Monday – November 18, 2019
Yes, it’s that time of year! I feel like it was July yesterday – blinked and here comes Thanksgiving. We get to celebrate all that we are thankful for – most importantly family and friends. I am hugely grateful for my loving family and awesome friends – and love to go around the table and talk about why and what makes us thankful.
So here comes the tricky part – how to approach this holiday with HEALTHSgiving type mentality. I am a huge believer in enjoying a holiday and the traditional foods that we hold near and dear. I have so many wonderful recipes from my mom, grandmother and beyond. Over the years I have tweaked some of the recipes so that they were on the healthier side. Removing the great flavor factor is just NOT an option though. I do feel like my world of trying new foods has really opened up over the recent years which will make approaching this holiday season even more fun and tasty.
One issue I come across at the end of Thanksgiving Day – is that insanely uncomfortable, unbutton your pants fullness. As I get older, I really do not like eating like this – it affects my sleep and knocks me down – makes me feel awful. I love feeling great too much, to put my body through that – even for a holiday meal. I do want to be clear that this is a holiday that you don’t want to walk away from feeling deprived. I will eat the foods I have loved in the past and enjoy each and every bite – I just won’t be going overboard and putting myself in the Thanksgiving Full Zone. It’s really about balancing it – so you eat the foods you love yet being mindful of how much you eat and making better choices from what’s in front of you.
I will share some tips on how to approach this Thanksgiving in a HEALTHSgiving way.
Get in the HEALTHSgiving mentality while eating the foods you love:
- Include healthy options on your Thanksgiving menu. There are so many great, healthy options out there for a Thanksgiving meal. It’s important to still have your traditional foods but certainly have some healthy options as well. Here are some suggestions. Oven roasted brussels sprouts with red onion, or my Roasted Butternut Squash. Another great side dish is Glazed Acorn Squash (recipe coming soon). A simple and clean appetizer to put out is my Eggplant Dip with Veggies. Oven roasted veggies are a great way to go – they add a hint of sweet and savory to the meal and definitely have that Fall, comfort feel good flavor.
- Eat Breakfast and Lunch – Thanksgiving Day! Skipping these meals doesn’t give you a free pass to the Thanksgiving buffet friends. I hear this all too often when someone has a celebratory dinner and it defeats the intended purpose. By skipping both breakfast and lunch, you are at a 10+ on the hunger scale – I call this the DANGER ZONE (or maybe the HANGRY Zone would be a better way to put it). This is where true sabotage sets in and overeating takes over – thus the extreme Thanksgiving full factor. It’s best to be around a 6-7 on the hunger scale by the time you sit down for dinner. This will help prevent the overeating that we are trying to steer clear from.
- Let Your Plate be Seen. So – if your plate is white – make sure you can see some of that white beneath the food. Why? To help you not overfill your plate.
- Get Your Movement In! Be consistent with your movement. On Thanksgiving day, you may want to do a little extra since you definitely will be eating more than usual. Get it in early – be done early and move on with your holiday.
- Hydrate Throughout The Day. Did you know we commonly mistake thirst for hunger? Hydrating from the time you wake up through right before the big meal, will help curb your appetite.
- Drinking Alcohol. This will also be another calorie contributor. For each glass of alcohol, follow it with an 8 – 10 oz. glass of water.
- Be Conversational During Dinner. This also helps slow down your eating and the full feeling may hit you sooner – helping you not to overeat.
- Push Your Plate Away Once an “8” on the Fullness Scale. You can either push your plate away or cover it with a napkin. Sometimes we have to trick the mind to help derail the temptation to finish everything on our plate.
- Eat Your Dessert. Yes, you heard that right. This is not about depriving yourself so have that dessert. Start with a small serving and go slow. Savor each bite.
- Most Importantly – enjoy your Thanksgiving/Healthsgiving holiday with family & friends!
I would love to hear your comments about how you will be approaching HEALTHSgiving this year!
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I am now scheduling new client consultations. I am extending a special offer on my 90 Day Program – 25% off through the end of 2019. Let’s get those good habits started now before the holiday foods arrive into your kitchen and life. If you are feeling frustrated with no energy or drive to make the necessary changes and optimize your health, I can help you get on track – find amazing energy and get you craving healthy foods. I do this by slowly integrating habit changes that will stay with you for the long-term without feeling deprived or overwhelmed.
Contact me today for a Free Discovery Transformation Consultation to see if we are a good fit together!
Cheers To Your Health,
Coach Christi