This is a topic I feel will be appreciated, especially amongst the ones of us who can feel ultra Goddessy during the week – but come Friday night, one night on the tiles can completely derail you. Before you know it you’re ordering Dominos at 3am, and then spend the entire next day hungover and trying to eat whatever you can to make yourself feel like a normal human again.
We all love a good night out with the girls every now and again. I’m no stranger to the dance floor….oh hell no! 😉 (any Drake or Beyoncé song I am DOWN)
Busting some tunes and getting our groove on while we get slip into that outfit that makes us feel like a total Goddess. Then it’s face on, hair done and we’re ready to hit the town with our girlfriends. I mean what’s not to love?
But after a few drinks, suddenly all control goes out the window and you say a massive FUCK IT.
You decide in that moment that whatever the consequences, you’re gonna have the biggest kebab/pizza/chips and mayo (insert drunken food choice here) you can find when you leave. Your intention to take care of your body has gone straight out of the window and quite frankly you don’t care! It’s 4am and all you want to do is eat.
After drinking we sometimes put things in our body we would never put in when we are sober, but we tell ourselves the story that at 4am it doesn’t count or matter. I know because I used to do it too! Bingeing after alcohol consumption is something I struggled a lot with and would always wake up the morning after I’d made my choices, feeling absolutely terrible in my body. (and often surrounded by empty pizza boxes and ketchup on the bed…) 😂
Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t have the pizza/chips whatever, not at all. Honey – if you really want it, and you’re more than happy about your decision and not gonna give yourself a hard time when you wake up, then darling go for it. But if you know it will send you into a downward spiral of guilt, shame and self loathing the next day or make you enforce punishing regimes on your body to try and counteract it – then here are my best pieces of advice for having a fabulous night out but without the binge at the end.
1-Â Don’t restrict yourself in the week (or at all) Most of the time the real reason behind food habits being suddenly different after alcohol – is because we feel that when alcohol is involved it means ‘different rules apply’. So – be more flexible in the week, allow yourself to eat WHAT you want, WHEN you want – then when you’ve been drinking, you won’t feel like you need to break the rules all of a sudden or go ‘off plan’. Don’t diet. Don’t be ‘on track’ – just live your life with no restrictions – as I always say.
2- Know your limits before you go out – don’t drink to get drunk. Have a conscious relationship with alcohol (yes, it’s possible) and stop before it gets messy. Drink slowly and enjoy each sip, rather than necking them back at the bar. Before each drink, ask yourself – do I want another? How will I feel afterwards? And make a decision from a place of consciousness and awareness.
3- Â For every two alcoholic drinks you have, enjoy a water in between. Don’t say yes to another drink just because everyone else is. Go at your own pace and don’t feel pressured to have more if you actually don’t want to.
4-Think about how your body will feel the next morning if you carry on partying, or if you binge on junk food on the way home? Always check in with Future You. What feels like the most loving choice? Always ask – will this feel GOOD for me now? How about later? Or tomorrow? How would it feel to call it a night now, take care of yourself and get tucked up in bed?
5-Have ingredients at home in stock so that if you ARE hungry come 4am, you have healthy options in the fridge that you can make. Avocado on toast is a great, easy option that takes 5 minutes (way less time than it does for a takeaway to arrive), fills you up before bed and satisfies any cravings.
Another really great way to avoid the takeaway on the way home is to remember your plans for the morning. Don’t normally have any? Make some in advance Goddess, that will support your vision of the best version of you.
I try to make sure I’ve always got green juice ingredients in the fridge and some gorgeous fresh eggs and avocados ready to make an insanely healthy and nourishing breakfast. Then I like to go for a run or a workout to try and flush away any lingering feelings that drinking alcohol can bring. (Note – also, sometimes I do not do any of those things either, and sometimes I do order takeaway and stick Netflix on instead).
However – if you do struggle with this, then having some sort of plan for your morning after, preferably working out, will definitely help curb that appeal for the junk at 4am, trust me.
To always about checking in with your body and communicating with her. Sometimes, she does want pizza – or to carry on dancing all night long til the sun comes up! And you should never feel guilty about that. Ever.
All My Love,
Mel
XO
