How To Survive The Thanksgiving Banquet
Hanfordrose
Posts: 688 Member
One year ago...on Thanksgiving Day, I made an important decision; but I had to also make a real commitment to change first.
I had spent the whole month of November just thinking about the idea of how I was going to lose the 70 pounds my surgeon demanded to qualify for new knees. I really did not like the thought of trying to 'diet' again, after a lifetime of failures. I could always lose a few pounds (even as much as 99 pounds in one year), but those pounds always seemed to come back. Usually 'the holidays' (anywhere from Halloween through New Year’s Day) were the beginning of the weight gaining period...but not last year.
My hubbie Ed and I were already committed to going to Thanksgiving at his sister Vivian’s house. I knew what to expect. Vivian is a great cook and loves to show off her skills with a banquet fit for a king or queen-size lady. This was definitely NOT the 'best time' to begin a diet, but I had to start sometime. I had already wasted most of November, just making excuses for why I couldn't possibly lose 'all that weight, especially during the holidays',
Then, something snapped in me. I finally decided that I wanted my life back. I was sick and tired of sitting in a wheelchair, while other folks could move around with ease, could run or ride a bike...or just walk on the beach or through a park. The only way that I could get back on my feet had to begin with that huge weight loss, and it had to be ME making the choice to change how I ate and how I thought about food, especially during the holidays.
I did something courageous or just plain stupid. I shared my situation and my goals with Vivian. My sweet sister-in-law is not only a great cook, but she used to be a registered nurse, just like me. We both know what high calorie meals can do to your body. I was crippled by more than 280 pounds and borderline diabetic at the time.
I didn’t really have a plan…just some ideas about what might get me through the holidays without gaining more weight at Thanksgiving.
Some folks on MFP will plan ahead and exercise like crazy to compensate for what will be a 'feasting frenzy' at the Thanksgiving table. That doesn't make much sense to me...even if I could get up and run a few miles or stay in the gym all day on the day before or after Thanksgiving. No. I am still pretty much stuck in a wheelchair, though I will be having surgery on my knees in the coming year.
I will handle this Thanksgiving just like I did last year. I will THINK before I fill my plate. Here are some ideas that may help some of you with that holiday buffet. They helped me last year, and I am hoping they will help me this year too.
1. Tell someone (preferably the hostess, if you are going out for that meal) that you are on a restricted food plan. Let that person know that you need their support. There is nothing worse than someone demanding you taste everything. You may find some healthier choices on the banquet table with a friend on the cooking team.
2. Start with a smaller plate. That alone will makes commitment to less food easier. You don't need a turkey platter full of food in front of you.
3. Most importantly…look at your options on the table first. Turkey and even ham are both fairly low in calories, but the other ‘stuff’ or stuffing that goes with them may be a nightmare of butter, sugar or other no so light calorie items. Just think 4 ounces of meat (palm size, quarter pounder patty size), when taking your meat portion. Avoid eating the skin which contains more fat and often added salt.
4. GRAVY IS NOT REQUIRED. Side dishes (mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc) and even the meat don't need to be buried in gravy. Enjoy the flavor of the food without a bowl size portion of gravy.
5. There should be something GREEN on the table, besides the green bean casserole. Let salads and fresh veggies have a biggest part of your small plate.
6. Dessert is NOT mandatory. If you feel that you can afford those calories, go for it; but THINK before you start sucking the whip cream out of the can. It helps, if you wait for a while, before you go for dessert. Your stomach is probably already full, but your brain has to catch up.
7. If you can log on to MFP and calculate your calories after that hardy Thanksgiving meal, DO IT! Then, you will see just how many calories remain in your day, before you head back for dessert or leftovers that night. You might actually have enough for a piece of pumpkin pie or a cold turkey sandwich.
8. You don’t need to make a plate ‘TO GO’, just because there are leftovers. If you do take leftovers home with you, don’t feel obliged to eat them that night. They can wait until the next day.
As for me, I lost 18 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve in 2012 and another 70 pounds in 2013. I plan to celebrate Thanksgiving as the anniversary of this wonderful, weight loss year. I am so thankful for the choices that I made last year and this year.
How would you like to weigh 88 pounds less by Thanksgiving of 2014? It is possible, but you have to make a commitment to begin NOW…NOT AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.
Don’t make a New Year’s resolution. Make a 2013 Thanksgiving resolution to lose some weight. Plan ahead for a happier and healthier holiday season.
Have you got any other good ideas to deal with the Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holiday banquet ahead? I can always use some good advice.
I had spent the whole month of November just thinking about the idea of how I was going to lose the 70 pounds my surgeon demanded to qualify for new knees. I really did not like the thought of trying to 'diet' again, after a lifetime of failures. I could always lose a few pounds (even as much as 99 pounds in one year), but those pounds always seemed to come back. Usually 'the holidays' (anywhere from Halloween through New Year’s Day) were the beginning of the weight gaining period...but not last year.
My hubbie Ed and I were already committed to going to Thanksgiving at his sister Vivian’s house. I knew what to expect. Vivian is a great cook and loves to show off her skills with a banquet fit for a king or queen-size lady. This was definitely NOT the 'best time' to begin a diet, but I had to start sometime. I had already wasted most of November, just making excuses for why I couldn't possibly lose 'all that weight, especially during the holidays',
Then, something snapped in me. I finally decided that I wanted my life back. I was sick and tired of sitting in a wheelchair, while other folks could move around with ease, could run or ride a bike...or just walk on the beach or through a park. The only way that I could get back on my feet had to begin with that huge weight loss, and it had to be ME making the choice to change how I ate and how I thought about food, especially during the holidays.
I did something courageous or just plain stupid. I shared my situation and my goals with Vivian. My sweet sister-in-law is not only a great cook, but she used to be a registered nurse, just like me. We both know what high calorie meals can do to your body. I was crippled by more than 280 pounds and borderline diabetic at the time.
I didn’t really have a plan…just some ideas about what might get me through the holidays without gaining more weight at Thanksgiving.
Some folks on MFP will plan ahead and exercise like crazy to compensate for what will be a 'feasting frenzy' at the Thanksgiving table. That doesn't make much sense to me...even if I could get up and run a few miles or stay in the gym all day on the day before or after Thanksgiving. No. I am still pretty much stuck in a wheelchair, though I will be having surgery on my knees in the coming year.
I will handle this Thanksgiving just like I did last year. I will THINK before I fill my plate. Here are some ideas that may help some of you with that holiday buffet. They helped me last year, and I am hoping they will help me this year too.
1. Tell someone (preferably the hostess, if you are going out for that meal) that you are on a restricted food plan. Let that person know that you need their support. There is nothing worse than someone demanding you taste everything. You may find some healthier choices on the banquet table with a friend on the cooking team.
2. Start with a smaller plate. That alone will makes commitment to less food easier. You don't need a turkey platter full of food in front of you.
3. Most importantly…look at your options on the table first. Turkey and even ham are both fairly low in calories, but the other ‘stuff’ or stuffing that goes with them may be a nightmare of butter, sugar or other no so light calorie items. Just think 4 ounces of meat (palm size, quarter pounder patty size), when taking your meat portion. Avoid eating the skin which contains more fat and often added salt.
4. GRAVY IS NOT REQUIRED. Side dishes (mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc) and even the meat don't need to be buried in gravy. Enjoy the flavor of the food without a bowl size portion of gravy.
5. There should be something GREEN on the table, besides the green bean casserole. Let salads and fresh veggies have a biggest part of your small plate.
6. Dessert is NOT mandatory. If you feel that you can afford those calories, go for it; but THINK before you start sucking the whip cream out of the can. It helps, if you wait for a while, before you go for dessert. Your stomach is probably already full, but your brain has to catch up.
7. If you can log on to MFP and calculate your calories after that hardy Thanksgiving meal, DO IT! Then, you will see just how many calories remain in your day, before you head back for dessert or leftovers that night. You might actually have enough for a piece of pumpkin pie or a cold turkey sandwich.
8. You don’t need to make a plate ‘TO GO’, just because there are leftovers. If you do take leftovers home with you, don’t feel obliged to eat them that night. They can wait until the next day.
As for me, I lost 18 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve in 2012 and another 70 pounds in 2013. I plan to celebrate Thanksgiving as the anniversary of this wonderful, weight loss year. I am so thankful for the choices that I made last year and this year.
How would you like to weigh 88 pounds less by Thanksgiving of 2014? It is possible, but you have to make a commitment to begin NOW…NOT AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.
Don’t make a New Year’s resolution. Make a 2013 Thanksgiving resolution to lose some weight. Plan ahead for a happier and healthier holiday season.
Have you got any other good ideas to deal with the Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holiday banquet ahead? I can always use some good advice.
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Replies
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You only need one plan:
Eat everything in sight for one day. Because after all, it's just one day, and you're not going ot gain all the weight back just from Thanksgiving.0 -
You are spot on Sue!! I also suggest reminding yourself that the holiday is ONE DAY!! Not the entire week or month. If you decide to splurge a little bit on Thanksgiving day, don't turn that one day into a full-on binge.
I personally plan to stay pretty close to my calorie allotment on those days because, like you, I want to continue to lose during the holidays and not just maintain. I also plan to get some exercise even though I won't be near my gym. I will definitely be eating desert, but I will try to stay within my usual range. However, if I do go over a little bit, I won't beat myself up over it. I think it's really about balance in your life and living it to the fullest.
God Bless You and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!:flowerforyou:0 -
Well said, and well done! Congratulations!0
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Excellent and sound advice
....I usually end my holiday dinners layed up on a couch unable to move and barely breathe pants unbuttoned etc.....this will NOT be missed as for me it's terribly uncomfortable I'm having dinner with my mother this year and will be bringing my scale lol , along with some of MY homemade gravy ( low cal ) yes there is such a thing !! A quarter cup having only 22 calories .... I bake the pies always and will HAVE to have some of course, so my plan is to workout prior to dinner to allow myself that slice ! But control myself , I never realized until lately how tasty food is even without the extra butter, gravy, salt, cream , and sugar , it's all new but not impossible ...I will a lot myself a whole days worth of calories that day ...give or take most likely give , it is a day of feasting but as said in the beginning ...I don't want to roll from my chair this year ...I want to walk to the pond afterwards and feed the ducks my leftover bread ....no much advice for ya ...sorry but love the support and guidance you have handed out already I have beaten the Halloween candy , didn't buy any and only checked the kids ...had one Reese's days later because I could 
I have to remember I'm not on a DIET , I'm on a lifestyle journey to change ....I don't have to take away everything I loved and enjoyed just use moderation and enjoy my life as it comes , make good or decent choices along the way and never quit ! Hope you all have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving , Christmas and News Years .....and goals to reach in 2014 0 -
thank you for this! 0
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Good advice, my friend, and congratulations in advance on your upcoming "anniversary" and the tremendous accomplishment of the last 12 months. Never has there been a better reason for some of the "good kind" of pride. And oh! You must feel so different physically! I look so forward to the day when I'm carrying 87 less pounds, and am grateful to have you showing the way.
Emma0 -
Since I'm being asked to bring specific items to a family Thanksgiving, I decided to make these things in a healthy (less high fat and sodium, etc...) formula. Instead of my family's favorite cranberry apple pie, I'm going to bring cranberry apple crisp. I will also bring Roasted Harvest Vegetables - a combination of yams, red onion, acorn or hubbard squash, carrots, turnips, parsnips, celery root, and yellow gold potatoes. This will be baked at low temperature with a sprinkling of herbs and dabs of olive oil. This will substitute, at least for me, for the candied yams AND the mashed potatoes. No gravy needed, No butter needed - as the Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and herbs add the flavor needed. We always have lots of raw vegetables and a green salad, so I HAVE A PLAN!
I love the idea of a smaller plate and have been actively searching kitchen stores (Crate and Barrell, Sur La Table, Sonoma, etc) for a 9 1/2" dinner plate to buy a setting for 14! If you have a source, let me know.0 -
Excellent advice! While yes, it is only one day, for many people eating a ton on this one day snowballs into a 4 day food fest! And THAT can majorly derail even the most experienced MFP'er. I plan on taking your advice, thanks for sharing!0
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I commend your willpower and I agree with all of your suggestions and I plan on instituting the abundance of veggies..but I am gonna eat my face off, no lie..I am very good about moving forward like it was a bump in the road..my bump being turkey, stuffing, gravy and pie! 0
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I always snack on radishes and rice cakes before a big meal.0
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You only need one plan:
Eat everything in sight for one day. Because after all, it's just one day, and you're not going ot gain all the weight back just from Thanksgiving.
If I only had 3 more pounds to reach my weight loss goal, I could probably use your plan. If I was much younger and able to burn more calories...I could probably use your plan. Unfortunately, I am not young and active with just a few calories to lose. More importantly, I am quite capable of gaining 3 pounds in a day or 10 pounds in a week or 20 in a month from 'eating everything in sight'. I have done that in the past, during the winter holidays. I know how to eat everything in sight. That's how I damaged my body and became crippled under 280+ pounds of fat.
I still want to lose another 45 to 50 pounds, and I don't want to 'back up' my weight loss and start again after the holidays. I want the joy of celebrating the holidays with my family...not celebrating the holidays with the food. Some of us don't want the holidays to be all about eating.
I am 68 years old and in a wheelchair, because I let food become more important than anything else in my life. I am thankful that I am still alive, after all the damage that I have done to my body with excess eating. My binges from the past were more than most folk's daily calories. I really can't afford to take my eating lightly. My future depends on my commitment to healthier life style, starting with the food.
Like an alcoholic should not celebrate the holidays with liquor, I don't believe that I should justify overeating...just because it is Thanksgiving...or Christmas...or New Year's Day. That one day of 'pigging out' could easily send me back down the slippery slide to another failed weight loss effort. If I can justify that kind of eating once, I can do it again and again...especially during the holidays.
I'd rather celebrate the holidays by losing more weight and being able to walk again next year.0 -
Perspective is also an alternative. Feast with your family; celebrate. Don't eat just because it's there, but don't pretend the 3 big feasts a year really impact your health plan.0
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Great post! Thank you and Congrats on your weightloss 0
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We will be home for Thanksgiving, so we have planned a fairly healthy, but none the less yummy meal. We are having turkey, baked sweet potatoes, which I will probably eat a 1/2 of one, balsamic brussel sprouts, which my daughter makes, our 'green bean casserole', is actually fresh green beans, cooked with onion and some bacon. Even if I pig out on them, it will just be about 1 piece of bacon, in place of cream soup and fried onions.
We will also have Hawaiian rolls for my grandsons, as those are their favorites and macaroni and cheese for them, as they don't like potatoes. We are making cranberry sauce, and I will have a bit of that too. My daughter wants stuffing, so we may have that, but I can take a small, 1/4 cup serving and be happy!!
For dessert, I am thinking of making pumpkin pie, without the crust. Less calories, tastes just as good, or an apple tart that uses filo pastry. That will be my later meal though!!
I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday!!0 -
Perspective is also an alternative. Feast with your family; celebrate. Don't eat just because it's there, but don't pretend the 3 big feasts a year really impact your health plan.
I most definitely applaud you Sue...but this ^^^ is really important for a lot of people to realize. Thanksgiving and Christmas are just one day of many days. None of us got to this point because of a few select occasions. We got to this point because 90%+ of what we were doing was wrong 90%+ of the time.0 -
Thank you!0
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Perspective is also an alternative. Feast with your family; celebrate. Don't eat just because it's there, but don't pretend the 3 big feasts a year really impact your health plan.
I like the quote on your ticker..."Remember Why You Started."
Yep. I do remember. I was in so much pain, physically and emotionally. I felt like the task ahead was too great, but reaching that 70 pound weight loss mark meant that I could walk again. My life was lived as a prisoner to my excess weight, confined to a wheelchair by my own obsessive eating. It was only a matter of time, before I was going to be on insulin or even have my first heart attack or stroke, like other members of my family. I was definitely on borrowed time.0 -
Sue, your posts are always a motivation for me. Reading about how far you have come puts a smile on my face and makes me thankful for the things that are often taken for granted like the ability to walk and run. I love your insight on how to deal with Thanksgiving meals and will be using a few of your pointers. Thanks so much for the great post! I can’t wait to see what you will do with new knees.0
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I would like to preface this by saying that I have a lot of respect for you and what you've done towards your goals. I always enjoy your posts in the forum.
However, respectfully, I would say that if you can't enjoy give yourself 1 or 2 days a year as a break to enjoy yourself with your family, you aren't as far into fixing your relationship with food as you may think.0 -
You make such valid points. We just have to find our way to follow them. I know that that day is going to be tough for me as we are going to my son's house and joining his in-laws for the day. Healthy eating is not in their make up so I will be very picky about what I eat. I have to be. I ahve too much ahead of me.0
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I would like to preface this by saying that I have a lot of respect for you and what you've done towards your goals. I always enjoy your posts in the forum.
However, respectfully, I would say that if you can't enjoy give yourself 1 or 2 days a year as a break to enjoy yourself with your family, you aren't as far into fixing your relationship with food as you may think.
That is just the point, Sis. Last year, I found out that I CAN MAKE A CHOICE about how I eat during the holidays. In the past, I felt compelled to OVEREAT BECAUSE IT WAS A HOLIDAY. I have learned to make healthier choices even during the time of year, when eating massive amounts of food are encouraged.
I am not saying hide from the food or the family dinner. I am suggesting that you eat with some amount of THOUGHT. Don't just eat everything in sight, because you used to eat without thinking, until you couldn't eat anymore. I will have dinner with my family. I will eat turkey, potatoes, veggies and even a piece of pumpkin pie; but I won't just eat without limits...because I could or would in the past. I will simply make better choices for ME, because I want to feel good in my new body.
In the past, I was in constant pain and ate just for the sake of eating. I used the food to comfort me and dull the feelings of failure. I was an unhappy woman buried beneath a blanket of fat. Now, I can enjoy that family dinner without feeling the need to stuff in more food than needed by my much smaller body. I can enjoy the company of family and be proud of 'the new Sue' in her new body. Then, I can get up the next day without concern for how many pounds I will have to lose to undo 'the damage'.0 -
Great post, Sue, and allow yourself a little celebration of your anniversary and the great achievement you have made in this year... BUT it does not have to be a food celebration. Buy yourself a really nice new top, or piece of jewellery and wear it - and every time you feel tempted by some dish full of calories, feel it.... and remind yourself you want to wear that again and again and again!!
One other tip I will pass on - though until you have your new knees and are out of your wheelchair it is more difficult for you - is to take a plate of food and offer it to others... it is difficult to eat anything yourself if you are holding a dish in one hand and a glass (of water, or low cal drink) in the other!! And circulating round the room you can mix and talk with all your friends and have them admire your new shape!
Well done,
Faith0 -
Congratulations on your wonderful loss! Thanks for the reminders!0
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I commend your willpower and I agree with all of your suggestions and I plan on instituting the abundance of veggies..but I am gonna eat my face off, no lie..I am very good about moving forward like it was a bump in the road..my bump being turkey, stuffing, gravy and pie!
I'm with you-- it's only a day. You could spend a day eating nothing but blocks of butter with frosting on top and you won't do *that* much damage.0 -
Portion control will let you have a taste of this and that, but you have to be honest and record every bite and swallow. DH & I took our food scale last year and weighed or measured our portion. The kids thought we were obsessive but they loved us anyway. We didn't gain weight. In fact, over the holiday and next two weeks we even lost a few pounds.0
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According to the DFM 6-25.2: Gravy, Dessert, and large doses of hedonism are MANDATORY. Not conforming is STRICTLY UNAUTHORIZED. This regulation applies to ALL ACTIVE individuals. However for sedentary people it is authorized to moderate holiday food consumption.0
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Stick to your guns Hanfordrose. It's just Christmas, it's just new years, thanksgiving, valentine's day, memorial weekend, 4th of July, Labor Day weekend, my birthday, our anniversary, your birthday, , , , , or it's only on Fridays. etc., etc.... It all adds up. And it CAN start you back down that slippery slope to unlimited eating. When you reach your goals you can start experimenting with that "it's only on holidays" mindset. Here's to YOU!!!0
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...large doses of hedonism are MANDATORY. Not conforming is STRICTLY UNAUTHORIZED. This regulation applies to ALL ACTIVE individuals. However for sedentary people it is authorized to moderate holiday food consumption.
Oh my goodness! Now, I am really glad that I am a sedentary person. :laugh:0 -
Sue, it is so amazing that you chose last year's Thanksgiving of all the times to begin your weight loss efforts. Even more amazing that you succeeded! Your tips are all wonderful ones, especially for those who are going somewhere for dinner and don't have the control of making it all themselves. I am doing both this year; going somewhere for Thanksgiving, as well as hosting a dinner here. Thanksgiving day is my mother in law's 96th birthday, so we will celebrate it with her at her assisted living center. I plan to eat wisely, lightly, and eat only what tastes good to me, not simply because it is on my plate.
For the dinner I'm hosting, I plan to make most of the items healthy. They will be delicious, and there will be the indulgences of my homemade pies (pumpkin and apple are my specialties), but aside from the pies, the rest will be healthy and tasty food, not drowned in salt, butter, or sugar. (I also don't use a lot of sugar when making fruit pies.)0 -
I like this post.
I understand that a lot of people are saying one day doesn't matter and you should enjoy yourself. I'm all for enjoying myself.
BUT. Holidays aren't about solely food for me.
I applaud what you've said.
You know yourself well enough to know what you need to do to enjoy the holiday (with or without food).
And telling the people you plan on sharing the holiday with about your situation, whether it's allergies, diets, injuries etc, is both common sense and courteous. Knowing someone can't eat something for a reason as opposed to not knowing why they aren't eating it is always going to be far smoother sailing. And as you have said, it's also a support network.
No one should feel like they're being rude or made to feel guilty for restricting, and no one should feel guilty for not restricting and spending one day stuffing themselves.
It's personal preference. And you do what you feel will make you happier on the day.
So. Whatever you DO decide to put on your plate, I know you will savour it.
Have a fabulous Thanksgiving! (We don't celebrate that here, so I sort of have 'holiday' envy
) 0
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