How To Keep It Healthy This Thanksgiving
I want to share with you my tips that have been working for me during the holiday season the last few years to keep myself healthy, on track with feeling my best & also allowing me not to feel deprived. I want you to keep in mind that this is what works for me & has allowed me not to gain weight during the holidays. Part of my problem in the past was my mentality. I would think things like "well I am already feeling poorly about myself, why not over indulge & get back on track in January" or " it's all & a little bit more or nothing" or "why not overindulge until you feel sick to your stomach, it's only for 1 day". The problem was all three of these mentalities were doing me more harm then good. When I feel deprived & feel like I can't enjoy anything, I would secretly enjoy way more than I should when no one is looking or I wouldn't eat that much at the party & stuff myself silly as soon as I got home with the leftovers. So embarrassing to admit, but my relationship with food and my body just wasn't a healthy one. It has taken me a while to find balance and learn how to keep it healthy at the holidays, but still enjoy myself. I want to share with you all the things I have learned that have helped me gain a much healthier perspective on living a healthier lifestyle with a healthier mindset.
There are going to be temptations all around us and we know this. So mentally we need to prepare ourselves to feel satisfied but not sick to our stomach and waking up the next day not feeling like we are in a food coma. So I want to walk you through how my Thanksgiving & other celebrations are going to go. Tonight we are headed to a Mexican restaurant for an adult night out with my siblings. I am going to drink one clean margarita, I will have some chips with salsa & I will look over the menu ahead of time so I know exactly what to order when we get there. I will make sure I am drinking plenty of water before & after dinner. I will make sure when I am eating chips & salsa that and that I am not racing to eat as much as I can without even tasting what is entering my mouth. I will eat slowly and I will actually taste what I am eating. I will enjoy every chip, but I will make sure I have around ten tortilla chips & not fifty which I could easily do before For dinner I will make a healthy choice because I am having a cocktail & some chips. I will skip dessert. Let's face it, when I am at a authentic Mexican restaurant I am not concerned with dessert. I will focus on the company I am with & slowly enjoy my food. I will leave feeling great & not rush home to throw on sweatpants.
The next night will be a Thanksgiving feast with my entire family. I already know the menu. I know what my plate will look like. I am going to have a cup of turkey (no gravy), 1/2 cup of Sweet potatoes mixed with mashed potatoes (I love them mixed together) then 50% of my plate will be all vegetables. I will skip all the appetizers, the bread and the cocktails. If I want a slice of pie I will have one. Not sample all the desserts like I use too. Again I will leave this holiday dinner feeling satisfied, not deprived and not be so bloated looking/feeling four months pregnant. I use to eat until I couldn't eat another spoonful more and now I slowly savor every bite.
Friday night we will be headed to our next holiday dinner party. I know I will make a superfood smoothie prior to attending and then I will be less tempted and able to skip the appetizers. I will fill my plate with 25% of protein and the rest will be all vegetables. I offered to bring a salad, so if no other vegetables are served I can have a nice size salad. I don't have to worry about healthy salad dressings because I will bring my own to share. I may indulge enjoying a glass of wine that evening or a little dessert depending on which one I would rather have. Again I will leave feeling satisfied, not sick to my stomach and will wake up the next morning ready to crush my workout.
I know a lot of people in my type of industry would tell their clients to stick to their plan 100% and not to deviate. I tell my clients learn to enjoy the holidays without over doing it. You want this healthy lifestyle to stick and I do not want all their hard work to be thrown out the window, but I do think in order to make this a lifestyle we shouldn't feel deprived or miss out enjoying some of our favorite things over the holiday. So before you attend your celebrations have a plan in your mind, set yourself up for success. Enjoy one cocktail, instead of three. Enjoy one slice of pie, instead of sampling them all. Eat slowly and truly savor every bite that enters your mouth. Instead of eating appetizers, desserts, overloading your plate at dinner and downing as many cocktails as you want, you just learn to make better choices without going crazy.
Wishing you all one healthy and happy Thanksgiving! Focus on the company more than you focus on the food, while having a good plan in place and you will truly set yourself up to make the most out of this holiday! No regrets, no feeling uncomfortable, just enjoying yourself, your favorites and your company!
XX
Katie
