2. Is it Possible not to Overstuff on Thanksgiving?
In America, 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 an cultural tradition in which we share in our misery of eating too much.
The good news is, since we do live in America, 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 your friends/family and delicious food?
Most people know that I lost 25 pounds about 8 years ago and that I have kept that weight off. When the holidays approach, people often ask me how I get through them 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 you love.
The key is to make a plan before you head to your event, and to pay attention to your body instead of following what everyone else is doing.
What Do I Do?
This has become easier for me because I finally became conscious of the fact that I hate that feeling of being overstuffed. What about you? 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.
I grab my plate and place on it 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 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 everything, I just leave anything I don't like or am not knocked over by on my plate.
Since 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 just 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.
Now, there can be a lot of social pressure to eat more and more when everyone else is doing it, so check out the short plan below and print it out to take with you on Thursday.
Here's The Plan
First: Think about the foods that you enjoy eating on Thanksgiving and write them down.
Second: Think about the foods you don't enjoy eating that much (but still somehow end up on your plate). Write those down.
Third: Think about how great your body feels when you've just eaten enough (not too much).
Fourth: Think about how awful it feels when you're overstuffed, and how much time it takes to recover.
Fifth: 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 - only the foods you absolutely love!
Sixth: Slow down and chew your food. Pay attention to your body. If you think you might be getting full, just stop eating. That's when you can start on the next step (seventh). If you were wrong about being full, and find yourself still hungry an hour later, you can always get more.
Seventh: 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 eat ever, it actually isn't! I promise!
Finally: 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.
But be polite! "Mmmmmmmm Aunt Betsy! I'd love to have more of your fruit cake, 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
www.myheartdances.com
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