THANKSGIVING – HAVE A PLAN

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]As many of you know because I mention it all the time — Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays of the year. In fact, I love the whole weekend.  It’s a time that we enjoy our families, and traditions, and we are truly grateful and thankful for everything we have and those we love. While we should feel like this everyday (and hopefully most of us do) Thanksgiving Day gives us a day to celebrate it.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]NOT A VERY SOCIAL WEEKEND…… When it comes to Thanksgiving and Weight loss it’s usually not just about Thanksgiving it’s about a very social weekend. However this year and this weekend we are in a much different place. Social is not high on the list of activities with the world we live in – so while we are keeping everything more low key it should be easier, right? Maybe for some but for others it’s going to be a lot more indoor and a lot of left-over temptation to deal with. Which wouldn’t be terrible if we only went for the left-over turkey, but it’s usually the sides and desserts that we tend to gravitate toward. So while you are making your plans for Thanksgiving it is probably a good idea to make plans for the left-overs too. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

1) Freeze everything immediately after dinner – do not leave it out for the next day. You don’t want anything tempting left out where you can taste, bite and pick….

2) Soup kitchens – we have a list on our website. Call for covid instructions.

3) If you want to keep them and eat them – plan the exact day you will be doing that so you can look forward to it. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]Throughout the four days you want to maintain control and enjoy. I think for many of you the importance of taking one day at a time — planning, and knowing what you are doing in advance is key to your success. Think before you grab – and think again before you eat. Think about your plans and know where you are going, what you are doing and when you are cheating. Don’t just plan your cheat days. It’s also important you are planning what you are eating when you are staying 110% clean and on program.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]When we are celebrating and following traditions it’s easy to get caught up in the holiday spirit and before you know it Monday morning comes and you look back and think oh no… what did I do??[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]1. WEIGHT LOSS: Cheat Thanksgiving Day and Stay on program and clean the rest of the weekend. While this is a little challenging it’s doable. You choose Thanksgiving day as your Cheat Day and you are 110% the remainder of the weekend. Just remember it’s always harder to stay on program after you already cheated when you still have a long weekend in front of you. So you must really be in a good mental place to do this and follow through with it. Plan where you are going and what you are eating on program the remainder of the weekend.[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]2. WEIGHT LOSS:  Eat Clean Thanksgiving Day and Cheat one day on the weekend. This is challenging but very doable. You can have your Turkey and Vegetables and you save everything else on the table that you love for your cheat day. Having your cheat day later in the weekend is always easier. Once you get through eating clean Thursday and Friday – then you choose your cheat day and before you know it the weekend is over and you made it. — JUST BE SUPER CAREFUL. It’s usually not the turkey that is the issue…. It’s the sides, the desserts and the alcohol that causes the binging. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]3.  MAINTAIN:  This is a little more realistic and if you are not in shark mode this might be the best option for you. You split the Cheat Day and you choose two nights out of the four days.  So for Example – you choose Thanksgiving and Saturday to be your cheat nights. You would eat on program Breakfast and Lunch and then Cheat Dinner, Dessert and Drinks. You would do that for Thanksgiving and then again one day on the weekend either Saturday or Sunday. The remaining two days you would be 110% clean.  This is a realistic way to stay on program and enjoy the weekend.  You won’t lose but you won’t gain and that’s great. Then you go right back on Program and give it 110% clean week and weigh the following weekend. Again very important to plan and know where you are going and what you are doing so you can plan and prepare for your on program days. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

 [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]While you have many options – you really only have two choices:   1) You will plan in advance and follow through with your plans or 2) you will go through the weekend mindless and no plan and end up cheating a little or a lot each day. RESULT #1: Monday morning you will either be super happy and feel good and in control and eager to get back to your 110% week of eating on program — RESULT #2  you will be miserable walking around in tight clothes mentally knowing that you didn’t do what made you happy you did what was easy. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

[dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]My Final thoughts:  Thanksgiving comes once a year but so do many other holidays and birthdays. Don’t look for excuses to sabotage yourself. Think about what makes you happy today, tomorrow and the day after. Keep the focus where it should be – not on what you can’t have – focus on what you do have. It’s a beautiful holiday with a lot of celebrations – Enjoy all the love, family, friendships and memories this holiday has to offer – because that is what it is truly about. [dt_sc_hr_invisible_small]

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick