Thanksgiving without the food guilt
Wow! It’s been a while and it’s already Thanksgiving! Time really flies and it has been a journey. If you are interested in what I’ve been up to, follow me on instagram to get the latest updates or watch my Youtube videos about my meet prep.
For a lot of people, Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa, and New Years are times of enjoyment, socialization, traveling, and events. However, because of this it also tends to be a time of stress, overeating, binging, and “all or nothing” mindsets. No wonder why so many New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight, start dieting, and get a gym membership. It’s an endless cycle that is exacerbated by social media and the fitness industry. What if I told you this cycle could be no more? What if I told you by changing your mindset, you don’t have to keep reliving the feeling of hating yourself for eating too much and compelled to outrun your Thanksgiving dinner? For anyone who has been battling this endless cycle, my best advice would be to see a Registered Dietitian who can help you focus on behavior change rather than macros and meal plans for long term results. (I accept insurance for those that have Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare and am running a huge 15% off sale for the ENTIRE month of November only!)
For those looking for some quick tips, I GOT YOU!
Eat your normal breakfast/lunch - skipping your meals and “saving up” your calories to feast on a large dinner is setting yourself up to exploit the feeling of overeating and guilt afterwards. If you have your normal meals and go into Thanksgiving dinner with a stable appetite, you will likely feel inclined to have more normal portions and eat at a smaller rate than shoveling food in your mouth because you have been so hungry all day.
Balance the plate - if you have been following my posts before, you know that a general balanced plate consists of 1/2 plate produce, 1/4 plate protein, 1/4 plate carbs. Of course there will be many different options of all of these foods and you might want to try them ALL! That is still okay and I encourage you to satisfy those desires by having a little of each. However, trying to still be mindful of this plate breakdown can ensure you get the right nutrients in better proportions.
Stay hydrated all day - often times, during most gatherings, eating out, and drinking occasions, the food tends to be higher in sodium and carbs more than what you may eat on a regular basis and more alcohol may be involved. This makes it even more important to stay well hydrated (perhaps more than usual) to reduce the symptoms of bloating and water retention as a reaction from the sodium, carbs, and alcohol as well as helping with digestion. The more you can reduce these effects, perhaps the less negative you will feel about the food later, thereby reducing the negative attachment you may place on those foods as an “off limits” item.
Enjoy the company - these gatherings are much more than food. We place so much value on what we’re going to eat or which food will taste the best, that we sometimes forget the value of being with those we might not get to see often. I understand for some, they might not actually enjoy the social interactions. However, food does not have to be a coping mechanism either. Instead, you might want to place more effort to try to brainstorm what activities might be fun to interact with the company or what types of loopholes/backup plans you can make to escape the social noise.
Continue the week like normal - after Thanksgiving or whatever holiday/events this applies to, wake up and start your day like normal. No, you don’t have to skimp on breakfast. No, you don’t have to go for a 3 mile run. You don’t have to do anything outside the norm to compensate at all. The more you can normalize your routine, the less you will fall into a cycle of restricting and binging later on. If you have an off day, you get back on the right foot one step at a time. So don’t beat yourself up and think about how you can continue to move forward!
We all know this time of year involves a lot of moving parts. Do yourself a favor by planning and thinking ahead so that you can become a better YOU! You got this :)
