Ashley’s answer: Yes, it does seem strange that instead of feeling full the next day, you feel hungry—so hungry, that it makes you want to overeat all over again! Yours is a great question that exemplifies how to distinguish between hunger, when the body physiologically needs nutrients, and appetite, where you’re getting mental cues that you need and want food. The answer to your question also reminds us of how the body uses food—and doesn’t. The most important thing to do the day after a binge is to get back on your plan for clean eating. That means sticking to foods that are from nature and observing nutrient balance, frequency, and portion control guidelines. But that can be hard if you feel like you’re starving! The day after overeating, your body is often exhausted. That fatigue could be related to overeating’s favorite partners-in-crime—traveling, partying, stressing—or it might just be because your body stayed up all night working to process those extra servings (these 2-minute stress solutions can help you relax). Fatigue will trigger hunger because the body uses food, specifically carbs, as quick energy. So the key thing here is to give yourself quality foods in the proper nutrient balance—don’t skip carbs, but don’t overdo them either—beginning upon the first hour of waking. MORE: Is Gluten Making You Miserable? Another potential explanation for your hunger is that your digestive system might be rejecting all the food (and booze?) you consumed the day before. If you’ve been making more frequent trips to the bathroom, or if what you’re excreting is a different consistency than usual, then your body is likely nutrient deprived and calling out for more. Drink plenty of water and up your intake of hydrating, water-based foods, as well as those high in potassium, like coconut water, avocado and potato. Finally, all that hunger might be in your head, especially if you overdrew on sugar or fat. I tell clients that it can take about three days for the perceived cravings to wear off. So pass on the mocha (that you don’t usually order anyway, but looks really good the day after overeating) and stick with frequent pit stops of nutrient-balanced food options. Oh, and make sure to get some rest and recreation to help get your body and mind back in tune with their true needs. Chewing over a food quandary? Send it to AskAshley@Prevention.com Ashley Koff is a registered dietitian, Qualitarian, nutrition expert, and
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