Thanksgiving is this week! Bring on the turkey! Well, what about the vegans? Okay, bring on the stuffing! What about the people on the Paleo diet? FINE... Bring on the pumpkin pie! What about the people that don't eat sugar! Forget it! Let's just go out for Chinese... but then there's the MSG!
Please step away from the turkey leg! Everybody take a deep breath; I've got you covered!
1. If you are the person who doesn't eat, well, whatever you don't eat, I hate to tell you, but that's you're issue, and if you are going to be a guest in someone's home, you need to deal with it! I don't eat meat, but I don't go to my sister's house in a fake fur coat dripping in fake blood and a sign that reads, "turkey killer!" I simply offer to bring a dish (or two) that I know I will eat and I skip the bird. It is perfectly acceptable to ask the host if there is meat in the stuffing, or butter on the potatoes, etc., but it's not acceptable to turn up your nose at everything you don't agree with. It's Thanksgiving, you know what's going to be on the menu. DEAL WITH IT!
2. Indulge and imbibe (a little). It's just one day, so go ahead and have a slice or two of pie. Have an extra scoop of mashed potatoes. If you completely deprive yourself you will end up bingeing. Now notice I said (a little) here. You have to be strategic. If you're going to go all out on the pie, skip the dinner rolls. Besides, you can have dinner rolls whenever, but grammy's homemade pumpkin pie may only come around once a year!
3. Keep the rest of the day the same. People will skip breakfast and lunch so they can chow down come turkey time. Resist the urge! By eating a normal breakfast and lunch, you will be able to stabilize your blood sugar, keep your metabolism on track, and eat smart once the dinner bell rings.
4. Tame your emotions. Remember that nostalgia is sometimes what causes you to overeat on Thanksgiving. Grammy's above-mentioned-pie for example, probably has some good memories attached to it. So be sure you are eating it because you really want it, it tastes good, and you have room in your belly for it, not because it transports you back to 1972!
5. Put your foot down on the food pushers. I hate you people! Seriously. Stop. When I say I don't want anymore, or I couldn't eat another bite, it's for one of two reasons, either... I'm really full and I couldn't eat another bite, or your food sucks and I don't want to hurt your feelings. Either way, I'm done, so leave me alone! People will eat more to "save face," I say, "save butt!" Because it's not your Aunt Matilda who is going to have to go to the gym on Black Friday to work off the extra green bean casserole that she guilted you into eating!
Hopefully, this will help you enjoy your Thanksgiving, without derailing all the healthy eating you've been doing. But... if for some reason you do overindulge, do not despair... just keep reading.
1. Get back on track starting Friday morning. EAT BREAKFAST! DO NOT skip breakfast because you ate too much on Thursday night. You need to get your body back on its normal schedule as quickly as possible. Eat something light (if your stomach is upset) but eat at your normal time and eat enough to carry you through the morning.
2. Get a little exercise in. Even if it's just walking the Black Friday sales at the mall. Moving your body will help you ditch the sluggish feeling that overeating can cause.
3. And finally, give yourself a break. It is ONE DAY, people! One day is not going to do you in. As long as you keep it to just one day. Do not eat leftover pie every day for breakfast for a week, do not make stuffing sandwiches for lunch every day! Eat it all on Thanksgiving and let it go!
A happy and healthy Thanksgiving to you and yours!