My Thanksgiving Plan

Turkey Day. Thanksgiving. Stuff-yourself-till-you-roll-out-the-door day.

Call it what you want, it's one of the scariest days of the year for people who are being diet conscious and eating clean. I know because this is my first Thanksgiving that I'm actually nervous about!

In the past, I would wear my "big" jeans or maybe even my stretchy pants. But this year is different. I'm NOT going to derail all of my hard work just because the food looks, and smells, yummy. I am now armed with tools to help me get through the day. And come to think of it, I'm gonna wear my NEW JEANS that fit oh-so-nicely!


My first tool is my knowledge of how to eat.

I WILL still be eating every 2.5 - 3 hours throughout the day. My day will start with my workout (TurboFire 45 EZ). Then it's time for breakfast, which I think I'm going to make Power Cereal. My mid morning snack is going to happen right when we are visiting the hubs grandmas at the nursing home. An apple and cheese stick should do the trick nicely! Lunch is going to be my Shakeology because it's easy and portable! Mid afternoon snack is going to happen right around when my mom is serving Thanksgiving Dinner so I'm going to probably swap out the snack for dinner. Then I will have two snacks after dinner.

My plan for dinner is to eat whatever I want! YUP - you read that right! I'm going to indulge. Know why I can do that? It's pretty simple. I can indulge on one meal because I am so extremely careful the rest of the time. One meal IS NOT going to kill me.

Now, am I going to eat 5 heaping spoonfulls of moms sweet potato casserole with loads of butter and brown sugar? NOPE. Am I going to eat 2 helpings of mashed potatoes with butter? NOPE. Am I going to have 3 pieces of pumpkin pie for dessert? NOPE.


My second tool is knowing what I'm going to eat ahead of time:

• Turkey - that's about as clean as you can get!
• Stuffing - my mom is AWESOME and is making it with whole wheat bread! I love her!
• Mashed Potatoes - these are my weakness so I usually stay away, but I'm going to enjoy some because when I deny myself, I find that I crave it even more!
• Sweet Potatoes - this year, I'm going to stay away from the sugary topping and just have about a 1/2 cup serving of the actual potatoes.
• Cranberry Sauce - seriously - who can resist this? I'll just be having a little bit!
• Green Bean Casserole - I'm going to stay away from the crunchy fried onions that top it and try to not get too much "manufactured sauce - aka - cream of mushroom soup" on my plate and in my mouth.
• Pumpkin Pie - Don't even think of asking me to skip this. I just won't do it. BUT I will choose a smaller piece this year.

After dinner, I plan to be armed with apples and cheese sticks (my staple snacks due to this dang gallbaldder!). They calm my sweet craving and fill me up nice!

My third, and last tool, is going to be water. Lots and lots of water. My body thrives on getting enough hydration and this is one day that I will not mistake my thirst for hunger!

When it comes to big holidays - it's best to remember that you don't have to deny yourself ANYTHING. You can eat whatever you want. Just don't make excuses about it. I'm not. I'll eat what I want and so maybe I only lose 1 pound this week instead of 2. Guess what??? It's completely worth it to me!

<3,
Kell