What to do about Thanksgiving?

tamaeus

Well, this is my first major holiday since I started my diet. What should I do about Thanksgiving, which is in a few days? Should I only eat the minimum amount of calories per day for me, then I'm allowed to just pig out when I eat Thanksgiving Dinner (to counteract each other), or do I still have to count my calories on Thanksgiving and stay below my goal?

looneymom

I usually count those days as cheat days and start over the next day...depends on what you want to do

justvclark

Yup, I plan on staying logged out that day and starting over the next day without thinking about it too much. Have you done cheat days before? Do they throw you off a lot or are you able to pick up easily the next day? It probably depends on what you need for yourself. Are there certain things you really like? Things you can take or leave? For me, it's not Thanksgiving without pie, but I don't particularly care for stuffing. Maybe just pick and choose your indulgences.

tamaeus

Though I have heard of it, I don't know exactly what a Cheat Day is. A few days I have gone over my limit by accident, and some days I forget to register my calories.

justvclark

For me, it's going to mean not logging anything, eating what I want, and not feeling guilty about it. Some people might still log everything, but that's not really for me.

elisa123gal

I've been thinking of my strategy. I'm going to exercise extra the next three days..adding 15 minutes of cardio to my one hour. I'm going to cook myself some dishes that are low in calorie but festive and not "announce" it to anyone. I.e.: mashed potatoes made with chicken broth and I'm adding mashed cauliflower to them to bulk them up and adding a wedge of laughing cow cheese. I'm going to focus on white turkey meat..and then going to roast root vegetables also. I might also make a wine gravy…and i'm going to skip the rolls. I'm wondering if I could get a workout in without looking like an obsessed nut..that would help.

Dessert has me stumped for the moment.

malibu927

Everyone treats it differently. Some stick to their goal. Some save up calories from the previous days. Some aim for maintenance. Some throw everything out the window and don't even bother counting/sticking to a goal. In the long run, one day won't derail you, just don't have one day turn into several days of overeating.

runrascal

Like malibu927 said - one day won't matter. But you could do what I do to accommodate parties etc. Allocate your usual calories for a whole week starting from the big feast day. Log (or do a reasonable estimate) of your party day food and drink. Subtract it from the weekly allocation and divide the remainder by 6. This is your daily allowance for the rest of that week only. At the end of that week you have not gone over your allowance at all. If you've been or expect to be a real pig then you could do the allocation over two weeks!

MommyL2015

There will be one entry on my log on Thanksgiving, and that will be one of too many calories. I will not be counting. It's one day. I do plan to eat leftovers throughout the weekend, but will be tracking those days and going through my normal routine.

Redbeard333

I usually "eat big" on Thanksgiving, and I don't plan on this year being any exception. My plan is to work up a decent deficit Mon-Thurs, eat small breakfast Thurs morning, and then go to dinner at a restaurant and not care how much I put on my plate!

Ninkyou

Enjoy it.

ForeverSunshine09

I already prelogged what I will eat on Thanksgiving which is easy for me because I don't eat a lot of different stuff and I am pretty certain it won't change. I am still going over by 850 cals but, at least I know it.

whmscll

ET what you wNt on Thanksgiving, get a bit of exercise that day, and then go back to eating at a deficit on Friday. Thanksgiving is one day. It won't derail you if you get back on plan Friday.

akboy58

justvclark wrote: »

Maybe just pick and choose your indulgences.

^THAT^

I'm coming up on my third Thanksgiving since starting my diet, and my first on maintenance. What has worked for me is doing triage on the goodies, focusing on the stuff(ing) I love the best. (Turkey and gravy is at the top of my personal list, followed by my sweetie's chestnut stuffing, while pie is near the bottom, FWIW.) I also try to turn off my hyper-sensitive internal calorie tracker for the day, and just relax into gluttony, knowing that I have a workout scheduled at 9 am the next morning ...

brenn24179

I am trying to socialize more and eat with some caution (common sense) which is difficult but necessary

jaimedeline77

Im totally sticking to whole foods, no refined sugar, no grains, no grease! Yet I'm not limiting my calories! I've been in the kitchen for 2 weeks coming up with my lifestyle change for the holidays! I will be having pumpkin pie, an odd yet tasty pecan pie, 19 calorie servings of homemade cranberry jelly, broccoli bites, sweet potato and baby reds, and turkey breast with a butternut squash gravy!

I've lost weight and gained weight sooo many times that I know exactly what happens when I open the door for even a day! Lol I'm like a recovering alcoholic thinking one drink won't hurt! Hahaha! So the compromise here is stick to the menu but toss out the count! Exercise not and be thankful! Lol

MKEgal

I eat what I want, trying to be more toward the veggies & lean meats than the pumpkin pie
(but not ignoring the tasty goodies), and log everything.
Balance, Grasshopper.

.

cwolfman13

you should enjoy spending time with your friends and family...it's one day...nobody got fat because of a holiday or a handful of special occasions or random Saturday nights on the town...it's all those pesky "normal" days that tend to get you.

WinoGelato

tamaeus wrote: »

Well, this is my first major holiday since I started my diet. What should I do about Thanksgiving, which is in a few days? Should I only eat the minimum amount of calories per day for me, then I'm allowed to just pig out when I eat Thanksgiving Dinner (to counteract each other), or do I still have to count my calories on Thanksgiving and stay below my goal?

You don't HAVE TO do anything a certain way, and you are ALLOWED to manage Thanksgiving however you think will work best for you. If you are looking at all of this as a "diet" with specific rules, that tends to make holidays and other special occasions a little more stressful than if you just look at all of this as an overall lifestyle change, some days/weeks will be easy to stay in a calorie deficit, others more challenging.

I'm on my 3rd Thanksgiving since using MFP. I actually have three different Thanksgiving meals this week (one at work, one at my inlaws, one at my family). I still don't sweat it too much. I try to bank a few calories where I can throughout the week, either through extra exercise or eliminating a snack or post dinner glass of wine a couple of days. The days we are celebrating, I try to make sure I get in a work out in the morning, then go for a walk between the meal and dessert. I prioritize the foods I really enjoy (turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, pecan pie) and try to avoid the ones I don't (dressing, rolls unless they are made from scratch, gravy, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie). I still log my food, and since these are all standard family favorites, I know about how much I'm going to consume from years past (meal itself is usually around 1800-2200 cals including alcohol and dessert). I try to have a small breakfast that day, under 300 cals, and since I'm in maintenance with a TDEE of about 2200 cals, I really won't be significantly over any of those days.

Queenmunchy

My high school homecoming was Thanksgiving night (fitting into a formal dress). I don't think I've eaten a substantial plate at Thanksgiving since I was in 8th grade, but I do love to drink champagne! I could take or leave the food.

Lizzy622

Last year I walked over 3 miles before the meal so I had plenty of calories to enjoy what I wanted.

Francl27

Lizzy622 wrote: »

Last year I walked over 3 miles before the meal so I had plenty of calories to enjoy what I wanted.

That would give me 200 calories maybe. Hardly plenty of calories, lol.

I'm going to try to save as many calories as I can the rest of the week (of course I just got TOM so this isn't going so well so far). Make sure to have a good workout every day (it's going to be tough on Thanksgiving as I'm cooking some time-sensitive things but worst case I can hop on and off the stationary bike while it bakes). Have a light breakfast and skip lunch on Thanksgiving, then focus on what I really want (basically.. dessert. So I might just have turkey and green beans before that, lol).

I mean last year I didn't care and ate a lot, but I've just come out of a horrible week and I just have to be more careful this time... but I want pie, so I'm going to have to save some calories for that.

quiltlovinlisa

I plan on having lighter options but enjoying small portions of whatever I want and to log the best I can. It's not any different then the buffet I went to last week.

jaimedeline77

quiltlovinlisa wrote: »

I plan on having lighter options but enjoying small portions of whatever I want and to log the best I can. It's not any different then the buffet I went to last week.

So true!!! If you can make it thru a good buffet you can make it anywhere!

Francl27

jaimedeline77 wrote: »

quiltlovinlisa wrote: »

I plan on having lighter options but enjoying small portions of whatever I want and to log the best I can. It's not any different then the buffet I went to last week.

So true!!! If you can make it thru a good buffet you can make it anywhere!

What if you can't make it through a good buffer? lol.

pdxwine

I logged my entire day, last year. I stayed under my calorie goal. I do not do the turkey feast, I do other foods, so that may have helped.

My advice, eat the foods that you want to, on Thanksgiving, keep your portions reasonable, and get back to your normal plan on Friday.

antennachick

elisa123gal wrote: »

I've been thinking of my strategy. I'm going to exercise extra the next three days..adding 15 minutes of cardio to my one hour. I'm going to cook myself some dishes that are low in calorie but festive and not "announce" it to anyone. I.e.: mashed potatoes made with chicken broth and I'm adding mashed cauliflower to them to bulk them up and adding a wedge of laughing cow cheese. I'm going to focus on white turkey meat..and then going to roast root vegetables also. I might also make a wine gravy…and i'm going to skip the rolls. I'm wondering if I could get a workout in without looking like an obsessed nut..that would help.

Dessert has me stumped for the moment.

Im trying that as well! Im adding 200 calories per day 3 days before and making sure I get extra exercise time

Debbie_Ferr

I've going dive in, and ENJOY me some purrrrrrfect mash potatoes.

Debbie_Ferr

Lizzy622 wrote: »

Last year I walked over 3 miles before the meal so I had plenty of calories to enjoy what I wanted.

Lizzy, you probably burned 200- 250 calories walking vs sitting.
that's maybe .... 1 biscuit, or a small serving of mash potatoes, or 2 tablespoons of butter.

As an example.... per
http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/Calories.html

175 pound woman

350 calories burned - Walking 1 hour @ 3 miles/hour
-105 calories burned - sitting 1 hour
=245 calories difference

.

pie_eyes

I'm not gonna lie... Thanksgiving is cheat day

snikkins

We do the Turkey Trot 5k to justify eating whatever we want. I mean, that's how that works, right?