How To Make Thanksgiving Healthier
Thanksgiving only comes around once a year, so why not go ahead and splurge? Because gaining weight during the holiday season is a national pastime. Year after year, most of us pack on at least a pound (some gain more) during the holidays, then we promise ourselves we will “just lose the weight after the holidays”, but most end up keeping the extra weight permanently. Even if you are successful at losing weight, unbeknownst to most, your fat cells have a “memory” and so does your hypothalamus and the fact that you had a bigger bodyweight for a time and bigger fat cells mean they from now on will be able to grow bigger and your body weight higher, much easier than before. I describe it as the fact that you turned up the thermometer on your body weight and fat cells, you may have been able to cool things down, but now that you reached that higher point, your body will constantly strive to get back to that higher point.
Thanksgiving does not have to sabotage your weight. You can satisfy your desire for traditional favorites and still enjoy a guilt-free Thanksgiving feast. After all, being stuffed is a good idea only if you are a turkey!
1. Get MORE Active, not less
With the temperatures getting colder, more people taking time off for vacations, people tend to drop off on their fitness routines during the winter months. We say you should actually INCREASE your fitness efforts in the winter rather than decrease them! #1, this helps create some better body composition to stack the odds for you when it comes to processing all those extra carbs you may be consuming over the winter months. #2, this keeps you in the habit of being fit, year-round, so that you don’t engage in the typical New Years gym rush, getting fitter in the first few months of the year, but like everyone else, dropping off a cliff with your fitness efforts after just a few months.
On holidays, take a walk with the family! After that big meal, instead of crashing on the couch, dozing off while watching football or replays of the Macys Thanksgiving Parade, bundle up, get your snow shoes on if need be, and go for a walk. It is a wonderful way for families to get physical activity and enjoy the holiday together.
2. Eat Breakfast
While you might think it makes sense to save up calories for the big meal, experts say eating a small meal in the morning can give you more control over your appetite. Start your day with a small but satisfying breakfast so you won’t be starving when you arrive at the gathering. Eating a nutritious meal with protein before you arrive takes the edge off your appetite and allows you to be more discriminating in your food and beverage choices. Eggs are a great protein-packed, low-carb option that will keep you full and when it comes to filling your plate at Thanksgiving dinner, maybe your satisfied stomach will help you pile less on your plate.
3. Lighten Up
Whether you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner or bringing a few dishes to share, make your recipes healthier! I assure you, I have been making healthier versions of holiday favorites for years and NO ONE has ever noticed a difference! I don’t even tell them that delicious pumpkin pie is actually sugar and grain-free! Need some healthy holiday recipes! We have you covered! Go to THIS LINK and get every single one of the Fire Team Whiskey holiday recipes to include grain-free bread and sugar and grain-free deserts!
4. Police Your Portions
Thanksgiving tables are bountiful and beautiful displays of traditional family favorites. Before you fill your plate, survey the buffet table and decide what you’re going to choose. Fill 3/4 of your plate with protein and veggies (carby veggies and casseroles don’t count as veggies). For example, pile a nice serving of a salad and a side of the turkey or ham or both or whatever the protein being served is. Then the last 1/3 of your plate is reserved for the carby sides.
Afraid of offending your Aunt Lisa because you didn’t take a big helping of her sweet potato casserole? Here is my tip, and I promise you I do this every year at family gatherings and it works every time. I take one spoonful of the carby sides and put it on the 1/3 of my plate reserved for that. Then I load up most of my plate with the meats and veggies. The same goes for dessert. Just a spoonful of each on a plate. Then, as we eat, I proclaim how delicious each dish is and compliment the chef. I have so little on my plate that it looks like I ate a larger serving, but what they don’t know is that I just took a little taste. If there is some leftover on the plate, it’s a very small amount and you can proclaim, “I can’t eat another bite, I am so full!”
Don’t waste your calories on foods that you can have all year long. Fill your plate with small portions of holiday favorites that only come around once a year so you can enjoy desirable, traditional foods. Potato chips, bread rolls, and macaroni salads are just carby fillers you can get any time of the year. Enjoy the holiday favorites and skip the fillers.
5. Skip the Seconds
Try to resist the temptation to go back for second helpings. Remember, the food will not disappear. What we do after everyone has gotten their serving choices, is go back and create a second plate and place it in the fridge to enjoy tomorrow for a meal. This way, you won’t have the urgency of needing to eat as much of grandmas sweet potato casserole as you can because you are afraid that this is your only chance to enjoy it. Put some aside and stick it in the freezer even for a nostalgic meal later on. Leftovers are much better the next day, and if you limit yourself to one plate, you are less likely to overeat and feel horrible.
6. Slowly Savor
Eating slowly, putting your fork down between bites, and tasting each mouthful is one of the easiest ways to enjoy your meal and feel satisfied with one plate full of food. Be present while you eat. Turn off the TV and put your phone down. Enjoy conversation with your relatives. Or, if they are not that enjoyable, fake it anyways and just know that this is an exercise in kindness.
7. Go Easy on Alcohol
Don’t forget those alcohol calories that can add up quickly. Have a glass of wine or a wine spritzer and between alcoholic drinks, enjoy sparkling water. This way you stay hydrated, limit alcohol calories, and stay sober. People also tend to overeat when they have had a few, your body's electrical communication systems are impaired and your brain will be slow to get the signal from your stomach that you need to stop eating. And anyway, let’s face it, no one likes a family drunk at holiday gatherings. Don’t be that guy or gal!
8. Be Realistic
The holiday season is a time for celebration. With busy schedules and so many extra temptations, this is a good time to strive for weight maintenance instead of weight loss. Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean that your body somehow magically won’t experience the health damages you cause by overconsuming sugar, carbs, and alcohol. Those damages last. We are not here to rain on your parade and tell you that you are not allowed to enjoy the holidays with food and drink. We are here to tell you that the only way to do it in a healthy manner is to adhere to what we call the SPECIAL OCCASION RULE. This is the rule I use with all of my nutrition coaching clients. If it is truly is a special occasion (a wedding, a birthday, a holiday, vacation, etc.) then you can have ONE TREAT and ONE extra alcoholic beverage than what is normally on plan for you. The problem with the holidays is the actual holiday or special occasion becomes a SEASON, not an actual day. You will see people with Halloween candy on their desks starting on October 1st. People bring in Christmas-themed cookies, donuts, and cupcakes on December 12th. Do you see how this slippery slope happens? Instead of a day with a couple of nice treats, it becomes months of grazing on stuff you know is damaging your health. My rule with my clients is, if it is a special occasion, on that day, yes, you may have ONE treat and ONE extra alcoholic beverage that wouldn’t normally be on your eating plan. Enjoy it immensely on that day, but tomorrow, you are right back on plan.
If you are reading this and saying to yourself, “Yes, I agree I should be doing all this, but I just can’t seem to actually DO IT!” then we are here to help! Sign up for one of our Nutritional Coaching Packages with one of the Fire Team Whiskey Trainers. You need some accountability to hold you to these standards and a specific nutrition plan so you can maintain or even lose weight this winter rather than gain! Sign up for one of our Battle Buddy Coaching Programs to work with a coach for 30 days or if you want to work with me, Captain Lincoln, exclusively, then I require a 90-day commitment from you. You can sign up to have me as your Nutrition Coach for 90 days right here.
Have a safe and healthy holiday season!