How Shame Hangovers Work.

Each day I receive, on average, thousands of emails asking me to describe a “shame hangover” so people can finally get the information they need to continue their daily lives. Fortunately, I am able to take the time now to Give The People What They Want.

A Shame Hangover is an uneasy, anxious, unmotivated, or generally negative feeling that typically immediately follows a lapse in fitnessing.

Causes: a shame hangover is likely to occur after any or all of the following (chances of shame hangover increases when any of the following are combined).

  1. Eating upwards of one-half of a pizza pie
  2. Taking three or more consecutive days off from working out
  3. Having four glasses of prosecco at brunch, which would then lead to…
  4. Ordering egg rolls for dinner
  5. Getting a 16 Handles cup that costs more than $9
  6. Ordering nachos at happy hour instead of edamame
  7. Drinking too much at a party and then eating a pound of smoked gouda
  8. Pretty much anything you would eat at a Mexican restaurant
  9. Macaroni. And. Cheese. especially after 10pm.
  10. Watching six episodes of Breaking Bad instead of doing that awesome bootcamp workout you read about.


  1. Feeling shame, oh my god such shame, and guilt, because you have RUINED EVERYTHING.
  2. Desire to continue down the path of unfitnessing and thus entering the shame cycle.


  1. First of all, there are many preventative measures you can take, which include (but are not limited to) every single topic in prior blog posts. Prevention is the most effective treatment so BE DILIGENT. However, these things happen.
  2. Pizza and staying home from the gym do not cure a shame hangover, they only prolong the symptoms. Do not eat pizza instead of going to the gym the morning you realize the prior night’s behavior has given you a shame hangover.
  3. The BEST TREATMENT is to eat a healthy breakfast of greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or egg whites, and go to the gym. You will reduce your shame hangover incrementally through this process, and then break the shame cycle. Now you are back on the fitnessing track.
  4. Get over it. It’s life. Sometimes nachos and 16 Handles happens. This is okay, and does not mean that you need to give up or that you aren’t good at fitnessing. You are VERY good at fitnessing. You are actually the best of all of my readers. Such a star, you.
  1. Jen said:

    Ok really.. how bad is 16 Handles? Is there any way I can fit it into my life on a semi-regular basis without turning into a blimp? (ps – love your blog, Britt)

    • So here’s the thing. 16 Handles is my favorite restaurant. I don’t see the point in fitnessing if you do it to the extent that you can’t enjoy life. I fitness SO THAT I CAN HAVE 16 Handles. It’s a bunch of sugary processed mess, but, I let myself have it probably around twice a month. I’ve just come to that agreement with myself. BUT, I do work out around 10 hours a week, to really make up for it. See if you can get your fix from once a month, and going for fruity toppings instead of cookie / chocolate ones. If you’re going crazy and need more, go twice a month, keep up with your workouts, and be okay with indulging once in a while.

      • Jen said:

        Follow up question: Is Pinkberry any ‘healthier’ (not including the fact that it’s a two mile walk from me, which definitely makes it more calorie-effective)? You’re right, once a month is doable and also may even make it a fun treat to look forward to

        (ps – can you delete last comment – anonymity destroyed)

      • In my opinion, Pinkberry is really only healthier in the sense that it has more controlled portions, for both the yogurt and the toppings. It’s easier to make better choices at Pinkberry, but even if you get the original flavor, which has a tart flavor, it’s still as much sugar as two cans of coke. So I’d say if you’re going to limit it to once a month, go for whichever you like best, and make it worth the splurge.

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