Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
There’s always much to give thanks for, so let the celebrations begin…
Here’s a plan for enjoying a festive, sumptuous Thanksgiving without totally giving in to the temptation to eat everything that’s in front of you, three times over. I do this every year, and it works!
Begin Now – Starting this weekend I’ll put a bit more effort into watching what I’m eating, as well as increasing calorie-burning activities just enough to prepare the body for Thursday’s beyond-normal consumption. So instead of having a sweet potato or rye toast with eggs and avocado for breakfast, I’ll substitute tomato slices or broccoli. The remainder or the day will include carbs as usual, but with portion awareness. For calorie burn I’ll jog, perform sprint intervals, jump rope or row 3 sessions before Thursday instead of the usual two. Kettlebell Swings are performed as part of my Snatch competition training, so they don’t count as extra activity, but you can certainly give yourself a 5-day challenge of 500 Double Arm Swings, with a bell weight of at least 20lb, performed in any interval you’d like: 20 reps x 5 sets per day, 25 reps x 4 sets per day, 50 reps x 2 sets per day. Take 30 sec – 1 min rest depending on the length of you sets.
Plan the day – Envision the day with a plan in mind. How much of the following foods and drink will you consume? Don’t leave it to chance since it’s very likely you’ll consume significantly more if you don’t give it just a bit of forethought. Here’s my plan:
Alcohol – Our host makes a fantastic hot cider with rum, YUMMY! I look forward to it every year, but alcohol is loaded with calories, on top of the cider that has excessive carbs and sugar. So I’m going to enjoy 2 small glasses but I’ll reduce my usual mindless snacking on crackers and dip.
I like sitting and socializing just far enough away from the hors d’oeuvres that they’re not within reach. Veggies are a definite YES, nuts in moderation and starchy foods in smallest amounts.
Drink water throughout the day, before and during the main meal.
At the main meal – I usually forego any bread because I’d rather have more stuffing. I’ll sample almost everything and take seconds, that’s for sure, but limit it to only veggies and turkey. Eat slowly and sit for a while before you go for seconds, keeping in mind that you don’t have to clean your plate!
Dessert – YES! In small portions.
AND… if you don’t stick to your plan 100%, so what! The point is to enjoy the day, but also be contentious so you can avoid the regret of stuffing yourself. You’ll feel SO much better on Friday if you stay within the parameters of your plan.
Wishing you and yours a fabulous Thanksgiving!
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