Monday, November 22, 2010

Mamavation Moday- Cutting Thanksgiving Calories

I'm getting back into the swing of things this week, after my stress fracture debackle. My foot feels better, so I'm going to start off light to make sure it really does feel as good as I think it does. :\

But my main concern this week is Thanksgiving. In years past, I have gorged myself on cake, pie, cream puffs (you can tell I love dessert), biscuits, green bean cassarole, you name it, I ate it. And, it was good. Really good. It's what lended to me being so large all of these years. But this year is going to be different. So I thought I'd share my game plan for the holiday eating season with you! With a little planning, I think we can all make this Thanksgiving a little skinnier! Enjoy!

1. Eat your veggies.
Load your plate with salad and a non creamy dressing. If you can, skip the cheese and the crutons.

2. What bread basket?
Pretend that the bread basket, or rolls, just don't exsist. EVEN if they are whole wheat. Just because they are whole wheat doesn't mean they aren't packing extra calories.

3. Lean Meat
When you are eating turkey, eat turkey breast. It contains fewer "bad fats" than the dark meat. And we all want to keep those arteries clean for a long healthy life!

4. Don't get stuffed on stuffing.
Stuffing is bread. Often times with lots of butter and fat to make it nice and squishy and fluffy. So if Thanksgiving just isn't Thanksgiving without stuffing, be very careful about how much you indulge in.

5. Eat your veggies, AGAIN!
You don't NEED to have green bean cassarole. Try steaming veggies like green beans or broccoli as a low cal alternative.

6. You say potato, I say califlower.
Try steaming califlower, pureeing it, and preparing it like mashed potatos instead of serving them. I just tryed this for the first time the other day, and I could barely tell a difference! You'll save a bunch of calories and carbs!

7. Delicious Dessert
Thanksgiving desserts are yummy. I myself love some pumpkin pie. But if you can't prepare a light version of your dessert, your dessert indulgence is all about portion control. Try having just a "sliver" of pie or cake. You'll satisfy your sweet tooth, without killing all of your hard work!

I hope you can use these tips! This is what I intend to do, I let you know how it works out for me.

However, if you end up indulging, make sure you make up for it. Get in a good workout with some Turbo or some TaeBo. And resume eating healthy asap, maybe with a lil' subway! Yum Yum!

Have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving Everyone!

10 comments:

  1. Yes, veggies will be a must for me this week. I am actually doing the cooking for our dinner and I'm going to make sure the veggies are in full force!

    Best of luck to you this week! Happy Thanksgiving.

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  2. I bought turnips today to add to our Thanksgiving mashed potatoes. I feel so devious!! Mwhahahaha! Great plan of attack!

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  3. I can't get enough of a reminder of each of these things. I am always so much happier when I have a small serving of something decadent and savor every bite instead of plowing through a huge plate of treats and feeling overstuffed. Thank you! Have a great Thanksgiving!

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  4. I'm glad to hear that your foot is feeling better - make sure you keep taking care of yourself and don't push it too hard! I love your Thanksgiving Game Plan! It's awesome! :-) We can totally beat the holiday gain this year! I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving and a great week!

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  5. OK, number one one my shopping list, cauliflower. Yep making it mashed. I am so glad I am not a dessert person. It is the bread I have a problem with. Great post!

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  6. All great tips! I have the cauliflower one in the Healthy Bloggers Thanksgiving on fitblogger. Have you tried that? I'm wondering how it tastes. Is it super cauliflower-y?

    Congrats on your 10 pounds lost!

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  7. These are some really delicious goals. I might be able to stick with most of them. Good luck to you too!

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  8. Good luck with Thanksgiving. We celebrate it in October up North and it is hard to be good. Allow yourself a small indulgence. A good trick that's worked for me in the past is to have a light meal before dinner so you're not ravenous. Have a great holiday!

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  9. Here is another thing you can try. Enjoy your food as you are having it. Don't just eat mindlessly. I've noticed when I do that, I consume more and want more. But when I'm eating and enjoying myself, I'll eat less. XXOO

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  10. hopefully you did good on thanksgiving i see i made a few errors thats probably why i gained 2 lbs. have an awesome weekend

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