Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

I can hear that voice in the back of your head. You think that it’s only one day. You think that it’s okay to gorge yourself, just this one day. There’s that other voice there, too, though. It’s saying that you don’t want to give up on your dreams, AGAIN. What do you listen to? If you eat like you’ve always done on Thanksgiving, then you’ll feel guilty for giving up on your dreams. If you diet like it’s January First, then you’ll miss out on all the fun. There’s no way to win, right?

Wrong!

The first thing you need to do is decide what you want:

• Do you want to gain and be able to eat whatever you want?
• Do you want to maintain and be able to enjoy some of the food?
• Do you want to have a loss at the scale this week and you don’t care about the food?

It doesn’t matter how you answer. Seriously. Whichever one of the three choices you choose, is going to be fine, but you’re not allowed to beat yourself up afterwards. If you indulge, it’s okay. The weight will come off later. If you miss out on some of the food, that’s fine too. There’s always next Thanksgiving. Whatever you choose, it has to be a decision that you can live with. You’re not allowed to feel guilty or picked on afterward because this is your choice.

Here are some tips for each of the three choices:

“I’m okay with gaining as long as I get to eat whatever I want.”

• Make sure that you eat only the food that you crave and miss during the rest of the year. If you get mashed potatoes all the time, then skip them in favor of the food that you REALLY want.

• Don’t bother with “filling up on the healthy things” before you eat what you REALLY want. That advice will just add calories to your day. Eat only the food that sounds good.

• Keep the portions small. There will be lots of things to taste and dessert later, so just take a spoonful.

“I want to maintain AND have some of my favorites.”

• Add 200 calories to your daily allowance. That should give you the extra calories to indulge without causing a gain at the scale this week.

• DO NOT fast until the meal. You will be too hungry by the time you get there and you’ll slip into binge-mode. If your Thanksgiving dinner is in the afternoon, eat a small breakfast (about 200 calories or so). If your big meal is at dinner time, add a low-calorie lunch. Try a vegetable soup.

• Follow the advice for “I’m okay with gaining as long as I get to eat whatever I want” for choosing what you will eat.

“I want to see a loss at the scale this week. I don’t care about Thanksgiving.”

• Keep your calorie allowance the same as a usual day.

• DO NOT fast until the meal. You will be too hungry by the time you get there and you’ll slip into binge-mode. If your Thanksgiving dinner is in the afternoon, eat a small breakfast (about 200 calories or so). If your big meal is at dinner time, add a low-calorie lunch. Try a vegetable soup.

• Follow the advice for “I’m okay with gaining as long as I get to eat whatever I want” for choosing what you will eat.

It is possible to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving without guilt. All you have to do is do what you say you’re going to do. As long as you follow through with your plan, no matter what it is, you’ll be proud of yourself and your accomplishment.

Come back tomorrow morning, where I will have a calorie list for all the typical Thanksgiving food so you can plan exactly what you will have and what you will pass by.