My pants are TIGHT after enjoying mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, dessert, green bean casserole, and so much more. When you eat more food than normal, with less fiber than normal, and way, way more salt than usual it’s normal to be puffy and bloated. Here are 7 simple ways to beat the bloat:
- Water: drink 2, 3 or 4 liters of water. Most of the weight gain and puffiness is the water your body retains from they high-salt feast you just enjoyed. Extra water helps your body clear the excess more quickly.
- Walk: movement begets movement. Getting out for a 20, 30, or even 60 min walk will help get the digestive system moving. Plus, you won’t be eating leftovers while you’re walking.
- Fiber: fiber is essential for a healthy, regular digestive system. Thanksgiving favorites like rolls, mac and cheese, desserts, etc. don’t have much fiber, so, loading up on fruits veggies and whole grains can help clear things out.
- Squats & planks: go workout. Strength training is important to restoring your metabolic health (very important for water retention), and the intra-abdominal pressure will help stimulate elimination.
- Coffee: as long as you’re adding little to no extra calories coffee is part of a healthy lifestyle. It gives you extra pep for your workouts, and is a natural, mild laxative.
- Let it go: beating yourself up for enjoying Thanksgiving usually just leads to guilt and shame, which usually just lead to eating extra calories to sooth your feelings. It’s OK to enjoy your Thanksgiving. It was fun. Instead of guilt or remorse try focusing on anything on the list above. There are no “bad” foods.
- Be realistic: If you’re diligent its going to take a few days to get back to normal. And if you don’t do much to balance things out then it might take a week. Wishing things were moving faster doesn’t make them move faster. Enjoy your day, and enjoy the process.
