Tackling Thanksgiving While Losing Weight

My editor asked a seemingly innocent question to me last week: What's my plan for Thanksgiving?

My initial thought was, "I will fully relish a day that revolves around food, family and football (but mostly food). Therefore, I shall eat any and all things put in front me and not really care about the consequences."

Then, I remembered that I write a weekly blog detailing how I am managing my food choices and trying to lose weight. Unfortunately, eating copious amounts of food all day long does not exactly bode well with the objective to lose weight.

My next thought was, "Oh no! How does one enjoy Thanksgiving and stay on a healthy track?" You create an action plan. Proper planning is important for me throughout all other aspects of my life, so it makes perfect sense that I create a plan to tackle turkey day.

Starting a few days prior to Thanksgiving, I have been making top-notch food choices. I tracked all of my food last week and through the weekend. I can wholeheartedly say this past weekend was the most successful food weekend that I have had in months. My positive choices in terms of food and exercise allowed me to have a good weigh-in; I was very pleased when the scale displayed 214.6.

Next, I will treat Thanksgiving Day like I treated the weekend. Mentally, I told myself that the weekend was just like the week and that I needed to eat on a schedule. I had three meals and two snacks on both Saturday and Sunday. I will make sure that I start my Thanksgiving Day with a protein and fiber-filled breakfast complete with healthy snacks.

Instead of starving myself in the hours leading up to Thanksgiving dinner, I will eat sensibly during my meals and snacks leading up to the grand feast, which will actually help me eat less.

In addition to my typical exercise schedule, another part of my plan is to have a very intense workout Thursday morning. I typically spend 30 to 45 minutes exercising. On Thanksgiving Day, I look forward to putting in at least an hour burning calories to help compensate for the additional calories I will more than likely consume.

Part of my plan is to limit myself to one plate. Gasp! One plate? On Thanksgiving? If you are like me, you might be thinking, "But Thanksgiving only happens once a year!" I've said that many times; however, Christmas dinner is happening exactly a month from Thanksgiving and it is very similar to turkey day in my family.

I admit that this one will be extremely difficult for me because I love all of the holiday fixings: broccoli and cheese casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cake, etc. You may have noticed I left off a very important part of the meal: turkey. I plan on filling up on turkey on Thanksgiving, which will hopefully provide me extra protein to keep me from craving the other side dishes.

My one-plate rule will allow me to enjoy the wonderful treats of the day, but in a limited moderation. I have also voiced my one-plate rule to my husband. He and other members of my family know how serious I am about my weight loss. By letting my husband and family members know my one-plate rule for Thanksgiving, they can support my efforts and help keep me accountable.

The most important part of my plan is to remember that Friday morning I jump right back into my normal patterns. While I do plan on allowing myself to enjoy the foods of Thanksgiving, it is crucial that I immediately get back into healthy habits. I will start my day with a healthy breakfast and a trip to the gym.

So, there's my plan on how to survive Thanksgiving and to make sure one day doesn't completely wreck my progress. The day isn't really just about food. It's about being thankful. It's about family. And remember, it's also about football. What's your plan?


More on Tipping the Scales:
Eating Healthy is Harder Than I Thought
The Art of Self-Control
My Wii Told Me I'm Fat

After decades of dieting only to gain it back, two That's Fit readers have decided to finally rethink their relationship with food and exercise over the next year to move toward a lifetime of fulfilling, healthy living. Come by every week as Ashley and Lee share their successes and challenges as they tip the scale.