We all do it. We blow our diet over the holiday weekend. We really didn’t eat poorly, but we ate more than usual. Oh, and Steve DID get me an easter basket with a few treats I had to try. LOL

Like many holidays, our Easter was centered on a nice big dinner with family and friends. We enjoyed smoked chicken and ribs, with a Kale salad, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, brown rice and a delicious blueberry cobbler – and I am happy to admit I had a HUGE piece! haha 🙂

Unfortunately, although the holiday is over and your mistakes are behind me, they aren’t really behind me YET. I brought those mistakes with me because me because I still carry all that food in my gut.

The Mayo Clinic explains that the average transit time, from the time you eat the food to elimination, is 40 hours – 33 hours for men and up to 47 hours for women. While you wait to get rid of you poor choices, here are a 5 things you can do to help you feel thinner again, even before the actual body fat is lost.

So, while I know one big meal didn’t cause me to gain 5lbs, it will take me a few days to get that food out of my system. Here are a few of my tips on how I work to bounce back fast.

5 Ways to Lose the Holiday Weight Gain

1. Drink a LOT of water

Dining out and eating snacks can cause you to hold more water due to increased sodium. Water retention can account for up to 5lbs of additional weight from eating foods high in sodium. Flush your body by increasing your water intake – every day, all week long. Not only will you flush out toxins and excess water retention, you will feel fuller and healthier too! We try to get a gallon of water a day for a solid week. Even if you don’t get the full gallon in, you’ll get a lot more than if you didn’t try.

2. Go for a run

Get your sweat on and burn some calories! Not only does running help you sweat out the toxins built up from your poor choices over the weekend, but it tightens the core and will help burn off those extra calories and “erase those sins”. In addition, cardio helps move water around which relieves water retention and swelling. I also just love burning off those food sins. Plus, it just feels good getting my head and body back in to action.

3. Eat smaller portions

Work on shrinking your stomach by limiting portion sizes. It will take a few days for your copious amount of weekend food to get out of your system, but you can feel thinner quicker if you immediately go back to small portions. The less you have in your belly, the smaller your belly will look and feel. If you struggle to limit portions on your own, you can do convenient meal replacement shakes like I do. I typically have 2 shakes a day for a few days after a vaca or diet fail. Then, I go back to my own shake a day for maintenance. I like doing shakes over just reducing calories because my shakes give me tons of nutrients for a lot fewer calories – resulting in a more satisfied (and happier) dieter!

4. Cleanse

When I totally blow it, I like to reset my system by doing a cleanse combined with an intermittent fast. My cleanse protocol includes 4 cleanse drinks, combined with cleanse support products I use to help suppress my appetite. I normally do some chicken broth for dinner if I really am wanting a hot meal. The end result is a mental, physical and cellular reset that leaves me feeling energized, thinner and healthier. Note: You never want to do a cleanse until you have at least 2 healthy nutrition days. 

5. Plank it out

If you are like me, you’re probably tired of trying to hold your stomach in all weekend. Why? Because it’s hard to suck your tummy in when it is completely stuffed all weekend. Plus, if you didn’t workout over the weekend, your stomach muscles have probably gotten relaxed and stretched out. However, if you tighten up your core with some exercises, those muscles will tighten right back up – and it will be a lot easier to keep your stomach flat.

CONTACT ME if you would like a customized diet plan or help choosing nutrition support to match your goals. Consultations are always free!

Tighten Your Tummy: Four Your Core Workout