How to Bounce Back After a Memorial Day Weekend Binge

Let’s face it—Memorial Day weekend often turns into a free-for-all. BBQs, beers, s’mores, chips, and enough sodium to make you wake up feeling like a water balloon. But here’s the deal: one indulgent weekend doesn’t ruin your progress. What will ruin it is letting a 3-day slip turn into a 3-week spiral.

Here’s how to reset—fast.

1. Don’t Starve Yourself on Tuesday

The instinct to "make up for it" by skipping meals or drastically cutting calories is a trap. Starving yourself only sets you up for a rebound binge. Instead, get right back to your usual eating routine and aim to eat balanced meals every 3–5 hours.

2. Hydrate Like It’s Your Job

The bloating you’re feeling? That’s mostly water retention from excess sodium and alcohol. Don’t sweat it—literally. Just start pounding water. Aim for at least 100–120 oz today, more if you’re active. Add lemon or electrolytes if you need a boost.

3. Kill Cravings with Volume Foods

Cravings feel intense after a weekend of hyper-palatable foods. The fix? Load your meals with fibrous, high-volume foods:

Steamed or roasted veggies
Big salads with lean protein
Fresh fruit (berries, melon, apples)

They’ll help fill you up and reset your appetite without blowing your calories.

4. Lift. Don’t Punish.

You don’t need to do 2 hours of cardio to “burn it off.” In fact, resistance training + a solid diet will get you back to baseline faster than endless burpees. Move your body today, but don’t treat the gym like punishment.

5. Get Back on Track—Not Back to Perfect

A lot of people blow it today trying to go “all in” again. You don’t need perfection. You need consistency. Focus on:

Hitting your usual calories and macros
Prioritizing protein at each meal
Planning your meals in advance

6. Ditch the Guilt

You’re not “off track.” You’re just human. Long-term success is built on being able to reset quickly—not on being flawless. Let it go, take the next right step, and move forward.

Final Thoughts:

One weekend didn’t build your body, and one weekend won’t break it either. The faster you get back to your normal habits, the faster your body (and mind) recalibrate. So today, drink your water, eat your real food, move your body, and remind yourself: this is just what we do.

Welcome back. Let’s get to work.

Tommy's Take by Tommy Pomatico 5/26