JJT
11-26-2004, 12:08 PM
Post-Party Survival PlanBy Karyn Repinski
Our post-party survival plan will help you feel better and get you back in a healthy-eating frame of mind.
Get Over It!If enjoying all the goodies at last night's party left you feeling anything but jolly, don't despair. One too many cups of high-octane eggnog or that second piece of pie may have given you a headache or an upset stomach, but it needn't sabotage your weight-loss or fitness goals, or plunge you into a cycle of overeating.
The morning-after effects of overeating can range from the merely annoying (think tight waistbands) to serious tummy troubles. Here, how to recover when you indulged in . . .
Too much fatEating rich desserts, such as cheesecake or ice cream, can overload your system and cause nausea and diarrhea -- especially if you've been on a low-fat diet, reports Lisa Young, Ph.D., R.D., adjunct assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food studies at New York University, in New York City. At the very least, you'll wake up feeling fatigued and full.
The solution: Drink lots of fluids, ideally water, to aid digestion. Eat something light and low-fat, such as fruit and cereal with skim milk. If you're queasy, toast with honey can help settle your stomach. If you have diarrhea, stick with bland foods and steer clear of fruits and vegetables.
Avoid: Starving yourself, which can worsen nausea and -- once you get hungry again -- kick-start the cycle of overeating.
Too much saltIf you couldn't keep your hand out of the potato-chip bowl, you're probably feeling thirsty and bloated, says Leslie Bonci, R.D., director of the sports-medicine nutrition program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
The solution: "Consume lots of liquids early in the day -- to help flush out the fluids that salt retains," says Bonci. Good choices: water and chamomile tea, which is a natural diuretic.
Avoid: Salty fluids, such as tomato juice and high-sodium soups, spicy foods (the spices often contain added salt) and soda.
Too many carbsWhether you consumed an entire bag of M&M's or had three helpings of stuffing, the worst effects -- a sugar rush and/or an overwhelming urge to snooze -- will likely have passed by morning. (While fat takes at least eight hours to be broken down, the body breaks down carbohydrates within about four hours.) However, you may still feel groggy and sluggish, and -- because carbs cause the body to hold onto fluid -- parched, swollen, even stiff.
The solution: Hydrate with water and decaffeinated beverages such as herb tea. Eat light all day -- have some yogurt or cottage cheese for breakfast rather than a bagel. Be sure to include lean protein such as white-meat skinless chicken or turkey -- which will satisfy your hunger without overloading your system.
Avoid: Starting the day with sweets such as doughnuts or a Danish. Choose foods with more savory flavors instead to give your body a break, suggests Bonci.
Too much alcoholPlain and simple, alcohol leaves you dehydrated.
The solution: Drink diluted fruit juice (half water, half juice) to replace lost fluids. Bland foods such as rice, dry toast or cereal, chicken noodle soup and bananas are easy for a queasy stomach to digest (bananas also supply the B vitamins that alcohol saps out of your body).
Avoid: Acetaminophen, which, according to Franca Alphin, R.D., clinical associate in the department of community and family medicine at Duke University Student Health Services, weighs heavily on your liver -- the same organ that's processing the alcohol from the night before. To treat a hangover, take ibuprofen instead. Caffeinated beverages may keep you alert, but will cause further dehydration.
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Our post-party survival plan will help you feel better and get you back in a healthy-eating frame of mind.
Get Over It!If enjoying all the goodies at last night's party left you feeling anything but jolly, don't despair. One too many cups of high-octane eggnog or that second piece of pie may have given you a headache or an upset stomach, but it needn't sabotage your weight-loss or fitness goals, or plunge you into a cycle of overeating.
The morning-after effects of overeating can range from the merely annoying (think tight waistbands) to serious tummy troubles. Here, how to recover when you indulged in . . .
Too much fatEating rich desserts, such as cheesecake or ice cream, can overload your system and cause nausea and diarrhea -- especially if you've been on a low-fat diet, reports Lisa Young, Ph.D., R.D., adjunct assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food studies at New York University, in New York City. At the very least, you'll wake up feeling fatigued and full.
The solution: Drink lots of fluids, ideally water, to aid digestion. Eat something light and low-fat, such as fruit and cereal with skim milk. If you're queasy, toast with honey can help settle your stomach. If you have diarrhea, stick with bland foods and steer clear of fruits and vegetables.
Avoid: Starving yourself, which can worsen nausea and -- once you get hungry again -- kick-start the cycle of overeating.
Too much saltIf you couldn't keep your hand out of the potato-chip bowl, you're probably feeling thirsty and bloated, says Leslie Bonci, R.D., director of the sports-medicine nutrition program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
The solution: "Consume lots of liquids early in the day -- to help flush out the fluids that salt retains," says Bonci. Good choices: water and chamomile tea, which is a natural diuretic.
Avoid: Salty fluids, such as tomato juice and high-sodium soups, spicy foods (the spices often contain added salt) and soda.
Too many carbsWhether you consumed an entire bag of M&M's or had three helpings of stuffing, the worst effects -- a sugar rush and/or an overwhelming urge to snooze -- will likely have passed by morning. (While fat takes at least eight hours to be broken down, the body breaks down carbohydrates within about four hours.) However, you may still feel groggy and sluggish, and -- because carbs cause the body to hold onto fluid -- parched, swollen, even stiff.
The solution: Hydrate with water and decaffeinated beverages such as herb tea. Eat light all day -- have some yogurt or cottage cheese for breakfast rather than a bagel. Be sure to include lean protein such as white-meat skinless chicken or turkey -- which will satisfy your hunger without overloading your system.
Avoid: Starting the day with sweets such as doughnuts or a Danish. Choose foods with more savory flavors instead to give your body a break, suggests Bonci.
Too much alcoholPlain and simple, alcohol leaves you dehydrated.
The solution: Drink diluted fruit juice (half water, half juice) to replace lost fluids. Bland foods such as rice, dry toast or cereal, chicken noodle soup and bananas are easy for a queasy stomach to digest (bananas also supply the B vitamins that alcohol saps out of your body).
Avoid: Acetaminophen, which, according to Franca Alphin, R.D., clinical associate in the department of community and family medicine at Duke University Student Health Services, weighs heavily on your liver -- the same organ that's processing the alcohol from the night before. To treat a hangover, take ibuprofen instead. Caffeinated beverages may keep you alert, but will cause further dehydration.
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