The way I see it, there’s no better way to spend a beautiful, chilly fall day than being with your family and friends, and eating a feast that is bound to satisfy everyones’ stomachs. Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful for the food on our plates, the house above our heads, health, and family–and then experience a massive food coma. We’ve all been there, and we all end up regretting that moment when we decided to go back for thirds. Here’s some tips on how to reach that point of no return without feeling bad about what you consumed:
1) Accept the fact that it’s your one day to indulge- It’s Thanksgiving, the one day of the year where you consume your body weight in food. You don’t eat like that everyday, so just accept that you WILL eat a lot, you WILL enjoy it, and yes you may feel disgustingly full, but you’ll go back to your normal dieting (or if you lack motivation like me, not dieting) schedule the next day.
2) Eat every food that you so choose, but just take smaller portions- The main issue with Thanksgiving is there’s just so many delicious foods, and you don’t want to choose which ones you eat. Rather than leave out some of your favorites, eat all of them- take more of a variety, with a smaller portion of each. That way, by eating smaller amounts, you can enjoy everything!
3) If you feel the need, justify why you deserve that food coma! – Whether it be good grades, losing weight away at college, working out a lot, or just freaking deserving it, justification is the perfect way to secretly convince yourself what you’re doing is okay.
4) Set goals for yourself for after the holidays, whether it be dieting or just adding one more day of exercise into your week– We all know how that time after Thanksgiving is- you get rushed straight into Christmas. Thus, more eating. Rather than keep up the bad eating habits the day after Thanksgiving, try to set goals in advance for yourself! You can plan ahead to start a diet, or if you don’t have that much motivation (trust me-it’s okay, we all lack it) you can consider adding one more day of exercise to your week, or increase your workout time.
5) Eat more for dinner than dessert, and try to take bigger portions of foods with protein (turkey and ham!) than those with carbs (that delicious stuffing)- Thanksgiving is the one meal where it’s debatable if dessert can top dinner. Sure, there’s some desserts that you usually eat only on Thanksgiving- pumpkin pie, apple pie, pumpkin bread, etc.- but there’s always those good ol’ brownies, cookies, and other delicious treats. Rather than fill up on the typical desserts, try eating more for dinner- not only will your stomach be satisfied, but if you take bigger portions of a fan favorite, turkey, you’ll be getting some more protein! And who doesn’t love turkey?
Whether you’re excited or uneasy about the food coma your stomach is soon to experience, just remember that it’s one day of the year. Have fun, enjoy your loved ones, and eat away!