On average, people consume a staggering 5000 calories at Thanks giving which isn’t terribly surprising when considering how calorie dense many of our favorite dishes like gravy, mashed potatoes and pecan pie are. To put this in perspective you’d have to walk for 23 hours to avoid any weight gain; an impossible task for all but the super-human! So instead of walking a marathon after dinner follow these healthy eating tips and you’ll sail through thanksgiving with your waistline intact.
Eat slowly. During mealtimes, it takes about 20 minutes for your brain and stomach to start communicating on your level of fullness. With this in mind, if the Thanksgiving meal is inhaled in 10 minutes your internal shut-off switch is still ‘on’, increasing the odds that you’ll be reaching for a seconds. Eat slowly and wait 20 minutes, chances are your switch will be turned to ‘off’ and you will have save yourself 100’s of calories.
Be mindful. This second tip goes hand in hand with number one. The key here is to pay attention to your food, to the flavors and to the textures– be one with your food. Being mindful means slowing down to savor every bite. Turn off distractions, even the big game, and enjoy the delicious bounty that’s before you. After all, that’s what Thanksgiving was originally about.
Eat defensively. Instead of going to a holiday party hungry, eat a snack beforehand (such as cheese or peanut butter on crackers) and your hunger will be held at bay and you’ll be less likely to over eat.
Drink your calories wisely. A glass of wine has 120 calories and a cup of eggnog has 340 calories. While both are delicious, drink calories are usually extra calories. Enjoy some wine with dinner but watch for the sneaky refills when the host thinks you’re not looking.
Step away from the buffet table. Avoid hovering next to, close to, or in the vicinity of the delicious cheese plate and mixed nuts. Instead, go and talk to Aunt Sue or that hunk in the corner that your brother invited at the last minute.
Squeeze in a workout. With family and friends in town it’s often difficult to carve out a block of time to exercise. But even getting the heart rate up for 5 or 10 minutes can do wonders for mood and stress levels. Go for a quick walk around the block, dance with your kids or do 10 jumping jacks to energize yourself and burn some extra calories.
Create new family traditions. If you’re the one preparing the meal this year how about incorporating some new recipes to lighten up the classic calorie dense dishes? Sure the family might complain but I promise you’ll be doing them a favor. Try using low-fat milk for the eggnog and mashed potatoes and serving a salad with dinner.
Watch out for portion distortion. Enjoy a little of everything keeping in mind what you know about sensible serving sizes; salads are a great way to fill the plate without adding a lot of calories.
Enjoy the time with family and friends and the social aspect of Thanksgiving. Meals are meant to be enjoyed with company; why not go for a walk together while the turkey is cooking?
Don’t beat yourself up if you eat more than you planned. There is always tomorrow to get back on the wagon.
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