The songs say that the holidays are “the most wonderful time of the year.” I can tell you one thing—the man who wrote those lyrics never tried dieting during Thanksgiving.
Do you think he was stressing over calories, racked with guilt from overeating, and searching through the latest crash diets?
For those of us who have struggled to lose weight and keep it off, Thanksgiving feels like a big, scary threat to our goals. We either deprive ourselves during the feast or toss our goals to the wind and overindulge.
There’s a third option. You can indulge without going overboard. You can make joyful memories with family without forgetting your macros. You can fully enjoy the most wonderful time of the year without sacrificing your health and fitness. And yes, you can have pumpkin pie.
Here’s your happy, healthy guide through Thanksgiving. Follow these 10 tips to enjoy Turkey Day without going up a pants size.
10 Tips to Enjoy Thanksgiving Without Gaining Weight
- Cycle Your Calories
Calorie Cycling is a method of eating that allows you to have a few higher-calorie days while still maintaining your caloric deficit throughout the week. Instead of restricting your total calories every day, look at the whole week’s average.
For example, let’s say your calories are set to 1600. Your weekly caloric allowance (1600×7) is 11,200 calories. Prepare for the Thanksgiving feast and give yourself some extra room in your calorie bank by eating fewer calories on the previous days. Make sure you still reach your protein goals, but try to eat 1500 calories on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to give yourself an extra 300 calories on Thanksgiving. - Cycle Your Carbs
Like Calorie Cycling, Carb Cycling focuses your week average instead of your daily carb intake. Carb Cycling also helps your body increase physical performance during your workouts and increase muscle gain! It can improve your cholesterol levels and insulin sensitivity, helping you burn more fat.
On the days leading up to Thanksgiving, keep your carbs low, making space for all the starchy foods at the Thanksgiving feast. - Eat Your Best Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal! What you eat first dictates your hunger, your cravings, and how your body performs for the rest of the day.On Thanksgiving, breakfast is also the meal you have the most control over. So make it count! Hit your protein goals (at least 30 grams) and stick to your calorie limit. During the busy holiday season, I love a quick, high protein breakfast of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit.
- Find Delicious, Macro-Friendly Thanksgiving Recipes
It’s hard to say no to all the delicious dishes on Thanksgiving. Instead, tweak your recipes to make them healthy and macro-friendly. Start with some of my favorite Thanksgiving sides on this recipe list.
- Load Your Plate Like This
When the feast begins, be intentional about how you build your plate. Start with turkey breast (a more macro-friendly protein than ham). A piece the size of your palm contains 24 grams of protein!Pile on the veggies. Think salad, green beans, brussel sprouts, and squash. Skip the ones loaded with bread crumbs and cheese. Then add on the more calorie-dense foods you want, like mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, or a roll.
- Eat in This Order
Did you know that the order you eat the food on your plate affects your blood sugar response to a meal? On Thanksgiving, eat the protein and veggies on your plate first. Then enjoy the carbs!Eating in this order slows down the digestion of the carbs in your meal and will improve your blood sugar response by up to 30%! Diminishing blood sugar and, therefore, insulin spikes will increase the amount of fat we burn.
- Skip Snacks
Before you wander back to the Thanksgiving buffet, you should know two things. First, our bodies won’t burn fat unless our insulin levels are low. Second, eating raises our insulin levels. Grazing throughout the day keeps our insulin levels elevated, which is bad news for weight loss.Stick to a schedule. Eat a solid breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Fill up on all your calories and macronutrients during these meals so that you stay full and satisfied for hours. This will limit your blood sugar spikes and give your body time to burn fat between meals. Plus, it will keep overeating to a minimum.
- Drink with Intention
Who doesn’t love a festive beverage during the holidays? Enjoying alcohol on Thanksgiving doesn’t have to sabotage your weight loss goals. All you need to do is have a plan and stick with it.Limit yourself to two servings (this is the amount of alcohol that’s safe for our health and congruent with our weight loss goals). Swap your drink of choice for one of these simple libations that’re much better for your health.
Stay hydrated before, during, and after Thanksgiving. Start your day with a few large glasses of water. Add an electrolyte supplement, like Ultima, to boost hydration and decrease cravings!
- Start Active Traditions
Flag football or a family walk can be just as enjoyable as the big feast! Staying active will increase your calorie burn and keep you from eating out of boredom. Plus, if you move your body before or after a meal, you’ll lower your blood sugar spike! - Ditch the Victim Mindset
No one is making you diet. Remembering that this is your decision and for your good will empower you to make healthy food choices on Thanksgiving day.Write out a few reasons why you want to and are choosing to live a healthier lifestyle. Keep the note in your pocket or on your phone to review and keep you motivated and confident in your decision to choose health throughout the day.
Let’s Redefine Thanksgiving
We do a disservice to Thanksgiving by thinking of it as the binge holiday. Thanksgiving is one day of the year we can intentionally gather with the people we love and enjoy all the gifts we have.
A celebration feast is a physical representation of the bounty we have. It’s not the reason we gather. Remembering this can help us redefine the day and live in a healthy, happy way.
Want to learn more about how to establish healthy habits for the long-term? Join my program LEAN where I’ll walk you through everything you need to know.
