Anybody else throwing caution to the wind for Turkey Day?

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  • Saef, . I think I would have liked your dad a lot.

    We're hosting Thanksgiving so I have some control. On the other hand it is also my oldest DD's birthday and she has requested enchiladas and strawberry cake.

    My plan of attack:
    run in the morning (Yay!)
    oatmeal for breakfast
    load my plate with lots of turkey and roasted vegetables (my younger DD found a recipe online for roasted brussel sprouts, carrots, baby potatoes, and we're going to add butternut squash) and salad. I'll skip the food that is not too special but I will have some enchiladas and some strawberry cake.
  • I don't plan on tracking everything I eat on Thanksgiving but I plan on being aware of how much I put on my plate and eating slowly which is tough for me. I make pumpkin cheese cake every year, even with low fat cream cheese it is still a killer but I'll have a piece. I will be having wine but at dinner - not before! Definitely have to have stuffing, and my mom's Waldorf Salad which isn't too bad except for the Miracle Whip based dressing!
  • Enjoy your Thanksgiving! I for one am going to keep counting. I have my whole meal planned out, and I'm stopping at the store later for a box of junior mints or a bag of skittles, since I'm not a fan of apple or pumpkin pie. That way I can have a little something sweet, too. And they're not all that bad, calorie wise, if you just eat a serving size. (I'll have to give the rest to my mom so I don't eat the whole thing.)

    I just don't feel like I can trust myself 100% yet. I don't think I want to acknowledge the difference between "a little over indulging" and "eating half a cake by myself." Maybe next Thanksgiving.

    Anyway, hope everything works out great for all of you who are going on-plan-off-plan (haha, get it?) this week.
  • Quote: Or give them away. HAve containers ready and hand it out to your guests as they leave. They will love and enjoy it and you won't have to have that stuffing calling your name, because if it was sitting in my house, I would just *know that it's there*. I HATE that feeling. Much better to get rid of it, immediately, if not sooner.
    I have done that in the past, but this time I only have 2 guests coming and they are staying until Saturday... and then flying home, so this time that won't work.
  • They tyranny of the shoulds.....
    By all rights I should be monitoring ever morsel during Thanksgiving. I am just starting out on this journey and have a LONG way to go.

    That being said, I am cooking.... REALLY cooking Thanksgiving this year. I have been learning how since September, and I am really passionate about doing things from scratch. I have planned on some modified recipes, but I am making a number of sides, many starches.
    So, I will be eating. The upside is that by the time I have tasted everythng to make sure it is cooked right, I probably will not be hungry for dinner.
    I have decided that I am going to avoid the "Tyranny of the shoulds" I am NOT going to berate myself. Because this journey for me is for life, and if I can't balance now, I'll never maintain balance later.
  • I don't plan on counting my calories on Thanksgiving, but I am hosting, so I know what is in every dish on the table.

    My veggies are all plan friendly with no added fats or sugars and I plan to use portion control on my plate and not go for seconds.

    I am going to have a piece of my homemade pumpkin pie because it just would not be Thanksgiving without it, but that and a glass of Chardonnay are my only two indulgences I plan to make.
  • Quote: I have done that in the past, but this time I only have 2 guests coming and they are staying until Saturday... and then flying home, so this time that won't work.
    I should have realized there was a good reason why you didn't mention giving the leftovers to your guests as one of your options and there you have it.

    Oy.
  • I will be staying on plan throughout the morning... If I eat too lightly I will be more temped to overstuff myself in the afternoon. I am going to focus on more veggies and turkey breast and less starchy junk, but thats my only strategy. Last year I counted calories but it was very difficult to guess most of the foods, as I didn't prepare them. The same will be true this year, so I think I will omit counting and otherwise eat the same. My weaknesses are turkey and cranberry sauce, neither is a particularly high calorie food.

    I plan on giving into those weaknesses so the potatoes don't hold much allure
  • We already had our Thanksgiving because of work requirements, but we ate a totally clean, vegetarian, health conscious meal. My total meal including dessert was 620 calories and it was absolutely delicious. Even our guests that are not vegetarians really enjoyed the meal.

    I feel like I committed to this lifestyle change and if I can't deal with it during the holidays then what's the point for the rest of the year. That's my personal opinion though and it's only intended to keep myself on track. I don't deprive myself of "cheats". But since this year was my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian I wanted to do it as clean and healthy as possible.

    This morning I stepped on the scale and I had a .4lb loss and I couldn't be happier.
  • Thanksgiving is over for us, but for me it was an on plan meal. Maybe when I get to maintenance I can do a "treat" meal once in a while but because I'm still losing I'm just not comfortable with it yet. Anyways happy thanksgiving to all the Americans!
  • Hopeful, what did you make?
  • I'm undecided as to what I'm going to do. The family is going out for Thanksgiving and we'll be ordering off menus that don't tell you what the calories are for each dish. I'm not going to get fanatical over it but I'll definitely be cautious as to what I put into my mouth. For certainty, I will be avoiding breads and all meat since I'm vegetarian. Salad is likely what I'll be chowing down on and MAYBE some potatoes because I do like spuds.. But I'm going to maintain my daily consumption allotment to the best that I can.
  • Well, sort of, but not really.

    I now have firm habits related to serving myself at a buffet. Half a plate of vegetables, small portions of heavy things, lean protein, small amount of dessert. It's not so much a choice to stay on plan, it's just what I do. So I'll do that, out of habit. It's also self-protective. If I eat more than that, I get physically ill.

    I will, however, drink considerably more wine on Thanksgiving than I do on normal days (I normally don't drink at all. Thanksgiving with my family involves lots of wine and a tradition of taking shots of an Italian liquor called Tuaca while people chant your name. :P)

    I also now have a way of eating that lets me have the things I love, but where I don't have things I don't love. I love mashed potatoes and gravy. I bake homemade rolls every year for the whole 30 person get-together, and one type is a crescent filled with sharp cheddar and black pepper - I love those and will have one. I love pumpkin pie. I eat most of these things rarely, and I'll eat them on Thanksgiving without a shred of guilt (in quantities larger than I'd have normally, but not so large that I feel sick). I love my mom's salad with spinach and cranberries. But I don't really like stuffing, or candied sweet potatoes, or green bean casserole, so I don't eat even a little bit - why would I, when I don't truly enjoy them, and there are plenty of other things (heavy OR healthy things) that I do really like?

    So I AM giving myself permission to eat what I want, but I'm limiting some of the items out of physical limitations (Seriously, I do not want to end the night throwing up because I ate too much) or because I don't really enjoy them.
  • Thanksgiving is over for me but I wanted to mention that I do the same as Mkendrick during most holidays. I had as much as I wanted on Thanksgiving but I also listened to my body, and stopped eating before I became so full that I felt sick. It was a definite improvement from last year! I plan to eat what I want at Christmas this year too, after all, its only once a year
  • Quote: Hopeful, what did you make?
    We had roasted Brussels Sprouts, spiced cranberry sauce, vegan stuffing, Shepard's Pie w/tofu crumbles, whole wheat rolls, green beans w/toasted almonds, and butternut squash & spiced apple soup.

    The guests all had regular desserts but I had a Yoplait mixed berry smoothie.