Hi all!

I'm only four days into IP and already I'm starting to think about Thanksgiving. I LOVE the holidays and take just as much pleasure in cooking the whole meal as I do eating it, but I'll be skipping it this year since I really want to slim down before visiting family over the Christmas holiday.

Fortunately it's just me and the dh this year so it'll be easy to do a scaled down version of the holiday.

Here's what I'm planning:

Big changes:

I am thinking about making the turkey using this tandoori roasting kit to mix it up a little, and keep myself from craving gravy and stuffing.

What are your plans? Will you be cheating a little on Thanksgiving or staying OP? Any Thanksgiving-esque IP recipes you would like to share?

If you're planning on staying 100% OP, what's your strategy? What's worked in the past for special occasions like this?

No Thanksgiving cheats for me!
It will be planned food day like any other planned day
When you are on a diet for over a year, you get used to planning for special events & learning to treat special days differently. They don't have to be about the food. I make gatherings about the people.

Oh, and mashed potatoes? Not on plan.
Mashed cauliflower or rutabaga for me (but not both rutabaga AND green beans for P1)

Previous threads

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...ing-meals.html

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...nksgiving.html

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...g-dessert.html

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...ing-gravy.html

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...g-recipes.html

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/idea...n-recipes.html

I totally plan on staying OP for Thanksgiving. IP works, but requires commitment, and I figure what is giving up one full Thanksgiving to get to my goals? Next year, I will meet the holidays and other special occasions with healthy eating plans in place.

Your menu sounds good with the exception of the mashed potatoes. Try either mashed cauliflower or turnips. Believe me, before IP, I was a veggie SNOB! I would ONLY eat about five cooked veggies (broc, green beans, cabbage, zucchini, tomatoes) and salad. I was so scared to try new ones, but IP kinda forces the issue. Well, I have found I LOVE jicama and turnips now, and I like roasted cauliflower. We had turnips with some roast beef last night, and they were so much like potatoes. If I hadn't seen them with my own eyes, I would have thought my hubby had put potatoes in the pot!

Try a roasted mashed cauliflower (maybe with garlic if you like it) and a mashed turnip recipe over the next week or so and see how you like them. I think you'll be surprised and decide to add at least one to your turkey day menu!

Good luck!

Renee

Thanks for posting all the links again Lisa. I plan to have a veggie tray on hand for the snack/chat time and I LOVE Cauli mash so turkey, green beans, cauli mash... I should be good. I will admit, Thanksgiving has always been my favorite meal all year so I will miss the stuffing and homemade rolls BUT it is one meal on one day. I can do it

I will be out of town in Michigan for Thanksgiving, flying to my sister's house for 5 days. It will be a big challenge, but will plan ahead how I will handle the time away. Everyone is different, but for me am thinking that I will stray a bit. Will be alright with whatever I decide.

I am definitely not going off plan for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years! All I had to do was read one thread about people trying to start again, and I was convinced I had to stay the course - I know myself and I do not trust my ability to stop with one piece of (insert anything off plan!).

That said, I think I will enjoy some dark turkey meat (I hate white meat!), some mixed greens and make some mashed cauliflower. I'll enjoy a vanilla crispy treat for my desert, along with some black, decaf. Honestly, this is ok for me. I will have a harder time at Christmas…

Missing the vino, though!

lisa32989 and ReenHag

Thank you for following up on this post. It sounds funny but knowing that others are staying OP makes it easier for me to plan that way. DH and I had a good talk last night and have decided to save my annual pecan pie for the holidays. We are visiting his family for a week over the holidays and I have already planned to go off plan for that week (off plan but not off the rails).

I had the potato puree yesterday and have decided that this will be a completely acceptable substitute for potatoes-- I really liked them! I feel like a lucky duck because I can skip the potatoes easily now without feeling like I'm giving anything up.

I am still planning and will definitely look through all the links you posted.

I will be staying OP for thanksgiving, can still have the turkey and am a sucker for cauliflower! Cant say I won't be sipping on some cocktails the night before thanksgiving though..

planning on staying OP for Thanksgiving. I don't like pie. Turkey' green beans and salad for me. It will be tempting to avoid the snacks.

jemma: Stewed rhubarb will be great for dessert!

I make mine by stewing, throwing it in the vitamix with Cranberry Mio and plain gelatin. It makes a nice rhubarb jello dessert and it isn't a packet! It is a vegetable!

I'm not deciding yet, but it's nice to hear everyone else's attitudes toward the holidays. I know I will be straying for Christmas (probably a week of low carb but not on IP)-- I don't want to be difficult with my boyfriend's family and this is important to my boyfriend (who still thinks that I don't need to lose *any* weight). Since I know I'm going off plan in December, I'm leaning toward staying on plan for Thanksgiving. It'll be hard to skip stuffing, but Thanksgiving comes every year, so I'll be able to have it again once I'm at a healthier weight.

I figure it is many years of stuffing that got me to the point where I needed to go on IP, so this year I will help make it (food prep is my favorite part of the holiday), but no stuffing for me this year!

I found that a little pumpkin pie spice (no sugar) in the vanilla drink helps with fall cravings.

Best of luck and almost Happy Thanksgiving!

I plan on staying on plan for Thanksgiving - the hardest part for me will be the leftovers that will linger for days.

I did it last year and I was only 1.5 months into IP. This time should be easier.

I don't the way potatoes make me feel: they make my hands cramp up. I read recently this is related to thyroid issues....so I avoid them anyway.
Wheat is making me have hot flashes still so in my mind that is why I won't be having the stuffing.
I just feel better eating lower carb - and who can argue with that!!!

I'm with you onmyway - I plan to stay OP for Thanksgiving. I love turkey and will do caulimash and make myself some nice pudding for dessert. The way I figure it, the day is really about being with people I love and giving thanks for all the blessings I have. One of those blessings is having the opportunity to get healthy and all the support I get here (is that two?). The menu rarely varies, I know what all that food tastes like and it will all be the same next year at which time I will be maintenance and rocking some really cool outfits.

I just can't see myself taking a chance that going off plan for one day will set off a whole chain reaction of off program eating. I know I can justify about anything to myself and I really don't want to even give myself the chance to justify any deviations. I want to get to goal too much to risk it.

Sorry if that sounded preachy! I respect everyone's decisions to do what is right for them - everyone knows their body and story and reactions better than anyone and I'm sure everyone will make the decisions that are best for them. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with their loved ones!