Personally. I find the mental side of a binge, much more difficult to overcome than the physical side, such as that feeling of bloating after a binge.

I know that feeling of shame, that feeling of regret, that feeling of guilt after a binge, and probably the next day as well.

One of the things which helped me on the mental side is actually dealing with the physical side as well. And the worst thing for me after a binge is normally that feeling of bloating afterwards, you know, where that food just kind of feels like it’s sitting there in your gut.

So for me, the bloating after a binge is at the top of my list to work on when I’m ready.

I’m going to give you my three go-to tips for dealing with that bloating afterwards.

And I’m also going to tell you the number one thing that you want to avoid doing.

Get Some Digestive Enzymes In

Digestive enzymes help break down the food in your gut, which is going to help your body process it more quickly. And it’s going to help you start feeling physically better again.

There are different kinds of enzymes, some that break down carbs, some that break down proteins, and some that break down fats.

Here are my go-to foods which are great sources of digestive enzymes.

Number one is pineapple. Pineapple is rich in an enzyme called bromelain, which is used to break down proteins.

Next is mango, which is rich in amylase, which breaks down carbs.

Fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut, not only do provide your gut with good bacteria, but they also are a source of nutrients and some more digestive enzymes.

Bear in mind this is not an instant fix that as soon as you eat these, you’re going to feel better.

You do need to give it time.

You do need to hydrate and let the enzymes do their thing. But it’s probably one of the first things I do to help me feel better.

Get Your Fibre

A word of caution on this one, because it doesn’t work for everyone. But if you can, get in some more fibre.

First of all, the reason I say it doesn’t work for everyone is that some people do get bloating and indigestion and gas because of fibre.

So if that’s you, please ignore this.

However, if that’s not, then fibre is the next thing that I’ll look at.

There are two kinds of fibre.

The first is soluble fibre, which you’ll typically find in oats, beans, citrus fruits, and a few other fruits and vegetables as well.

What that does, is it dissolves in the water in your digestive system, which creates a gel, which helps food pass through more quickly.

It also draws more water which again is just going to give your digestive system that little bit of a helping hand.

The second kind is insoluble fibre, which doesn’t get broken down in your gut. This can be found in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains such as brown rice.

It adds bulk to what’s already going through your system and it’s just going to help push the food along as well. So fibre doesn’t necessarily help break down the food, but it helps pass it through you.

Get Active. Gently

After a binge, I feel nauseated, I feel bloated, I feel lethargic, and headaches. So high-intensity exercise of any kind is just a no-go for me.

But then at the same time, sitting or not doing anything active is going to feel uncomfortable and a little bit painful for me.

So my go-to tends to be walking.

I tend to go for walking meditation.

I’ll find like an hour of meditation music on either the podcast app or Spotify, or even just YouTube running in the background, stick my headphones in and then just go for a long walk.

If it’s raining, then might get on a treadmill instead.

But it’s just the activity, it’s that time to kind of reflect on my thoughts, clear my head and set myself up again.

It gives me that window of opportunity to process whatever my mind is going through.

If walking is not for you, that’s fine.

We’re all different. Pick something else.

It might be cycling. It might be yoga. I don’t have a long list of alternatives because walking is the first thing I tried and it kind of just stuck for me.

But just find something to get you moving and just to give yourself a little bit of a mental break.

Plus physical activity helps with circulation, which means that the blood flow to the muscles in your digestive system is also going to increase, which again is just going to help digest that food more quickly.

The Worst Thing You Can Do For Bloating After A Binge

And now the number one worst thing you can do, and the one thing which I recommend NOT doing is fasting or starving yourself.

Regardless of what you ate, regardless of what happened earlier, your body and mind still need nutrition, they still need nourishment and they still need care.

Fasting or starving yourself is borderline punishment.

And it does start to sound like swapping one disordered eating pattern for another.

I’m speaking from experience from when I used to try and fast my binges away. I used to feel more stressed. I would find in future when I binged again, I would feel even worse.

It seemed to take longer for the bloating to go away. And it didn’t help my relationship with food at all.

Get Your Bloating After A Binge Under Control And Get On The Road To Recovery

At the start of this, I said I find the mental impact of a binge much more difficult to process than the physical side.

But by addressing the physical side, and addressing the most pressing side effects, like dealing with bloating after a binge, I am practising self-care.

And by doing that, I am setting my mind on the path to recovery as well.