Here at Her Campus BC, we tend to be very health conscious, and if you’ve ever glanced at our page or read a few of our articles, then you’ve most likely noticed this trend. From food-based articles like 10 Easy Ways to: Avoid Late Night and Diet Diaries: The Cinch Diet to exercise-focused ones such as Your Personal Trainer: Learning to Weight Train and 10 Easy Ways to: Become a Runner, we’re definitely guilty of promoting healthy living (not a jailable offense, thank you very much). Admittedly though, it is very “BC girl”- heck it’s very girl.
Based on these assumptions you’ve made about us, and perhaps collegiettes™ in general, I already know where you think this article is going: topics like “filling up on low calorie foods on Thanksgiving” or “avoiding that extra piece of pie” are probably jumping into your heads. Alas Her Campus readers, you are mistaken. Although I may be guilty of calorie counting every now and again (who isn’t?) and although I do frequent the Plex (again, who doesn’t?), I have a secret for you…
I love Thanksgiving.
In fact, I’m an avid supporter of putting as much food as possible into my mouth before I explode, then squeezing in a little bit more. I love the warm rolls, the moist turkey, the never-ending bowls of stuffing and, most of all, I love the hot, flavorful gravy. But as much as I love the gravy, I love the dessert selection infinitely more. Before I get your mouths watering too much, I’ll let you in on another secret…
Thanksgiving is a marathon, not a sprint.
If you want to survive this holiday (and by survive, I mean eat as much as you want and not feel like you are going to die), I have some tips to help you achieve your Thanksgiving goal.
Pre-Meal Time
If you think eating as little as possible in the days leading up to the big event will ultimately help you because you’ll be famished by the time Thanksgiving dinner arrives, you’re wrong. You’ll cause your stomach to shrink by depriving it of food and then you’ll only get fuller faster (opposite of what we want). On the other hand, binge eating prior to Thanksgiving to stretch your stomach and prepare it for the food f*** that will inevitably occur on this heavenly Thursday probably won’t work either. By Thanksgiving, you might be so sick of food that the thought of a giant meal will make you want to barf before you even start (again, not successful).
Instead, I suggest eating normally leading up to the big day. Morning of, I’d have a small breakfast and go for a run. That way you have something in your stomach to tide you over and you’ll burn some energy, making yourself hungrier later. But by all means, if you want to try the binging option, go for it. (Or if you’re like me and want to use it as an excuse for the amount of food you’ve been consuming lately that works too.)
The Mealiest of Meals
Although dieticians normally suggest drinking regularly throughout a meal to curve your food intake and make you fuller faster, that is the opposite of what we want on this glorious day. Hence, avoiding beverages will be key so you can fill your stomach with more yummy food and less boring water. In addition, you want to pace yourself. Don’t get too excited and go all doggy style on your plate (you know, like scarfing everything down at once, duh), but take the time to enjoy your food. After all, that is the point of the day, right?
Once the meal is finished, don’t go straight for dessert. ROOKIE MISTAKE. Instead, watch some football with the fam or, my preferred option, take a nap. After such a successfully fought battle, you deserve some rest. Plus, this extra time will allow you to digest your food and make some room for dessert. When it is dessert time, make sure you alternate between the sickly sweet, chocolatey treats with the more fruity ones. That way you won’t overload on sugar and have to prematurely end your consumption.
Attire
Your fitted J.Crew sweater may look really cute when you’ve been Plexin’ all week and eating Chobanis for two of your three meals, but after the epic-ness that is Thanksgiving dinner, it probably won’t be too flattering. Loose fitting tops are best for everyone involved: for you, because you won’t feel constricted when you’re eating, and for your family, because they won’t have to be witness to the food fetus maturing in your stomach. In fact, flowy dresses are another great option so you don’t have to deal with the waistline of a pair of pants. However, if you do decide to go with pants, don’t be afraid to unbutton under the table. (We’ve all done it.)
There you have it, collegiettes™. If you want to consume an ungodly amount of food on Thanksgiving, you have my personal advice on how to achieve your goal (and I like to consider myself a Thanksgiving expert). However, I am not responsible for feelings of guilt, snide remarks from siblings (you’re eating anotherroll), or the unavoidable tightness of the jeans come Friday morning. Bon Appetit!
Photo Sources:
http://agwired.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/thanksgiving_dinner_1280x1024.jpg
http://www.erikorganic.com/green/wpcontent/uploads/2010/11/bigstock_Than…
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