Thanksgiving Survival Plan

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In the United States, we have an interesting social event that typically occurs after the Thanksgiving meal each year. People gather around and bond over how overstuffed and uncomfortable they are. We have a cultural tradition in which we share in our misery of eating too much.

The good news is, since we do live in the United States, it's not the last time you will ever eat, and we have adequate storage, so whatever you can't eat in this moment, can be saved for another meal.

Would you love to look forward to not being overstuffed and gaining weight on Thanksgiving while still enjoying delicious food with your friends or family?

For eight years I have maintained a 25-pound weight loss. Because many of my friends and colleagues know this about me, I am often asked how I get through the holidays without gaining weight.

It doesn't have to be hard and you don't have to deprive yourself either. It's a really fun day, and I think we should be able to enjoy the variety of dishes available as well as getting together with people we love.

The key is to make a plan before the event and to pay attention to your body instead of following what everyone else may be doing.

What Do I Do?

Paying attention to my body and not overeating has become easier for me because I finally became conscious of the fact that I hate that feeling of being overstuffed. It takes way too many hours before I start to feel better again.

If your Thanksgiving table looks anything like mine, there are usually a number of dishes available that all look delicious, and there are usually several different types of desserts to choose from as well.
I grab my plate and place only two or three bites worth of each dish that looks good to me. This usually fills up my plate and allows me to try everything, which is part of the fun!

There are no rules that say you must have a regular serving size of everything that is available on the dinner table.

What Is Most Delicious?

Usually there are a few things on my plate that I end up not being thrilled with. If it's not fantastic, I don't eat it. Why waste room in my stomach when there are so many other fabulous foods available? Since I only grabbed two or three bites of anything, I don’t feel like I’m wasting.
Because I didn't eat everything on my plate, I'm often still hungry. That's when I go back and get a few more bites of only the foods that I absolutely loved.

Dessert!

Don't forget to save room for dessert.

When it's time for dessert there are usually a couple things I want to try, so I take a little bit of each one, just enough to make the equivalent of one serving on my plate. It's much more fun to me this way.
There may be a lot of social pressure to eat more and more when everyone else is doing it, so check out the short plan below. Print it out to take with you to Thanksgiving dinner.

The Plan

1. Think about the foods that you enjoy eating on Thanksgiving and write them down.
2. Think about the foods you don't enjoy eating that much (but still somehow end up on your plate). Write those down.
3. Think about how great your body feels when you've eaten enough (not too much).
4. Think about how awful it feels when you're overstuffed, and how much time it takes to recover.
5. Decide to eat all of your favorite foods by filling up your plate with two or three bites worth from each dish. If you're still hungry, go back for seconds of only the foods you absolutely love!
6. Slow down and chew your food. Pay attention to your body. If you think you might be getting full, stop eating. That's when you can start on the seventh step. If you were wrong about being full and find yourself still hungry an hour later, you can always get more.
7. Make yourself a plate to put in the fridge for later, the next day perhaps. Remember, as much as we act as though Thanksgiving is our last chance to ever eat, it actually isn't! I promise!
8. What about those relatives who constantly push food on you? I have one thing to say about that. We are adults. We can choose what's best for our body. They are adults too. If they cannot handle you declining out of respect for yourself, they have a much bigger issue they need to deal with that has nothing to do with you.

That said, be polite! "Mmm Aunt Betsy! I'd love to have more of your fruitcake, but can you cut me a slice and package it up for me to take home? I'm not eating anymore right now."

Good luck everyone. Treat your body well. And let me know how it goes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Melissa King is a life and wellness coach in New York City. She works with women on healthy eating, better success in dating, and career satisfaction. You can read more of her articles at www.myheartdances.blogspot.com Contact her at melissa@myheartdances.com