What is your Thanksgiving strategy?

[A1A1]

I am trying to get my turkey day strategy together. I just love mashed pots. and gravy and love stuffing.


What do you suggest?

What is your strategy going to be? Have a little or have none?

 

[kayeandjim00]

My strategy is to eat what I want within reason. Thanksgiving is only one day a year and my feeling is that this is a lifestyle change and Thanksgiving will come every year and I need to learn how to handle it. Fri morn I'll be right back on track. I think the important thing is to just not let yourself slip in to old habits. Friday morning I'll be out doing my jogging first thing and then I'll get right back to eating my normal food.

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Yep, me too! What she said! (kayeandjim00)

Trick for me is to eat less of everything and remember that is what I want to do as a life style change. If I slip, I will get back on Friday for sure. I don't want to let it go too long. I think for me though that Thanksgiving is the easiest to eat smart because it is turkey! I love turkey, just will take a taste of the "bad" things and eat more turkey! ...Oh yeah, and salad, ...and water with my meal, ...and sugar-free jello with whipped cream, ...and I think I'll be quite packed!
Good luck.

 

[Samandmom]

I am sooooo hungry right now. Why did I open this thread? I will be eating that day but probaly limit myself. Turkey

 

[TigH]

My plan is to eat whatever I want. I've been doing a "cheat free" challenge for 7 days and will continue with it until Thanksgiving (I usually have a cheat meal once a week). Right after Thanksgiving it's back to cheat free until another scheduled cheat!

Enjoy the day!

 

[LisaTx]

My strategy is to stay on plan, although I do plan to have some special things that I don't normally have. I'm fixing turkey, ham, green beans, Atkins cornbread muffins, veggie tray with dip, deviled eggs and a sugar free cheesecake.

Others in my family will be having mashed potatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie, but I don't plan to have any of those.

 

[ohMom]

is to volunteer with my family at a Community Thanksgiving dinner, we are delivering meals. Then we'll eat there around noon. I plan on just being choosy and taking very small portions of what I want. I think they'll have sugar-free desserts too. No cooking - no leftovers!!

 

[lmhall2000]

I grab a kid's plate- you know those smaller sized plates- like a salad plate size. Well I fill it up with 2 spoonfulls of everything I want- green beans, macc/cheese, potatos, turkey, dressing and a roll. Then for dessert I give myself one dessert- I don't nibble AT ALL and only drink water with my meal. It's amazing how quickly your plate fills up when you've got a small plate- and you really do feel full and satisfied that you've had a bit of everything! This always works for me- then I try to run outside and play with all the young kids- kicking a ball around- throwing footballs-playing tag- I surely can't run as fast as everyone but I don't sit in front of the TV watching football after eating that good food!

Have a GREAT turkey Day!!!
Tara

 

[lulu201]

My plan is almost exactly the same as TigH! I hope to stay cheat free until Thursday and then eat whatever I want! The only difference is that I'm allowing myself a little more leeway--I'm traveling with my family until Saturday--so I may decide to have a few other favorites on Fri. and Sat. (like popcorn at the movies). I know that if I try to be too rigid with myself and deny myself the pumpkin pie or a favorite goodie, I'm going to end up binging afterward. When I come home on Saturday, though, it's back to being OP until the next scheduled cheat!

 

[PAdisMOM]

I plan to eat what I want just not as much (like most of the other posters).

I will make a low cal pumpkin pie, a chocolate pudding pie with a RF crust and SF pudding and a pumpkin roll modified to be low sugar low fat. This way I have some better choices.

My plan is NO PICKING!!! And when it is meal time i will fill ONE plate and ONE dessert plate. This way I can have what I want, just in limited quantities.

Really, do I need more than one plate of food anyway?

 

[starnerella]

My plan is to eat very light before the big meal - a cup of nonfat yogurt & an apple - and drink lots of water. I am on the WW program, so I'll be counting those points and planning what I'll eat before I fill my plate.

I really have to watch portions and make trade-offs. For instance, a plain sweet potato will satisfy me just as well as sweet potato casserole. That saves more points for the pumpkin pie, which I definitely plan to have - it's one of my favorites.

Also, I make lower point/calorie/fat versions of my favorites such as pumpkin pie and go for plain, non-seasoned vegetables instead of casseroles for the most part.

 

[nativetxn]

Since my mother can't eat more than two ounces at a time and since my brother, husband and I are all on Atkins, we decided that we will eat out instead of having a traditional thanksgiving at home, this year.

We will just follow our low carb plan. None of us wants to eat any refined carbohydrates after all of this time. It's sort of neat, really

 

[Baileymouse]

My strategy? Turkey with drippings (I can't eat anything too dry at this point), pumpkin pie made with Splenda instead of sugar, a very small amount of whatever else looks good, and avoidance of most of it.

If I eat the turkey first (the protein) I'll fill up on that and be sated. If I go over that I know I'll make myself sick. I may try a bite of mashed potatoes if they're the yummy garlic ones, but we're eating at a relative's house and she's not known for especially delicious (or low-carb) meals.

Since I'm making the pie I'll use the splenda - and I don't think I'll tell them, lol.

Best is since I'm not cooking - there's none of this stuff around the house to tempt me for the next week!

 

[antmaril]

I plan to have a little of everything within reason. It is one day. Friday morning I'll be at Curves working it off.

 

[A1A1]

why can't I delete my posts anymore? I submitted the same one twice.

 

[A1A1]

I am concerned that if I allow myself to eat mashed potatoes or other high bad carbs, I will cause my body to go into that craving mode, and it will be like I have to start induction all over. Will I have to begin again to alter my body/blood so I don't crave carbs?

Anyone on Atkins know?

I am a true carb junkie. I feel like an addict with carbs that will have to go through withdrawal again.

 

[Chattyaholic]

My parents always take the whole family out to dinner on Thanksgiving, we are eating at 11:30 so I will have plenty of time to go for a nice 3-mile walk afterward.

The place we're going has so many choices. DH and I ate there before and they offer grilled meats/vegetables so I plan on having lots of veggies, salmon, maybe a little turkey, just a couple spoons of other favorites and maybe a small slice of pumpkin pie for dessert. Then for supper I will just have a salad.
So I should be okay.

 

[A1A1]

I have a new strategy.

If there is something special that I need to eat in order to forgoe the temptations, then I will bring it myself. Case in point=====mashed potatoes. I think I will bring mashed cauliflower.


I am also going to bring cole slaw. My own personal favorite. That should help. I love, love, love stuffing. Not quit sure how to handle this.

I will also bring a jello and whipped cream dessert, because the pumpkin pie will be tempting, also.

A nice shrimp appetizer may fill me up at the beginning.

I am almost providing my own dinner. Should just eat at home.....................................

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Originally posted by kayeandjim00
My strategy is to eat what I want within reason. Thanksgiving is only one day a year and my feeling is that this is a lifestyle change and Thanksgiving will come every year and I need to learn how to handle it. Fri morn I'll be right back on track. I think the important thing is to just not let yourself slip in to old habits. Friday morning I'll be out doing my jogging first thing and then I'll get right back to eating my normal food.

Hey, you hit the nail right on the head for me. That will probably be the most carb filled and sugar filled day I will have as long as I'm on Atkins! I went shopping today and purchased all the Thanksgiving norms...turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, etc. I do have the desserts under control though...sugar free apple pie from Cracker Barrell, sugar free cheesecake from my job (it's Atkins of course) and Carb Smart vanilla ice cream from Breyers! No sugar, sweetened with splenda!
I've brought a lot of carbs back into my diet, but I know when to stop now. I had french fries the other day at work and threw away about 1/2 of them...didn't have to, but knew that I needed to. I think the Friday after Thanksgiving will be a good day to start doing Tae Bo again before heading off to work.
It's a lifestyle change, not a deprive yourself for the rest of your life change. When I weigh myself next Monday or Tuesday (after Thanksgiving of course) and that scale says anything like 207 or less, I will be just as happy as I can be.

 

[ibouncetoo]

We are dining out on Turkey Day at a resort that I've eaten at before, so I know what to expect. I find I do very well at buffets because I can have lots of meat and veggies. I'll be passing on potato and stuffing but will have one dinner roll (they have the best crunchy crust rolls!) and they usually have fresh strawberries and whipped cream, though a bite or two of chocolate is a possibility. They offer wonderful shrimp and crab also, so I have plenty of Atkins friendly options. Our meal is at noon, so I'll have a big salad ready to go if I even need a 'dinner' that night. Eating out is great as there are no leftovers of 'scary' foods.
I did buy a turkey and will roast it over the weekend and live off the dark meat for a week! WIll freeze the cooked breast for when my sister comes at Christmas....she does WW and I can make wraps and sandwiches for her lunches.
I think Thanksgiving is a lot easier than Christmas.......Christmas can go on for weeks, what with office parties and gifts of food, celebratory lunches etc. December will be maintainance month for me.......I hope!