I'm going to skip the things I don't love and eat as much as I like of the things I do. It's quite likely that this means I will eat a plate full of stuffing and a small bowl of bread pudding. Oh carbohydrates, how I love thee. I will be back to counting calories the next day with minimal guilt, because I've been planning to do it this way for a couple of weeks now and it's starting to take on the feel of "the plan."

I believe in special occasions. Unfortunately, by some weird twist of fate, every single member of my family has a birthday in winter, myself included. Nov./Dec./Jan is like one big mash of special occasion. Awesome for festive feeling, not for dieting. I may have to scant my calories a bit on the few "normal" days if I'm going to make it through all of the birthday cake and eggnog.

I don't quite know what my plan of attack is. I'm just re-starting my calorie counting and am afraid that going nuts one day will bump me off the wagon again. I'm thinking may just get one plate of food, no seconds. I will definetly try for small portion sizes. Put more tukey on and less stuffing, potatoes, and rolls. Going easy on that will make my piece of sugar creme pie wonderful. (So delicious) So yeah, I think that's it. I formulated my plan as I wrote this post! lol!

I'm going to make sure I eat under my allowed calories for the rest of the week, at least 600 under, so I can add an extra 600 to Thanksgiving. However, if I ate as usual, I'd still go way over 1550 + 600.

Soo, I'm going to eat a light or no breakfast, depending on whether or not I'm hungry, and I'm going to go for a long walk in the AM-- maybe a run. (Hard for me to run outside due to the elements bothering my asthma, and I'll be in a different town than my gym). Also, I LOVE my wine on thanksgiving, so instead of limiting alcohol content, I'm going to be careful about food. I need to decide whether I'm in the mood for turkey/potatoes/stuffing or pie/cookies. If it's pie/cookies, I'll eat really light at the meal and indulge on dessert. If it's the opposite, then I'll eat a bigger dinner and one cookie/small slice of pie. We'll see.

I know I'll go over what I want to eat regardless, but I think it's important to see what small, easy things I can do to reduce that number. Like taking a 100 calorie burning walk and skipping bacon/eggs/toast bfast. That saves me like 500 calories right there.

I might be traveling that day to another state via car! So this will be made up of snacks and gas station food... not the best so I need to be on my game and have a lot of stuff pre planned and packed in a cooler.
I hope to get some exercise at each stop like a quick run around the parking lot.

By My nutritionist said that pumpkin pie is not that bad if you dont eat the crust its half the calories.

Good luck everyone! and Happy HOlidays!

^^This^^

I'll eat the foods I love and forego the foods I just "like" and can have any day of the week.

I calorie cycle anyway, but I definitely plan to shave off a couple hundred calories on the other days of the week so that I'll have plenty to spare on Thanksgiving.

LOL!! I loved reading your post. We must be twins separated at birth.

I'm still wondering how to handle the stuffing issue. While we don't plan on a lot of carbs for dinner, my husband has decreed that stuffing is non-negotiable! I've got a decent mushroom stuffing recipe that has a lot of veg in it (comparatively speaking) and I'll probably use it, then stick with white turkey meat and veggie for the rest of dinner. For dessert we already got some very nice chocolates from a local store. The store says they're 50 calories (I really think they're more like 100, which is the figure I use when counting calories) but one is all you need for dessert.

On Thanksgiving I will not be calorie counting..I will eat whatever I want to, and as much as I want of it..Eating over my allotted daily calories on a special occasion, holiday, or my birthday, is not a big deal to me..The next day I am back to counting calories..

I'm making Thanksgiving and it's just us this year so I'll have turkey and good stuff and make the other stuff for my family. We have dinner with friends on Friday and Saturday so that's what's got me worried... portion control all the way! And a two glass of wine maximum.

I plan on eating a light breakfast, and then eat whatever I want for Thanksgiving dinner. Although I won't be counting calories for that meal, I'm going to be mindful of how full I'm feeling -- I will not eat until I am uncomfortably stuffed like I normally do on holidays. Then I'll get back to counting calories the next day... I sometimes have problems with one day where I don't count calories turning into several weeks without counting calories.

For the holiday season I have given myself two free days off for calorie counting, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The rest of the season, the rest of the holiday parties I have to stay within my goal. But I've learned from the past that if I focus too much on CC during those days I don't enjoy the company of family as much and then soon after I give up completely on weight loss because I'd rather eat what I want when I want and as much as I want.

So on Thanksgiving I am eating what I crave, but I think I'll stick to whatever I actually crave and not eat just anything.

We eat early, so with breakfast plus a couple snacks, I won't eat a third meal that day. Lots of turkey, green beans (not the casserole), a few bites of sweet potatoes and maybe stuffing, and I'll be content. Dessert this year is cheesecake, which is pretty much the only dessert I don't really like, so I get to figure out what treat I want to bring for myself. Oh, and i will have a glass of wine or two. I am not sure if I will count calories that day. I am leaning toward no, but if I feel like I am leaving the realm of reality then I will probably tally them up.

I am hoping to get some treadmill time in before we hit the road to grandma's house that morning, but it won't be the end of the world if I don't.

I am much more apprehensive about Christmas/New Years. My extended family is big into cookies and candy all over the house, and there are a lot of eating-centered events. I will cross that bridge when I come to it!

I will walk the dog in the morning, at least a 5K, and I'm going to have to eat something significant for breakfast (pregnancy makes my usual "eat light and save up calories" strategy completely impossible).

I will eat a reasonable amount of crudite vegetables before the big meal if I'm hungry, and perhaps a small amount of dip with them. It'll be reasonable, but again, I can't really do the "saving up" thing right now.

Obviously, I won't be drinking! I can't imagine how many calories THAT was before (er, one of our Thanksgiving traditions involves taking shots of an Italian liquor called Tuaca...long story). Lots of water and probably some sparkling Crystal Geyser type waters.

I will take one plate of food, with at least 1/3 of that plate being salad. I won't deprive myself of anything I want to taste, but will keep my portions reasonable. I will skip the things I don't like (sugary sweet potato casserole using canned sweet potatoes, box stuffing) and focus on the things I love (turkey, my homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, and gravy). I will then have one piece of pie, and won't go near the inevitable chocolate fountain (yes, Thanksgiving also involves a chocolate fountain...). Well, maybe ONE strawberry...

I will avoid the "eating for two" food pushers (it was bad last year when I was at goal and eating normally, I can't imagine what it'll be like PREGNANT).

And then I'll do it ALL again on Friday when we host Thanksgiving for my grandpa and his girlfriend, who live in an assisted living facility near us and otherwise would only get the institutional holiday (they're a different side of the family from the family we do Thanksgiving with). That food will be a bit healthier than I expect the bigger party to be, since I am cooking it.

On days like Thanksgiving and Christmas, etc, I try to eat light early in the day so I can splurge a little at the main meal. Then I put 4 to 6 ounces of meat on my plate and 1 heaping tablespoonful of whatever looks really good to me that is NOT a vegetable. Vegetables and salad (that not drenched or mixed with anything fatty) are unlimited. I have one plateful and only one plateful.

If there is a dessert, I will have a tiny serving and only one. No alcohol since I don't drink anyway and really do not care for it. Tea and water to drink.