Can You Work Off a Binge?

Oops… you lost control and pigged out in front of the TV with some warm donuts. Can you even things out by putting in two extra hours of cardio the morning after?

"Uh, no, it doesn't quite work like that," Sandy Joyce, a personal trainer who specializes in fat loss and physique transformation, explains. "When we ingest a food, our bodies utilize it for the functioning it needs. When our eyes and mind get the best of us and we over-eat, it's almost like our digestive system goes into a panic; our bodies don't know what to do with the excess. Basically, our body takes what it needs and then stores the rest."

Joyce points out that while food is a necessary fuel for our bodies, our minds view it in a different way. "Understand that our bodies don't look at food the way our eyes and our minds do," she adds. "We find food comforting, rewarding, and entertaining."

And even though running for two hours on a treadmill will burn about 400 calories, which equals two Krispy Kreme original glazed donuts, the trade off is likely to result in more muscle loss than anything.

Why does this matter to you? Binging can hinder your fat loss efforts. Eating six small meals a day will stave off cravings that often to lead to over-eating. Keep cheat meals reasonable and avoid junk food!