I have good news, and I have bad news. The good news is that we’re getting away from midterm madness and Mondo sandwiches for an entire week. Instead, we’ll be spending time with our families and cooking up a storm to prepare for every American’s favorite meal: Thanksgiving dinner. Now, for the bad news: one cup of diced white meat turkey is about 276 calories with 11.7 grams of fat, one cup of mashed potatoes is 237 calories with 8.8 grams of fat, and the average serving of gravy is 47 calories.
Did I mention there’s really bad news? As if these statistics aren’t scary enough, keep in mind the serving sizes. Who actually has one serving of delicious, homemade, non-campus food over the holiday break? We indulge, savor, and chew every bite until our taste buds are numb. There’s definitely nothing wrong with treating yourself over the holidays, but there are ways to do so without having to break out the trusty elastic waistband.
1. Don’t skip breakfast! It may seem like a good idea to “save up” your calorie intake for the Thanksgiving feast, but filling up on whole grains and fruit in the A.M. will slim your chances of overeating later on. Without breakfast you will be physically hungrier and less able to resist going after dessert like a savage. As if that’s not bad enough, your subconscious will justify the indulgence by telling you “you didn’t eat breakfast, so compensate for those calories now.” Attention subconsciouses of college girls: there is a huge difference between a nutrient dense start to the day and a sugary finale!
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for a smaller plate so that you get smaller servings. On a day like Thanksgiving, big plates with big helpings of food are standard (it’s not called Turkey Day for nothing!). This where your subconscious battles your actual appetite once again. By seeing an empty plate that was once overflowing with food, you’ll feel fuller quicker, no matter the size of the dish. If the celebration is at your house, sneak into the china cabinet and steal a smaller plate for yourself. If you’re elsewhere, don’t feel like a diva when making the request; it will be well worth it!
3.Prepare yourself for the big day. Remember just how much you are going to eat on that fateful Thursday…and be honest with yourself. In all likelihood, you’ll feel less hungry when you remember the indulgences you will make in just a few days. Go into Thanksgiving dinner feeling healthy and worthy of delicious rewards.
4. If your family is anything like mine, the food flow is never cut off on
Thanksgiving Day. Salty antipasto and starchy garlic bread basically greet you at the door, and it is perceived as rude if you don’t take part in the anarchy of appetizers. Eat less without offending the cook by taking just one or two of whatever you want, and eating it slowly so that your body has more time to process it. Plus, the slower you eat, the more time you kill before the appetizers are cleared and the less time you spend debating whether or not to take “just one more…”5. Don’t plant yourself on the couch between courses. Instead, play with young
6.Drink as much water as you can throughout the day. Holding a glass or a water bottle can distract your hands from wandering over to scoop up some marshmallow-ey sweet potatoes. Water is especially good because drinking up can make you feel full, resulting in eating less of the calorie dense options.
7.The turkey on your plate can’t swim (at least, I hope it can’t), so don’t drown it in gravy! Statistics show that most people use way more gravy than needed, which translates to “way more calories than needed”. Pay attention to exactly how much salt you shake atop your meal, because too much can lead to bloating, which usually leads to discretely undoing the top button of your jeans.
8. You don’t have to desert the idea of eating dessert (pun intended), because after all, it is a holiday. Pick your favorite sweet and savor every bite of it, and accompany it with a bowl of fruit. By doing this, you are allowing yourself some leeway, while having a healthy option to distract you from going in for more of the bad stuff.
9. Leftovers can turn Thanksgiving Day into Thanksgiving Weekend, so be careful about how much you reheat at a time! Remember that you don’t need to eat all of the leftovers at once – the fridge will keep them fresh and waiting for you another day. If there is excess (and if you’re Italian like I am, you know the meaning of excess food), bring some back to campus for roommates, friends, and the hot guy next door. The more that they eat, the less you will.
10. For all you shopaholics, let’s be real: Black Friday is the main reason we love Thanksgiving Break. Use it to your advantage by wearing comfy shoes and walking at a steady pace through the mall that day. Who says you can’t get half off a Juicy bag and burn off half the Thanksgiving Day calories all at the same time?
If you were ever afraid of gaining the Thanksgiving Thirteen, you officially have nothing to fear. Small adjustments to your holiday break can make it easy to indulge in amazing food without feeling horrible about it. When everyone else is in a food coma, you’ll be feeling fabulous and ready to take on every holiday feast that comes your way.