In an effort to keep myself from feeling like a beached whale and having to undo my top button (my pants are elastic now, so this year may be different :))on Thanksgiving I try to follow the following tips.

1. Do something active. Get up in the morning and get some exercise. Whether it is a walk around the neighborhood while catching up with relatives, a Turkey Trot run, or a morning workout class – just do something. This will make you feel better all day and will get your mind in a healthy place from the beginning of the day.
2. Eat breakfast. Eat a normal breakfast. Make sure you have a good combination of carbs, protein, fiber and healthy fat that will give you a good start. Skipping breakfast will leave you ravenous and often leads to overeating later. It can also be an excuse to eat more junk later.
3. Choose special foods. When you are filling up your plate, pick foods that are special for Thanksgiving. Stay away from foods you can eat everyday like rolls and cheese and crackers. This will help to keep you from getting stuffed.
4. Skip or skimp on the extras. Try to stay away from adding things to your food. This is hard for me when it comes to salt – I salt everything, even before I taste it. Eat your banana/pumpkin/zucchini/apple bread without added butter. It has such great flavor it doesn’t need extra butter. The same is true for mashed potatoes and squash.
5. Slow Down! Take your time when enjoying your meal. It is not going to go anywhere. 🙂 It’s easy to get excited about all of the traditional and delicious foods at Thanksgiving, but slow down and enjoy them or before you know it, your plate will cleaned!

Remember to have fun! There can be a lot of stress that comes along with the holidays. Relax, enjoy your family and remember what the holiday is all about!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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