Here is another thread from Buddies with a Christmas Goal, What are the best ways to get through the Holidays without a big Gain and maybe even a loss? Post your best ideas here:

Make sure you have some fresh fruit choices available, grapes, pinapple chunks, melon slices, kiwi halves. It is easier to make a healthy choice if you have the healthy things right there, and don’t be surprised when the fruit is the first thing to be eaten, seems like everyone wants to make the healthy choice these days.

Graham crackers dipped in semi-sweet chocolate

Prepare as much of your holiday meal ahead of time as you can. The cranberry sauce can be made anytime it lasts forever.

The bread for the stuffing can be chopped 2 days ahead as can the veggies if kept in an airtight container.

The lettuce and all most of the salad fixins can be done 1-2 days ahead

The yams sweet potatoes can be done the day before, mashed with ¼ cup pineapple juice, 1 tsp cinnamon and 2 tbls brown sugar and kept in a zip log bag until you need to throw them in the oven (in a casserole dish of course)

Have family bring the things you don’t need to worry about, The green salad, a crudite tray, the rolls, the wine, let someone else bake the cookies, you don’t need them in the house.

Know exactly what you are going to eat, include some crunchy snacks like cherrios mix, pretzels etc.

No one will complain that you don’t have chips, dips and peanuts out if you have other tasty alternatives, a nice colorful bowl of hard candy is great and low fat.

Remember people are coming to spend the day with you not the food, we don’t need to make so many different dishes. If Aunt sally must have her favorite jellied salad, tell her that no one can make it as good as she can and will she please bring it along?

Use a fresh turkey and cook it unstuffed, the stuffing will be lower fat and just as tasty cooked outside the bird. Cook the suffing until it reads 160 degrees and cool it down, refridgerate until the next day.

Take out the sweet potatoes, the stuffing 1 hour before you are going to reheat them.

My favorite salad dressing, 2 tbls kraft low fat Caesar dressing mixed with 1 tbls white balsamic. It is fantastic and covers at least 2 cups of salad.

I am coordinating my families Thanksgiving and am trying to incorporate my new healthier lifestyle and it's clashing big time with their lack luster view on health. I'm making tons of vegetables, making lighter versions of everything, and using fruit as filler. Their mantra is, it's a holiday so it's o.k to splurge. They kind of splurge all the time though and I know that when I splurge too big I fall down off my diet. This thread will really help me, thanks!!

~jess~

The one thing that's worked amazingly well for me recently is to plan ahead exactly what I'm going to eat well in advance. I'm looking for ways to make a leaner, meaner Turkey Day meal, too, and these suggestions are great.

Another strategy I am going to try is to follow a known healthy eater through the buffet table and model my plate after hers/his.

I found this article about healthier Thanksgiving choices on iVillage.com: Hungry Girl: Thanksgiving Survival

Glad it will be of help to you JLynne126, if you come across any good recipes bring them here.

phantastica, Great link thanks, anyone else have any links or recipes?

Gravy - Use a fat-separator strainer to defat the pan drippings. Chef's secret: Instead of gravy, try a sauce made from 1 cup defatted drippings, 1 cup balsamic vinegar, and 3 tbsp brown sugar.

YUM!