8 Ways to Avoid Thanksgiving Dinner Regret
Photo credit: Colin Price Photography
I can’t believe Thanksgiving is in just two days. I love this time of year and I’m so excited to have my family over to gather around and eat some delicious food. There is just something about eating Thanksgiving dinner with your loved ones – I can’t wait to be together. It will be a full day of family time, making memories and of course eating!
It’s reported that the average American eats 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving! While I definitely want you to enjoy your favorite foods I do have some tips to help you stay in control, satisfied, and hopefully prevent you from breaking out your buffet pants. Here are 8 ways to help you avoid Thanksgiving dinner regret.
8 ways to avoid Thanksgiving dinner regret
1. Workout in the morning
Get moving, even if it’s for 30 minutes. And try to do it in the morning before all the festivities so you really boost your metabolism. Only have 15 minutes? Try this simple HIIT workout {no equipment required}.
30 Jumping jacks
10 Push-ups
30 High knees
10 Burpees
20 Second plank
10 Push-ups
10 Lunges {each leg}
30 Second plank
10 Push-ups
30 Jumping jacks
*Rest 1 minute. Repeat 2-3 times.
2. Don’t skip breakfast
You might feel tempted to “save” your calories for the day but if you arrive to Thanksgiving starving you’re only going to overeat even more. Instead, eat a solid breakfast. This will keep your metabolism revved up and keep you from getting overly hungry.
3. Choose your favorites
I don't recommend going completely crazy and stuffing yourself so full you feel sick. But I do want you to enjoy your favorite foods. Choose wisely and before you put anything on your plate, check out what is being offered. Choose what you want to have and set a game plan in place.
4. Drink water
It’s so important to stay hydrated and focus on drinking water throughout the day. This will help flush toxins out and keep you from getting bloated.
5. Be mindful
This point is really important: CHEW slowly and be mindful of what you’re eating. Eating mindlessly causes a lot of overeating so pay attention to every bite and savor the food. And if you really don't like that green bean casserole but thought you would...don't eat it. If you’re starting to feel uncomfortable, stop eating and enjoy the conversation around you.
6. Wait before seconds
Instead of jumping right up to grab another plate full...pause for 10-15 minutes and let your food settle. That way you can figure out if you're still truly hungry.
7. Get back on track
This is KEY: Don't take Thanksgiving home with you and extend it for 4 days. That's a recipe for disaster. Enjoy the meal and then be done. Whether that's the next meal or the next day. Start it off with another high protein + veggie breakfast and then continue eating balanced meals.
8. Forget the food guilt
Don’t let overeating cause guilt. We can be so hard on ourselves. Maybe you ate a little too much, that’s okay. Don’t let it get you down and think all is lost. It’s not. Just get right back on track the next day. Guilt can be even worse than that extra plate of food.
What about you?
I’d love to hear from you! What one step do you plan to implement this week?
And last but not least, I want to say how grateful I am for all of you. You make what I do so worth it and I appreciate every single message, email, comment, support, and encouragement you send my way. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to share my passion with you every day. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.