Para sa mga nahihirapan mag move (on).
When it’s the holiday season, it comes as no surprise that Filipinos celebrate with food and a lot of it. If you and your family aren’t the type to prep and cook enough for the whole clan, the easiest and fastest way to feed a whole ton of people is by going to a buffet (or several).
Also check: Find the best Juice Detoxes, Smoothies, and more in Metro Manila!
If this holiday season, you’ve gone to too many and after you’ve eaten you’ve been feeling weighed down and you’re in desperate need of some buffet remedies, here are simple, quick ways we can help you recover from the bloated feeling and the post-buffet guilt.
Level 0: Drink a lot of water
Sabi nga naman ni mimiyuuh: “Drink your water po!”
You do benefit a lot from drinking water. However, when it comes to buffets, it’s most especially helpful ’cause it:
- absorbs the nutrients from what you ate
- breaks down large chunks of food,
- helps move those pieces of food down to your intestines and eventually, to where it’s supposed to go.
Pro-tip: If water is too plain for you, you can add a dash of lemon/orange/lime or slices of cucumber for some flavor!
Level 1: Go on a brisk walk
Best sung by a certain famous personality: “Dahan-dahan lang.”
As tempting as it is to go from 0-100 with intense exercise like cycling or boxing, it’s highly suggested that you go on a 10-15 minute walk first to help you:
- settle your stomach
- relieve you from feeling full or bloated
- burn some calories
Pro-tip: Don't like the outdoors? No worries, you can take your brisk walk on a treadmill at the gym nearest you!
Level 2: Forgive And Forget
Follow in the footsteps of a famous Ben&Ben song: “Learn to forgive.”
Once the physical turmoil is over (a.k.a bloating, stomachache), sometimes, the mental and emotional repercussions of eating at a buffet follow soon after. So why don’t you . . .
Forgive: Yourself from eating a lot or breaking your diet.
Forget: About deciding to ruin your health altogether.
Fun fact: According to research, cheat meals are ok as a positive reward - as long as you offset the extra calories somewhere else in the day. Also, long-term, if you give in a little, that means you won't have to binge next time to satisfy that craving.
Pro-tip: If repeating forgive and forget is hard, we suggest you write it down again and again until you feel better.
Bonus! (Post-Buffet Recovery)
Physically: Practice Mindful Eating
Whether that’s getting yourself on a meal plan, tracking what you’re eating on an app or on a notebook, or preparing healthier dishes, mindful eating is one of the best ways to help you look and feel better.
Pro-tip: Don't have the skills to cook or any meal plan you like? Check out 23 Healthy Restaurants in Metro Manila with Dishes Everyone Will Enjoy!
Financially: Learn to Budget and to Look for Sulit Food Deals
Are you the one in charge of treating your relatives this year? If you are, then right after the holidays, two tips we suggest you follow to get your wallet as full as you are after a buffet, is to learn to budget and to look for sulit food deals.
Pro-tip: Look for apps that'll help you track your expenses as well as apps that'll give you sulit food deals ranging from discounts to Buy 1 Get 1s.
Emotionally/Mentally: Do Some Self-Care Activites
We’re not saying that the path to eating healthier and being happy with how you look and feel is easy especially during the holiday season. But if there’s ever one gift you should give yourself this holiday season, it’s self-care. You can start by:
- Not being too hard on yourself and the way you look even if everyone says otherwise. You have the whole year to change it for the better.
- Enforce some positive emotions by binge-watching a few episodes of your favorite Netflix show. You deserve some good and happy feelings too.
- Not being afraid to treat yourself every now and then. If you have the capacity to give your friends, family, bae, or pet a treat once in a while, you can definitely do that for yourself.
Now that you’ve got the immediate and long-term recovery remedies to buffets, go ahead and feast (responsibly) this holiday season!
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