Enjoying Your Thanksgiving Meal Without Breaking Your Diet

By Abby Kutscher on November 19, 2012

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us—a holiday that, by definition, includes mass amounts of food. Some may be wondering how on earth they are going to be able to maintain their diets with the advent of the holiday season. Well, my lovely readers, I have scoured far and wide (with the help of internet search engines) to find some useful tips on how to maintain your diet while still enjoying this festive American holiday. Following the timeline below will help you to eat, drink, and be merry without straying too far from your diet.

A few days before the holiday: The first step to preparing yourself for the holiday onslaught of gluttony is to set some realistic goals (scottqmarcus.com). You shouldn’t let your festive spirit suffer by not allowing yourself a bit of indulgence. Overlooking the mashed potatoes, pies, stuffing, casseroles–or whatever other delectables your table has been set with–will leave you feeling sour. And in the company of friends and family, nobody wants a sourpuss at their Thanksgiving table. So tell yourself that you will allow for a bit of indulgence. One cheat day isn’t going to make you gain back all of the weight you have succeeded in losing so far. But don’t go overboard. If pie is your favorite, enjoy a slice without the whipped cream topping. Or have your mashed potatoes minus the gravy and butter. You’ll feel good about yourself knowing that you aren’t totally abandoning your diet and yet are still enjoying some of the high calorie staples of Thanksgiving.

A few hours before the meal: When dressing for your holiday get together, try to wear clothing that is somewhat tight (trainwithpayne.com). Wearing tight clothing will prevent you from eating too much. Leave your fat pants at home! If you begin to eat too much, the bloating against your tight clothing will make you uncomfortable and remind you to decline that second helping of stuffing. Also, it’s a good idea to have a light snack before your holiday meal and to drink at least 8 ounces of water (scottqmarcus.com). This will allow your body to fill up before the meal, causing you to feel less hungry.

During the meal: On Thanksgiving, you are surrounded by family and friends. So talk to them! Having conversations during your meal will help you to eat slowly. The faster you eat, the more you eat, because it takes your body longer to shout “I’m full!” Also, remember that calories in drinks can really add up. Drink mostly water, and if you want to indulge in some wine or other high-calorie beverage, then limit yourself to half a glass. Maybe the most important thing to remember is to have portion control (searchmothers.com)! Remember that all is good in moderation. You can have everything at the table as long as you don’t have too much of any one item.

After the meal: The last bit of advice for all you dieters out there is to dole out your leftovers after the meal is over (wikihow.com). If you are stuck with a refrigerator full of them, you are going to feel obligated to eat them. One cheat day is fine… however, one cheat week is not!

Hopefully, these tips will help keep you in the festive mood without breaking your diet. Happy Turkey Day, all!

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format