Tips to Recover from Your Turkey Day Gorge

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1196088972_1196088952_dsc_0083.jpgHope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and got the chance to spend time with family/friends and of course, enjoy a delicious meal!  Most us us expect to eat a little (or a lot) more on Thanksgiving … who can resist all the delicious food? But this day of feasting can lead to feeling out of control for some people who are trying to watch their weight. This can be especially problematic if you are home for the weekend and will be surrounded by tempting leftovers for the next 3 days. Here are some tips to help you get back in control before the holiday season really gets underway.

Here are some tips to get back on track:
1. Don’t beat yourself up for eating more than you planned! This is the worst thing you can do as it usually leads to a hopeless feeling which will likely contribute to even more eating. Let it go and get back to your usual diet plan.  (pic is of me enjoying multiple desserts on Thanksgiving)

2. If you are spending the long weekend with your family and are surrounded by tempting leftovers, my advice to you is to get out of the house as much as possible. Go the the gym, meet friends for coffee or  a movie … or even go shopping on Black Friday! But the less time you spend in the house, the less tempted you will be with leftovers.

3. Store the tempting desserts and fattening leftovers (like turkey, stuffing and gravy) where they aren’t as visible (i.e. cover with tinfoil and hide in back of the refrigerator). Studies have shown that the less you see of these foods, the less you’ll eat.

4. If you are surrounded by leftover for the rest of the weekend, decide how you will handle it. Think about how various foods make you feel. If you have a piece of leftover apple pie, will that trigger you to eat more. or can you enjoy a SMALL piece and feel satisfied?

5. For those people who weigh themselves, I would recommend avoiding the scale for few days. Even one day of overeating can cause a 2-3 pound weight increase on the scale. While part of this gain may be due to fat storage, the majority is fluid retention from the extra carbohydrates and sodium. You need to consume an extra 3500 calories on top on your maintenance calorie level (maintenance calorie level is ~ 1800 calories for the average women and 2100 for the average man).  Even if the scale showed a gain of 2 pounds over Thanksgiving, I would tend to doubt you consumed an extra 7000 calories in addition to your maintenance calories. This would mean 8800 calories for the average women and 9100 calories for the average man!

6. Add in a few extra long sessions of exercise. Not only will this burn off some of the turkey day calories, it will help you feel better physically and psychologically.

7. For those of you who really overdid it and want a little jump start diet after your Thanksgiving  gorge, try a lower carb low sodium diet for 2-3 days. This will help you shed water weight as well as some fat. While I usually don’t recommend rapid weight loss or really low carb diets, there is no danger in following this type of plan for a few days. It can be motivating to see the scale drop by several pounds. You would then ease into a more realistic eating plan.


Sample meal plans                                                               

Breakfast (pick one):
– egg whites with veggies and cup of berries
– one slice of wholegrain toast with 1 T. peanut butter
– 1 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 cup fruit

Snack (pick one): 1/2 oz nuts such as 12 almonds or  20 pistachios or 14 peanuts or 9 cashews, string cheese, one fruit

Lunch (pick one):
– 5 oz grilled chicken, shrimp or lean meat  on a salad, 2 cups assorted veggies, 1 T. oil & unlimited vinegar (pic is of salad with grilled shrimp at Le Pain Quotidien)
–  5 oz grilled salmon or skinless poultry and steamed veggies
– egg white omelet with veggies

Snack (pick one): piece fruit., nuts as above, string cheese, nonfat yogurt, 1/2 cup cottage cheese

Dinner (pick one): 5 oz lean meat, fish or skinless poultry, grilled or baked plain, no sauce,  with unlimited veggies, preferably steamed plain and salad as desired. Use 1 T. oil somewhere in the meal.

In addition: Drink at least 10 cups of water. No alcohol. No bread or other starch (except as allowed on meal plan).

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I especially love problem-solving, whether it’s helping women defeat issues plaguing them for years, helping a busy executive find practical ways to get heart healthy, or providing tips to help you reverse diabetes. That’s why I’m on a constant quest to expand my knowledge by staying on top of the latest research.

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