The Secret to Surviving Thanksgiving Without the Weight Gain

Thanksgiving is often a stressful time for dieters or those trying to maintain their weight loss.  ”Should I have the turkey without the gravy?  Can I really stick to the veggies and not have some of the mashed potatoes made with real butter?”  It’s like we’re in a constant dilemma all day long.

We worry about how many calories are in each serving, or can we nibble on appetizers without going overboard, or can we really just take one serving of everything?  So little time, yet so much on our minds.

Last year I wrote about How to Enjoy Thanksgiving Without the Guilt, which is a good read for those of you worrying about feeling guilty after eating a bit more than you normally do, and how to deal with the voices in your head telling you to eat the carrots when what you really want is the homemade stuffing.

But today I’m going to take it one step further.

You’re probably looking for some “tips” on how to best deal with Thanksgiving.  And you’ve probably already heard them all somewhere:  eat breakfast (great advice), don’t eat the appetizers (good advice, but often tough to resist), drink only water (yeah, right!), don’t eat seconds (c’mon, who are we trying to kid…), wear tight fitting clothes so you don’t eat too much (how much fun is that?!), and just have one small serving of dessert (it’s Thanksgiving for goodness sakes!).

While these all have good intentions behind them — and some even really good advice — but the problem is there are too many “rules.”  Now this doesn’t mean throw all caution to the wind.  You need to be realistic about how much you can really eat (and how terrible you’ll feel if you stuff yourself).

So my one big piece of advice this Thanksgiving is this:  use common sense.

Yeah, I know, not exactly rocket science….I know.

But think about it.  You know you should have breakfast and not arrive at the Thanksgiving dinner table famished….you know you should get out for some exercise during the day (preferably in the morning before the big meal)…you know you shouldn’t pile your plate so high that it’s a mini-mountain…and you know that having 3 or more desserts is not the best route to keeping the pounds off.

So listen to yourself, your inner voice, and your inner guidance, and do what you know is best.

Enjoy the day, enjoy the food, and eat with real pleasure.  Because that’s what Thanksgiving is all about, don’t you think?

Enjoy Thanksgiving Without the Guilt

Whether you’re trying to lose – or simply maintain –  weight, this time of year causes a lot of dread and anxiety.  You want to get through the holiday season without putting on extra pounds, without feeling fat, and without the guilt of eating holiday foods.

And then we all have the “shoulder angel” and “shoulder devil” talking to us.  You know, those voices in our heads, the two that constantly fight with each other about what to do.

You’ve probably seen them in cartoons.  On one side of the shoulder is an angel, representing good or “our conscience.”  On the other shoulder is the devil, representing bad or “tempation.”  

It seems these two follow us around, especially during the holidays.  You’ll be at the Thanksgiving table and all the delicious  food is being passed around.  You have those two guys on your shoulder.  The good one says, “Oh no, I can’t give up on my weight-loss efforts and my dream of being slim.  I’ve given up before and can’t do it again this year.”   While the bad one says, “Hey, it’s Thanksgiving for crying out loud.  You’re supposed to gorge yourself, it’s okay.  It’s only one day.”

So who to listen to?  If you eat like you normally do on Thanksgiving, then you’ll feel terrible afterwards, and then feel shame for giving up and not realizing your dream.  But if you diet and watch what you eat, then you miss out on all the fun.  

There’s no way to win, right?  Wrong!  

But what to do?  Listen to the shoulder angel or the shoulder devil?? 

Well, the answer is…both!

You see, Thanksgiving is about enjoyment.  Enjoying spending time with family, while being thankful for all that you have.  But at the same time, you have to understand the difference between enjoyment and gluttony.  It’s about having balance.

Here are some things to think about which can help you find that balance:

Get Rid of the Pressure

There’s already so much pressure on the holidays, there’s no need to add more to it by restricting yourself. Many experts will tell you to eat low-fat versions of your favorite foods, or only eat when you’re hungry, or even “wear tight-fitting clothes” so you’re less tempted to overeat!   Personally I disagree with these.  Besides, easier said than done, right!

In my opinion, this isn’t the time to be eating low-fat foods.  Thanksgiving is a day for enjoyment — to enjoy the food and being in the company of family and friends. 

What’s more important to you on Thanksgiving?  Eating a low-fat food, or spending time with family or catching up with friends?  Let these be your focus for the day and not the pressure of the food.

Take Pleasure

Thanksgiving is one of those days when you should allow yourself to be fulfilled and enjoy the foods.  

Take off the chains of dieting.  Don’t restrict yourself from eating your favorite foods. Thanksgiving is supposed to be pleasurable.  

If Aunt Suzie makes your favorite pecan pie, then go ahead and have some.  But enjoy it — really enjoy it.  Take the time to savor it.  Your aunt probably put a lot of time and effort into making the pie, so honor the food and enjoy it mindfully. 

Realize it’s Okay to Overeat

Don’t worry if you overeat a little.  It’s okay.  No one is perfect and it’s quite normal to eat a bit more than you normally do. The weight will come off later when you go back to eating more healthy.

At the same time, if you miss out on some of the food, that’s fine too.  You don’t have to eat ALL of your favorite foods, just eat some.  There will always be another occasion to eat those other foods.  We live in a world of abundance and it’s not like you won’t see that food again.

As always, it’s up to you what and how you eat.  If you really want to overindulge, that’s okay.  If you want to be careful and not eat too much, that’s fine too.  Just don’t feel guilty afterwards. 

Thanksgiving is one of those days when you should allow yourself to indulge a little and enjoy the foods. It’s supposed to be pleasurable, you just need to take away the “pressure” of doing everything right.  

So relax…. and enjoy!