The last two Thanksgivings I have kept the intake under control and it was wonderful. I used to be bloated and miserable at the end of the day but no more. It does make the day more enjoyable. Whenever I do over eat I just remember to stay calm and go right back to my normal eating habits. I don't eat less at the next meal or over exercise. I convince myself that one heavy meal will not have a dramatic impact on weight or health.

my body is telling me that I need chocolate... :D

Since I'm the one doing the cooking and the food is where I'll be, I tell myself that I don't have to gorge, that enough is as good as a feast, and if I get hungry later I can always have more later.  So I fix serving sizes like I normally would at any other meal, and when we're done eating I pack everything away so it's not just staring me in the face.  But, if I do get hungry later on, I take some out and reheat a little more and have it, no big deal.  This way, even if I do wind up eating a bit more than normal that day, it isn't all at once, and I'm not making myself sick.  Honestly, I'm normally so tired from all the cooking and mellowed from the good meal that I get too lazy to even fix myself anymore and reheat it, so I normally don't have seconds anyway!

This Thursday, my husband and I will face the big holiday test ourselves. What we have decided to do is instead of fixing umpteen numbers of calorie laden dishes that we end up gorging on and feeling crummy about it afterward, we decided to fix a small meal of basic favorites, but alter how we fix them. Example is cranberry salad. We are using Splenda and sugar free strawberry jello to knock out the excess sugar, and it becomes dessert. For homemade dressing, instead of a huge pan made with a pound of regular sausage and butter laden turkey stock, we are using more diced vegies, low sodium chicken broth, three pieces of cooked turkey sausage, and making a small quart dish instead. We are cooking fresh vegies to accompany the turkey breast, which will be cooked in a cooking bag with chicken broth and fresh herbs. We figure if we make small quantities of a few dishes (adjusted for calories and fat) with plenty of vegetables, it will help. We shouldn't feel deprived, nor eaten ourselves into oblivion. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. All of us are in this holiday challenge together!

such a wonderful post!! =)

This was very helpful.  I have to remember that if I do overeat during lunchtime for example, to listen to my body, and not eat the usual full dinner at six just because.  I'm too used to the three meals a day mentality.  

One thing I am trying this time is too eat small portions through the day.  Not to get full, but barely satisfied. Wait a few hours and then have a bit more.  The article on TG calories puts it all in prospective!

http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-thanksgiving-food-b36 2227?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_camp aign=newsletter_20101123&utm_term=title3

This is great advice!  Looking for a print button to be able to read this a few more times before Thursday maybe even in the car on the way to my daughter's house.  Is there a print option? 

This is some of the best advice I've read on the subject, and like ve20232, I plan on putting this on hard copy and posting on my fridge.

What particularly resonated with me was: "I have to constantly remind myself that I live in a land of abundance where turkey and potatoes are available year round and food will always taste good."

 I've never been able to put that thought so nicely into words...it always comes out as "IT'S ONLY FOOD!"

Thanks so much for these great words of wisdom!

Thank you! I think I will be able to walk through Thursday instead of roll! 

I have really got to stick with this. WHY! I can't fall off the food wagon and I have to go to my mothers for lunch and his mothers for dinner, both of which have tons of AWESOME food. It is very hard not to just keep eating with the dressing and potatoes and the gravy and OMG there I go! WHERES THE LIST!

This is actually great advice for me, not only for the holidays, but for every meal. I tend to overeat on every occasion. Thanks for the reminders list!

I use a smaller plate! Our family has more one more person than full sized dinner plates, so I just take one of the 7" salad plates instead of the 13" dinner plate monstrosity. And since everyone sees me eating a full plate of food, they don't ask if I want more- but they did when I ate off of the larger plate. :c) This is a holiday- I eat whichever foods I want, but that's no reason to eat until I pop!

That's a great idea too. And that is funny because, I eat off a salad plate instead of a real plate anyother time, it would only make since to do the same for holidays!

"I have to constantly remind myself that I live in a land of abundance where turkey and potatoes are available year round and food will always taste good."

SO TRUE! And all of those hard to pass up so-called "holiday" treats--Ferrero, Baci, Lindor, Toblerone--are in fact available all year, but only moved to the front of the stores, and put in red and green boxes at this time. 

After losing more than 97 pounds (wow!), I'm not going back to old holiday eating habits. Here's my strategy:

Choose 5 items that mean "Thanksgiving" to me. Skip everything else.

Eat 1/2-portion amounts of those items. (1/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup, for example)

Find recipes for favorites that are calorie-streamed, or create your own by using healthier substitutions (i.e., less sugar or sugar substitutes, reduced-calorie soups, low-fat or fat-free substitutes, egg whites for yolks, etc.).

Write it down! If I honestly write down everything I put in my mouth, I eat a LOT less. It looks so much better in your journal to see '1 ounce chocolate cake' instead of '4x6" piece of chocolate cake.'

Finally, forgive yourself. It was one day, OK? Just don't make it a habit. Take a nice walk to regroup your thoughts and feelings. You'll feel better, and your body will love you.

Original Post by: french_tutor

After losing more than 97 pounds (wow!), I'm not going back to old holiday eating habits. Here's my strategy:

Choose 5 items that mean "Thanksgiving" to me. Skip everything else.

Eat 1/2-portion amounts of those items. (1/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup, for example)

Find recipes for favorites that are calorie-streamed, or create your own by using healthier substitutions (i.e., less sugar or sugar substitutes, reduced-calorie soups, low-fat or fat-free substitutes, egg whites for yolks, etc.).

Write it down! If I honestly write down everything I put in my mouth, I eat a LOT less. It looks so much better in your journal to see '1 ounce chocolate cake' instead of '4x6" piece of chocolate cake.'

Finally, forgive yourself. It was one day, OK? Just don't make it a habit. Take a nice walk to regroup your thoughts and feelings. You'll feel better, and your body will love you.

I totally agree with the honestly writing everything down.  I mean, who are we lying to?  We have to be honest with ourselves, and if we aren't being honest about what we're eating then we know deep down we aren't eating properly.  If I can't put it to paper then I certainly shouldn't put it in my mouth!

I also agree with the just one day aspect.  I mean, it all evens out.  One day isn't our whole lives- you can have a bad day and still have a good week.  You can have a bad meal and still have a good day!

Lately I have been having one spoon of whatever looks appealing to me.  I do really good with that.  My problem is with the desserts--pie comes in a wedge, not served with a spoon.  I don't know why I have less self control with desserts--it's not like I'm not capable of making any of the items on the table.  Habit, I guess.  This year I'm going to try walking away from dessert and having it several hours later.    

When I know i'm going to a special occasion I make sure to eat my normal 6 meals a day and one of my snacks is before the thanksgiving dinner so i'm not as hungry. Common sense things always work best, plenty of water, eating slowly, really savoring each bite. If you eat well all week, it's really not bad to treat yourself at one meal. In fact it's been shown that treating yourself when you're on a diet can boost metabolism be ensuring your body that food is not scarce so it doesn't slow down but revs up.

Not going to be a problem.  This will sound wrong, but we are going to have thanksgiving where cooking is not high on the priority list.  Trying to figure out what to eat that might taste good will be a bigger challenge.  

it might be easy to take this advice when at home, but if you are spending the day with family it is hard to have any control, especially if no one else is trying to be sensible. The hosts may always be asking you if you want more and it seems so rude to say no. Your small portion can look like a criicism of their overeating. If you push your plate away it looks as if you do not like the food--no matter how much you say --that was delicious but i am full. And as to the advice of leaving the table--that just cannot happen in a traditional everyone sits round for hours type occasion. 

I never eat desert at home, and feel terrible when at the family occasion, cakes and puddings come out that have obviously taken work to prepare, especially when they say --I did this because it used to be your favourite. I have just had to grit my teeth and stick to not having  any. now after several years they know i mean it and do not push too hard. one year they tried saying that it was prepared with low calorie ingreadiants, but as I never leave room for desert then even low calorie would be overeating. Again i felt bad because they had made a special efffort.

I recently started realy chewing food well before I swallowed it, chewed each mouthfull till the taste disappeared. Do not pick up the next mouthfull till I have an empty mouth. It takes a long time but you look to be eating all the time and yet your plate does not empty. It might help this holiday

Original Post by: grannydrums

it might be easy to take this advice when at home, but if you are spending the day with family it is hard to have any control, especially if no one else is trying to be sensible. The hosts may always be asking you if you want more and it seems so rude to say no. Your small portion can look like a criicism of their overeating. If you push your plate away it looks as if you do not like the food--no matter how much you say --that was delicious but i am full. And as to the advice of leaving the table--that just cannot happen in a traditional everyone sits round for hours type occasion. 

I never eat desert at home, and feel terrible when at the family occasion, cakes and puddings come out that have obviously taken work to prepare, especially when they say --I did this because it used to be your favourite. I have just had to grit my teeth and stick to not having  any. now after several years they know i mean it and do not push too hard. one year they tried saying that it was prepared with low calorie ingreadiants, but as I never leave room for desert then even low calorie would be overeating. Again i felt bad because they had made a special efffort.

I recently started realy chewing food well before I swallowed it, chewed each mouthfull till the taste disappeared. Do not pick up the next mouthfull till I have an empty mouth. It takes a long time but you look to be eating all the time and yet your plate does not empty. It might help this holiday

Rude to say no?  Your health is more important than your perceived insult to someone's feelings.  It's your body, you have every right to say no!

grannydrums, you've listed many of the common holiday triggers for overeating (see a few others in the article under "Don't Miss the Lesson.") The awareness of these triggers is what is most important. However, when you speak about them as though they are impossible to change, they are just that: impossible to change.

Fortunately, you appear to have already figured out several effective ways for you to deal with them. For others who are struggling with these same types of triggers, let me share some other ways to respond to these triggers using some of the examples you've given:

• "It is hard to have any control, especially if no one else is trying to be sensible." - No matter what any one else chooses, I choose to be sensible since I am the one who will feel uncomfortable if I don't.
  
  
• "The hosts may always be asking you if you want more and it seems so rude to say no." - While some people have a belief that refusing food is rude, it is not, as long as it is done in a polite, respectful way. If they still take it as rude, that is their issue, not mine.
  
  
• "Your small portion can look like a criticism of their overeating." I will not project my feelings on you; I only make decisions for myself and you can choose whatever you want without me criticizing or even commenting on your choices.
  
  
• "If you push your plate away it looks as if you do not like the food--no matter how much you say --that was delicious but i am full." - Try to understand what the cook really wants from you: your appreciation, your compliments, your recognition of the love they've put into the food - then give them that. For example, "That was the best Thanksgiving meal I can remember! You do such a marvelous job and I appreciate it so much. I just can't eat another bite but I'd love to take a little home so I can enjoy it again tomorrow. Thank you!"
  
  
• "As to the advice of leaving the table--that just cannot happen in a traditional everyone sits round for hours type occasion." - These special occasions are all about the emotional connections we make and that has very little to do with the food. I will offer to clear the table so we can then sit and enjoy the conversation without staring at each other over cold, dried out food.

Changing your lifestyle starts by recognizing then changing the way you think. Breaking free of old ineffective patterns opens the door to new possibilities!

I've found that if I share my health concerns with my host/hostess in advance (privately) and then don't dwell on it, things seem to go pretty smooth. No one likes the food police, so I try to just simply say "No more, but it was delicious, thank you," and find something else to talk about. I'm also a proponent of the "one bite" theory. If forced on you, take one bite and surreptitiously toss the rest. You can have that one bite in 3 micro-bites, so it even looks like you're eating. I did that on a cruise once, just eating micro-bites of things, and I lost 1 1/2 pounds during the cruise! (but I did have the waiters asking why I didn't like my meals.)

It helps to enjoy the food and the eating experience - smell, taste, texture, chewing, even swallowing and savoring the flavors. Wolfing down a piece of pie in 2 bites is not enjoying the food. Stop and smell the cooking.

Good luck, everyone - it seems like we've all got game plans that will work for us!

Everybody, almost, wants to loose weight.  I go to my relatives for Thanksgiving and all holidays and there is not a problem with me not eating or eating the planned meals that I bring.  While they eat, I fix a plate to go.  That way I do not feel deprived and they know that the food is very tempting to me.  More importantly, the food is in my freezer if I want it.

In summary, my health is more important than what people think or if they will be hurt.  I lost 60 miserable pounds in 2005 and I will not go back to that hell.  I remember one Xmas, about 14 years ago, I was so fat and could not find anything to stuff myself into without great anguish.  My daughter gave me a very beautiful mumu and I was so grateful that I cried and put it on right away.

With the health crisis today, anyone who truly loves you will be motivated and encouraged by your dedication.  No one comments on what I eat or don't eat anymore and they are so excited each time I complete a marathon.

The problem I have are the days after with the leftovers. overeating until the food is all gone.

I hear you about the leftovers - I was worried about that, too!  I guess we need a game plan for the week after. Here's mine:

1. I did not save any desserts except the jello salad. I forced them off on other people.

2. I only saved enough for one meal of the side dishes, allowing only a 1/2 portion for myself. The family did want leftovers the day after, so I reheated everything and put it out and let them go at it. I had half-portions of everything.

3. I did save all the leftover turkey; after all, it's a healthy food option. But I packaged it up in zip bags and marked it for a future use. The white meat for turkey salad, and the dark meat for pulled barbecue or soup. That way it doesn't get old and I have control over how it's served.

I bet others out there have some good ideas for handling leftovers. I'm sure everyone's situation is different, and the challenges can be met in different ways. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Grannydrums; I'm sure your family loves you dearly.  Maybe if you explain to them that you don't want them to be offended at all; but you're trying to limit your portions for your health, they will understand and support you.  You must be a very carrying person to think of them before yourself!  But trust them; I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised!