as you accumulate more calories consumed than are needed for physiological processes you will gain one pound of fat. Naturally, fat gain will compound as the body continues to receive more energy than necessary via surplus calories.

Since you likely aren’t eating an extra 3500 calories in one meal, we can confidently assume that you didn’t stall progress by overeating once. However, if this trend continues, odds are that you are either decreasing your overall caloric deficit or diminishing it entirely. This is a reflection of habit, not a one time lapse in judgment, which is a whole different conversation.

Please do not - we repeat DO NOT - eat like a bird at your next meal (or the next day) to “make up for it”.

The best thing you can do after overeating is to get right back on track with your next meal. It’s still about total calories at the end of the day. You have a choice - you can let that one meal derail the rest of your day or you can bounce back into action.

Try identifying the lead domino that resulted in the overeating.

Did you skip a meal?

Are you eating a really cute 200 calorie breakfast?

Are you constantly surrounded by red light foods that are hard for you to say no to?

Figure out where things began to go south and start there. What can be done better next time? Ask your coach for some tactical advice to help you identify and conquer the sticky spots.

It’s the decisions we make most of the time that have the biggest impact.