Everyone has moments of weakness. Some people lose control at a family gathering and eat too much fattening food. Others go out partying and let their guard down with junk food that they wouldn’t normally eat. Then there’s group outings with friends or co-workers when you don’t feel like being the odd man out so you pig out on pizza, birthday cake, or candy with everyone because you don’t want to justify your diet to others. There are also people who binge alone because they are depressed, sad, or just tired of depriving themselves. If you’ve eaten until you were uncomfortably full or ate unlimited amounts of foods that were off limits then you’ve experienced a binge. This is common among many dieters and often accompanied by feeling fat, bloated, and guilty over lack of self-control. The good news is that one binge will not destroy your diet or your progress especially if you get right back on track with the following recovery guidelines and prevention tips.

Recovery Tips
1. Drink Water
If you drank too much then you're dehydrated. Drinking water will help you feel better and flush out some of those toxins. If you ate too much you're probably bloated and retaining water from all the salt and sugar. Drinking water will help release stored water and metabolize stored fat.

2. Fast on Protein, Fruits and Vegetables
Give the complex carbs and dairy foods a rest for one day. Eat fruits, vegetables, and some protein. The fiber in the fruits and vegetables will help your body rid itself of any excess toxins, while the protein will provide some substance and help metabolize the water that your body is retaining.

3. Do A Light Workout
If you're feeling bloated and gross you may not want to workout but sometimes that is exactly what you need. A short walk, a swim, or 20 min. on the lifecycle will flush out toxins and get rev your metabolism. A workout will also produce feel good endorphins, which may be just the thing you need if you’re feeling down.

4. Don't Weigh Yourself!
Excess food and water retention can add up to 6lb and if you're already feeling stressed about over-indulging this is the last thing you want to see. Eat healthy and drink water for at least two days before you jump back on the scale. By then your body will be back to normal and most likely you'll weigh the same.

5. Forget It and Move On
Beating yourself up about your mistakes is not going to change what happened so just forget about the whole thing and move on. Instead of feeling guilty think of each new day is an opportunity to eat healthy and stay on track.

6. Don't Give Up
A lot of people feel that if they make one mistake then it's over. They throw all their hard work out the window and just go back to a bad diet and not exercising. Try to remember that everyone experiences setbacks and giving up now will only set you back if you decide to re-start your program later.

7. Stay Positive
Think about everything you've accomplished so far and how insignificant that one bad day is compared to all the good days you've had. Acknowledge your day of weakness and resolve to do better next time you're in the same situation.

Must Read: This book offers great tips on how to stop overeating.
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Prevention Tips
Have Your Own Stash
Dieting around family is very difficult to do when you don't have options. Go to the nearest health food store and do a little browsing for low-fat healthy snacks that you feel will satisfy you. When you're surrounded by people chowing down on those fatty high calorie snacks, pull out your stash and join in. This works wonders because you don't feel left out and you're still sticking with your diet.

Enjoy A Cheat Day
Having one cheat day per week when you can eat anything you want is a secret tool that not many people know about. It gives you some freedom so that you don't feel deprived and a chance to slip up without any guilt or consequences such as having to start over. It also reminds you of how different you feel when you're not eating healthy. The most important benefit is that it fools your body into thinking that it's not starving so you keep the starvation mode at bay and continue to burn fat for fuel.

Factor In Treats
If you're the type of person who feels that one cheat day is not enough and you'll just go crazy if you don't have your daily chocolate or potato chip fix then factor in a low-fat alternative into your daily calorie intake. Some good snack choices are:
Baked Lays Potato Chips 110 cal. 1.5g fat
Milky Way Lite 170 cal. 5g fat
Hershey's Sweet Escapes 160 cal. 5g fat
Rold Gold Pretzel Thins 110 cal. 10g fat
2 Godiva Dark Chocolates 115 cal. 7g fat
Haagen Dazs Chocolate Sorbet Bar 80 cal 0g fat
Jello Fat Free Chocolate Pudding 102 cal 0g fat
Mr. Nature Unsalted Trail Mix 120 cal. 6g fat

Manage Your Cravings
Every now and then you get this craving for a big mac and fries or a hot fudge sunday. Sometimes it's easy to ignore it but other times it just consumes you. When the later occurs give in and adjust the rest of your meals for that day and that week. If it's making you that crazy it may be better to indulge than to let it go until it turns into a binge. One bad meal is not going to ruin your diet as long as you don't make a habit of it.

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Binge Breaker! : Stop Out-Of-Control Eating and Lose Weight