Ok How is everyone going to handle Thanksgiving holiday next week?

Any suggestions on how to handle this day? I know i will be out of control around all the good food!


Clarice

Well I have actually 2 dinners on the day, my family and my inlaws. In past years I've handled it by taking small portions at my parents' dinner (the first of the two, the all-home-cooked and butter-laden dinner), since I need to save room for my inlaws. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings so I take a small serving of everything and just fill up one plate. I'm bringing green beans because there are never any veggies there. The only problem with that is that everyone takes like 4 plates and I have to eat really, really slowly so I'm not watching everyone eat for an hour. Then at my inlaws, everything is low fat and low cal. It doesn't taste as good, but I don't have to feel bad about eating it lol.

I try not to take any leftovers, but sometimes it's inevitable. If I leave it in the fridge though, my husband will eat it.

I'm having 6 oz of turkey breast, 3 oz of mashed potato and 3 oz of corn, with a 1/2 tbsp of gravy and 1 tbsp of butter.

In all 450 cals.

I'll just take small portions (that is, if I'm even going anywhere for thanksgiving). I'm a small girl they won't be surprised if I eat a lil. haha.

i'm going to try and be aware of how muhc i'm eating and make better choices than i used to. but i'm going to enjoy the day and beign with family and not worry about 1 meal out of the year. definitely not going to count and measure everythign I eat.

I've already logged everything I plan to eat, adding 100 cals to every estimate from CC.  Thankfully, my gym is open that day, so I'll definitely workout before too.  My best strategy is to stay away from alcohol...always leaves me craving anything in sight!

Running a 5k in the morning

Taking it easy on the stuffing and dinner rolls but definitely indulging in some pumpkin pie!

I haven't decided yet what I want to do. Part of me wants to call it a free day, but I know that whole week will probably be higher-calorie-than-normal, so I should try for moderation. The corn bread and whipped cream are my danger zones, so as long as I can be moderate there and take small portions of everything else I'll probably just stick to that instead of trying to count/estimate everything.

Also -- I'm *definitely* having a good solid breakfast (300-400 calories) and a protein-rich snack around noon so I won't be too hungry when dinner comes around at 4:00. Portion control is going to be my goal, even though I want it to be a freer day than normal.

I'm probably going to end up eating around 3500 calories on Thanksgiving.  It's one day.  It's the best meal of the year.  I love pie.  

I will avoid any bread, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes.  Just turkey with cranberries and whatever veg is available.  Then, I can't feel guilty when I have pie!

I've already done my research into the calories and grams of fat of white turkey meat and dark turkey meat (my preference); I already make low fat mashed potatoes & I'm not eating my husband's stuffing, as he adds a whole cube of butter! I have a recipe for a low calorie/low fat pumpkin pie I'm going to make (trial run first, test mini-pie), and probably one for everyone else! Thank God they make fat free Cool Whip! I'll have one of those tubs set aside for me! The asparagus I'll probably do in the oven with a light spray of olive oil and some lemon juice/zest. I have my trusty food scale that I'll use before I load up my plate with turkey! I can eye-ball the taters, and asparagus has only 13 calories for 4 spears, so I'm good there. I'm making my yams with Splenda Brown Sugar, and I'll just have to avoid those tasty, nasty little miniature marshmellows. They aren't horrible for calories, but added to everything else that'll be on my plate, I can skip them. I've been looking for a home-made cranberry sauce recipe I can use Splenda in, for me, but haven't found one yet.  I'll keep looking. I'll also pass on the gravy. Oh, and I gave up alcohol about 2 months ago, and that helped the weight just fall off!

Since I've been on my diet, that started in mid-September I've dropped quite a bit of weight, and now I'm in the 100's.  I don't want to blow it for one flipping meal! I plan on giving my children, and anyone else whose at my table, leftovers to take home.  Especially that regular pumpkin pie!

I am going to do the same thing I always do when I have a special occasion...give myself the day off!  I am going to eat really healthy and within my calories for the week leading up to it.  I am going to eat a healthy breakfast, and make a good salad.  It is only one day, and I find after 6 months or so of exercising portion control I do not like overeating like I used to.  I will stop eating when I am full, and not worry about the calories!  I'm going to enjoy the family time and be thankful that I found CC!!

I'm not sure yet. I hope I can just have everything in moderation and not go back for seconds. I'm not cooking so I can't really make anything fat free or low fat. i know we are having turkey, ham, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. I'm not sure what else.

My mom is making a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, and other sides. I'm only going to eat the turkey and maybe a couple rolls (they're my fave and only available around the Holidays). Other than that, I'm making my own sides - all low fat, low calorie, guilt free, and I'm even making my ownpie.

I'm going to do a double workout on Thanksgiving day before we eat. I'm also kicking up the workouts a notch or two starting on Monday.   Then I'm going to allow myself to eat what I want.  I've lost 71 pounds, I think I deserve it.  I know that I get full more quickly, so the splurge will not be as bad as it could be.  Just knowing all the effort it will take to burn the calories in the double work out will make me think about each forkful as well.

I am not going to count or worry about it.  The day before I have a long-ish run planned and weight training, then the day after I have a swimming and weight training day planned. All I'm going to do is try to be concious about serving sizes and that's it.  As long as I don't eat more than ~10,000 calories I won't gain more than two pounds (when taking the activity into consideration) and I really doubt I'd eat that much.  I'd rather enjoy the day, not worry about CC and have to lose 1-2 pounds, than dampen the day by being critical about everything that goes in my mouth.  Thanksgiving is only once a year, I think it deserves to be a 'free day'!

I am definitely just eating my heart content.  I LOVE all of the food!  YUM YUM YUM I am soo excited!!  And then when I get back to school...back to the diet.

My plan is, since TG dinner is at grandma's house, to do my best to be absolutely perfect up until TG day. On that day, during dinner, I plan to eat any and everything I want. For that meal only. I don't plan to take leftovers home and I'm not cooking anything at home 'just to have some leftovers'. That one meal won't kill me, it never does. It's the overindulgence that lasts from Thanksgiving until New Years that does it and that won't be happening. It helps that I'm a teacher and instead of going to work everyday with people bringing in all kinds of stuff to eat, most of the holidays are spent safely at home. :)

I don't plan to CC one single bit on TG day.

EATING LOTS!  :) It's a free day, chocolate mocha pie and deviled eggs - that alone is probably 3000 cals so I am just going to enjoy it!

I'm going to be cooking for my husband, myself and our 9 month old son, so I'm just going to cook enough for two. Nothing for seconds. Also, if you aren't the one cooking, get a small plate and a small spoon and dish up your portions that way.

Um, try to fill up on the veggie platter/salads. Ooh, maybe only have a small piece of pie or two cookies? I always gourge on the stupid appetizers, so I'm not going to make anything this year for appetizers.

I'm making mini peach cobbler for desert, stuffing with sweet potatoes and cranberries, roasted green beans, and maple glazed drimsticks. I'm not gonna cook a whole turkey, and we both love drumsticks so I'll whip up about 2-3 of those bad boys. I'll put in a small breast for my son, though. I think dark meat is too greasy for his little tummy!  

Exercising like a madwoman the day before. 

And during the dinner I'll try not to overindulge. Of course since it's a Family Day I'll eat as a I please but I'm not going to be snarfing down everything in sight like I usually did last year's Thanksgiving.