are you counting calories on thanksgiving?

Tiff050709

I am not sure if I will log my food or not but I am not going to eat a ton. I am also going to make a healthy crustless pumpkin pie I found on pinterest. I will def be aiming to stay under my calorie allowance.

SF2514

Yes, because I don't eat all that much at thanksgiving. Maybe 2 rolls, a slice of turkey, a small scoop of potatoes and I'm done. I don't even enjoy pie that much lol. Eating is something I no longer enjoy and I've never been fond of turkey.

lovekohl

I plan on logging, but I won't stress too much about the numbers. I'm also running a 5k that day, which should help.

fannyfrost

I won't count calories, but i will stop eating when I am full instead of overstuffing myself

redheaddee

Nope. I will be too busy spending time with my family, whom I haven't seen in 5+ years. Just quick add 1 million calories and move on.

fat2strongbeth

I will be logging everything. I have a 90 min zumba class planned for the morning, so I shouldn't be too far over my calories for the day.

odddrums

Nope. Just going to focus on eating less of everything, eating less that morning, the day after and probably the day before. Or not :P

impemberstar

After reading everyones posts, im not sure I am going to log or not. I really want to get a day-logging streak going and not logging on Thanksgiving would mean i'd be starting all over from the beggining (only losing ~9 days, but you gotta start somewhere.) But im really not a fan of the idea of pulling out a food scale at the dinner table and asking "how much sugar did you put in this, Aunt Debbie?"

My concern from a social standpoint would be being that one person our of everyone in the family that refuses food when offered to you on Thanksgiving. I feel like some people may find that offensive. Like, its Grandma's special sweet potato pie that she only makes one day a year, she doesnt cook that much anymore because of her arthritis and how it hurts her to stand. So she went through all this trouble and i'm the one person that wont have any when she offers because "im on a diet." That, for me, would be embarrassing and rude.

Also, I am literally THE ONLY overweight person in my extended family and i've been teased for it a lot. I feel like admiting to them that i'm on a diet would somehow be me validating all the negativity they've thrown at me my whole life. I feel like i'd get a lot of "BOUT TIME YOU LOST WEIGHT" from my relatives.

tonybalony01

Of course I'm counting! But I plan on stopping around 5000 or so.

AllonsYtotheTardis

just quick add 10,000 cal and go enjoy your day with your loved ones.

LVCeltGirl

After reading everyones posts, im not sure I am going to log or not. I really want to get a day-logging streak going and not logging on Thanksgiving would mean i'd be starting all over from the beggining (only losing ~9 days, but you gotta start somewhere.) But im really not a fan of the idea of pulling out a food scale at the dinner table and asking "how much sugar did you put in this, Aunt Debbie?"

My concern from a social standpoint would be being that one person our of everyone in the family that refuses food when offered to you on Thanksgiving. I feel like some people may find that offensive. Like, its Grandma's special sweet potato pie that she only makes one day a year, she doesnt cook that much anymore because of her arthritis and how it hurts her to stand. So she went through all this trouble and i'm the one person that wont have any when she offers because "im on a diet." That, for me, would be embarrassing and rude.

Also, I am literally THE ONLY overweight person in my extended family and i've been teased for it a lot. I feel like admiting to them that i'm on a diet would somehow be me validating all the negativity they've thrown at me my whole life. I feel like i'd get a lot of "BOUT TIME YOU LOST WEIGHT" from my relatives.

Don't worry about accuracy, but definitely log it (so estimate no weighing). Ask for smaller portions of the "special once a year" things. That way you're staying on track for your goals but you're also realistic that you're going to have bad inaccurate days. And if anybody comments about the smaller portions, just ignore them or use something like "I want to try a bit of everything", or whatever excuse that saves face (doesn't validate to them their negative comments). You can do this!

I get where you're coming from on this. If nothing else, then log it just to see how much you go over. Also, is there a way to go for a walk or getting some "innocent" looking exercise in before the dinner (this next statement is being said with an innocent no ulterior motive like losing weight look "to make room for all the great food")? The other face saving thing to do is drink at least 8 oz of water right before the meal. It'll give you a somewhat full feeling so that you stand a better chance of not overloading during the meal. The rest of my "survival tips" is to slow down (it's super hard for me to do and I have to actively do things like put my fork down, as well as sit for a few moments before going for seconds or thirds), purposely go for small "tastes of everything" to go for seconds of what you really like, and of course, try to talk during the meal if possible (hard to be shoveling food in if you're using your mouth).

jofjltncb6

But im really not a fan of the idea of pulling out a food scale at the dinner table and asking "how much sugar did you put in this, Aunt Debbie?"

This is completely unnecessary (IMHO). Yes, for the other 350ish days, you should use a food scale...but since it isn't practical on this particular day, just find something in the database that seems reasonable. It might not be exactly right for Aunt Debbie's pumpkin pie, but there are probably a few reasonable pumpkin pie records to choose from.

And for those who have been consistently logging for a few months/years, you have a pretty good idea what is reasonable in the database. If a particular dish tasted particularly rich/sweet, you know it isn't reasonable to go with the least calorie choice in the database. (Also, watch out for database records that are mathematically impossible. That casserole did not have 10g fat, 15g carb, and 50g protein if it was only 200 calories. (Hey, MFP! Maybe pull the mathematically impossible entries??? Or at least add an indicator (like an asterisk) so we know there's almost certainly an issue with the record?))

DMZ_1

No

GadgetGuy2

Yes. And I expect to go over my budget.

FitGirlNani

I won't know the exact calories that goes in what was made because it's potluck style.. but if I can remember what I ate, then yes.

FitGirlNani

just quick add 10,000 cal and go enjoy your day with your loved ones.

Ah yes! Love this idea.

contingencyplan

For Thanksgiving every year my family goes to a buffet. I'm pretty sensible about the dinner portion (usually just a meat and a couple vegetables) but I raid the dessert cart like a viking invader. Not really possible to log since I have no clue what it even is I'm grabbing from it. "Oooh that looks good!" *Grabs some of whatever it is* Couldn't care less though. One day isn't enough to negatively affect anything And logging every bite is not something that's feasible for the rest of your life.

jofjltncb6

And logging every bite is not something that's feasible for the rest of your life.

Reza151

Oh goodness, no! That would take forever, especially because we're doing a potluck, and my aunts always bring a variety of desserts. I'm going to just go for a run that day, exercise the day before and after, and on thanksgiving day, limit myself to foods I normally don't eat, like stuffing and pumpkin pie.

LiftAllThePizzas

And logging every bite is not something that's feasible for the rest of your life.

Why? Is brushing your teeth not feasible for the rest of your life? Or wiping your butt?

The biggest difficulty is in getting someone to post "I told you so" on your behalf after you die.