14 DAY TRIAL // Thanksgiving is here, so that means that Americans from all over the world are looking at an extended weekend of indulging in calorie-laden foods and sweets and all kinds of snacks and treats. This means that, come Monday, there will be many frowns on the faces of those who dare to try the scales early in the morning, along with plans to shift whatever extra weight is registered there.
Overeating can also cause health issues, so trying to avoid it isn’t just for the waistline. As much as we all like to eat good food, no one likes that “so bloated I’m about to burst” feeling, or the pains and ailments it offsets.
Patricia Bannan, MS RDN and author of the book “Eat Right When Time Is Tight,” tells Yahoo! that there are actually a few simple ways of making sure this doesn’t happen to you. Believe it or not, they also include the provision that you will overeat no matter what, so read on.
Don’t starve yourself beforehand
This is actually one of the biggest and most common mistakes before a feast: when you know you have a big dinner coming up, because you don’t want to feel like you’re depriving yourself of anything good that the others are having, you try to “save” calories by not eating at all the entire day (or eating very little), thinking you’re going to compensate for it over dinner.
What happens is that, when you do get to the dinner, you are so famished that you’re stuffing your face within minutes of sitting down, and you don’t even allow your body the time it needs to register when the stomach is full. So, in the end, you actually eat more than you would have if you’d had a decent meal before.
Bannan says that the best way to avoid this is to spread your calories wisely throughout the day: eat little and often, so that you never get that famished sensation in the pit of your stomach. This way, when you do sit down for dinner, you will be able to exercise the restraint you need.
Know your trigger food, try to plan ahead
Every one of us has trigger foods, whether it’s something sweet or crunchy, or salty, or greasy. Sometimes, ahead of a big dinner, one such trigger food can ruin every plan we might have made at home about keeping our calorie intake in check.
Knowing which your trigger food is helps you avoid it. It’s as simple as that actually.
Get rest
Experts can’t over-stress the importance of a good night’s rest: they don’t call it 8-hour beauty sleep for nothing, you know. People who are tired are also hungrier and more frustrated, which means that they will eat more and quicker, thus ignoring their satiety sensation.
You want to enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner, not rush through it stuffing food in your mouth without even taking the time to recognize it – and appreciate it duly. So, before this family event, Bannan recommends getting some proper shut-eye. If you’ve been stressed out or too tired from work, this will also help you in the days after Thanksgiving, so it’s a win-win situation.
Keep moving
This is the most common sense tip for avoiding overeating on any family holiday, not just Thanksgiving. Avoid sitting down at the table throughout dinner, or on a seat right next to the buffet / spread, because that means you’re likely to eat even when you’re no longer feeling hungry.
After dinner, try to get the family involved in something fun that means getting up from your seat, ideally even outside. If your gym doesn’t close for the holiday, don’t skip your regular workouts before and after the dinner. This way, at least you will minimize the “damage” you’ve done by trying everything that was laid out on the table.
Don’t punish yourself the next day
This said, you still overate on Thanksgiving. It’s no biggie, Bannan says: this happens to the best of us. Instead of feeling frustrated and punishing yourself for how much food you ate the day before, accept that it happened.
Don’t starve yourself the next day, but do make sure you eat healthier: try veggies and fruit, something light, and of course, lots of water. Get moving (some more) and don’t dwell too much on the negative of the Thanksgiving dinner. Think instead of what wonderful memories you have created on this family gathering.
Happy Thanksgiving!
