Anybody else throwing caution to the wind for Turkey Day?
 

This is probably a pretty incriminating thread, but in a way, I feel like I'm being "accountable" (my favorite word) by posting it :o

I see all these threads and articles about how to stay on plan for Thanksgiving. And for those of you who are going be good, maaaajor props! Some of you might know from reading my posts that I like to set aside one day a month to have a no-calorie-counting-free-for-all day. Picking a day for November was a no-brainer, lol. So, that's right, I'm not going to count a single calorie, I'm not going to worry about appropriate portions or choosing the "safest" foods, I'm not going to worry about limiting myself. I'm going to eat what I want and how much of what I want. In fact, I want to feel properly stuffed. I want to feel like I just ate a Thanksgiving dinner, hehe. Not that I'm going to make a point to hoover absolutely everything in sight just because it's a free day, but I'm not going to be "the one on a diet" either.

And here's the accountability part of all this. I have been eating light all week, I WILL jump right back onto plan with a few more light-eating days and regular exercise immediately after. I already have it all logged onto my calorie counter. I'm not going to touch leftovers (I'm going to avoid bringing any home...my fiance can take what he wants, but it will be his).

We all parrot it over and over...this whole thing is a lifestyle change. We are trading things that made us happy (overeating, junk food, etc) for things that make us happier (health, improved appearance). But sometimes, the joy of eating delicious holiday foods with family is just plain worth it. In my NEW lifestyle, I eat healthy and exercise but I still enjoy the rare indulgences. I'm going to have a great time with family, eat all I want, my tummy will hurt, I'll remember why I love staying on plan, the scale will be up from the sodium and <ahem> digesting bulk in my system, I'll get right back on plan, and all will be well.

Anybody else having a freebie day for Thanksgiving? :carrot:

I just can't do that. Its great you have a plan of action to get back afterwards.

A couple of weeks ago I had a rough weekend and I'm just now getting back to being close to new weight loss territory again. I don't want to wait another month to see new weight loss if I went overboard.

I want to spend time with friends and reflect on what I'm thankful about, not eating to excess. One of most important things I'm thankful about is my improved health!

I'm not gonna count calories, but I am going to try to be careful. Gonna be hard! Working out every day this week to at least "maintain" what I have lost so far.

You know, I would do it if I trusted myself enough to get RIGHT back on plan. I'm not saying I'm not going to spurge a little, because I am. But if I went whole-hog and went back to my old way of eating everything in sight the whole day, it would put me back to the beginning with uncomfortable cravings and "white knuckling" for at least a week or 2. I KNOW it would. So I'm going to pass on that this year. I've got some really good momentum going and I'm going to keep it up. But I am going to ENJOY every morsel I allow myself, that's for sure!

No freebies for me tomorrow. I'm going to keep it tight-ish for Turkey Day, though will probably go over my usual losing calorie allotment. I'm still working off a few excess pounds that I allowed to come on me and I'm not willing to tack on any additional pounds at this time.

Thanksgiving is by mom. She goes all out, but it will be fairly easy for me to avoid her fattening, calorie laden dishes. I will be bringing a few side dishes - roasted brussel sprouts with pecans, roasted asparagus, cucumber salad and red cabbage slaw. That right there is plenty for me to eat. And of course there's the good ole' turkey breast.

And lucky me - I'm in charge of dessert (I called it!) . No pecan or pumpkin pie this year - sorry folks. I'm making individual (quite large actually) apple crumble pies. Just enough for each person there to have one. No one needs more then one dessert, though I did buy some vanilla ice cream to serve with it. I will make a special one just for me, consisting of sliced apples, baked with cinnamon and sugar free maple syrup - no crumble.

I too will thoroughly enjoy my family, the football and the *feast*.

Thanksgiving is at my house. The plus is that I get to control what we eat -- and there won't be anything extra fattening or crazy. That's the plus side. The downside is lots of leftovers! I don't expect there to be any leftover desserts, but the stuffing will be the one to watch.

That's one big reason I won't be going whole hog on Thursday. I don't think I'd get back on track the next day. Plus, I haven't really been as on plan as I'd like. I really don't need to backslide right now.

But as I'm thinking about it... there are ways to either make sure there are fewer leftovers or... I can just toss them!!

Not exactly. I'm planning on putting whatever I want on my plate (reasonable portions) but only having a few bites of each thing and loading up on veggies. I've also been eating light in anticipation, but that has more to do with the fact that I'm recovering from TOM. I'm going to be out of town this weekend again and next weekend too, so I can't really afford a free for all tomorrow.

I think maybe that is something that is easier to do since you're already at your goal weight. I'm struggling with the last 15 pounds, only losing about 3 pounds a month. So even a couple pound gain would be very depressing.

I also would HATE all the comments like, "So you're off your diet? You're not eating healthy anymore?" Everyone thinks I'm going to gain it back again, so I don't want to give the rumor mill any ammo!

Also, I don't want to feel stuffed sick like I used to. That is a horrible feeling, and I'm never going back.

Well, I'm not going to be good by any means. I, too, have been extra good all week and I just can't cook a big meal like that (and yes I'll be the one cooking it) without trying everything. I'm also attempting a sugar pie this year because so many Canadian friends were talking about their sugar pie recipes last month and now I'm curious (I've never tried it). We are still having our traditional no sugar added apple pie so, yes, I will be eating 2 pieces of pie this year lol. I AM however going to measure everything and plan to drink a ridiculous amount of water and eat 8 oz of turkey and lots of plain green beans and salad with only balsamic vinegar as dressing. Once I've eaten all that, I can have small portions of whatever I want! (I figure I'll probably be so full that I wont be able to eat much else lol)

I'm not going hog-wild but I am going to enjoy the food. I don't have a problem over-eating with the actual Thanksgiving meal, so I'm giving myself carte blanche to try everything I want (just being mindful of portion sizes) including pumpkin pie.

I DO have a problem overeating with the appetizers, so I'm having healthier stuff this year that won't be the end of the world if I eat a lot of. Fruit/veggie tray, low fat/low cal pumpkin dip for the fruit, and cheese and crackers.

I am going to eat. I am having all sorts of weird issues right now because I am getting myself artificially inseminated this morning. I'm also in the middle of a pretty good losing streak. Part of me wants to stay strict, because in all honesty, whether or not this works probably has nothing to do with whether I eat 1600 or 2300 calories a day these next 2 weeks, or if I exercise or not. But not eating/exercising almost feels silly (This is $1500/time, plus the emotional stuff--don't I want to maximize my chances?!). So overall--for the next two weeks until I know about the pregnancy--I have no idea what to do.

So I think I am going to eat and not worry about it. However, I WILL record what I eat, at least in terms of over-estimated calories, so that I will see the effect in my daily average for weeks to come. I will indulge, but I won't pretend it didn't count because it's Thanksgiving.

If it weren't for the baby thing, I'd probably still eat and not worry about it. I don't really ever have unexpected bad days/weekends: I am a compulsive planner and the least impulsive person I know, and I know I can return to my routines. It especially helps that Thanksgiving is a couple hours away--context is important.

Originally Posted by Heather:
The downside is lots of leftovers! I don't expect there to be any leftover desserts, but the stuffing will be the one to watch.


But as I'm thinking about it... there are ways to either make sure there are fewer leftovers or... I can just toss them!!

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 am also not limiting myselft. I find that if I give myself "permission" to have whatever I want, I actually eat less than when I criticize myself and try to stay on plan. I am cooking, too, and making a smaller feast, but either way I'm not going to beat myself up. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Schmead, good luck!
I am not counting calories, but am not going hog wild. Since joining OA, I've noticed it takes a lot less food to fill me up. I did nibble a little too much thi sweek, but it's also my TOM and I expect that. I'm off to the gym now, actually.
Have a safe holiday!!!

Although this is a 'non-issue' for me as I do not participate in holiday celebrations. I think that it's important for the long haul to get used to eating in "real-life" situations in a way that is moderate. IMHO, it's the ALL or NOTHING mentality that gets us to be overweight.

Life will continue for me as usual...however, I may take advantage of some of the seasonable fresh yams and pumpkins...but yup...just another meal. I tend to try to enjoy people more than food:)

DH and I are going to the restaurant where he works - they're doing a big family-style Thanksgiving dinner and since we aren't going home to MI, we decided that would be easier than me cooking the whole meal!

I'm going to try to find a happy medium. I'm going to eat what I want and not worry about how many calories are in each side dish and which choices are healthier than others. But I'm also going to try to eat until I'm full - not stuffed.

One thing that helps me - my extended family is big on sharing talents with each other (people play musical instruments, sing, dance, etc) and holidays usually wind up in mini-performances. Since my "art" is belly dance, I always used to watch my portions at Thanksgiving, because I knew I was going to be called on to dance, and belly dance ain't pretty on a stuffed full stomach :)

Even though I won't have to perform for anyone this year, I'm going to try to keep in mind, "Would I be able to get up and dance?" and use that to keep my eating in check.

And I'll probably compensate with extra workouts, lower calorie days, etc, but you know what, it's a holiday and I'm not going to deny myself all enjoyment just because I'm trying to lose weight.

Hey Megan, I think what you are doing sounds sensible - it's part of your plan, so you are not going off-plan! One splurge meal a month seems very livable to me, as long as one gets right back on the horse afterward, which you have already demonstrated you can do.

As for me - like some others have said, I am hosting Thanksgiving this year so I get control of what is being served. Apart from the turkey and I am serving roasted squash, roasted green beans, sauteed brussels sprouts, and sweet-potato-and-apple stuffing (NOT bread stuffing). So I will get to enjoy a voluminous, not terribly caloric meal! I'm hoping for leftovers, in fact, because those dishes will make a very nice few meals for me as well.

I even have dessert in hand - I am making poached pears, which I will serve with vanilla ice cream but I'll probably pass on the ice cream myself. A friend who is coming is bringing pumpkin pudding - I will certainly have to taste that - but any leftovers I will send right back home with her.

Me!

Megan - First of all, I want to tell you that I envy your once-a-month free-for-all day. Not really because you're able to eat whatever you want, but that you're able to do it without guilt. Something I'm struggling with recently is a feeling of guilt if I'm off plan. The closer I get to goal, the more I even dislike using my high calorie days on my calorie cycling plan. But that's my own issue. Just saying I'm jealous! :)

That being said, I really thought about throwing caution to the wind for tomorrow, but two things stopped me:

1. I'm SOOOOO freakin' close to (initial) goal! I don't want to wait anymore to say I have "normal" BMI.

2. I really thought about my traditional TG dinner and realized I don't even really like everything my parents serve and I usually eat. So I decided where I would be OK with a compromise (I'm going to have sauteed green beans, mushrooms, and grape tomatoes instead of the crazy-fat cheesy green bean casserole my mom makes; a roasted sweet potato instead of mashed potatoes, which I've never loved) and where I will accept no substitute (I'm eating a 500 cal portion of my dad's AMAZING cornbread dressing that he only makes once a year, and a good sized piece of my mom's special Mystery Pie).

Like Schmead, I'm going over cals for the day and not worrying about it, but still tracking intake in order to see the affect over time.

Also, turkey sandwiches are pretty much my favorite food over November and December, and I can't wait for the turkey breast leftovers. Delicious! :)

We are going to have the lightest of the traditional dishes. Turkey, roasted green beans, crudities and maybe some salad. For a splurge, we are havng stuffing - I found a relatively healthy recipe that sounds good and I did decide to make a mushroom gravy - again, as healthy as I could find. The unusual thing for me is.... no dessert at all. I love to bake and I looked at a bunch of recipes that were healthier and they didn't sound as good as their calories. The rest of the family is fine w/o dessert so we're going to skip it. I'll have coffee or tea at the end of the meal and we have plenty of apples.

I have been doing this for awhile...

And that means that I'm always aware of what and how much I am eating.

That doesn't mean I always make good choices, but it does mean that I don't fool myself into thinking that what I eat on "a holiday" doesn't count. It all counts.

My body does not know from Thanksgiving, Christmas, my birthday, New Years, July 4, etc. All my body knows is how to turn excess food into fat. Experience has shown that it knows that very well.

Experience has also shown that weight comes on easy but comes off hard.

So, we have planned a vegetarian take-out Thanksgiving with some vegetarian friends of ours. I will eat the amounts I am used to eating, after all this time. Will it be more calories than usual? Probably. Will I just keep on eating until I'm sick? No, I never liked that, and I don't see the point. How is that fun? :dunno: I'm all about quality, not quantity.

Jay

I am calorie-cycling, so I am purposefully eating low all week so I accumulate enough free calories to where I don't need to freak out about food for thanksgiving. I have the same plan for Christmas. I'm not going hog-wild but I'm also not going to not enjoy the food.

the only thing i really enjoy is the stuffing, and i have a recipe that uses 100 calorie english muffins and veggies for the stuffing. cant stand pumpkin pie, and i'm making separate mashed potatoes for myself without real butter, so i'm good for thanksgiving, BUT i do plan to give myself christmas eve........within reason. i'm not logging anything that evening, and hopefully i wont let the guilt eat me alive!!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! goodluck ;)

This past weekend I had 2 nights in a row of massive amts of wine cheese and pate (YUM :)) followed by pizza and candy and had the totally unpleasant effect of feeling uncomfortably stuffed with heartburn to boot!!
I will eat carefully as I have been reminded of how those feelings do not work for me. Also, the dishes on this holiday are not overwhelmingly appealing to me.

But I am at peace with my indulgences just as I am feeling fine with being careful tomorrow.

For me, it's my weekly treat meal. I'm going to eat reasonable portions of everything (I've never been a big stuffing/mashed potatoes fan, so little dollops will do), a glass of wine and a piece of pie. One meal, then back to normal for the next meal.

We are going to a friend's house. They are making the turkey, ham, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and a fruit pie. I am bringing an awesome brussel sprouts dish (Mandalinn's recipe), home made cranberry sauce with orange zest (and a can for the purists), pumpkin cheesecake, my mom's sweet potato casserole with brownsugar/pecan topping, hot buttered rum (spiced apple cider with rum) and a bottle of wine!

It will be an off plan day for me. Is it a good idea, maybe not, but I have eaten very low calorie days for the last week, done a lot of extra exercising, I'm starting the day off with a 5k walk/run, and I will be getting right back on plan Friday. I didn't become obese by eating Thanksgiving dinner, it was the other 364 days of the year, so it is what it is.

I'm not bothering with the counting, but I will be aware of what and how much i'm eating. I even did two classes (zumba then kickboxing) at the gym last night in preparation so i won't feel so OMG I CAN'T EAT THAT!

Not going crazy, but I will indeed enjoy the day :)

I have my Thanksgiving dinner tete-a-tete with my mother, at her home, and it's not an easy day for either of us. We're still figuring out how to "do" this holiday without my father, who died two years ago, on Nov. 22, just a few days before this holiday. So we're dealing with a ghost at the table. A ghost who had a hearty, socially-approved male appetite & poured lots of gravy over everything, had seconds, ate himself into a near-napping state, and watched a lot of football with his eyes half-closed afterward. How we loved that man. We ate more when we saw him enjoying himself so much.

So an era has ended for us. We'll eat a comparatively light meal, with steamed green beans & broccoli, plain oven-baked sweet potatoes (she'll put maple syrup on hers) and turkey. I'll take about two tablespoons full of stuffing & some home-made cranberry sauce made with Splenda. No dessert. We really don't want a lot of leftovers sitting around, because there's only us two women to consume them.

The holiday just isn't about eating anymore for me. I mean, it may include a visit to the cemetery. If it were any other season, I'd go for a nice long contemplative walk in the woods -- which is what my father & I liked to do together -- but there'll be a lot of deer-hunting going on that day, so that won't happen.

No limits for me either...Thanksgiving comes once a year...I am having what I want ...

I'm not going to freak out if I go over my calories....but I really can't break myself from wanting to behave. I have NO DESIRE to overeat or overindulge----and I'm the one doing the cooking. I've been "saving" calories here and there all week, in anticipation of if I lose control. But from what I'm currently feeling. I think I will just eat my normal portions, eat until I'm full----not stuffed. And just call it a day. And NOT feel guilty. I plan on having a very light lunch, and light breakfast, to further save calories for dinner. i'm making chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing with my daughter. Gonna be messy, but fun. And I plan on enjoy one. That's pretty much the extent of my caution to wind. I believe we all can still stay on plan without breaking the scale and depriving ourselves of holiday fun :-). Even if it means going over calorie limit for one day out of the month.

Saef, :hug:. 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! :D 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.

Originally Posted by rockinrobin:
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.

Originally Posted by Heather:
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!