How To Survive The Thanksgiving Banquet

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  • Hanfordrose
    Hanfordrose Posts: 688 Member
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    I would like to preface this by saying that I have a lot of respect for you and what you've done towards your goals. I always enjoy your posts in the forum.

    However, respectfully, I would say that if you can't enjoy give yourself 1 or 2 days a year as a break to enjoy yourself with your family, you aren't as far into fixing your relationship with food as you may think.

    That is just the point, Sis. Last year, I found out that I CAN MAKE A CHOICE about how I eat during the holidays. In the past, I felt compelled to OVEREAT BECAUSE IT WAS A HOLIDAY. I have learned to make healthier choices even during the time of year, when eating massive amounts of food are encouraged.

    I am not saying hide from the food or the family dinner. I am suggesting that you eat with some amount of THOUGHT. Don't just eat everything in sight, because you used to eat without thinking, until you couldn't eat anymore. I will have dinner with my family. I will eat turkey, potatoes, veggies and even a piece of pumpkin pie; but I won't just eat without limits...because I could or would in the past. I will simply make better choices for ME, because I want to feel good in my new body.

    In the past, I was in constant pain and ate just for the sake of eating. I used the food to comfort me and dull the feelings of failure. I was an unhappy woman buried beneath a blanket of fat. Now, I can enjoy that family dinner without feeling the need to stuff in more food than needed by my much smaller body. I can enjoy the company of family and be proud of 'the new Sue' in her new body. Then, I can get up the next day without concern for how many pounds I will have to lose to undo 'the damage'.
  • Florawanda
    Florawanda Posts: 283 Member
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    Great post, Sue, and allow yourself a little celebration of your anniversary and the great achievement you have made in this year... BUT it does not have to be a food celebration. Buy yourself a really nice new top, or piece of jewellery and wear it - and every time you feel tempted by some dish full of calories, feel it.... and remind yourself you want to wear that again and again and again!!
    One other tip I will pass on - though until you have your new knees and are out of your wheelchair it is more difficult for you - is to take a plate of food and offer it to others... it is difficult to eat anything yourself if you are holding a dish in one hand and a glass (of water, or low cal drink) in the other!! And circulating round the room you can mix and talk with all your friends and have them admire your new shape!
    Well done,
    Faith
  • mkcmurphy
    mkcmurphy Posts: 437 Member
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    Congratulations on your wonderful loss! Thanks for the reminders!
  • Mr_Excitement
    Mr_Excitement Posts: 833 Member
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    I commend your willpower and I agree with all of your suggestions and I plan on instituting the abundance of veggies..but I am gonna eat my face off, no lie..I am very good about moving forward like it was a bump in the road..my bump being turkey, stuffing, gravy and pie! :)

    I'm with you-- it's only a day. You could spend a day eating nothing but blocks of butter with frosting on top and you won't do *that* much damage.
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
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    Portion control will let you have a taste of this and that, but you have to be honest and record every bite and swallow. DH & I took our food scale last year and weighed or measured our portion. The kids thought we were obsessive but they loved us anyway. We didn't gain weight. In fact, over the holiday and next two weeks we even lost a few pounds.
  • rileyhunter169
    rileyhunter169 Posts: 150
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    According to the DFM 6-25.2: Gravy, Dessert, and large doses of hedonism are MANDATORY. Not conforming is STRICTLY UNAUTHORIZED. This regulation applies to ALL ACTIVE individuals. However for sedentary people it is authorized to moderate holiday food consumption.
  • tuckerrj
    tuckerrj Posts: 1,453 Member
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    Stick to your guns Hanfordrose. It's just Christmas, it's just new years, thanksgiving, valentine's day, memorial weekend, 4th of July, Labor Day weekend, my birthday, our anniversary, your birthday, , , , , or it's only on Fridays. etc., etc.... It all adds up. And it CAN start you back down that slippery slope to unlimited eating. When you reach your goals you can start experimenting with that "it's only on holidays" mindset. Here's to YOU!!!
  • Hanfordrose
    Hanfordrose Posts: 688 Member
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    ...large doses of hedonism are MANDATORY. Not conforming is STRICTLY UNAUTHORIZED. This regulation applies to ALL ACTIVE individuals. However for sedentary people it is authorized to moderate holiday food consumption.

    Oh my goodness! Now, I am really glad that I am a sedentary person. :laugh:
  • TinaBaily
    TinaBaily Posts: 792 Member
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    Sue, it is so amazing that you chose last year's Thanksgiving of all the times to begin your weight loss efforts. Even more amazing that you succeeded! Your tips are all wonderful ones, especially for those who are going somewhere for dinner and don't have the control of making it all themselves. I am doing both this year; going somewhere for Thanksgiving, as well as hosting a dinner here. Thanksgiving day is my mother in law's 96th birthday, so we will celebrate it with her at her assisted living center. I plan to eat wisely, lightly, and eat only what tastes good to me, not simply because it is on my plate.

    For the dinner I'm hosting, I plan to make most of the items healthy. They will be delicious, and there will be the indulgences of my homemade pies (pumpkin and apple are my specialties), but aside from the pies, the rest will be healthy and tasty food, not drowned in salt, butter, or sugar. (I also don't use a lot of sugar when making fruit pies.)
  • ShadeyC
    ShadeyC Posts: 315 Member
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    I like this post.
    I understand that a lot of people are saying one day doesn't matter and you should enjoy yourself. I'm all for enjoying myself.
    BUT. Holidays aren't about solely food for me.
    I applaud what you've said.
    You know yourself well enough to know what you need to do to enjoy the holiday (with or without food).
    And telling the people you plan on sharing the holiday with about your situation, whether it's allergies, diets, injuries etc, is both common sense and courteous. Knowing someone can't eat something for a reason as opposed to not knowing why they aren't eating it is always going to be far smoother sailing. And as you have said, it's also a support network.
    No one should feel like they're being rude or made to feel guilty for restricting, and no one should feel guilty for not restricting and spending one day stuffing themselves.
    It's personal preference. And you do what you feel will make you happier on the day.
    So. Whatever you DO decide to put on your plate, I know you will savour it.
    Have a fabulous Thanksgiving! (We don't celebrate that here, so I sort of have 'holiday' envy :tongue: )
  • jenjen828
    jenjen828 Posts: 58 Member
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    My plan this year is to savor how much better I feel being over 50 pounds lighter than I was last year. Our family usually goes out to a restaurant for Thanksgiving, since everyone works and no one has time to bake a turkey. The good thing about that is I know what will be offered on the buffet and can plan ahead, and there are no leftovers. I will plan my meal. I will be very, very good about my eating and exercise on the days leading up to Thanksgiving. I will plan a massive workout BEFORE going to Thanksgiving dinner with my family--and probably go out for a walk of something later that afternoon. I just try to plan ahead and figure out what I am willing to sacrifice before I get in the situation to where I have to make choices. I will be having one slice of pumpkin pie at the restaurant on Thanksgiving...instead of going to the grocery store and buying a whole pie and wind up eating a couple of slices everyday until it is gone.

    You have some great tips, and you are such an inspiration to me.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
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    Trust me people, Sue will not be swayed. I was friends with her during last year's holidays and she is strong, stubborn and focused like laser. IMHO, this post is to give another side to all the "Eat all you want" topics that have been started this week. I don't think anyone needs permission to eat themselves into a coma (my plan ) or eat within their planned calories. Everyone should do what makes them happy.

    "Have a fabulous Thanksgiving! (We don't celebrate that here, so I sort of have 'holiday' envy tongue ) "

    Celebrate it anyway! It's an awesome holiday full of history and tradition.:drinker:
  • spring423
    spring423 Posts: 49
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    Thanks for the post. Holidays are a struggle and unfortunately they can last days as you make your way through the families. Having healthier options are key.

    Congrats on your success!
  • SheFitWalks
    SheFitWalks Posts: 29 Member
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    Thank you for the wonderful reminder to plan ahead! It won't bother me to take very small portions of those items that I like. It's always been very uncomfortable to overeat and I will remind myself of that *before* I put a bunch of food on my plate. I really think that Thanksgiving is about time with family and friends and not so much the food. (Maybe I'll put out a jigsaw puzzle on a table for everyone to work on. It will be nice to have other activities available that don't involve food.)

    I'll get to spend part of that time cooking...with my children here! Thank you for the reminder to have some greens there. I have tried to have a veggie tray out for the last 2 or 3 years. You would be amazed at how fast that good food disappears! Even the children run by and grab a carrot or celery stick. (And that is without any dip!)

    Several of us in my family are on MFP and using a Fitbit or Jawbone to try to get more active, eat better and lose some weight. Maybe we'll see if we can all take a walk together after dinner.

    I know that gaining weight that I just have to work to lose again is not worth it to me. Thank you so much for the reminder! May you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and lots of fun with your family and friends!
  • katznkt
    katznkt Posts: 320 Member
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    I completely agree. This Thanksgiving I'm celebrating my 30 lbs of weight loss and my hopes of losing more. There may be a time in my life that I'm able to eat all the mashed potatoes and bread that I want, but that time isn't now.

    I spent too many years letting my weight increase because I was going to wait to start being careful "until". Until after my birthday, until after Halloween, until after Thanksgiving, until after Christmas, until after new years, until after Valentines day, until after my sister's birthday, then my husbands, then my daughter's, then memorial day, then the 4th and then back to my birthday- or even just until the next Monday- you get the picture.

    I didn't start to really lose weight until I realized that a new healthy lifestyle meant more to me than that one yummy bite at a special occasion.

    So this year, I'm bringing some yummy veggie options, I'm loading up on one to two servings of turkey, my wonderful mother is leaving me some potatoes out of the mixer sans the butter and heavy cream. And I'm going to love my family, love the fellowship, enjoy life in my new smaller size and my sense of self control. And for dessert I'm having either baked cinnamon apples or fresh strawberries, splenda and fat free milk. I love my choices! :)
  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
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    I would like to preface this by saying that I have a lot of respect for you and what you've done towards your goals. I always enjoy your posts in the forum.

    However, respectfully, I would say that if you can't enjoy give yourself 1 or 2 days a year as a break to enjoy yourself with your family, you aren't as far into fixing your relationship with food as you may think.

    That is just the point, Sis. Last year, I found out that I CAN MAKE A CHOICE about how I eat during the holidays. In the past, I felt compelled to OVEREAT BECAUSE IT WAS A HOLIDAY. I have learned to make healthier choices even during the time of year, when eating massive amounts of food are encouraged.

    I am not saying hide from the food or the family dinner. I am suggesting that you eat with some amount of THOUGHT. Don't just eat everything in sight, because you used to eat without thinking, until you couldn't eat anymore. I will have dinner with my family. I will eat turkey, potatoes, veggies and even a piece of pumpkin pie; but I won't just eat without limits...because I could or would in the past. I will simply make better choices for ME, because I want to feel good in my new body.

    In the past, I was in constant pain and ate just for the sake of eating. I used the food to comfort me and dull the feelings of failure. I was an unhappy woman buried beneath a blanket of fat. Now, I can enjoy that family dinner without feeling the need to stuff in more food than needed by my much smaller body. I can enjoy the company of family and be proud of 'the new Sue' in her new body. Then, I can get up the next day without concern for how many pounds I will have to lose to undo 'the damage'.

    Thank you for the response. I suppose that I misunderstood the intention of your post.

    I fully intend to celebrate Thanksgiving and I will probably be over my calorie goal (however, I won't be tracking) but I also plan to be smart about it and put thought into what I am eating.

    I think we're just using different approaches with the same end goal in mind :flowerforyou:
  • LillyPandme
    LillyPandme Posts: 14
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    Every year at Thanksgiving, I try to write notes of thanks to people that have helped me in my own life. I am thankful that God saw fit to put these people into my life to teach me things. Hanfordrose, I have read several of your posts lately and have taken them to heart. They are helping me be successful in my own weight loss efforts and I am thankful for YOU this year.

    Perhaps you could share this note and your original post with your SIL Vivian - it sounds like she really helped you get as you got started. The strategy that you mapped out together was a winner. Many readers of your post will be more successful this year because of the ideas that you suggested.

    Tell her that I am thankful for what she helped you start last Thanksgiving, too!

    Blessings to you and yours.
  • WDA4655
    WDA4655 Posts: 91 Member
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    Unfortunately we are not going to NJ to celebrate the holidays with family this year. We have 2 wedding that we have to save up for in 2014 so we will be going to our former Paster's, in Naples, for Thanksgiving. But Pastor Carol is working until 5pm. I said I would be glad to do the cooking but their son and daughter in law will be coming down too and they want to go out for dinner. I don't know where that will be, but hopefully I can find out before hand so I can see if the internet has a Nutritional Value Guide for that place. But I have been thinking about choices if they serve... Start with a salad and light dressing on the side; turkey with gravy on the side; sweet potato in stead on mashed, this way I don't want extra gravy; just a tablespoon of stuffing because I love it; if I can, maybe a desert...and I am going to use a suggestion you posted a while ago...get a leftover box ahead of time and putting half in it before I start enjoying this Thanksgiving celebration! This way I will be really able to be thankful and grateful for what I have. If anyone has any other suggestion for going out to dinner at a restaurant for Thanksgiving, they will be graciously excepted.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
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    I am running a 5K Thanksgiving morning so I am not going to worry about what I eat--just in moderation. I usually skip dessert.
  • lucystacy71
    lucystacy71 Posts: 290 Member
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    I agree. I already have my Thanksgiving dinner planned and even logged (tentatively). I'm going to have a delicous meal and even allowing myself a small slice of pumpkin pie - and I'm going to keep it within my calorie goals.

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