We have all been there before at some time in our lives. We have had a super fun and indulgent weekend full of alcohol, late nights, junk food, and untimely sleep. It is now Monday morning and your body is screaming for a clean start to the week. No, it’s not a good feeling at all.
A weekend binge is not something unheard of. It is a sequel to the feeling of guilt and trepidation that makes you somehow feel less-than-great on the ensuing weekdays. You feel lethargic, run-down, and not-so-sparky. What your body needs is to rest your liver, flush out the toxins, and to start the week off on a restrictive diet. You desperately need it.
Compulsively overeating on the weekends can leave your body torpedoed and devoid of necessary nutrients. It is now in dire need of some time to recoup its forces due to a heavy load of toxins that it is now under. You would need to detoxify your body before you develop a serious digestive disorder with your digestive system. Here are some smart ways to get that going.
Starting the detoxification process is a good move. It can help you normalize your natural ability to process and excrete toxins stored in fatty areas and to temporarily reduce incoming toxins. There are a lot of detox facts and myths out there.
If you jump into detox without prior experience or supervision, it can backfire. You might even start experiencing severe detox symptoms including headache, lethargy, and skin issues. If this happens, you may not stick to the cleansing process and will end up where you started.
Did you know? Binge Eating Disorder (BED) affects 3.5% of women, 2% of men, and 1.6% of teenagers around the world. It is especially prevalent among heavy drinkers and chain smokers.
BED may affect anyone, irrespective of their country and race. It is more of a psychological disorder than anything else and you would thus find people around the world affected by it. This malpractice is so common that all of us would have eaten something uncontrollably sometime during the last month.
Here’s how to identify it:
Eating more than what’s required, often compulsively or obsessively
Repeating this habit more than once a week
Failing to control oneself near food
People tend to overeat and when they do so, they usually find themselves down with a feeling of guilt or remorse. Some (especially those who suffer from diabetes or kidney-related disorders) may even eat alone without letting anyone else know about it.
Fasting after a weekend of indulgence or emotional eating is never easy, partly due to your taste buds and your lifestyle. That’s why you would need a smarter plan to get going with a well laid-out plan to detox after a cheat day. A dietitian would suggest you a full-body detox kit or plan- while this may sound like a difficult idea, this is all you would need to get over the line.
You should note that your body cannot process the large number of toxins that are suddenly released into the bloodstream with bad or compulsive eating habits. If you flush the toxins suddenly, they will get re-absorbed into the fat tissue stored in your body. This would undo any good work that you are doing.
When looking for a safe cleansing program, you should pay special attention to:
A gradual approach that minimizes the sudden withdrawal and toxin release
Enough calorie intake to support the body’s detoxification and elimination process)
Addressing issues of addiction or compulsive eating and acid reflux
A liquid diet, especially the one with smoothies and lemon water, can help you stay resilient
A willingness to go on a strict and restrictive diet for a longer time
The simplest way to get started with the detoxification or purification process is to make a conscious decision to do it the right way. You should start by drinking more water and having some detox-special green teas. Here’s what else you can do:
These primarily include the liver, kidney, and colon. Great detox herbs that come in the form of herbal teas or tinctures include milk thistle and dandelion. You could also try taking these as an herbal supplement, which you can buy from your health food store.
You can do this through sweating and dry brushing. Get sweaty by doing physical exercise. A cardio workout would do the trick or you can try using a steam room or sauna to sweat the bad stuff out.
Drink more than 3 liters of filtered water during the day to aid the body in flushing the toxins out. Dry body brushing is also a great way to start removing toxins from the skin and to wake up a sluggish lymphatic system.
Use a dry body brush in a light, circular motion over your skin, starting at your feet and moving up the body. Do this before you shower to remove the dead skin cells and open up the pores.
Eat organic fruits and vegetables. You can also go for fresh produces in the form of smoothies or juices to get the most nutrition from the foods.
These steps will help you get started on the right note. You can also check out this free resource to get going with a stepwise plan of the process.
Fasting after a binge day can be a fantastic way to start with your detox plan. However, here are some precautionary steps that you should find important in the process.
Reduce processed and packaged foods because they are loaded with unprocessed sugars and chemicals. You have already eaten enough of these over the weekend and now it is time to give your body a rest from trying to process anymore.
Replace unhealthy snacks with fresh fruit instead. You will also want to avoid drinking coffee and of course, cut out any more booze. Minimize your animal protein intake and avoid dairy products to allow your digestive system time to relax during the detox.
There are heaps of toxins within the household and personal products many people use. Try and avoid coming into contact with products loaded with chemicals or replace them with organic foods. By easing into the detox, you are providing your body with gentle detoxification.
Tip: You should go for some Cumin Water too- it really helps in cleaning the digestive system!
If you are looking to start a more intensive detoxification process, it’s best to go through a full-body detox kit or program. This would also help you start on a winning note with fewer hiccups. All this would again translate into more motivation and respect for the cleansing process.
Consulting a professional nutritionist online would be great too because you can get quality advice from a professional without leaving your home. You can avail of a personalized on-demand consultation through a live video conferencing-enabled session on your smartphone in complete privacy so you could discuss all that you’d want- isn’t this the smartest way to walk on the road to better fitness?