I consider myself in the category "likely to relapse" even after 45 weeks of low carb. Every holiday so far, I always plan to continue low-carb because I am too afraid of derailing myself. I choose food that is on plan and leave the rest - not kidding - it is hard!! but I keep telling myself "I'm allergic to carbs - they make me fat!!" My approach this time is "way of life" changes - not temporary "diet". Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!!

I really like what both lulu and sb4480 say.

Lulu talks about your susceptibility for trigger occasions or trigger foods. Think of a time back in your life when you relapsed. What was it? Peer pressure? Family dinner? Restaurant? Stressful occasion? Determine what point in your life do you become the most vulnerable, and prepare yourself when you face that scenario again with strategies to survive. I don't know why, but my mom gives me the " oh, it's only one meal with family, you have to eat, it's tradition" without recognizing the sabotage. She doesn't deliberately sabotage, but does it indirectly for reasons I haven't figured out yet. Play the scenario in your mind, imagine yourself at the thanksgiving dinner table, and a big whopping carb-loaded sugary catastrophe is being offered to you with the eyes of all family members upon you, like crack pushers, urging you to indulge. What will you say to get yourself out of that scenario? Play that scenario over and over in your mind, be ready, because it is coming. Olympic athletes close their eyes and replay the races (swim, ski, run, etc) in their minds, over and over again, and as soon as they hear the fire start shot, they are in deep focus knowing exactly what to do. Think of the bright side. Thanksgiving is only on day, and then it passes. If your family are really giving you the pressure to eat, look at the clock at remind yourself, " this too shall pass".

Here's a strategy I use when "crack pusher-like" family members urge me to eat (yes, there are lots of them in my family). I say, ok, just one bite. I stop them from giving me the entire portion, and literally only take a one inch piece and put it in my plate. I don't eat it right away, as I am happily munching on the other stuff I can eat, if someone hocks more food on me, I point to the one inch piece in my plate and say " no thank you, still got it in my plate and didn't get to it yet!" As you clean your plate, enjoy your one bite of "sin". You have filled your stomach with other scrumptious food, and finished off with that little treat which won't cause you damage from a total daily caloric intake. But remember, just ONE bite! That's it.

Sb4480 makes a good point about leveraging the control you have in this situation, since you will be doing the cooking. You can control what foods show up on the table and how they are prepared. Fresh or frozen string beans fried in butter and a sprinkling of blanched almonds. Or Brussels sprouts fresh or frozen fried in butter. And don't forget the bacon, putting pieces of fried bacon in the vegetables ratchets up the awesomeness! Stuffing made using almond flour and ground pork rinds instead of flour, bread crumbs or croutons. There are all sorts of recipes on the internet for low carb versions. Look them up.

Thanksgiving is near, then comes Christmas and then New Years. The trifecta of diet sabotage. It's like dominos. When one falls it causes the next ones to fall as well. Don't give up to temptation now. You can do it! Make it to the 2014 home stretch without giving in! You go girl!

i look at the ketosis situation as scientific - an indicator that my body is functioning in the preferred manner, a manner which must be maintained.

for me, it is about self-control and discipline, which at this point, is second nature and easy - i am on auto-pilot.
and i am so happy about that!

this was not always the case. breaking free of taught or habitual choices was not easy, but i am seeing things so much differently this time around, and each decision is easier than the last.
foods either jive with what i have got going on, contribute to getting me where i need to be, or they simply do not matter to me.

i have come so far and am so close to meeting my initial goal, i am not going to let the advent of an american holiday mess with my momentum. i do not need some "traditional" high-carb menu screwing up what i have going on.

to me that would be illogical.

i wouldn't spit in a petri dish. that would mess with the controlled environment and ruin the results of the culture. illogical.

and with that mindset, discipline has come easy to me.


but i *am* going to enjoy yummy foods with the family! =^x^=

i am making roast turkey. flourless gravy from the drippings. much butter. ^_^
i am making stuffed mushrooms - stuffed with veggies and cheese for me, same but mixed with panko for the others.
i am making steamed cauliflower.
i am making steamed haricot verts - i will skip as i want some mushrooms.
i am making a thick cheddar cheese sauce with butter and spices and white wine - no flour - and will serve it atop my cauliflower. i am making extra to pour over some organic spiral pasta to bake up as mac-n-cheese for the others.
we will have olives and cheese and crunchy fresh veggies and macadamia nuts to nibble while everything cooks.

i am serving mashed potatoes, which i will skip.
i am serving fresh baked rolls, which i will skip.
i am serving cranberry relish, which i will skip.
i am serving dessert - homemade lemon pie, which i will skip.

i am certain to be well fed and still low carb and high fat for the day, will have had much food celebration with my family, and will end the day still in ketosis and with satisfaction that i can do a foodie holiday and still remain in control.

and with these decisions made, i am free to simply enjoy the day, and my family.

=^x^=