By Cynthia sass, R.D.

Your post-pig-out plan

Went overboard with your eating last night? Don’t panic! Whenever I get that guilt-induced call from a client who had two giant slices of cake and a couple of glasses of wine at a friend’s birthday party, I share this five-step fix.

1:  Do a reality check. As a full and heavy as you may feel, the numbers don’t lie. It takes 3,500 extra calories to gain 1 pound of body fat. So unless you ate six slices of cake and drank eight glasses of wine, you’re in the clear.

2: Get enough water. Drink 8 to 10 cups throughout the day to flush out any excess sodium that could cause water retention.

3: Eat balanced meals. Starving yourself often backfires, slowing your metabolism and setting you up for another binge later on.

4: Fill up on fiber. Consuming too much of the wrong foods can lead to short-term constipation and bloating. Keep your digestive system humming with fiber-rich foods, like black beans (15 grams per cup), artichokes (10 grams for a medium one), raspberries (8 grams per cup), and barley (6 grams per cup).

5: Work up a sweat. Stay on that stair-climber for extra 15 minutes or park far from your office and walk the distance briskly-you’ll burn up to 115 additional calories.

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