Thanksgiving.. Are you ready?

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  • lauracups
    lauracups Posts: 533 Member
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    I'll start the day with a workout. We're grilling 2 turkeys, so plenty of good protein. I'm doing a decadent sauce for the sweet taters, but on the side, so i can have mine plain. Steaming green beans, add fresh sliced almonds, passing on the stuffing if I want pie or visa versa, the next day I can have a small left over. Keeping the cranberries down to a half cup and no alcohol. Logging all of it
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    We won't be eating traditional holiday food because none of us particularly care for it. I still haven't decided what I'm making other than Triple Caramel Cheesecake. Whatever I'll be making, it's one day. I'll eat what I want until I'm just satisfied. I don't like feeling stuffed, so there'll be none of that.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I love traditional Thanksgiving food and what we make is mostly pretty healthy/low cal (but for one particular vegetable dish that has a lot more calories -- cheese and breadcrumbs -- than I'd normally add), other than the desserts, of course. We do brussels and green beans without making them high cal, a cranberry and orange sauce (although sometimes people demand the canned stuff too), and roasted sweet potatoes and garlic mashed potatoes without added cream or much added butter (people can add their own, of course). Also, in the last couple of years I make a lower cal dessert too -- last year's was a butternut squash and coconut milk pudding that turned out great.

    So how many calories it involves all depends on what you eat and how much, and for me it's nice to have lots of heathy and delicious leftovers.

    If I didn't like traditional Thanksgiving food I'd cook something different (and work with family on what others wanted). A former SO of mine was from an Italian-American family that always did a very non traditional Thanksgiving but also had a small turkey since they knew some would want it. (I have floated the idea of trying to eat more like what was actually eaten on the first Thanksgiving for fun, but so far no takers for that.)

    Our Christmas varies some and isn't much like Thanksgiving dinner. Usually prime rib and somewhat richer sides (but still plenty of lower cal vegetables). One is a fall meal and one is more of a formal meal and in the winter so that seems to call for different foods, to me. But it's all about family tradition and what people want. Last year my family wanted homemade pizza on Christmas Eve, so I made those (well, to some extent we did as a family, which was fun).
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    @lemurcat12, can I have that butternut squash/coconut milk pudding recipe? It sounds really good.
  • greeneyedfurball
    greeneyedfurball Posts: 23 Member
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    I generally don't have trouble keeping my food intake reasonable (somewhere between goal and maintenence) on holidays, but stuffing is my kryptonite. As long as I can eat just a small serving or avoid it completely, I'll be fine. I'll have to keep my discipline for a few days, though, since there are always leftovers.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    @lemurcat12, can I have that butternut squash/coconut milk pudding recipe? It sounds really good.

    Sure -- need to figure out what I did with it, but I will message you.
  • watermelonthighs
    watermelonthighs Posts: 10 Member
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    I'm not having a cheat day until the day AFTER Thanksgiving, because I know it'll be easier to eat cautiously that day... but those leftovers will be calling my name
  • Intentional_Me
    Intentional_Me Posts: 336 Member
    edited November 2016
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    Well if I end up at my MILs who is a terrible cook then I'll calorie count and weigh everything but I'm totally going to use Thanksgiving as an excuse to go ham on some food even if it's at a restaurant the next day :D
  • VeganRaptor
    VeganRaptor Posts: 164 Member
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    We don't celebrate Thanksgiving, in New Zealand, thank goodness.
    It sounds like hell on earth to me, although I appreciate that others enjoy it! :tongue:
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    We won't be eating traditional holiday food because none of us particularly care for it. I still haven't decided what I'm making other than Triple Caramel Cheesecake. Whatever I'll be making, it's one day. I'll eat what I want until I'm just satisfied. I don't like feeling stuffed, so there'll be none of that.

    You're sharing this cheesecake with everyone, right?
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    We won't be eating traditional holiday food because none of us particularly care for it. I still haven't decided what I'm making other than Triple Caramel Cheesecake. Whatever I'll be making, it's one day. I'll eat what I want until I'm just satisfied. I don't like feeling stuffed, so there'll be none of that.

    You're sharing this cheesecake with everyone, right?

    You'd have to fight off my daughter. She's pretty strong. I wouldn't give you odds.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    VeganRaptor wrote: »
    We don't celebrate Thanksgiving, in New Zealand, thank goodness.
    It sounds like hell on earth to me, although I appreciate that others enjoy it! :tongue:

    Curious what sounds so awful to you?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    Chef_Barbell wrote: »
    kirstenb13 wrote: »
    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    I'm not a big Thanksgiving food fan. I don't like turkey and most of the sides, so I usually just have a roll, stuffing and green bean casserole. Calorie wise it's no higher than a regular meal for me.

    Yeah, seriously, same with Christmas, no idea why people go so crazy over this food, it's all horrible to me :)

    You know you can eat anything for those holidays. I know mind blowing.

    Yeah but your kind of limited if you have to go to family's homes and all that. Sucks kittens dude. My first thanksgiving this year is tomorrow ugh, 2 more to go after that.

    Take a dish with you and make it something you like.

    We routinely miss big holiday shebangs with extended family due to my husband's job. When we stay home, we sometimes go traditional but often tweak the standards (grilled turkey and crispy smashed potatoes instead of roasted turkey and mashed potatoes) or do something entirely different (last year we made pizza on Christmas.)
  • delicaterealms
    delicaterealms Posts: 27 Member
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    i'm not a fan of thanksgiving or those kind of feasts. i'll probably just stick vegetables, some turkey, and something else in moderation.
    it's not that big of a deal and i can't understand why people stuff themselves during this time. i don't see the need for feasting and i believe the holiday is only about being grateful.
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
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    I'll just eat at my normal deficit. I love Thanksgiving meals, especially home made mac & cheese. Yummy.
  • littlechiaseed
    littlechiaseed Posts: 489 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    littlechiaseed wrote: »
    Chef_Barbell wrote: »
    kirstenb13 wrote: »
    crzycatlady1 wrote: »
    I'm not a big Thanksgiving food fan. I don't like turkey and most of the sides, so I usually just have a roll, stuffing and green bean casserole. Calorie wise it's no higher than a regular meal for me.

    Yeah, seriously, same with Christmas, no idea why people go so crazy over this food, it's all horrible to me :)

    You know you can eat anything for those holidays. I know mind blowing.

    Yeah but your kind of limited if you have to go to family's homes and all that. Sucks kittens dude. My first thanksgiving this year is tomorrow ugh, 2 more to go after that.

    Take a dish with you and make it something you like.

    We routinely miss big holiday shebangs with extended family due to my husband's job. When we stay home, we sometimes go traditional but often tweak the standards (grilled turkey and crispy smashed potatoes instead of roasted turkey and mashed potatoes) or do something entirely different (last year we made pizza on Christmas.)

    Meh I'd rather just go to tacobell afterward lol
  • VeganRaptor
    VeganRaptor Posts: 164 Member
    edited November 2016
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    VeganRaptor wrote: »
    We don't celebrate Thanksgiving, in New Zealand, thank goodness.
    It sounds like hell on earth to me, although I appreciate that others enjoy it! :tongue:

    Curious what sounds so awful to you?

    Being around family, and that I don't like any of the traditional Thanksgiving food. I'd also potentially get ridiculed for being vegan.

    EDIT: I'm also recovering from an eating disorder, and holiday meals are really triggering for people in recovery from eating disorders. It would be another temptation to send me down that road again and I would prefer to keep myself safe and sane.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
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    ahoy_m8 wrote: »
    fishshark wrote: »
    i dont log or care. 1 im cooking for like a billion people and want to enjoy myself with friends and family. I eat and drink to my hearts content and keep it moving the next day. i am not every going to cook for 10 people and build recipies and log everything. nope.

    i said in another post from thanksgiving to new years i endulge and go pretty crazy. I keep my activity as high as possible and it has never caused weight gain besides water weight. i love it all... the food.. the baked foods.. the drinking.. the parties.. the cheer and friends and family. I live for the holidays.

    i make a drink thats apple cidar, cinnamon sticks, a little brown sugar, and a bottle of whiskey. it sits on the stove warm and we just drink it all day/night. haha YES WINTERTIME!!

    What's your menu for the multitudes, if you don't mind my asking? Always looking for a little inspiration and something unexpected on the table. :)

    i keep it VERY traditional.
    turkey
    mac and cheese
    sweet potato casserole
    mashed potatoes
    stuffing
    green bean casserole
    cranberry sauce
    gravy
    pumpkin pie
    apple cobbler

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