The average person is said to gain a total of 12 lbs over the Thanksgiving holiday. Wow! that’s a lot of turkey. Obviously we can’t blame the turkey. It’s all those rich, fat-laden side dishes and sugary desserts.
Why is it that we make good choices throughout the year, but go crazy from Thanksgiving through the holiday season? We can’t blame the food. Fess up and admit the holiday weight gain comes down to lack of making good choices.
How can we enjoy the Thanksgiving banquet and remain both sane and fit?
Have a plan and stick to it. The following suggestions may help get you started.
- Eat lightly the day before the feast, cutting carbs and fats
- Make the healthy foods-vegies and protein your mainstay
- Enjoy small samplings of the rich foods that appeal to you
- Avoid overloading your plate with some of everything
- Take small servings and keep a space between them on your plate
- Graze rather than eating a large amount of food at one time
- Enjoy the variety of foods, but know that you are in control
- Following the big day, eat lightly cutting back again on carbs
- Return to your usual nutrition and exercise regime
Give thanks for the blessings of family, food, and friends. Don’t beat yourself up because you ate foods that you normally avoid. Know that you are in control. Don’t let Thanksgiving overeating spiral non-stop through Christmas and New Year’s day.
Enjoy the holiday festivities. Have fun, but stay in control. Remember how awful you feel the next day after overeating? Have a plan in place to take you through the parties and gatherings where an abundance of foods and drinks will likely be found. Stick with what you know is good for your body and you can’t go wrong.
Happy Thanksgiving!
