Thanksgiving Food Fear - Let it go

I’ve had so many emails on this subject I decided to select none and, in essence, use them all.

As one might surmise my Thanksgiving post won’t focus upon how to eat less on this special day. In fact, if you refer back to this post, you’ll see that I believe it’s entirely up to YOU.

Is the Thanksgiving meal one you adore (please to substitute any festive occasion if you’re not a US resident. In my opinion it applies across the board)? Dig the hell in! is what this misfit would tell you. Please do enjoy every single, tasty, buttery morsel as Friday will be here before you know it & there’s time enough to climb back on the clean eating wagon.

Not a fan of the Thanksgiving foods? Stuffing & mashed taters don’t get your drool going like my Bullmastiff when he hears the dogfoodbagcrinkling? Perhaps you might choose to view the meal as ‘business’ more than a vacation. It’s all up to you. (Me? I fall somewhere in between. There are few things I enjoy more than sweet SUGARY cranberries slathered on my turkey & few things I like less than stuffing anywhere on my plate. Nary a health-reason in sight---simply not a fan.)

As a result, I shan't tell you what to eat but will give you some random tips & thoughts for Turkey Day. First? Some numbers.

• Did you know that 46 million turkeys are consumed on Thanksgiving Day? (chime in here, oh veggie readers of mine. What do you eat? Faux turkey or do you skip it all together?)

• Did you know that one is the number of Tofurkys MizFit has had bestowed upon her by PETA? I won this fabulous prize by entering a poetry competition (yes. via my thumbs on a smart phone) & submitting a rhyme about a poor misunderstood turkey named Tessie.

• Did you know that, on average, we consume an extra 619 calories per day between Thanksgiving and New Years? (MizFit note: holy crap good GOSH!)

• Im sure you’ve heard the average Thanksgiving meal contains between 3000-7000 calories. Did you know, however, that Overeaters Anonymous has stated that this meal, even with its high caloric content, does not fall under the definition of binge? In their words: Thanksgiving dinner falls under the umbrella of careful eating & a binge is food consumption which is completely out of control and mindless. (agree? disagree? please to hit us up in the commentversation---I have many thoughts and will meet you there!)

• Did you know, if you want more numbers, you can text meals to diet1 & they’ll text you back the calorie count? (this isn’t rhetorical, People. did you know? have you done it? I’m so gonna try it tomorrow & shall report back!)

Onward. Past the numbers to what I think many of us struggle with on these highINTENSITYfamily holidays: the stress of the get together. The frazzling familial collision of who we want to be/are now versus who we used to be and whom they still view us as being. Bottom line: as with all things in life the best preparation is to set ourselves up for success (here’s where you skip to the comments should you come from a family whose Thanksgiving is jam packed with sweetness, joy, love and support. seriously.)!

• practice a few go-to phrases BEFORE you enter the Thanksgiving experience. Just like with accepting compliments, you may want to plan out some key responses to memorize ahead of time & just *calmly* repeat them when necessary. Perhaps try: Thank you for your opinion. I shall definitely keep that in mind. OR Enough about me. You haven’t filled me in on what you’ve been up to! OR That’s an interesting perspective! ORI think my Toddler is about to wet herself. can all serve to distract well meaning (& not so well meaning) friends/family when they’re inquiring about topics you’d rather not discuss.

• plan to be the best listener in attendance. I’m not known for advocating passivity yet sometimes it is the path of least resistance. If you anticipate fights erupting (on anything from politics to food preferences) plan ahead of time to be a nod & smiler (& internal eye roller). I know from experience it’s virtually impossible to drag the nod & smiler into the fray.

• be the event planner. Assign yourself the position of bring the FUN back into the dysfunctional! Bring a white sheet & some sharpies to Thanksgiving dinner & announce that everyone is going to write on the tablecloth things for which they’re thankful. Fun and a time killer! Perhaps plan a post-meal scavenger hunt and drag a few family members along with you before dinner to sent the whole thing up! No time for chatting----- there’s a hunt to be planned! Maybe lead the family on an after dinner walk and take turns sharing what you’re most thankful for from the past year. Gratitude & exercise? Whats not to love?

Now, oh patient with my yammerings skimming readers, please remember that absolutely none of this long-winded post would ever have emerged from my own life experience. And you? You got any Not From Your Life Experience (wink) tips you wanna share? Thoughts on Tofurkys? Insight into how you plan to avoid the extra 619 calories-a-day food intake over these next few weeks? Please hit us up in the comments.

Thanks to the witty, smart and healthy MizFit for her HBBC guest post! I couldn’t agree with her more that Thanksgiving should be enjoyed not feared.

Carla Birnberg is an award winning writer, community builder, personal trainer, and bodybuilding competitor. A blogger since 2001, she launched MizFitOnline in 2007 to share her health & fitness knowledge with those who might not have access to one-on-one training.

If you haven't yet, you should join the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge.
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Gratitude Journal
Nov 23
I am grateful for made up words
I am grateful for great commentversations
I am grateful for caller ID
I am grateful for long weekends
I am grateful for no travel holidays