For everyone freaking out about Thanksgiving...

runnninginmd

If you have been on this board at all the past few weeks you have likely seen many new topics posted about how to stay on your diet plan during Thanksgiving, how to not overeat, how to tell your relatives you can only have salad, etc... As someone who lost 80 pounds 8 years ago and has managed to keep it off (except for a few minor weight gains in the first couple years as I learned about proper weight maintenance), I wanted to give my completely non-expert, non-professional, non-scientifically founded advice.

Hopefully, you see whatever diet/exercise plan you are following as a lifestyle change and not a quick fix. Now, are you going to freak out about Thanksgiving every year for the rest of your life? I have eaten whatever I wanted at Thanksgiving since I got to my goal weight eight years ago. My family is from the south and absolutely every side items is a casserole, full of butter, cream, cheese, bread crumbs, etc. There is not one single healthy option, except maybe the celery that is under all the cream cheese. I have eaten that food, drank several glasses of wine, had pumpkin or pecan pie, and then had a leftover turkey sandwich for dinner every Thanksgiving. And you know what? It has not hindered my long term weight loss goals. Now, I wouldn't recommend stepping on the scale the next day. But I would recommend not feeling guilty, not trying to starve yourself for days to make up for it, and not trying to throw in hours of extra exercise in an attempt to burn the calories. Just wake up, get back to your normal routine immediately, and your weight will soon be back to normal. Most of the weight you put on will just be water weight anyways.

I have seen posts on here in the last week with people saying they are only going to eat salad and a piece of turkey, they are going to use an extremely small plate, one person even said she was going to ask the hostess to keep all the food wrappers so she could log in the calories exactly. Can you imagine if someone asked you to do that? Not only would I think they were incredibly rude, I would think they were a certifiable nut job.

This is ONE DAY that happens ONCE A YEAR! As gluttonous as it is, it is an American tradition. So please, stop stressing. This is supposed to be a fun time to spend bonding with your family over traditional foods. Don't ruin it with anxiety over some extra calories that are not going to matter a few days later. Maybe watch your portions and pick one dessert instead of all three, exercise in the morning, but enjoy yourself and don't worry about every calorie you take in!

6 days ago, I got back from an all inclusive island vacation. I ate like it was Thanksgiving every morning at the breakfast buffet and every afternoon at the lunch buffet. You would have thought every five course dinner was my last meal. I pretty much drank like I was on college spring break. I did run 5 to 6 miles every morning, but with the amount of food I was eating it didn't matter. When I got back home, I made the mistake of weighing myself. I had gained 10 pounds! I freaked for a second, but promised myself the next day I would just get back into my normal routine of daily exercise and healthy eating. I weighed myself this morning and I am back to my pre-weight trip, in less than a week. That is from 5 days of binging, so I don't think anyone is going to gain 5 permanent pounds from enjoying one Thanksgiving dinner.

I know everyone's body/metabolism/whatever is different, but be realistic here. If you really want to make this a lifestyle change, it has to be doable and you have to allow yourself to relax sometimes and just enjoy life.

AggieFan2011

Thank you for posting this because it is so incredibly true! I plan on relaxing and enjoying Thanksgiving with my family. I'll get back on the calorie counting and exercising the next day, but on that day I'll take an extra helping of that cheesy potato casserole and a piece of pecan pie please. Yum!

Mokey41

You don't need to go to one extreme or the other. Just use portion control. Eat what you like in moderation for that day. No need to dig in the garbage, have a special plate or make yourself look like a martyr with all your special "diet" needs. Also no reason to need racks on your plate or stuff yourself until you feel like exploding. Just use some common sense which seems to be in short supply a lot of the time

caitlyn30

I'm going to eat whatever I want. sometimes it might even help to go over your calories every once in a while and then get back on track the next day!

AlabasterVerve

Amen. Thanks for sharing.

sunshinesquared

Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing....

and....Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!!

petenbeeg

How true.......its not about the counting and weighing and the stressing.....it is a lifestyle change...once you accept that, you can "go off the wagon" everyonce in a while....enjoy life, but get back to it tomorrow! Those extra calories are not going to put back on all you've lost so "Happy Thanksgiving"! all

bcattoes

Eh, I've been freaking about Thanksgiving before and feeling guilty after for 30+ years. I feel it is part of the reason I've never been obese. I don't see any reason to stop now. Guilt works for me sometimes. :ohwell:

**Never, ever, considered saying I can only have a salad, though. I've never understood the dieting = salads mentality.

californiagirl2012

I'm going to enjoy myself and as far as diet to something similar to this, which is what I do for all social eating occasions so that I can enjoy them when I decide to go to something. Thanksgiving and Christmas are too important to miss. We are meant to have feast days (just not every day!). The only thing I will do different compared to this article is I will workout hard because I WANT to --> http://johnbarban.com/whats-your-diet-and-exercise-plan-for-the-next-7-weeks/

FitForLife81

Love this post........it's a life style change not a diet!!! Enjoy Thanksgiving EVERYONE

mgnmsn

exactly. even if you took in an extra 1750 calories over maintenance. that is half a pound. nothing to fret about. dont stuff yourself just for the sake of stuffing yourself, but enjoy your family and your life!

tigerblue

I've done this for 3 years now.

My plan is moderation! Eat a smaller breakfast, try to walk after lunch (nothing heavy duty!), and usually I'm not hungry for much dinner after such a large lunch. Maybe save dessert and have it for dinner instead!

That has worked in the past, and I don't feel deprived. I also don't feel out-of-control. I just feel like I celebrated a bit!

Bottom line, it is just one day, as stated above, and no one should skip a holiday celebrataion!!! Relax.

annehdavis

My plan is to blow this diet completely for 1 day. Hope everyone has a great thanksgiving :drinker:

TrailRunner61

I think that the issue isn't just one day of Thanksgiving. Depending on your family size, some of us have more than one dinner to attend. Then you add in all of the other holiday parties with work, school, friends, charities, etc., and yes, you can gain weight over Nov and Dec. Also, a lot of people tend to just keep on eating once they 'blow it on Thanksgiving day'. I guess they justify it by saying, well I screwed up so I might as well keep at it and say that they will wait until the new year.

I plan on eating before I go to some of the events, taking something healthy with me and making sure I drink and get plenty of exercise over the holiday MONTHS.

I know I'm going to eat what I want at some of the events, but I also walk/run about 15-20 miles a week. Food no longer scares me.

_AllieCat_

YOU ARE A GOD.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

BrieLP

yay! :-)

darisey

I agree! I don't plan on trying to stay under my calories but I do plan on logging everything (I am cooking so it won't be hard) just out of curiosity.
I plan on putting all the food under "recipes" as I'm cooking. That way, after dinner, I can just put 1 serving of this, 2 servings of that, etc and not worry about looking up individual foods.

NZhellkat

Thanks for the awesome post. I completely agree. I'm looking forward to my first southern Thanksgiving. I want to try everything. Well almost everything, I'm not fond of celery. I'm going to have fun with my new extended family and the very next day it will be business as usual.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

JustJennie1

I think that the issue isn't just one day of Thanksgiving. Depending on your family size, some of us have more than one dinner to attend. Then you add in all of the other holiday parties with work, school, friends, charities, etc., and yes, you can gain weight over Nov and Dec. Also, a lot of people tend to just keep on eating once they 'blow it on Thanksgiving day'. I guess they justify it by saying, well I screwed up so I might as well keep at it and say that they will wait until the new year.

I plan on eating before I go to some of the events, taking something healthy with me and making sure I drink and get plenty of exercise over the holiday MONTHS.

I know I'm going to eat what I want at some of the events, but I also walk/run about 15-20 miles a week. Food no longer scares me.

This is true but you don't *have* to eat all the food and stuff that are at the events. If you have other family dinners to attend on Thanksgiving make it clear that there is ONE place you will be eating the actual dinner and the other places you'll have dessert or coffee. You can't possibly be expected to eat multiple dinners in one day.

ninakir88

Sometimes, on some days, calorie counting just isn't worth it to me.

tyrantduck

YES. I plan on completely blowing my diet on Thursday, but I'm going to work out extra hard this week to make up for it all. I usually do about an hour of cardio 4x a week. I'll be doing 30 extra minutes per day every day, even on Thursday since we're having a meal just for my husband, my daughter, and myself, so I'll be at home. It'll feel fantastic. I never stress over important holiday meals!