Thanksgiving Tips

aviduser

OK, MFPs. Thanksgiving is tomorrow and for most of you that means gorging yourselves on turkey and all the trimmings. (For me, it means gorging on my turkey substitute and all the trimmings :-).)

I thought I would provide a few tips for anyone who is wondering how they will get through the feast without completely blowing their progress. Feel free to reply with any tips you might think of that I haven't covered.

-- Get in some exercise tomorrow morning. For me, 30 miles or so on the bike for a 1500+ calorie burn

-- eat a smaller breakfast and a light, light lunch

-- fill your plate with a reasonable amount of food and avoid seconds

-- Same goes for pie--one helping only

-- watch the liquid calories! This includes apple cider (while delicious, 8 oz = 140 cal) and wine

-- if you go over, don't panic. Just do not go over on Friday, Saturday and Sunday too

-- hit the gym, trail, road, etc on Friday for a good cardio workout and give yourself a calorie deficit for the end of the day to compensate for any over-indulgence on Thursday

Most of all, enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!

PS: I am thankful for MFP because it has helped me to lose 40+ lbs and become very fit!

mleoni092708

Thanks! I agree. I want to enjoy the holiday but not totally blow it.

bstamps12

Good ones! Here are some more I've seen on other threads or used myself in past years:

-Let yourself indulge in things you can't get the rest of the year (pumpkin pie, stuffing), but say NO to foods you can easily get the rest of the year (those 100 calorie a piece rolls and 100 calorie cookies add up!)

-Be proud of your weightloss. If a relative compliments how good you look then tries to get you to eat their 500 calorie casserole that you really don't want later, turn that compliment around: "I really have had to watch it to get to where I feel healthy and energetic again, but it looks delicious, thanks anyways."

-Get the small plate for desserts to help limit you to how much you can get instead of the large dinner plate which would probably double your calorie intake.

neanderthin

Wow, all this anti-warfare for 1 day..........I guess I hope you don't blow the day. j/k

melsinct

Two words: portion control. No one needs multiple pieces of pie and 3 lbs of mashed potatoes on their plate. I plan on sampling most dishes on the table, just in moderate amounts. I'll probably go over calories, but really? One day really doesn't make much of a difference as long as you don't treat it as a license to binge.

vjrose

I agree, all things in moderation and don't stress about it. Stressing about it will likely mean you eat more. However, if you are the cook (as I am) be super careful with the tasting, you can add tons of calories while cooking. If it's not raining here I'm dragging the whole bunch out for a nice log walk after dinner.

Mrsfreedom41

Portion control is the answer. My tummy has shrunk anyways so I can't eat that much anymore. Enjoy yourself and don't worry about one day - just get back on the wagon the next day. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Topsking2010

bump

pam080175

Can someone help me? My biggest problem is my mid section and I was born with BUTT and HIPS... I would like to tone these areas up and shed some weight. What can I do to see a drop in these areas? My current workout consist of walking 40 - 60 minutes, side and back leg lifts 3 sets of 12, squats 3 sets of 15, step aerobics 5 - 10 minutes, and abdominal crunches 3 sets of 20. But I still haven't seen the kind of results I seek. I have changed my eating habits - no soda (water only) and no fried foods. Since joining MFP, I remain under 1200 calories per week and if I go over on the weekend, I increase my exercise.

So what else can I do to see the results I seek, short of starving myself...:explode: Maybe I am pushing myself to hard. I am 36 and desire to be healthier and slimmer...Any advice would be helpful, so that I don't give up!

Thanks
Pam