Did you know that an average Thanksgiving dinner can pack up to 4,500 calories for a person? That is a little less than double the recommended daily calorie intake for one person. If you are currently working hard to lose weight, that is more than double! So what do you do to avoid packing on the pounds from one big dinner gathering when the food is so delish and only comes once a year? Here are some tips to beat the bulge.
- Work out Thanksgiving Day. There are plenty of Turkey Trots around in which to run OR simply plan to do a workout of some kind on your own so you are already in a calorie deficit before you arrive for the big meal.
- "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Know what your temptations are and plan how you are going to deal with them. Are you going to have a small slice of pie rather than a double helping? Are you going to resist it altogether? If so, how?
- Don't go to the dinner hungry! Eat some healthy proteins and fats before you go because they are more likely to keep you satisfied for a longer period of time. Eat a handful of nuts and drink a full glass of water.
- If you plan to completely resist some of the less healthy choices that you know will present temptation, make a healthy replacement to take that you enjoy just as much. Pinterest has loads of recipes for this.
- Don't wear baggy, stretchy clothing to the dinner! May sound silly, but you are more likely to overeat when you feel that you "have room to grow"! Trust me! I love my yoga pants, but this isn't the best time to wear them. :)
- Choose alcohol OR dessert. Both contain lots of sugar. I am not saying NOT to allow yourself some freedom, but it helps to be reasonable about your indulgences.
- Eat more slowly and mindfully. Take the time to enjoy every single bite that you eat. You will feel when you are full faster which makes you less likely to overdo it.
- Eat your proteins and vegetables on your plate first so that you fill up more on the foods that are good for your body and leave less room for the things that are less nourishing.
- Draw the line with one serving and put a mint in your mouth or put lip gloss on to help prevent you from returning for more.
There you have it! You can still have a great Thanksgiving by approaching it with a little mental prepping to keep that scale from being mean to you the following day. It doesn't have to be a meal in which you deprive yourself, but it also does not have to be a meal in which you have to spend the rest of the year working hard to remove. Don't forget to spend some time being intentionally grateful for all that you have! That's what Thanksgiving is all about!
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