Staying Fit This Thanksgiving

“We’ve got ANOTHER holiday to worry about. It seems Thanksgiving Day is upon us.” – Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

Doesn’t it seem like even the best intentions to live a fit and healthy lifestyle get derailed during the holidays? I mean, even when you’re trying to be on your best behavior, you seem to gain a few pounds. It hardly seems fair. The truth of the matter is that when there is more food, we tend to eat more.

Another thing that works against us is that we also tend to eat more when we think we’re eating healthy foods. I guess it’s because we feel less guilty, so we go ahead and eat more. Unless you’re noshing on healthy veggies like spinach and kale, that can indeed add on some extra pounds.

To really stay fit, you’ve got to become good at seeing things for exactly what they are. As you walk into the dining room this Thanksgiving, imagine yourself as an FBI agent about to interrogate a room full of suspects (foods). Mentally “lock up” the bad ones and think of the good ones as upstanding citizens that you are free to interact with.

Here are a few more tips that can help keep you from packing on the pounds over the holiday season:

• Portion Control – Use a dessert-sized plate for dinner. You can pack enough food on there to keep yourself full until dessert actually comes around. But, if you’re really hungry, you can go for seconds. The act of getting up to fill a second plate of food will make you realize how much you’re eating. Two dessert-sized plates are definitely better than two regular-sized plates.
• Healthy Options – If you’re visiting a place where you know healthy options will be limited, make a healthy dish that you really enjoy and bring it along with you. Just be sure to make enough for everyone. This way, you’ll know you have at least one good option.
• Staying Fit – If the weather is nice enough, encourage everyone to take a walk with you after dinner. It’s a great time to work off all that food before dessert comes around. If you don’t feel like walking, you may suggest a game of softball, basketball or touch football. If you don’t have enough space, you can always hop in the car and head over to the closest park.
• Staying Hydrated – This may sound surprising, but people often mistake feelings of thirst for hunger. If you’re feeling hungry shortly after eating your Thanksgiving meal, try drinking some water instead of going straight for the snacks. If you’re still hungry after finishing that glass of water, then you know you’re feeling hunger. Have a small snack, but keep it healthy.