Damage Control For Holiday Eating “Accidents???” (Part 1)

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve read numerous articles about about how to deal with the inevitable parties, banquets, dinners, and the large and not-so-healthy meals you may be faced with over the holidays. Two of them were particularly interesting… One article was focused on “controlling damage” by making adjustments AFTER an over-sized meal. Another was focused on “preventing damage” by eating less BEFORE the oversize meal (aka, “banking calories”)

Both of them had some interesting and valid suggestions, showing where there are indeed circumstances that you can eat more than usual without setting back your progress.

For example, we know that you can eat more after an intensive workout without storing fat because the energy and nutrients are needed for muscle repair and glycogen replacement.

We also know that after a few days on a reduced calorie and or carb diet, you could “carb up” and eat maintenance or even well above maintenance without storing fat because the high calorie meal or day is following a period of calorie restriction and glycogen depletion.

A third example is one I’ve seen among bodybuilders after a competition, where they have been dieting strictly for 12 or 16 weeks and they have virtually no fat left on their bodies and their metabolisms are “on fire.” They eat the ritualistic HUGE post contest junk food celebration meal, and not only is there no damage, they sometimes look BETTER the next day!

However, when you look at the big picture, I am not in favor of skipping meals or other strategies for “damage control” if they allow or encourage binge eating or they discourage the development of consistent, positive eating habits.

In today’s issue of fat Burning Tips, I’ve reprinted two columns that were previously published which offer you some advice from both angles - what to do before AND after an anticipated big meal.

With the holidays upon us, I think you will find these columns timely and informative.

Train hard and expect success,

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Author, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle
www.TomVenuto.com
www.BurnTheFat.com
www.BurnTheFatInnerCircle.com

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BURN THE FAT Q & A
WITH TOM VENUTO, Fat Loss Coach
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QUESTION:

Tom, I have a question which you might want to use in your next Q and A column. I think this is especially applicable during the Holiday season. My question is: If you accidentally pig out or over-indulge at a meal, (a Holiday party for example), are you better off skipping your next meal to keep your daily caloric intake on target, or should you just go ahead and eat your next planned meal and not worry about being somewhat “over” your planned calories for the day?

Michael
Wisconsin, USA

ANSWER

Hi Michael,

Thats a very good question, but I have to admit I did get a little chuckle out of the “accidental” part!

Do you ever really “accidentally” eat anything? I think we are all responsible for everything we eat and how much we eat and until you consciously realize and accept this, and take the time to do some proactive meal planning, you will probably continue to have lots of “overeating accidents!”

To answer your question: after you overindulge, I definitely do NOT recommend skipping your next meal or skipping meals the next day to make up for it. I usually don’t even recommend cutting back either, although there may be exceptions where you could manipulate your meal size or macronutrient composition.

I generally recommend returning immediately to your “regularly scheduled meal programming,” because this continues to encourage the maintenance of positive habits such as eating 5-6 small meals every day.

I do suppose whether you cut back could depend on whether you’ve been on low calories a long time, how lean you were already and on whether you were in a caloric deficit already.

If you were in a calorie deficit for the day, then the extra calories might only bring you up to maintenance, not “over” your daily limit, which might not be as damaging as if you were in a calorie surplus. If you were already very lean or had been dieting strictly for a long time (as in a bodybuilder coming off a competition), a large meal or entire high calorie day might not have any negative effect either.

Your metabolism has a way of slowing down if you keep your calories too low 100% of the time. With occasional (planned) higher calorie days, you’d be using the BURN THE FAT “zig-zag” or “cycling” principle, so eating more in this context can be a positive thing.

(Note: You can learn more about this technique in the BURN THE FAT program at www.burnthefat.com).

However, there’s a big difference between a planned “cheat meal” or a planned high carb, clean food “re-feed” day and a binge on junk food.

Regardless of total 24 hour calorie intake for the day, you could still store body fat after heavy eating if it’s done at certain times and in a certain metabolic state. Although I do prescribe calorie levels based on daily (24 hr) needs, I believe you should also pay attention to 3 hour “windows” when you’re thinking about adjusting your caloric intake.

Calories and macronutrients (protein/aminos, carbs/sugar and fat) are partitioned into glycogen, muscle or fat tissue or burned immediately depending very much on present moment energy and recovery needs and on what’s going to happen over the next 3 hours or so as the food enters your system.

So if you’re going to be plopping down on the couch to watch football games for the rest of the day and night after that big holiday meal, beware - you might just want to cut back on that next meal a little, especially starches and sugars.

Bottom line: It’s okay to eat small amounts of your favorite junk foods once in a while as planned “freemeals,” and it’s a good idea to eat more in general from time to time to keep your metabolism humming along.

However, your best bet if you’re really serious about fat loss is to avoid huge meals and avoid bingeing in the first place. ALWAYS practice portion control - even on holidays. If you ever do slip, don’t beat yourself up, just get right back on the wagon with your next meal and remember, the past is behind you and today is a new day.

If you’re interested in burning fat naturally in a healthy, sensible way, then be sure to take a look at Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle - the best selling fitness and diet ebook in the world (as rated by clickbank.com)… it’s the best place to start your journey:

www.burnthefat.com

If you already own the Burn The Fat e-book or if you want community support, motivation, and ongoing education to guide you along in your fat loss journey, be sure to visit the all-new, members-only Burn The Fat Inner Circle at:

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07 December, 2006 posted in Reader Q & A