Thanksgiving has arrived and while this holiday is all about giving, it’s also about what’s on the dinner table-turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, and delicious pumpkin pie! While all of this sounds delightful and delicious, our diet may not agree. Overeating seems inevitable this holiday season but with a few thoughtful tips and hints, you will be able to enjoy your holiday dinner without having to loosen up that belt buckle.
Stay Hydrated
Before and during the big Thanksgiving dinner, be sure to fuel up on some water. Drinking plenty of water will help you feel full so that you don’t overindulge on the plenty of options on the dinner table, alcoholic drinks included.
Start With Soup Or Salad
While there may be plenty of options on the table, start your meal off with a soup or salad instead of going straight for the buttery rolls and stuffing. Starting with a low-calorie soup or salad will help you fill up your stomach with healthier options before reaching for all of those empty calories. Aside from it being the healthier option, it will also help you feel fuller sooner, preventing you from grabbing extra buttery mashed potatoes later.
Load Up On Veggies
While your plate can only fit so much on its plate, loading it up with healthy options like green beans will give you less space to fill up on the empty calories. The more veggies you eat, the less junk food you will have. Making your decision to pack the plate with greens instead of everything else will be a wise decision that you and your stomach will appreciate.
Pick A Smaller Plate
By choosing a smaller plate, you will have less room to pack your plate with unhealthy options. By doing so, you will be having smaller portion sizes and ultimately eat less compared to when you have a much larger plate size.
Make One Trip
Take going for seconds out of the game plan. When scooping up your side dishes, choose wisely because you are only allowing yourself to make one trip around the dinner table.
Snack Before
Don’t go to your Thanksgiving dinner hungry! Eat some healthy snacks before going to meet with your friends and family. Have some baby carrots and celery to fill up on much healthier options so that you don’t go into dinner wanting to indulge in every single unhealthy option.
Don’t Break Out The Elastic Pants
While many break out their sweat pants to prepare for this dinner, choose to wear your fitted clothes so that you don’t allow yourself to go overboard on the eating. Wearing fitted clothes for dinner will remind you that you are not here to win an eating contest and gain a few pounds. You will better notice if you are eating too much when you are wearing tight-fitted clothes rather than those stretchy pants.
Quality Over Quantity
There are so many options on that dinner table, so choose wisely when scooping up that side dish or dessert. You don’t need to try a scoop or slice of everything that is on the table. Choose the options that you know you will enjoy rather than loading up your plate with everything you see.
Posted in Replenish Your Health and tagged
