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Thanksgiving

sarahlucindac
sarahlucindac Posts: 235 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I’m curious what those of you trying to lose weight are planning to do on Thanksgiving. I’m meticulous about logging my calories (I use a food scale for everything I eat, even prepackaged food). I’m considering being a little more lax on Thursday. I might even...*gasp* eyeball my servings. I’ve been losing weight for 8 months (down 54 lbs with only 6 more to go). I’m not too terribly stressed about Thanksgiving because I’m normally very disciplined about my calorie limits and I exercise a ton. I know there will be a spike on the scale from the feast for a few days that follow, I’m mentally preparing myself for that.
For those of you that have been through this before, what do you do about eating during the holidays? Do you let loose for one day? Do you bank calories for that day?

Replies

  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I am so accustomed to weighing and logging that I expect to simply weigh and log everything. I do the cooking so it's particularly easy to do it to suit myself.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,887 Member
    I don't really eat crazy numbers of calories on Thanksgiving (it's usually at my place and I do most of the cooking, and we tend to have a lot of side dishes that are vegetable focused and not that high cal and turkey isn't high cal, although I'll certainly have mashed potatoes with butter and my sister's take on my mom's broccoli and cauliflower with cheese, plus pie), but I usually don't log. I just started logging again this year and am doing a lot more estimating, so I might estimate.
  • Running2Fit
    Running2Fit Posts: 702 Member
    I don't plan on weighing or tracking anything on Thanksgiving. I'm going to have reasonable portion sizes, not go back for seconds, and just enjoy the day. I'm also going to bank all my exercise calories for the week for Thanksgiving to give myself a little bit more wiggle room with my calories. But I'm not too stressed about it. It's one day, it can't undo months of hard work and I'll get right back to weighing and logging on Friday.
  • mgookin
    mgookin Posts: 92 Member
    I bank calories the week before/the week of and dont bother tracking. I dont track for: Thanksgiving, christmas, Easter, sons birthday. So about 4 days out of the year.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    sarahlucindac wrote: »
    For those of you that have been through this before, what do you do about eating during the holidays? Do you let loose for one day? Do you bank calories for that day?

    I will eat a low calorie breakfast like an apple or vegetables while cooking everything. The rest of the day I will take reasonable portions, no seconds. I will drink water or unsweetened tea. I will stay active. I do log on holidays but don't worry if everything is exact. I will be eating close to maintenance calories or slightly above based on past Thanksgivings I have logged. I will eat pie for breakfast on Friday morning but otherwise eat and exercise pretty normally the rest of the week. I will weigh myself on Sunday morning following Thanksgiving as usual and not freak out. My experience the past 4 Thanksgivings of logging that doing this plan does not lead to any significant weight change for me.

  • sarahlucindac
    sarahlucindac Posts: 235 Member
    Thanks for the input, everyone! I think I have the perfect storm of TOM and Thanksgiving coming all at once lol.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I don't track on holidays like Thanksgiving. I usually look at what there is to eat and have what I generally don't get to have the rest of the year and only a bit of the stuff I can get any time. For example. Thanksgiving dinner is the one meal a year when I get fresh roasted turkey so I eat as much as I want (though I don't overstuff myself) whereas I can have dinner rolls and mashed potatoes any time so I tend not to eat them or eat only a little bit. And I don't eat stuff that I don't really care about (stuffing/dressing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, etc.) Truthfully, I'd be happy with just turkey and sweet potatoes.
  • dulinh
    dulinh Posts: 99 Member
    I plan to eat and enjoy all the things. I'll login and log a number I think is close, maybe 4000 or so. I won't be hungry the next few days afterwards so I'll take advantage of that. I'm not banking calories beforehand but I'm making sure to intentionally stay active this month
  • MalkinMagic71
    MalkinMagic71 Posts: 1,433 Member
    I do a quick log of 5 or 6k just for fun in my diary. I don't track at all on Thanksgiving and eat whatever I want. It's one day.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    Holidays are about spending time with people you love, not about food. But, you shouldn't compromise your relationships with others by avoiding sharing a meal, especially if it's just 1 out of the year.

    I'll eat a few bites of all the things I enjoy and leave things I don't. I'll probably drink 1 too many beers because that's what my boyfriend and I like. And when we're done eating we'll lay around and watch football and probably fall asleep on the couch.

    Point being, enjoy your holiday by connecting with others. It's just another meal but it's a special time to spend with people you love.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    I won't weigh it measure anything. If history is any indication, I'll have eyes bigger than my stomach, anyway :lol: I'll eat however much of whatever I want without stuffing myself to the point of misery.

    My husband and I always do the cooking, so I'll be on my feet most of the day anyway, between that and the pre-company cleaning. Breakfast and lunch will be light. Mostly, I just want to be sure I save room for pecan pie, lol.

    The leftovers are where I can do some real damage :tongue:
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    edited November 2018
    pinuplove wrote: »
    The leftovers are where I can do some real damage :tongue:

    Especially when one of the biggest differences in preferences in my family is desserts. I have quit asking for pecan pie; one will probably show up at a Christmas party and I can have a piece and never see the rest of it. I now sign on for the apple pie; it's not my favorite but I like it. Sine a couple of other people like it, it won't stick around as long and I won't feel obligated to eat more like I do if a pecan pie was made or bought almost entirely for me. Last year I made 3 or 4 baked apples with a pecan pie like filling.

    But yeah, when the feast spreads across days it can be more of a problem.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    The week of thanksgiving is a week of eating at maintenance - if I were to be home I would still be at a deficit for the week but I'm road-tripping and that means 4 days of car-sitting. It's all good though - if I actually put on a lil fat I know exactly what to do, and if I maintain, the plan is exactly the same - return to a slight deficit and continue my activity.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    I am planning it as a maintenance break. I will eyeball and track and be mindful of choices. I am reminding myself that the scale may temporarily bounce up so that I won’t use it as an excuse to myself to go “off the rails”
  • bigbandjohn
    bigbandjohn Posts: 769 Member
    I plan to eat normal size meal. More sides, so smaller portions. I won't worry about going over though, but I'll still track.
  • sunfastrose
    sunfastrose Posts: 543 Member
    I don't think about it. My habits are built up enough that I take small portions and leave space between them on my plate. I know I eat more than I would on a normal day, but it's just one day, and I don't go overboard just because I could.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    If I liked any of the food served on Thanksgiving, I would eat it and skip logging for that one day.

    Since I don't, my husband and I are making a huge sheet pan of crab & avocado nachos and will eat it all with a couple of craft beers and skip logging for the day anyway.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    I'm eating ALL THE THINGZ!!!

    Then go deadlift it off?
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    I'm not logging all week. All the foods for me!!
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    psychod787 wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    I'm eating ALL THE THINGZ!!!

    Then go deadlift it off?

    I plan on pre-deadlifting it off.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It's one day...it's an occasion. Occasions are pretty immaterial to the bigger picture. Beyond that, I'm not one to stuff myself, I hate the feeling of being overly stuffed. My wife typically does a Turkey Trot in the morning...I don't run, so I usually go for a nice bike ride and then get home and start cooking. And really, it's the primary meal of the day...I usually have a small breakfast and lunch is usually the hors d'oeuvres and then Thanksgiving dinner.
  • Salixiana
    Salixiana Posts: 37 Member
    I'll eat small-to-medium portions of everything on Thursday and on Friday morning, without tracking or logging, because that's when I'll be staying with friends. It will probably be a bit over maintenance levels, but I'm on a 1200-calorie diet the rest of the time -- so I'm not worried about it being a big setback.
This discussion has been closed.

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