It’s time to start planning now, so you can indulge in some of the traditional foods of Thanksgiving and feel okay about it afterward. Overeating on Thanksgiving can set you on a course to gain excess weight throughout the holidays. Balance the desire to eat as much of the tasty fare as possible while being sensitive to your limits.
Some suggestions to eating your meal mindfully are:
- Accept this as a day of indulgence. Cut yourself a little slack. If you are feeling deprived, that sense of 'missing out' may cause you to overeat anyway.
- Control your portions. It’s not always easy to control yourself in the moment. Try to choose only the foods you love and take a small portion to savor. Try to avoid seconds and when dessert comes around, take only a small slice and enjoy every bite.
- Start planning now. Look up calories for your favorite classics and plan what you will put on your plate.
- Modify your choices. Try to eat white meat turkey without the skin and fill up on larger portions of vegetables and salad. Limit your alcohol intake before dinner as you may lose some inhibitions that will allow you to overeat.
- Don’t skip meals. If you are feeling satisfied from eating a moderate breakfast and lunch, you are more likely to control your desire to overindulge at dinner.
"An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day." Irv Kupcine