When you're trying to reach your "feel and look great weight", Thanksgiving can be a stressful holiday. With so much delicious food tempting you, it's difficult to keep your healthy habits in check.
However, the problem with splurging on Thanksgiving often sets off a domino effect for the rest of the holiday season. Instead of going on a six week food fest, you CAN take control of the day and jump-start your motivation for a healthy and active holiday season, where you get to enjoy it in the moment and, most importantly, be guilt-free and extra-pounds-free when it's over!
1) Start your day with a healthy high protein breakfast (for example an omelet, scrambled eggs or a protein shake) - won't spike your blood sugar first thing in the morning, that will prevent you from over eating throughout the day!
2) Fill your plate half with vegetables or a salad, one quarter with white turkey meat, and the rest with a healthy starch, like corn on the cob, a baked potato, or sweet potatoes. And start with enjoying the salad/veggies first.
3) If there's a special dish (which most families have) that you simply love and it's only made for Thanksgiving - think signature casserole or special dessert your mom makes every year - ENJOY IT! Allow yourself to have some just about few bites or tablespoons and savor every bite of it! Don't deprive yourself of it but keep in mind - you don't have to go overboard with it!
3) Do not drink your calories - it goes for all - sweet drinks (egg nog, sugary coffees with bunch of cream) and alcoholic drinks. There are so many ways you can enjoy those calories from all the yummy food so save it for that! It's very easy to just drink up all the calories without realizing how fast they add up.
4) Savor every bite, eat slowly and don't inhale your food :) that way you won't need to go back for seconds!
5) Get moving! Whether its walking after a dinner, taking family members on a bike ride (some bounding time ;) ) or exercise in the morning. This will prevent you from feeling sluggish after a meal and will spice up your day - so it doesn't have to turn into sitting all day at the table!
6) You don't need to go for seconds! But if you do, wait at least 20 minutes so your body can communicate with your brain and tell you how hungry you actually are.
The best approach to Thanksgiving dinner is to remember that it's just one meal, and the real purpose of the holiday is to give thanks and spend time with loved ones!
At the end of the day, no matter how you eat, your whole body isn't going to fall apart, everything in life isn't going to fall apart. To put so much pressure on one meal is setting yourself up for lot of pain.