Surviving Thanksgiving

Appetizer
There is usually a lot of pressure from your family and friends to overindulge on Thanksgiving. But it’s still possible to have fun without ruining your diet.

Main Course
The holiday times are a gauntlet for the fitness minded. What with all the social gatherings revolving around eating a ton food, freshly baked sweets lining tables, and metabolism-slowing alcohol flowing freely, it’s a wonder not everyone starts the new year fifteen pounds heavier. The reason so many people eat so much isn’t necessarily because their willpower is weak, though those foods can be pretty tempting, but because there is pressure from other partygoers to try everything. They might say you just have to have the pumpkin pie because your aunt made it from scratch, or you just have to try the ham because it’s delicious. How do you deal with all this?

Make sure your family or friends who attend the party know that you can’t eat everything, not because you’re not social, but because you’re on a diet. It might help to state everything you’ve accomplished so far, like “Well, I’ve already managed to lose fifteen pounds, so I want to keep that going.” They might be more understanding and less prone to shove food in your face.

It should also help to eat a healthy, but filling meal beforehand, hopefully with some healthy fats to help you feel full. That way your desire to get fit will most likely override your taste buds and grumbling tummy when confronted with a plate of marshmallow candied yams.

Dessert
I deal with the pressure to eat everything on Thanksgiving by eating just a little nibble of everything. This might not work for everyone, because for some people all it takes to set off an eating binge is a little bite of moist turkey or sweet pecan pie. But for me, I find taking a small sample of the bounty allows me to keep my calorie and fat intake low while still allowing me to feel like I’m a part of the celebration.

Have a happy and fit thanksgiving everyone!