At first: would you prefer curing the symptom or its cause?
1) I'd recommend forgetting about that cheat and continuing your routine as usual. Don't worry, you can't go back in time and brutally whip those spare ribs out of your past self's hands anyway. That's where eating disorders are born. Jumping around and hoping that those calories don't hang on to your belly won't work either. After all, I'm pretty sure a single cheat once in a while won't hurt your progress. I believe it would be much better trying to avoiding those unplanned cheats in the future, i.e avoiding their cause.
2) So why did you actually cheat? Could it be that you were sustaining your caloric deficit for too long without going beyond maintenance levels once in a while? This can screw up your hormonal profile (e.g. leptin) and thus make you more vulnerable for hunger cravings.
What about planned cheat days in order to control those leptin levels? Do you eat above maintenance levels from time to time (e.g. once per week) or are you trying to keep up with caloric restriction all the time? This could be the answer why you even considered uncontrolled overeating. Of course, planned cheating doesn't mean going overboard until the caloric deficit you accumulated over the past few days is completely worthless!
3) Consider the basics: consume protein with almost every meal and eat frequently (4-6 meals per day).
4) In case that's not the cause, you may consider eating light throughout the day and consuming your biggest and most satiating meal approximately 2-3 hours before going to bed (in order to not compromise growth hormone release due to high insulin levels during sleep). It might be easier for you to maintain your routine during the daytime due to e.g. a busy job and the psychological benefit of a big meal waiting to be consumed at the end of the day. And no, you won't become fat as long as you keep an eye on your energy balance (i.e. maintaining a deficit). Nonetheless, this doesn't mean neglecting your workout nutrition depending on when you typically use to train.
5) Similar to this case, most cheating might happen at night and / or during your free time. So another strategy to keep cravings at bay can be brushing your teeth immediately after finishing your (last) meal(s). This can psychologically help your brain to tick eating.
After all, don't forget to enjoy your meals!
Alex
