I Overate (and I Can't Get Up)

For the first 3 weeks after my hip fracture surgery, I couldn't eat enough.  I felt like I was 15 again.  I would wake up so famished that I thought I was going to pass out.  I was eating and eating, and losing weight.

Then it stopped.  I remember the day like it was yesterday.  A friend brought me lunch, and she knew I was eating like a horse - so she brought me 2 Jimmy John's subs.  I was so happy to have pre lunch and post lunch.  So I scarfed down the first one.  And I expected to feel how I had been feeling: mostly satisfied but knowing I would have to eat again soon.  But instead I felt stuffed - stuffed beyond belief.  I felt like Thanksgiving dinner times five. 

So there I was, on crutches, unable to move, in pain, and stuffed to the gills.  Not a great feeling.  At the time, to deal with it, I went to the garage and did a ton of dips and pull ups.  Now while it probably helped, here is what he experts say one should do when after overeating.  These techniques can also help after eating junk food.

1. Drink a ton of water. Water helps promote digestion and flushes out your system
2. Drink tea.  It also helps with digestion and the caffeine will help you feel full so you don't eat too soon afterwards
3. Get plenty of sleep.  Loss of sleep acts as a stressor to the body and many compensate by eating.  Also a lack sleep depletes your body from the energy it needs to quickly digest.

Many experts also recommend going for a walk but I was out of luck given my situation.  Some also recommend fasting for a period afterwards.  In theory, not a bad idea but fasting can be a bit tricky when recovering from a major injury or when pregnant, for example.  Others also recommend taking a probiotic pill (or eating yogurt several hours later) to promote digestion. 

In the end, it was that last Jimmy John's sub that really signaled to me that I had to make some changes to my diet if I wasn't going to gain a ton of weight while recovering.  In fact, because I made diet changes, the opposite has occurred.  I have lost 20 pounds and am as lean as I was when I was 15.  But the body still won't let me eat like I am...  I guess age is more important than weight...when it comes to consumption.

Thanks for reading...