Thanksgiving Time to Celebrate with Friends,Fun and Food

I am redoing an earlier blog in honor of Thanksgiving Day and the upcoming December Holidays. There is no need to make your holidays a time to gain weight unless you really need to. Put food last on your list.The First Thanksgiving was a celebration of survival. We are going through challenging times, so let us celebrate our survival. Make friends and fun your cornerstone this holiday season.What can you do to make sure you stick to your eating plan? We can overeat and try to compensate for it the next week, We can plan ahead and allow for some of those extra calories. Or we can loudly proclaim, "I am on a diet" and make everyone, including ourselves, miserable. Or not!

The USDA website has a podcast with a few suggestions on what you can do at a party.
1.  Fill up on fruits and vegetables
2.  Put no more than 2 items on a plate at a time.
3.  Get your food and move away from the table.
Their research has show that when you follow these tips you are more likely to eat less, and to eat healthier.
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/multimedia/archived-podcastindex.html, See podcast "Holiday Parties--- Made Healthy."

By putting two items at a time on a plate, you can take your food away from the table, enjoy it and if you want go back for more, it's okay. My suggestion is that you wait a few minutes before going back to give time for the food to settle.

Another idea if you are going to be the guest, prior to the event, talk to the host/hostess and find out what they are planning on serving. Then, you can offer to bring something that you know that you can eat and enjoy.

If that is not possible, do not go to the party hungry. Eat a health snack before you go. Remember the purpose of the party is not about eating, but about having a good time with friends and family, celebrating the occasion.

Watch what you drink. If you drink alcoholic beverages yourself to one or two and then drink water. Colas are another area to watch carefully, Limit the number you drink, even if they are diet drinks. They are not healthy. If you are drinking fruit juices, remember they have calories as well. Don't go overboard. When in doubt, drink water with a squeeze of lemon or lime. Nobody will know the difference.

One of the things I sometimes do is to reduce my calories earlier in the day so that I can enjoy myself at the party. It is really about planning, and being careful about what we eat. It is better to go and eat less and have a good time, than to overeat and live with the consequences.

Don't let the eating get in the way of enjoying your friends and having a good time at the party. You can do it. Remember we are really trying to develop a new lifestyle, not let the old one regain control.

Have a safe and happy holiday. Eat right, and celebrate your freedom from overweight.

Thank you for reading this. I invite any comments or questions you may have.