Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Are You Thinking About Thanskgiving?

"Thanksgiving is possible only for those who take time to remember; no one can give thanks who has a short memory." -- Author Unknown


Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and for many people, the thought of turkey and all the trimmings brings up not feelings of thankfulness, but fear and shame. Many people come up with interesting schemes to restrict calories, often with unfortunate consequences. Here are some common scenarios I've heard over the years:

"I nibble as I cook...and then I sit down at the table stuffed."

"I can't help nibbling on the appetizers...and then I'm stuffed before the turkey and trimmings arrive, and end up eating dinner anyway."

"I starve myself all day long..then stuff myself at dinner. My stomach hurts for hours."

"I plan ahead to overeat, and I always end up feeling sick for a day or two, but it's okay because I starve myself for a few days before."

"I behave myself while everyone's at the table...but then I eat the kids' leftovers as I clean up and put everything away."

"I behave while everyone's at the table...but sneak into the fridge later, just to have a bite, since I was so good while I was eating and everyone else was stuffing themselves."

One thing these scenarios often have in common is a desire to do weight management perfectly. Some people restrict calories before Thanksgiving day; others aim for not eating until dinnertime; while others expect themselves to behave while everyone's watching.

Whichever route people choose, it's unfortunate. The truth of weight management is that you don't have to do weight management perfectly--you have to do it consistently.

So, instead of planning ahead to do it perfectly this year, I encourage you to plan ahead to stay reasonably consistent with what you're currently doing now to lose or maintain your weight. I'll offer some specifics on Friday (sorry for the Blogger's Surprise spoiler!), but until then, I encourage you to consider looking back on previous Thanksgivings. Ask yourself these questions:

* What usually happens with food on Thanksgiving?

* Why?

* What one thing could I do differently this year that would make the biggest difference?

I'm wishing you an abundance of health and happiness this holiday season. See you tomorrow!

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