Ah, Thanksgiving…that time of year when we gather with our loved ones, eat delicious food, and reflect on all the things we have to be thankful for.
Or…
That time of year when we suck it up to deal with our crazy families, and deal with the stress by eating two full plates, and a third helping of pie. Because if you’re chewing, you can’t hear your families judgments about your life, and how you should or shouldn’t be living it.
Or…somewhere in between.
No matter where on the spectrum of “excited to full blown anxiety” your Thanksgivings tend to fall, we all share one thing in common – Thanksgiving is a day we struggle with when it comes to feeling equipped to handle the amount of delicious food that will lay before us.
I have four quick tips to help you navigate the day, and reduce the stress that Thanksgiving might bring.
#1. Focus on protein and veggies.
There’s a good chance your Thanksgiving day dinner will include turkey. Cool, put a big ol’ pile of it on your plate. And then get some helpings of veggies on there too. Fill the rest of your plate with whatever you want.
Easy-peasy, right?
#2. Check your portions.
When you’re filling up your plate, take a little less of everything than you normally would. That’s it. That is the extent of this tip.
#3. Savor
Whether its turkey, sweet potato casserole, or pumpkin pie, savoring your food is a great way to eat less. If you slow down and actually experience the food you’re eating, it gives you much more enjoyment and tends to make less food more satisfying. Slow down. Enjoy it.
#4. CHILL. OUT.
Tips 1, 2 and 3 can really help. And if you’re stressed about overeating on this holiday, following those two tips could drastically reduce the amount of calories you take in. So, follow them, if you’re concerned.
However, this is one day. This is one meal. Do you think your progress will be stalled or irreparably undone by one meal?
Here’s a little perspective we all (myself included) can use. Let’s say you eat three meals every day. Over the course of a year, that means you will eat 1,095 meals.
Thanksgiving is one of those meals.
One.
Do you know what 1 out of 1,095 is?
0.00091.
Roughly .09% of your meals.
Do you know how significant that is? Incredibly insignificant. Like, ZERO.
Sure, if you’re regularly eating in a way that is very contradictory to your goals, than going overboard on Thanksgiving may feel more damaging. But, that’s more of an issue of consistency than it is of one meal having great significance. It’s also a whole different issue.
That’s the end of my advice for you.
Sure you can apply the first to tips, and that’s awesome. They will definitely help you eat less, if followed. And that self control can be a good thing to practice.
Or, don’t stress about it. Because not giving importance to things that aren’t important is a good thing to practice too.
