Thanksgiving Day...to Indulge or not?

It's Thanksgiving...a day to celebrate and spend with the family drinking and yes eating!  Do you indulge or not?  That's the big question on all the TV shows, magazines, newspapers, etc.  I'm going to be perfectly honest here...100% real.  I eat clean, stay fit by lifting weights and other exercising activities 90% of the time.  Not only do I do this for myself, I also do this for a living.  I'm a Fitness Instructor as well as a Health and Wellness Coach.  And guess what......

......I EAT on Thanksgiving.  Yep, I eat everything.  Not a lot of everything in moderation, no counting my calories and absolutely eating dessert and lots of it.  Do I do myself a disservice, do I ruin everything I work so hard for?  I don't think so.  It's my favorite Holiday of the year, I love the food, I love everything pumpkin and I just don't feel like "moderation" and counting calories on this particular day.  It comes around once a year and I'm going to enjoy.  Am I crazy full, bloated and somewhat disgusted when I'm all done?  Sure, a little bit but with no regrets.  So there you have it:
I eat and I eat a lot on Thanksgiving!

That being all said...there are plenty of people who do still want to watch themselves or eat in moderation.  Maybe there on a food plan or have been doing really well with their eating and they just don't want to indulge that day or they're scared once they do, they won't be able to stop.  I understand that completely.  Being a sweet and carb addict, I do get that when it's out of my diet I crave it a lot less.  And when I bring it back in I do have a hard time cutting it out again. So I'm on board with that and wanted to give a few tips on how you can enjoy Thanksgiving dinner without going overboard like me...lol!

THANKSGIVING SURVIVAL GUIDE:

1. Plan Ahead - If you have a plan you're always more successful.  You may be a guest and not know exactly what's being served but you certainly can ask the hostess and be mentally prepared.  If you go into your day knowing that you're going to stick to your portion sizes and certain dishes, etc. then you'll be far more successful.  Same thing goes for your desserts or other INDULGENCES.  Plan for it, know what you'll be eating and be ok with it.

2. Know Your Portions Sizes - Being that we live in America, everything is super sized and I'm pretty sure that most people have no idea what portion sizes really look like.  Right?  So we need to focus on what a serving really is.  Eat small portions of the dishes.  By keeping everything on the smaller side, you can enjoy everything including the sides without being stuffed at the end. Of course leaving room for the best part...dessert.

3. Have ONE Serving - Ok, how many of us have gone back for seconds and even thirds on Thanksgiving?  Guilty as charged for me!  Do we really need it?  Most likely not, have you ever walked away from having those extra servings and said to yourself "I really needed that."  Doubtful.  So plan your meal and just eat ONE of everything!

4. Limit Your Alcohol - Once you start drinking, you lose all sense of what you're eating, how much of it and how much you're drinking and you're also packing on the calories.  Go into the day with a PLAN of how much you're going to drink the same as with your eating.  Will you have one glass of wine with appetizers and one at dinner...whatever it is...PLAN for it!  You definitely don't need to be drinking all day.  And don't forget to drink a lot of water.

5. Get Moving - Get up Thursday morning and get your body moving.  Walk, lift weights, get a 30 minute at home workout in, a turkey trot, whatever it is just move.  Yes, it's a Holiday and we have the mentality of having a day off but taking those 30 minutes in the morning to do some kind of activity will pay off in the end.  It's a day of a lot of eating and we want to get that metabolism moving first thing in the morning.  I'll be doing Les Mills Pump!  Then if the weather isn't too bad where you live, go for a walk around the block with the family after dinner.  Then you'll be already for dessert!

Check out this great chart on PORTION CONTROL: 

  

Peace out,

Jenz