Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday and a great time to visit with family and friends. For those who are trying to lose weight, or just like to stick to a healthy eating regimen despite the holiday, Thanksgiving can be stressful. Here are some ways to make Thanksgiving a little healthier.
It’s All About Portion Control
Instead of depriving yourself while watching everyone else enjoy forkfuls of turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, go ahead and let yourself have small portions of your favorite dishes. Portion control is key during the holidays. If you aren’t cooking the entire meal, offer to bring a healthy side dish like butternut squash stuffed with wild rice.
Get Up and Move
You can also plan to go on a walk after the meal. Let your family members and friends know and they might join you, which will make it easier to stick to even if you’re really full. If you just don’t feel up to a post-meal walk, schedule a work out for the next day. If you make working out a priority even the day after Thanksgiving, you won’t feel as bad about splurging.
If working out is not your thing, offer to help clean up after the meal. You will be less likely to keep snacking on leftovers, and you will burn some calories.
Know When to Say When
Because the Thanksgiving table is a bounty of delicious food that we only usually indulge in once or twice a year, sometimes we feel like we should eat as much of it as possible. It’s also very easy to do if you have a well-meaning but overbearing relative who keeps adding second and third helpings to your plate. Make a point to stop eating when you are full. When serving yourself, serve golf-ball sized helpings of everything you want. If someone else insists you eat more, tell them nicely that you have had plenty to eat and it was all very delicious. Give yourself 20 minutes after you have cleaned your plate and if you’re still hungry, go back for even smaller servings of a couple of your favorite dishes, or save room for pie!
Remember, Neighbors Emergency Centers are open 24/7, 365 days a year, which means we are even open on Thanksgiving Day. We hope you don’t need to see us on a holiday, but if you do, we’re here for you.