THANKSGIVING DINNER

raindancer

I have been doing this long enough that I can shave a lot of calories from my recipes so that no one notices. Example if a pie calls for a cup of sugar no one notices 3/4 of a cup. The product the same. I use egg beaters for all the eggs.
I have never taken the time recalculate the calorie count . I just know it is lower.
After the meal is cooked I just enjoy the day.


But I still struggle with portions.:blushing:

HelloSweetie4

I would love to try out healthier versions of my favorite Thanksgiving foods, but unfortunately i have to work that day so I don't be doing the cooking.

onyxgirl17

I will be partaking in plenty of spinach dip yummmmmmm other than that turkey and mashed potatoes mmmmmmm

mercymarque

I am going to prepare what I usually prepare. I will have lots more veggies on my plate, spoonful of mac and cheese, spoonful of dressing, spoonful of candidad yams and two bites of sweet potatoe pie.... I will have a taste of everything but hit the gym before work that day and after... have to check the gym's schedule. I'm at a 24 hour gym but sure they close early or something on that day.

risenonlytofall

I hate most of the savory traditional holiday foods so I haven't ever had much of a problem avoiding them. I tend to stick to the turkey with a salad and maybe some sweet potato for dinner, which isn't much different from a normal day for me.

The thing that kills me is dessert. I have such a sweet tooth I could probably eat an entire pumpkin pie by myself. That said I'll probably just budget my calories, and try not to worry about the fact that I'll most likely be getting half of them from sugary carbs.

carrietehbear

I'm going with the filling the plate with mostly veggies and little bits of the not so good stuff approach. I'm running a 10k that morning so I'll have some exercise calories to eat but I don't want to go overboard. I am also in charge of cooking that day so I'm making sure there are things I'd eat normally eat.

Ashsmith07

I've been scoping out some healthier recipe alternatives to the traditional thanksgiving day recipes on cookinglight.com. I figure this way it's a good compromise between the thanksgiving favorites I love, and keeping my meal light. That being said, I'm still preparing myself for an intense workout the day before and after thanksgiving...

SoDamnHungry

I'll be eating all of the stuffing I can reach. Everything else takes a back seat to my mom's amazing stuffing. Heavenly.

ktsmom430

I have been good about my eating habits since 3/12/12. I am going to eat sensibly for my portion sizes on Thanksgiving, but I will go over my calorie limit most likely. I will make the usual Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. Vegetable sides that are more healthy. My daughter and I are going to make mini pies (in mini muffin pan), so I will even indulge in dessert. I have not had even a glass of wine since last Thanksgiving, and I plan to have a glass of a good Riesling with my meal.
I am doing a 5K Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning (walking), my first ever organized event like this.
I am so ready for this day! Looking forward to it!

AntWrig

People put more stress into this than anything. This is a time for fellowship with friends and family. Not worrying about macros or your myftinesspal account. You all need to look at the long term here. 2 days, a week, etc WILL NOT hurt you in the long run. Sure you may gain some bloat but so what.

tuckerrj

I am running a 5K that morning. If that isn't enough to allow me to enjoy whatever then so be it. It will be like casting a pebble into the river of my heathy eating and will not change the course.

I'm doing this, too! Get a little calorie burn and hope I don't feel "entitled" to go berserk because of it.

Ashsmith07

Exactly my plan! My mom usually does all of the thanksgiving cooking, but I've asked to take over a few things so that I can make a healthier version. There's no way to make her mashed potatoes healthy though, so just this once I'm going to indulge!

slrrese

I am making thanksgiving this year and it will be a traditional thanksgiving "dinner". We will most likely eat by 2:00 so we have the rest of the day to burn it off. I don't like to over eat at all anymore so I will eat small portions of everything, most likely have a glass of wine and skip dessert ( only because I am not a big dessert person, particularly after a large meal).

AntWrig

I am running a 5K that morning. If that isn't enough to allow me to enjoy whatever then so be it. It will be like casting a pebble into the river of my heathy eating and will not change the course.

While this will create a calorie deficit, it will also increase your appetite.

This by far the GOLD STANDARD for tips on how to deal with special events and the holidays.

http://www.leangains.com/2010/11/cheat-day-strategies-for-hedonist.html

AggieFan2011

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday when it comes to food. I rarely do cheat days and am almost always under my calorie limit, but that day I plan on just letting myself eat and not worrying about it. I want to be able to enjoy the day stress free and not worry about what I'm eating and how many calories it has. I think if you go into it with the mindset that you are allowing yourself to relax and enjoy a good helping of food and dessert then you won't feel guilty about it. I also, know that I plan on working my butt off in the gym the week before and after to make up for it. It's worth it to be able to have an extra helping of my My mom's cheesy potato casserole and a slice (or two) of my Grandpa's pecan pie.

agoofynut

I will be tracking everything and will stay as close to my calorie goal as possible, but I'm not going to overly stress it. I will have two Thanksgiving dinners since we eat with my family and the in-laws, so I'll just make the best decisions that I can.

KrazyAsianNic

I wasn't planning on giving myself a free pass, but I wasn't planning on being 100% best. I figure as long as I record I'm happy. That does look good though!

hulkklogan

In my personal experience, it's darn hard to resist holiday food. I understand this time of year is chocked full of bad meals, but it's my policy to eat whatever I want on holidays or special occasions. The key thing is to NOT OVEREAT. I figure that this is a lifestyle for me, so I may as well enjoy my time with my family and eat what is available and make up for it later. My first rodeo with Tgiving/Xmas I decided not to cheat and it was rough.. but this time I'm giving in but not going overboard.

kimberliiw

It's just our family and DD's BF who are sleeping all day because they're working black Friday which starts at midnight Thursday. So since it will be a later dinner I'll eat light during the day. Then let the feast begin.

JJeMitchell

I will be having mostly white meat turkey, plain green beans and salad, but I will be having small servings of mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, and a dinner roll. I will also be having a piece of my pumpkin butter cake bars! It's a holiday! In order to be successful and adapt to a "new way of living" you have to allow yourself to enjoy your once a year Thanksgiving dinner. If you resist your family traditions and favorite foods on Thanksgiving day, I guarantee a binge later! You will be thinking about what you wanted so much that you'll end up eating more of something unhealthy to make up for it. At least that's how I am.