Beware of the Thanksgiving Thief!

Health conscious people everywhere: Beware! There is a Thanksgiving thief on the loose!

Okay, so here is where I differ from most health and fitness experts: I don’t believe in “dieting” on Thanksgiving. Many experts will tell you to “not eat this” and “don’t cook that” on Thanksgiving. They’ll give you nifty tips on how to cut calories and stick to your diet.

These tips work, and help you stick to your eating habits. But at what price? I mean, who wants to spend a happy day with family strategizing about how to eat at dinner? Who wants to think about the best ways to maneuver around your favorite holiday treats? Why in the world would you want to make a happy day so stressful? It only comes once a year for goodness sake!

Here is my honest opinion: enjoy the day! Eat the foods you want, and don’t stress out about it. If you want some corn-bread dressing and pumpkin pie, go for it.

Now, I do have a few tips that I would adhere to, however.
1) Eat the foods that are special to the occasion. For example: mashed potatoes seem to be a staple at Thanksgiving, but you can have those anytime. Other things like sweet potato casserole (my favorite!) is a once in a year treat. Enjoy the foods you only get on special occasions and leave the other stuff alone.
2) Don’t intentionally overeat. We’ve all eaten so much after Thanksgiving that we want to change into sweat pants and pass out on the couch. There is no need to eat all of that food at once. Get the foods you really want, and don’t eat things you don’t really care for. Who says you have to try everything that is served?
3) Get in a workout. On Thanksgiving morning, be sure to get in a workout. You could easily get in a great bodyweight workout in only 10-20 minutes! Just do pushups, bodyweight squats, and jumping jacks. Cycle through those for 10-20 minutes, and you’ll have gotten in an awesome workout. What a great healthy way to start the day!
4) Enjoy yourself! Some people think they have to feel guilty for enjoying their favorite foods. I can’t think of anything more ridiculous. Enjoy the day and enjoy the company you share food with!
5) Give the leftovers to family and friends. You don’t need to keep pies and what not around your house after it’s over. Enjoy the day, eat what you want, but then get rid of the desserts and other items that don’t adhere to your eating habits.

You can also cook some dishes with healthier substitutions, but don’t do it if it just isn’t the same. For example, I love my Mom’s sweet potato casserole. I’m sure it could be made with sugar substitute and what not, but, you just don’t mess with my sweet potato casserole! No one wants their favorite dishes to be turned into some healthy-hippie version that tastes like cardboard. Only tweak recipes if you have tested them first or you are confident the change will not be noticeable.

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy it, get in a workout, and then get back with your healthy eating habits the very next day. Don’t stress about food, life is way too short!