Thanksgiving survival guide!

kkay3182
kkay3182 Posts: 90 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This is my first thanksgiving watching my food intake and actually care about it. To help me stay on tract I have decided not to cook, I usually cook and have the left overs well into the weekend to over-indulge in!! But I have 3 dinner invites.. Any tips on how to not totally blow my hard work and effort!! I was thinking of not going to dinner at all!!
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Replies

  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    More turkey but be sensible with the fixings. Oh and drink LOTS of water.
    I try to drink 16oz every hour.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    i will say this...you did not get obese by overeating one day a year....you get obese by overeating every other day of the year and making poor choices...

    so for me, I will eat whatever I want on Thanksgiving but then the day after I will go right back to logging and hitting my macros...

    I think we get into trouble when we start blaming one day for a years worth of bad decisions....just my two cents...

    so I say eat and be merry on Thanksgiving and then go back to logging and deficit the day after....
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    More turkey but be sensible with the fixings. Oh and drink LOTS of water.
    I try to drink 16oz every hour.

    16 an hour??? that would be 384 ounces a day or 24 pounds of water...

    typo??
  • wertgirlfor
    wertgirlfor Posts: 161 Member
    fill up your plate with lots of veggies, drink water, not soda/alcohol, and spend more time visiting/talking instead of eating. I personally plan on going over that day, because I figure one day is not going to make me gain significantly.
  • matchbox_girl
    matchbox_girl Posts: 535 Member
    I'm going to eat on Thanksgiving, just like it would be a cheat day. Then get right back on track afterwards.

    You didn't gain/lose weight in one day, you won't this time either. Track it, sure, but don't be hard on yourself. Days like Thanksgiving are inevitable, but mean to be enjoyed.....so enjoy it.
  • kolibrina
    kolibrina Posts: 2
    Here are some ideas of mine to survive thanksgiving without destroying all your hard work:
    1. Only eat what you really looking forward to eat at thanksgiving. Have that in controlled amounts.
    2. Have a small snack before you go to your invite. You won't overindulge mindlessly because you are so insanely hungry.
    3. There probably will be leftovers. Don't take any of them home.
    4. Don't drink alcohol if possible. Your body will focus on getting it out of your system first. So you won't burn any of the calories you ate while it's doing that.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    i will say this...you did not get obese by overeating one day a year....you get obese by overeating every other day of the year and making poor choices...

    so for me, I will eat whatever I want on Thanksgiving but then the day after I will go right back to logging and hitting my macros...

    I think we get into trouble when we start blaming one day for a years worth of bad decisions....just my two cents..
    so I say eat and be merry on Thanksgiving and then go back to logging and deficit the day after....
    QFT. Btw, while hydration is important, water has no magical fat loss properties.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Here are some ideas of mine to survive thanksgiving without destroying all your hard work:
    1. Only eat what you really looking forward to eat at thanksgiving. Have that in controlled amounts.
    2. Have a small snack before you go to your invite. You won't overindulge mindlessly because you are so insanely hungry.
    3. There probably will be leftovers. Don't take any of them home.
    4. Don't drink alcohol if possible. Your body will focus on getting it out of your system first. So you won't burn any of the calories you ate while it's doing that.
    Too many rules.
  • AHASRADA
    AHASRADA Posts: 88 Member
    I actually love Thanksgiving, because there are so many healthy options built into the traditional meal, it is easier to stay on track. Lean protein (turkey meat), sweet potatoes, turnips, squash, salad. I will skip the rolls, stuffing and pies.

    I plan to move my "treat day' (usually Sunday) to Thursday that week, and I may even go over my usual treat day calories by 100-200, but that won't break the bank. I'll be right back to it the next day.

    My advice would be to eat all the foods you love, but put a reasonable portion of each on your plate, and don't return for seconds. If you are truly hungry after you finish your plate, add more turkey and veggies. Enjoy the holiday, without regrets. Don't deprive yourself, but don't binge either.
  • Sashoi
    Sashoi Posts: 295 Member
    Eat and be happy it's thanksgiving. It's just one day so why deprive yourself
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    i will say this...you did not get obese by overeating one day a year....you get obese by overeating every other day of the year and making poor choices...

    so for me, I will eat whatever I want on Thanksgiving but then the day after I will go right back to logging and hitting my macros...

    I think we get into trouble when we start blaming one day for a years worth of bad decisions....just my two cents...

    so I say eat and be merry on Thanksgiving and then go back to logging and deficit the day after....

    Makes sense to me.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Here are some ideas of mine to survive thanksgiving without destroying all your hard work:
    1. Only eat what you really looking forward to eat at thanksgiving. Have that in controlled amounts.
    2. Have a small snack before you go to your invite. You won't overindulge mindlessly because you are so insanely hungry.
    3. There probably will be leftovers. Don't take any of them home.
    4. Don't drink alcohol if possible. Your body will focus on getting it out of your system first. So you won't burn any of the calories you ate while it's doing that.
    Too many rules.

    agree...who wants to have a list of crap to follow on thanksgiving...????
  • bellesouth18
    bellesouth18 Posts: 1,071 Member
    Just remember what you've learned so far about retraining your eating habits. Just because it's a holiday doesn't mean that it's permission to go crazy. Just eat your new normal portions and limit desserts. A splurge is a good thing every now and then. If you want to do so, eat a tiny bit of something before you go so you aren't ravenous when it comes dinner time. You can do this!

    Thanksgiving will be back next year, so don't eat like it's the last one ever. :drinker:
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    It's one day. Maybe two. Eat what you want. You will find, as I did last year, that you can not eat like you "used to eat". As others have said, we did not get fat eating a lot on Thanksgiving. Enjoy the day and forget all those obsessive rules.
  • gertudejekyl
    gertudejekyl Posts: 386 Member
    Eat whatever you want on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. BUT DOn'T Eat Extra on Any of the Surrounding DAys !!! 2 days of Extra eating will not ruin anything. Plan to fit a WALK into each of those days. Last Christmas most of the guests walked with me after dinner --And it was raining. We got soaked. It was beautiful and memorable.

    AND do the world a favor - do not mention one word about calories, fat, or diets on those feast days. That just makes it less pleasurable for others. Nobody wants to be reminded about calories when they are trying to enjoy food !!!
  • kkay3182
    kkay3182 Posts: 90 Member
    i will say this...you did not get obese by overeating one day a year....you get obese by overeating every other day of the year and making poor choices...

    so for me, I will eat whatever I want on Thanksgiving but then the day after I will go right back to logging and hitting my macros...

    I think we get into trouble when we start blaming one day for a years worth of bad decisions....just my two cents...

    so I say eat and be merry on Thanksgiving and then go back to logging and deficit the day after....
  • kkay3182
    kkay3182 Posts: 90 Member
    You are right I am not obese because of one day, I have always been obese I was a very sick baby/child my parents compensated by feeding me lots of what I loved back then KFC..EVERYDAY sometimes twice a day. The illness retreated in my teen years but the bad eating never stopped. I eat healthy foods prepared healthy but too much of it, So here I am. I will enjoy thanksgiving but I will get back on track the day after instead of continuing to be an endless train wreck of daily overeating. I am finding 1200 calories manageable most days!!
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    My survival guide:

    Don't eat too much on the days surrounding, get in some solid workouts, enjoy Thanksgiving since it's only one day a year and have no regrets!
  • kkay3182
    kkay3182 Posts: 90 Member
    Thanks for all the tips I will try my best to bear them all in mind, But I will heed the ones of getting right back on track the day after and I definitely wont take left overs home.
  • April_Brockes
    April_Brockes Posts: 29 Member
    4. Don't drink alcohol if possible. Your body will focus on getting it out of your system first. So you won't burn any of the calories you ate while it's doing that.

    :laugh: Because this is a joke, right?
  • SunnyDee712
    SunnyDee712 Posts: 28 Member
    Good advice here! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!
  • KateK8LoseW8
    KateK8LoseW8 Posts: 824 Member
    Focus on the lean meats and veggies, limit your stuffing/dressing and desserts. It's Thanksgiving, don't stress out too much about it. As long as you don't take leftovers home and keep feasting for a week, any weight you gain will come right back off. No big deal.
  • laursoar
    laursoar Posts: 131 Member
    Lots of great advice in here.

    I would never recommend not going to the dinners at all. If you want your new eating habits to stick, you need to be able to adjust them to all settings and circumstances. I know that going into settings where you aren't preparing the food can be intimidating. I think that's true for a lot of us (certainly for me!) Ultimately though, that's where your new skills for portions, tracking, and knowing which better options to choose will be most important. It's just not sustainable in the long run to skip out on events because there might be a lot of food. You'll run into the same issue again with other holidays, cookouts, potlucks, friends' birthday meals at restaurants, etc. Enjoy yourself, just with a little more moderation and awareness.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Lots of great advice in here.

    I would never recommend not going to the dinners at all. If you want your new eating habits to stick, you need to be able to adjust them to all settings and circumstances. I know that going into settings where you aren't preparing the food can be intimidating. I think that's true for a lot of us (certainly for me!) Ultimately though, that's where your new skills for portions, tracking, and knowing which better options to choose will be most important. It's just not sustainable in the long run to skip out on events because there might be a lot of food. You'll run into the same issue again with other holidays, cookouts, potlucks, friends' birthday meals at restaurants, etc. Enjoy yourself, just with a little more moderation and awareness.
    Wisdom here. It's not what you eat on the 10 or 15 days of the year that you are celebrating something. It's what you do on the other 350 or so that really makes the difference. Enjoy the holiday, food and all.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
    It's actually very simple, stop eating when you get full. Eat slowly so that your mind can catch up with what your putting in your stomach. Make better choices as to what to put on your plate, smaller portions. Problem solved. So even if you go over your not going to be sick from overeating
  • nikkylyn
    nikkylyn Posts: 325 Member
    Skip.thanskgiving thats ludacris. Dont type Those evil words again
  • michellelandis33
    michellelandis33 Posts: 26
    Thanksgiving is coming!!! Be thankful for your friends and family...enjoy them and your day and the food. Just eat smaller portions and get back to normal the next day...keep in mind it's not dieting its changing how you look at food and using it for energy and your health. And Thanksgiving is a gathering day of family around good food...not a "who can fill their stomach the most day...lol":smile:
  • loriq41
    loriq41 Posts: 479 Member
    More turkey but be sensible with the fixings. Oh and drink LOTS of water.
    I try to drink 16oz every hour.

    16 an hour??? that would be 384 ounces a day or 24 pounds of water...

    typo??
    I hope so because honestly, you can die from drinking too much water!
  • ekz13
    ekz13 Posts: 725 Member
    1 rule. - enjoy the day being thankful for what you have ... (tomorrow is another day to worry about it)
  • SkiMummy
    SkiMummy Posts: 33 Member
    Going to someone else's house to eat makes a lot of sense.
    Even if you do over indulge, once you leave, you leave behind a house full of temptations, and can return to your regular eating at home.

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