Thanksgiving is a lovely time of year. We celebrate all we’re thankful for by gathering around the table surrounded by good food and good people. On the other hand, the holidays can also be extremely stressful. We all love our families, but let’s be real, sometimes, we just want to ring their necks. When you’re following a strict diet, trying to lose ten pounds, or only eating blue foods, the idea of sitting down to a 4 o’clock turkey dinner may sound more terrifying than people who dip OREO Cookies in orange juice. That one family member who comments on your weight every time they see you, whether to compliment or criticize, certainly doesn’t help matters. However, it is possible to stick to your plan, perhaps even keep your sanity, if you play your cards right.
1. Keep Moving!
The meal is only one element of Thanksgiving. It’s kind of like a bar mitzvah or wedding. There’s always a cocktail hour first. There are bound to be tempting goodies, cheese and crackers, nuts, a fruit salad if you’re lucky. Fill your plate with items you know you can eat. Ones you won’t feel guilty about afterward. And load up! Fruit, carrot sticks, hummus, even a handful of nuts, and then mingle. Talk to everyone. Make the rounds. Never sit down because then you’ll really focus on your hors d’oeuvres, and chances are, you’ll make a second plate. But this time, it won’t be filled with healthy options. Don’t squat, sit, or kneel until the commencement of the actual dinner (save for the facilities, of course.) By that time, you’ll have your next plan of attack.
2. Offer to Serve
Not only will you seem like the best son, daughter, guest, or granddaughter ever, but you won’t be staring your food in the face. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a sit down Thanksgiving dinner in the way that all the dishes are placed on the table beforehand. In this, Thanksgiving is done buffet style so the table remains clear for plates and decorations only. This way, no one has to to bump elbows, ask their hard of hearing aunt to “pass the gravy,” or reach over their cousin Jonny’s head. Your host may or may not ask for help, but make sure you speak up: “I’d love to help you Gina, or Fred, or “The Abominable Snowman!” Just get your butt in the kitchen and away from the table. If you were served second, or third or fourth in a room of 14 other people, everyone will start eating, and chances are, you’ll follow suit. Helping serve not only makes you look good, but you won’t start eating until you absolutely have to.
3. Portion Patrol
Since you will be serving, you’ll get to fill your own plate. Much less stressful than being at the table and everyone is asking why you aren’t eating any creamed corn, or do you want any mashed potatoes? However, to save yourself the aggravation, put something on your plate you wouldn’t normally serve yourself. Take a spoonful of marshmallow sweet potato or macaroni and cheese. Hopefully this way, you may save yourself from being hounded by others at the table. As for the rest of the plate, load it up with protein and veggies. No one ever felt gross or bad for having too much turkey or string beans. And then once you’re done eating, push your plate away, let your stomach digest everything you’ve just consumed before deciding if you really want a second plate. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. A lot of the times people are full after one serving, but because the food’s there, or they’re bored, they grab another plate without thinking. Engage in conversation to divert your mind to something else other than food. Besides, the real test is yet to come: dessert.
4. Ditch a Dish/Skip Seconds
If you’re like me, you absolutely love Pumpkin Pie. I could eat one entirely by myself, slightly warm, with vanilla ice cream. Pumpkin Pie is a Thanksgiving staple every year, and every year, I can’t resist it. However, I realized that if I didn’t want to thwart the progress I’ve made, or stay on track to see future goals, I needed to have a plan. The unfortunate thing with dessert is, every item usually ends up on the table. People like seeing their options, cakes and pies displayed in all their glory, and no one wants to be served dessert; people want to make their own decisions. This is, of course, the part of the meal everyone’s been waiting for.
I suggest scanning your options first. Does any one thing look better to you than another? Will you breakdown if you don’t have a slice of Pecan Pie? I know I won’t. Ask yourself if whatever you want to have worth it, and then, if you cut yourself a piece or a slice, will you be able to stop at one? Or will you go for a second, and then a third, and all the hard work you put into beforehand, talking to relatives before the meal, staying away from “no, no” side dishes during the meal, might as well have been a waste. Depending on how you look at it-you may be proud of yourself for staying strong through two courses, and then give in at dessert, or you may want to get through Thanksgiving having remained strong and focused. Most people prefer the latter-make the right decision for you. Perhaps, you cut yourself one slice of pie, and then once you finish it, bring your plate into the kitchen, put it in the sink or the dishwasher, and sit right back down at the table. This way, you surely won’t eat off someone else’s plate, retrieve your plate from the kitchen or feel the need to get a second round of food.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday. It’s a time to reconnect with your family, enjoy their company, have meaningful conversations. While Thanksgiving dinner can be stressful, whether you have to talk to the “once a year relatives,” or face a dreaded mountain of food, it is important not to forget why you’re all gathered around the table: to give thanks for each other.
