Tips For Keeping on Course This Thanksgiving

While the typical Thankgiving Dinner holds about 4000 calories, it doesn't have to be a day that throws your healthy eating plans off the table to make room for more pie or shifts your success in reverse. 
Here are my tips in each area of a transformation to help you successfully ENJOY the day while staying FOCUSED on your healthy goals.
1.  Enjoy things in MODERATION.  If you already follow a healthy eating plan, today can be your free day where you still log your food, but choose to splurge.  Also, avoid the typical foods you can eat every day and choose the ones that are for the special occasion.  For instance, pass up the packaged side dishes or baked goods and go for the homemade roll and your mom's famous pumpkin cheese cake instead.  Concerned you can't choose just one?  Follow a three bite rule....enjoy three bites (each one about 25 calories) and then be done.  
2. Go for a long walk, add in some intervals, and get a good workout accomplished.  Not enough time?  Do a HIIT workout at home.  It takes less than 30 minutes, and you will start your feast on a calorie deficit.  Also, it is a great time to be grateful for your healthy choices and avoid the shame game that follows the pie.
3.  FOCUS on the company and not the food.   It seems that the holiday is centered around food.  The whole reason it started was a feast, but bear in mind that the feast was to be grateful for a time of plenty following a time of adversity and famine.  Spend time in meaningful conversation with your family (particularly ones you don't see often) and give quality time to loved ones who are usually working or in school.  Make the day more about uninterrupted quality time and less about unrestricted calorie consumption.   

4.  FOR FUN! 
Here is a Thanksgiving Day Calculator to plan ahead to  know how  much you would need to "walk off" in order to burn your meal! 
Holidays don't have to be an obstacle....they can be a perfect place for you to practice your healthy eating plan in the oddest situation.  Practice brings skill.......
Happy Eat-Healthy-And-Spend-Time-With-Those-You-Love Day

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