Healthy Holiday Tips: 7 Tips for a THINNER Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love spending quality time with family and friends, and of course eating some delicious food. For the person trying to lose or maintain a healthy weight during the holidays though, Thanksgiving can feel like a huge challenge, and one big diet disaster waiting to happen. No need to stress this year though! : ) Here are my 7 tips for a thinner Thanksgiving that will allow you to enjoy the holiday and the food, without ruining your progress towards a healthier you.
1. Eat Breakfast
It may seem tempting to not eat anything all day and save all your calories for the big Thanksgiving feast, but this is not the best strategy for a thinner Thanksgiving. Start your day with a small but healthy and filling breakfast to jump-start your metabolism and keep your appetite in check. If you are starving by the time dinner comes around you are much more likely to overeat.
2. Serve or Bring 1 Healthy Dish
Whether you are cooking Thanksgiving at your own home, or bringing a dish to contribute to a feast elsewhere, you can make at least 1 healthy Thanksgiving dish to help you stay on track. Every year on Thanksgiving I am in charge of making a big Thanksgiving salad. I add in delicious cranberries, pine nuts, and pomegranate seeds, lots of herbs and make a light vinaigrette dressing. The salad tastes festive and delicious, and this way I know no matter what anyone else brings – there will be at least one healthy dish at dinner for me to fill my plate with.
3. Follow Healthy Plate Portion Guidelines
The secret to not ruining your diet on Thanksgiving is to follow some healthy plate guidelines when going through the buffet line. Fill half of your plate with something green: salad, green beans, brussel sprouts, or broccoli. Next fill one quarter of your plate with protein – the delicious turkey, and the other quarter with some starch – sweet potatoes, stuffing etc. This will help you keep your Thanksgiving meal delicious but also balanced and healthy.
4. Savor Slowly
Make sure to eat slowly. It can be so exciting to see all the delicious food everyone has been waiting for, and very tempting to dig in and eat as quickly as possible. Resist this urge, and make yourself to eat slowly, taking sips of water between every few bites. It takes your stomach awhile to digest and if you eat too quickly you will not realize you are full until it is too late. Avoid serious overeating this Thanksgiving with small bites, lots of water and slow eating. Luckily this will give you lots of time to enjoy conversing with friends and family at the dinner table.
5. Choose Pumpkin
When it is time for dessert, opt for the classic pumpkin pie instead of the pecan pie, cheesecake or brownies. Pumpkin pie is actually one of the healthier pies, which is perfect since it is such a Thanksgiving classic! Skip the ice cream and go light on the whipped cream to cut even more calories.
6. Skip the Alcohol
With so much delicious food at Thanksgiving taking up our calories for the day, avoid drinking more empty calories in the form of alcohol. If you want a glass of wine with dinner, go for it, but try to go easy on the cocktails, spiked cider, and beer throughout the day. You can easily drink your way through and extra 500 calories that can ruin a healthy Thanksgiving meal. Stick with water for the most part, and add an orange slice, lemon wedge or some cucumber to add some low calorie flavor.
7. Stay Active Together
One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions in my family is the Thanksgiving walk we take all together after our big midday meal. We always bundle up and walk around the lake by my parent’s house to enjoy time together, and walk off a few calories too of course! This is a great, fun way to stay active on Thanksgiving while enjoying the real reason for the season – being thankful for family and friends. Remember it’s not ALL about the food…and being healthy and able to be active is also something amazing to be thankful for!
I hope you all have an AMAZING Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for each one of you in my SummerGirl Fitness family, and blessed to be able to share my love and passion for fitness with all of you! <3
xoxo,
Marielle