Those of us who are trying to cut back on sweets probably groan whenever we go to a restaurant and see row after row of cute-looking desserts. Cakes, puddings, pies, and ice cream all look back at us as if to say, 'Are you going to eat me or what? We're able to resist, and then comes Thanksgiving. We just *have* to try the sweet potato pie Aunt so-and-so made, and we can't come home without sampling the cheese wheel, the dessert bar, the turducken . . . you get the point. How can you get through the holidays without shooting way back up on the scales again?
My favorite phrase as I wade through the world of healthy eating habits is "portion control." Don't deprive yourself of that cake you've been waiting all year to have; just eat less of it. Leave room in whatever your calorie frame happens to be for that delectable morsel. If you would normally sit and eat three slices of cake, satisfy yourself with one. Your body really will know the difference, and you can enjoy what you love without feeling like a - well, you know. Personally, I only eat Thanksgiving dishes that I really enjoy. I don't fill a plate with everything I see, but rather pick out the dishes I don't get to eat other times of the year or things I really have a sweet tooth for.
This Thanksgiving I plan to have just a few things: Broccoli casserole, homemade scalloped potatoes, my grandma's terrific stuffing, peanut butter chocolate cake, and a terrific dessert my grandparents make with crushed chocolate cookies. Maybe I'll throw a little turkey in there just for tradition's sake. Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? I don't have to have huge portions of each of these things, but just enough to fill my tummy. You may have heard many other dieters saying that it's good to have a "cheat day" every once in awhile, just to balance things out. If you are planning to have one "cheat day" in a blue moon, it's best to make it on Thanksgiving! This doesn't mean you can shoot up to 3000 calories on that day, however!
If you're anything like me, leftovers present the worst problem; do I *really* have to come home from Thanksgiving and eat the exact same things an hour or two later? If I get hungry at all on Thanksgiving night - which seems unlikely due to the richness of my chosen foods - I plan to make a small sandwich, or maybe just have a soda. It's all about balancing your choices. I do love leftovers on the morning after Thanksgiving, but this year I will be frugal about it. I don't need to have leftovers of *everything*. The turkey is not going to shrivel up and disappear if I don't eat it immediately after bringing it home. I do not *have* to eat the stuffing and mashed potatoes all at once; they will keep for days. And desserts don't have to be eaten at the same time just because they look pretty together.
Weight watchers take notice: The holiday season does not have to be your enemy. You can eat whatever you crave within reason, and freeze some of those cookies so you will have a nice little treat months later (all right, for some of us it will be weeks later, and I admit to this charge). I'm choosing not to make dozens upon dozens of cookies this year because it would just be cruel and unusual punishment for my waistline. I am choosing to make one Christmas dessert to enjoy and I *will* make it last. I want to open my fridge and find remnants of it a week or two later, instead of opening the door, scratching my head, and realizing that I ate it. Ah, the holidays. Our stomachs may love them, but our resolutions do not.
If you can't avoid overeating during the season, don't beat yourself up over it. I don't exactly relish the idea of gaining pounds over the holidays, but sometimes it's inevitable and you *can* get back on track after Christmas is over, no matter how hard it seems. Don't be afraid to tell people you're watching what you eat; I can just imagine having a small plate full of normal-sized portions on Thanksgiving, and having a relative asking why I didn't get more to eat. It seems embarrassing to tell people you're counting calories, but at least they won't think it's an aversion to their cooking and they probably won't ask again!
By Lacie R. Schaeffer
