A few weeks ago I wrote an article about the nutritional pitfalls that accompany Halloween and what you can do to avoid them. Today I want to continue the theme of holiday temptations, but this time focus on Thanksgiving. From the end of October through the first of January there are many challenges to both your fitness and nutrition regimens. There are many different obstacles and distraction that, in most cases, are unavoidable. It is important to learn to manage these distractions as much as possible so you aren’t forced to start off the New Year with a resolution to lose all of the weight you just put on over the holidays.

The holiday season is usually a time when families get together to enjoy each others company, give thanks for their lives, and reflect on what has happened over the past year, while looking ahead to the coming year. The holidays are a time to be with the ones you love, not a time to overindulge in every imaginable way. The holidays shouldn’t be a time to have a never-ending eating contest with your family members, whether real or perceived. You don’t need to consume bottles of alcohol at every meal or function. You don’t need to commit every waking moment to being with your family, abandoning the little exercise you typically get. Caution and self-restraint are thrown out the window for a few months every year, leaving people unhappy, trying like Sisyphus to climb back up the hill before the next holiday comes around. A few minor changes can stop the physical and emotional torment you put yourself through during the holidays.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that revolves around family unity and togetherness, appreciating all that we have in our lives. Family members journey from all parts of the country to spend a few days together reminiscing about the past and looking forward to the future. Unfortunately another large focus of Thanksgiving is the mass quantity of food that is prepared and expected to be consumed. People eat an unusually large amount of food either for enjoyment or the obligation to the cook for preparing the food. There are always the parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles who tell you to go back and get more no matter how much you have already eaten. No matter how many times you plead that you have had enough, somehow you always manage to end up with more food on your plate.

If you were to examine the typical Thanksgiving meal you would notice that, for the most part, there isn’t any food that is particularly bad for you. The typical Thanksgiving meal usually has some form of meat, whether it’s turkey, ham, or something else. Then there are usually a few different side-dishes of vegetables and potatoes. There are probably a few other dishes that each family makes, but it is all pretty healthy. The only real issue with Thanksgiving is the quantity of food that people consume. There are a few simple things you can do to avoid the temptations during the Thanksgiving meal, which will save you lots of toil in the future trying to lose all the weight you put on.

The first step to avoiding the gluttany that typically takes place during Thanksgiving is to inform everyone up front that you intend to practice some self-control and you would appreciate their acceptance of your efforts. Unless you have a heartless or ruthless family they should hopefully respect your efforts and avoid pressuring you to eat too much food and acknowledge your preference of certain foods. Don’t be concerned about what your audience will say when you inform them of your choice, their thoughts don’t affect you at all. By being confident in your decision you will be able to withstand any negative thoughts or ideas that may creep into your thinking. Understand that your thoughts are the only thing that matter. I would recommend having this conversation before the meal is served, either earlier in the day or the day before, so that way people are able to absorb the idea and will be more likely to accept your choice.

The next obstacle is to maintain your commitment to avoid over consuming food. This can seem hard when presented with serving platters full of food. You need to develop a plan to control the portions of the food you eat. If you are the kind of person, who wants to try everything that was made, it is important to take a small sample of each food. The meat is always a must, to ensure you get an adequate amount of protein to offset all of the carbohydrates typically consumed. I recommend getting a few pieces of meat and then depending on the number of other dishes, a forkful or two of each of the dishes. Limit yourself to one plateful of food, and one that is reasonable in size, not an overflowing mound of food. No matter how good something tastes, do not allow yourself to go back for more. Maintain your conviction to control your portion sizes.

My second idea, which may help with the temptation to eat more, is to spread all of the food out over a few meals. At the main Thanksgiving meal select a few of the dishes that you want to eat. Again make sure the meat is a staple of the meal. Pick the three dishes or so that you want to eat, making sure that you maintain the single plateful rule. Depending on the time that you eat the main meal there may be time later in the day to eat another meal, this time sampling different dishes. Where most people will still be stuffed, from grossly over consuming food, you should be hungry again within about three hours. By consuming smaller portions you will maintain your fast metabolism, which will allow you to eat frequently while creating a fat burning environment inside your body. Spread the number of dishes you want to eat throughout the next few days instead of eating all the food at once. Not only will this help you maintain your focus on health and nutrition, but it will also help to get rid of the leftovers. You can have a variety of meals for the next few days without ever sabotaging your weight.

Beyond controlling the portion sizes of the foods you eat you need to decide which foods are the best for you. It is understandable that it is an infrequent occasion to get together with family and friends to have a holiday meal, so you don’t have to completely avoid some of the foods that may not be great for you. You just need to acknowledge which foods are worse than others and practice more self-control by really limiting the amount of those foods that you eat. It is important to limit or ideally completely avoid any foods that are fried, since these foods are extremely unhealthy. I would also recommend limiting or avoiding any foods with a heavy sauce, since sauces add unnecessary empty calories. This idea includes gravy. Limit gravy as much as possible, instead of drowning everything in gravy and a small spoonful to the top of your meat and potatoes and stop there. The general rule, as with everyday life, is to avoid consuming too many empty calories. Look over the dishes, or ask the cook ahead of time, and choose the dishes that provide the most nutrition while also satisfying your taste.

The last issue, which continues off the previous idea, is to avoid over consumption of alcohol and desserts. It is not unusual for a Thanksgiving meal to have three or more desserts. This can be extremely tempting to even the most battle tested fitness enthusiast. My recommendations from above apply here too, but in even greater self-restraint. It is fine to have a small portion of pie because it is a holiday and withholding can create an extreme urge to binge. Use your best judgment when determining whether or not having some or none at all is the better option for you. I would typically recommend having a small piece of your favorite dessert and stopping there. If there is another dessert that you couldn’t live without save a piece of it for another day. Avoid the urge to try everything.

The same idea applies to alcohol. There can be a tendency to get caught up in the moment while drinking with family and friends. Some people may start drinking early in the afternoon and finally stopping late in the night. This can lead to many health issues, including an extreme consumption of calories from alcohol. I would recommend allowing yourself no more than three drinks all day, and that is being generous. Ideally I would recommend having no more than one drink and having it with the meal, like a glass of wine. Alcohol will not only add calories, it can also impair your reasoning, which can cause you to lose the control you intended to use during the meal, leading you to eat too much. There is nothing good about either alcohol or dessert so use your best judgment and self-restraint when making your decision to try a little or avoid it altogether.

Thanksgiving is an opportunity for family and friends to get together, but unfortunately becomes an occasion to eat too much food. By making a few simple choices you should be able to avoid the Thanksgiving temptations and maintain your progress towards you ultimate goal. At the end of the day you will be much happier with yourself for staying strong and focused on your goal. The short-term pleasure of eating copious amounts of food doesn’t live up to the pain experienced when you step on the scale a few days later.

Everything in life is a personal choice you have to make. Decide that you are going to maintain your focus on your goals by taking whatever steps necessary. Don’t allow the thoughts and ideas of others to stop you from doing what you want. You are the only one that has to pay for the decisions you make when eating and exercising. Good luck.

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