Because Only the Turkey Should Wobble
Thanksgiving is…..
A time to reflect on our blessings and enjoy the peace of being with our loved ones?
Maybe I’ve grown a bit cynical, but it seems that today a more accurate description of this holiday would be a time to eat a heckuva lot and then pass out in a food coma in front of a football game.
Thanksgiving is, as we all know, supposed to be about the company we keep and the reflection of the lives we lead. If this is the true meaning of this holiday, depending on your perspective this could be a holiday of celebration or a holiday of frustration! Whether you take a second helping of Aunt Julia’s seven-cheese macaroni because you’re caught up in the warm-n-fuzzies of a family reunited or you secretly shovel down the leftover pie while doing the dishes after your mother-in-law insults your choice of centerpieces, a holiday spent with family sets us up for a prime opportunity for emotional eating.
Not to mention, it’s a holiday that’s pretty much centered on food and temptation to overindulge is great.
The first thing to remember about Thanksgiving is that it is literally one day. Many people become so down on themselves when they get “off track” on Thanksgiving and they throw their arms up in the air and think “Well I blew it today, so I might as well wait til January to get this thing going again.” Excuse me, WHAT? It is one day. Plan for it. Plan to run amok in a calorie laden world if you must. But plan, plan, plan to get right back on track the next day.
Take that leftover turkey and throw it on top of a salad or wrap it in a whole wheat wrap, rather than put it back on top of dressing. Pass the leftovers out so they go out the door rather than stay home with you. Have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand so you can have a volume of food with a low caloric intake. If you’re going to the mall (a chance to walk! Exercise!) on Black Friday, plan ahead. Throw a Cliff bar in your purse or pocket so you don’t have to stop at the food court and get a bottle of water from a drugstore when you feel your energy waning. Google a healthy recipe that uses turkey for dinner the next night. If you get back on track on Friday, Thanksgiving never has a chance to gain momentum as kick off for the Season of Eating.
To survive Thanksgiving Meal itself with minimal damage, choose wisely. You know the drill: light meat over dark meat, pumpkin pie over pecan. Munch on the veggie tray beforehand instead of mindlessly munching the spiced nuts mix. Rather than recreate the wheel, let me just send you to one of my favorite resources: Eat this, Not That. See how you can shave 500 calories off the typical T-gives dinner by making healthy choices.
Thanksgiving is just one day. No one day of eating, no matter how much you consume, has the capacity to undo all the hard work you have done. However, it does have the potential to create a chain of events that lead to relapse if you fail to get back on track as soon as possible. (The goal is Friday, people, not Monday. Not next week. And certainly not January.)
Plan for Thanksgiving and you’ll coast through the holiday without the frightening weigh in on Monday. Now that is something to be thankful about.
Food For Thought: Whether you come from the Portion Control the Pecan Pie camp or the Just White Meat with a Teaspoon of Potatoes troops, the key to a successful Thanksgiving is the comeback plan for the next day. What’s YOUR plan?
Tags: holiday eating
