Bouncing Back from Diet Indulgences

If the visions of sugar plums went from dancing to boxing—with the inside of your stomach as the punching bag—post holiday dinner, you already know the culprit.

The overfull feeling, indigestion, aching head and general malaise can only mean eating or drinking too much over the holiday weekend. It’s hard not to, with so many tasty dishes and once-a-year treats making their appearance for the weekend.

Luckily, there’s salvation from indigestion, hangovers and the weight gain that usually accompanies the holiday indulgence. Rachel Simpers, in-store dietician for , shared , and most work for the December holidays.

Here’s what you need to know about recovering from holiday eating:

1. You Need to Know Not to Skip Meals: It just leads to overeating later, Simpers says—and if you’ve already eaten too much, you don’t want to repeat it.
2. You Need to Know to Drink Water: It’ll help with digestion and stave off dehydration if you drank too much eggnog.
3. You Need to Know Have a Light Breakfast: If you’ve overindulged the day prior, you’ll want to eat lightly today. Heavy and concentrated foods will just make you feel worse.
4. You Need to Know To Get Off the Couch: Simpers recommends taking a half-hour walk after a big meal, snagging a gym trip the day after the feast, or even doing dishes right after the meal. The point is to stay alert and moving rather than plopping down.
5. You Need to Know About Leftovers: There are a variety of low-calorie ways to use leftover ham and turkey, including soups, salads, stir-fry and more.