Lowest calorie Thanksgiving choices?

Options
Trish1c
Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I know the mashed potatoes are out -- too much cream & butter. I'm going to try to limit myself to a tablespoon because I know I'll feel deprived if I don't have any. Stuffing is probably bad too, all those carb calories.

Steamed broccoli, lean turkey, green beans (unless they are smothered in mushroom soup & crispy onion strips), baked sweet potato & corn should all be OK, right?

Of course portion control will be key.

So what are the best / healthiest / lowest calorie choices for the traditional holiday meal?

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
    Options
    Lowest would probably be fill up on Turkey (lean proteins are filling and low calorie, pending you don't had a crap ton of gravy). Then stuff like veggies. But also remember, it's 1 day and you should enjoy yourself on occasion. My goal is to eat an entire lamb.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Options
    I fill up my plate mainly with turkey breast, collard greens, and roasted/steamed veggies. Everything else I grab in small portions.
  • Trish1c
    Trish1c Posts: 549 Member
    Options
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Why don't you just enjoy the day and eat a reasonable amount of food...even if you overdo it, it's just a day and pretty irrelevant to the big picture.

    Eating is rarely my problem although I'm bound to over do the stuffing. I know ALL of my empty calories are going to come from liquids. That's where my control fails. I posted the Q more as a general discussion because Thanksgiving is such a gluttonous food holiday.

  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Options
    Trish1c wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Why don't you just enjoy the day and eat a reasonable amount of food...even if you overdo it, it's just a day and pretty irrelevant to the big picture.

    Eating is rarely my problem although I'm bound to over do the stuffing. I know ALL of my empty calories are going to come from liquids. That's where my control fails. I posted the Q more as a general discussion because Thanksgiving is such a gluttonous food holiday.

    I never really eat much at all on Thanksgiving, but I can tear up quite a few bottles of champagne!
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Options
    I'm on a hard cut right now, so I'll be limited to turkey breast and dumping the guts out of deviled eggs to eat the whites. I wouldn't recommend this to most, as it absolutely makes me look like a food Nazi, but I'd rather that than to look like the rest of my family again.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    Trish1c wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Why don't you just enjoy the day and eat a reasonable amount of food...even if you overdo it, it's just a day and pretty irrelevant to the big picture.

    Eating is rarely my problem although I'm bound to over do the stuffing. I know ALL of my empty calories are going to come from liquids. That's where my control fails. I posted the Q more as a general discussion because Thanksgiving is such a gluttonous food holiday.

    I just have a plate of food...some drinks...some desert, etc...it is a gluttonous food holiday...but it's just a singular day.

    It's usually my only real meal of the day...we traditionally do a turkey trot first thing in the morning and then I have a very small breakfast...people will start coming over around 1 and we will eat around 3...I will have plenty of food and lots of beer...no biggie, it's just a day.

    Turkey is pretty low calorie though...
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    Options
    Trish1c wrote: »
    I know the mashed potatoes are out -- too much cream & butter. I'm going to try to limit myself to a tablespoon because I know I'll feel deprived if I don't have any. Stuffing is probably bad too, all those carb calories.

    Steamed broccoli, lean turkey, green beans (unless they are smothered in mushroom soup & crispy onion strips), baked sweet potato & corn should all be OK, right?

    Of course portion control will be key.

    So what are the best / healthiest / lowest calorie choices for the traditional holiday meal?

    Log it and see what it looks like. Everything is okay but maybe not all at once if you are wanting low calorie.
    Lowest calorie would be turkey breast, salad with vinaigrette dressing, vegetables without added dips, sauces, oils or butter, and drinking water.

    I've logged what I am going to have. I'm not skipping anything. However, I'm going to have mashed potatoes for lunch and stuffing for dinner instead of both at the same meal.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Options
    Trish1c wrote: »
    I know the mashed potatoes are out -- too much cream & butter. I'm going to try to limit myself to a tablespoon because I know I'll feel deprived if I don't have any. Stuffing is probably bad too, all those carb calories.

    Steamed broccoli, lean turkey, green beans (unless they are smothered in mushroom soup & crispy onion strips), baked sweet potato & corn should all be OK, right?

    Of course portion control will be key.

    So what are the best / healthiest / lowest calorie choices for the traditional holiday meal?

    Some contradictory statements here - stuffing is probably bad too, all those carb calories and baked sweet potato & corn should all be OK...........these are ALL carby things.

    Just have small portions of your favorites. Example; I skipped mashed potatoes because I can have those all year round. I put a modest amount of gravy on my turkey. Corn usually isn't special either. If I want to limit carbs I can have stuffing instead of corn and sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. Just make choices - or have small portions.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    Options
    No logging on Thanksgiving. Gonna eat ALL the FOODZ! Then back at it on Friday. Even if I eat over TDEE by 5000 calories (which would be about a 7200 calorie day for me), that's about 1.4 pounds. I can get that back off pretty easily. Totally worth it to me!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Options
    What you said.

    My mashed potatoes are typically fine though, I only use a bit of butter and some 1% milk. Sure, not as decadent as the 'full of cream and sugar' type, but at least you really taste the potatoes, lol.

    My 'empty' calories typically come from dessert here, lol.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Options
    Trish1c wrote: »
    I know the mashed potatoes are out -- too much cream & butter. I'm going to try to limit myself to a tablespoon because I know I'll feel deprived if I don't have any. Stuffing is probably bad too, all those carb calories.

    Steamed broccoli, lean turkey, green beans (unless they are smothered in mushroom soup & crispy onion strips), baked sweet potato & corn should all be OK, right?

    Of course portion control will be key.

    So what are the best / healthiest / lowest calorie choices for the traditional holiday meal?

    This is so sad.
    This is a time for family and friends.
    You plan on letting one day bother you?
    Eat and be merry!
  • PamWOhio
    PamWOhio Posts: 120 Member
    Options
    I am usually under 25 carbs and I figured tomorrow at 137. I know that 1 meal will not hurt me so I am having my mashed tatos, stuffing, corn and roll with my turkey. There is also a pasta dish that is family tradition but I am having a cup of that and 1/2 cup of the other sides and we don't do dessert so sugar isn't an issue. I think I figured out my plate will be 880 calories so even with another small meal I will still be well within my calories.

    Enjoy your day...just watch your portions.
  • quiltlovinlisa
    quiltlovinlisa Posts: 1,710 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    I plan on exercising in the am, eating what I enjoy which would include my homemade apple pie (which is da bomb, fresh apples, pie crust made with real butter, hmmmm) and moving on Friday.

    My dressing is incredible too, I dried artisan breads into crumbs and will use herbs from kitchen garden.

    The week of Christmas is the hardest for me, we have kid birthdays the 21st and the 27th. That's a whole lot of specialty foods and my kids request things I don't normally make like homemade mac and cheese. Calorie BOMBS. Oy!
  • Karb_Kween
    Karb_Kween Posts: 2,681 Member
    Options
    Queenmunchy wrote: »
    Trish1c wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Why don't you just enjoy the day and eat a reasonable amount of food...even if you overdo it, it's just a day and pretty irrelevant to the big picture.

    Eating is rarely my problem although I'm bound to over do the stuffing. I know ALL of my empty calories are going to come from liquids. That's where my control fails. I posted the Q more as a general discussion because Thanksgiving is such a gluttonous food holiday.

    I never really eat much at all on Thanksgiving, but I can tear up quite a few bottles of champagne!

    Lol that'd be me
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    Options
    I'm working all morning. I'll enjoy all the food with an early dinner. And unless I decide to eat something earlier I may still wind up in a deficit for the day (figuring about 1500 for the meal).
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Options
    I'm gonna do 5k on the treadmill, eat what I want, and then log my food as "Thanksgiving" at my calorie allowance and call it a day.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
    Options
    I considered skipping Thanksgiving because I'm dealing with some pretty intense food issues and recent weight gain. In the end, I told myself it's about family and that I can go and be strong, or I can go and fail miserably. Either way I'll be okay.

    For those of you saying "it's one day a year". Yes, a lot of us know and understand that. Some of us aren't on the moderation train though.

Categories